Pastor Paul's "The Dark Knight Rises" Review

Let's begin with this, there is no real way any movie in this series can beat "The Dark Knight." Director Christopher Nolan (who also co-wrote the film with his brother Jonathan) and actor Heath Ledger did such a great job between themselves to make "TDK" such a physically and emotionally visceral movie that "TDKR" (The Dark Knight Rises) can only pale next to it. Getting that out of the way, I liked it.

I liked the action. I liked the story (when I could follow it). I loved the visuals. The audio was even great. The cameos made this a great movie. Bringing back Cillian Murphy, who played Dr. Jonathan Crane/The Scarecrow in "Batman Begins" was a stroke of genius! Liam Nissan coming back as Ra's Al Ghul was brilliant.

Honestly though, Bane as the chief antagonist is kind of boring. He's a brute, not much more. Even when we find the reason behind his brutality (and Darth Vader starter kit face piece) there isn't that much.

Some have pooh-poohed Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, but I liked her spin on the character--and the way she can kick ass in high heels. (I don't know if it was a stunt woman or not, and I don't care. I will forever think it was her kicking ass.)

There is one controversy that has come from this, Rush Limbaugh's Bane vs. Bain controversy...

As you can see in the clip, Limbaugh links together the villain Bane and Mitt Romney's Bain Capital hence Romney becomes the face of Bain/Bane. He fears this will influence "brain dead voters" who will link the two. For me, there was a message in the movie that should irritate and worry Rush more.

The movie make a great deal of what happens when the poor and downtrodden, with a powerful charismatic leader (Bane), decide the day of the 1% is done and it's time for the 99% to give it a go. In a plot point that shouldn't be much of a spoiler, it doesn't rue well for the power elite when the disenfranchised have the opportunity to turn the tables.

I think this should have been the big point that should have scared Rush to death because blowhard talk show hosts would be on the top of the list of power-elite banner carriers the tribunal would try. If the argument is that the 99% can't stay organized, that's probably true, but it's like the two guys trying not to be eaten by the bear. I don't have to outrun the bear, I just have to outrun you.

If you're looking for a plot point in TDKR to be afraid of, that's the one.

Pastor Paul's July Newsletter Article

My sister has recently noted that I don't post much stuff here. She's right. It's not like I'm putting long-form content anyplace else, it's just that either I haven't had much to say recently or I've had so much to say it's all garbled and not making it past my fingertips.  Well, this much has gotten past. Here is my Newsletter Article from July. God bless and enjoy!

Dear Friends in Christ,

We are coming up on Independence Day, the day we celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It is a joyful day. It is a day that should be celebrated joyfully.  The declaration beings:

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

Reading this, from the perspective of a protestant minister, something very important pops up; The Laws of Nature have a place of precedence over Nature’s God. Natural law is a view that certain rights or values are inherent in or universally recognizable. In the battle for American Independence, one of the natural laws, the inherent values the Colonists held is that being taxed without having a say about how they are taxed is wrong. “Taxation without representation is unfair.”

I gotta admit, putting natural law before the one who creates natural law bugs me, but let’s not stop there, it gets better. The declaration continues:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

This part tells the world that our national forefathers believed that our Creator has first given us certain rights that cannot be denied and that the role of Government is to ensure that these rights are not denied. God gives us rights and Government helps secure these rights.

Romans 13 tells us that government is ordained by God so we must be obedient lest we rebel against what God has instituted:

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.

This applies to taxes too…

This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

So friends, let us obey God. Let us give thanks to God for our leaders of yesterday, today and tomorrow. Let us give thanks for our leaders local and national. Let us even give thanks for our church leaders from the Session to the General Assembly, for they too are a government body, the leaders of our denomination.

God bless you all. God bless the PC(USA). God bless the United States of America.

See you in church,

Pastor Paul