Church Requel Blog - Writings of Mark Pierce

Hatfields & McCoys: 5 Beliefs That Make Me One Too

The History Channel attracted almost 14 million people  to "Hatfields & McCoys" on Memorial Day.  This realistic retelling of the greatest family feud in history set an all-time record for basic cable. 

What is about this story that attracted so many viewers?  The historic accuracy of the story? The exceptional writing? Kevin Costner?  

Nancy Dubac, president of The History Channel as well as executive producer of Hatfields & McCoys believes the attraction goes even deeper.  “One of the things that was overwhelming when I first read the script was that there wasn’t a good guy and a bad guy,” she says. “The nuances are fascinating.”

I agree with Ms. Dubac.  The show is not about black and white, good guys or bad guys.  At the end of the 6-hour miniseries I was left with the haunting conclusion that they're all bad guys... and maybe there's something in the DNA of Hatfields and McCoys that's in my own DNA as well.

Here are 5 ways to know if I could belong to the Hatfields & McCoys, no matter how I pronounce my last name.

1. Believe that principles are more important than people. Judge Valentine 'Wall' Hatfield makes the observation that he can't believe this whole feud started over a pig.  The stolen swine was the reason given, but the trust between the two families had already deteriorated by the time the hog thief was brought to court.  Am I more concerned about my rights than I am about my relationships? On a hillside 2,000 years ago Jesus taught us that  we should "settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court." (Matthew 5:25)

Leno Returns but Fallon Shines with LOST Parody

The Olympics are now over.  For the last two weeks NBC has reminded us with great regularity that Jay Leno would return to his 11:35PM time slot.  Last night Jay was back, opening with a sepia tinted, "It was all just a dream."  His jokes were a predictable fare of Dick Cheney's heart problems ("his sneer will be back in no time,") and Tiger Woods' Gatorade contract ("apparently he was seeing 5 other sports drinks.")  To some viewers, Jay's comeback show was comfortable with the old gags and routines.  But to at least one reviewer, Hank Steuver of the Washington Post, the show seemed "off":

It all seems like ancient history now (or perhaps NBC would like it to seem that way), but something seems off about Leno being back in the job. Nothing's changed. For some viewers, that's just fine. For others, it's a bitter pill, made more so by NBC's "Tonight Show" advertisements during the Olympics that featured a smug-looking Leno and snippets from the Beatles song "Get Back" ("to where you once belonged"). As with all things in the so-called "late night wars," the ratings will determine where bedtime America really stands.

Maybe it's just me identifying more with the younger, more hungry host but the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, which follows Leno, seemed more creative to me.  Last night Fallon celebrated his one-year anniversary show with a brilliant parody sketch of the LOST TV show.  Over the course of the last month, our sermon series at Church Requel has been on the topic of LOST from Luke 15.  We've had our own fun with the TV show in the process.  So my antennae was up for LOST references.  I'm not usually awake that late at night, but from what I saw last night I wouldn't be too surprised to see Fallon move into the 11:35 slot in the not too distant future.  For those that would like to watch the LOST parodies, I've embedded them here for your entertainment.  This first episode was aired a couple weeks ago.  Fans of LOST will appreciate this.  It's like LOST, except in an office building rather than an island:

And here is episode two from last night's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.  Instead of a plane crash, there's an elevator incident.

Video Recaps | Full Episodes | Webisodes

Men of a Certain Age Not Escapism TV

This man of a certain age likes to watch TNT's Men of a Certain Age, which wrapped its tenth and final episode of its rookie season Monday night.  Men was created by and stars Ray Romano, who made his fame and fortune (he became the highest paid actor in TV history in 2004) with Everybody Loves Raymond.  I was always a fan of the comedic Romano.  I became intrigued when I watched his interview with Oprah last November promoting Men.  Maybe it was just me, but I sensed an uncomfortableness on Romano's part as the interview seemed to steer in the direction of his comedy, rather than the dramatic role he envisioned for Men. 

Men of a Certain Age centers around the lives of three middle-aged friends: Joe, Owen and Terry.  Joe, played by Romano, is a divorced man, with two teenage children, a party-store business, and a gambling addiction.  Owen, played by Andre Braugher, is the married family man struggling to make ends meet by working as a salesman at his father's car dealership.  Terry, played by Scott Bakula, is the single, never-quite-made-it actor, who often looks for love in all the wrong places.

If you're looking for escapism television, don't come to Men.  It defies easy pigeon-holing.  Most would call it drama, but it's not really drama like you typically find in today's television choices.  Tim Goodman of the San Francisco Chronicle writes:

What makes "Men of a Certain Age" so surprising is that it steadfastly refuses to bend to the cliches of the premise. There are more melancholy and plaintive moments than humor - acerbic or otherwise. When you think it will leaven or undercut the tough emotions and veer somewhere safe or familiar, it doesn't. The series has more of an interior, existential aspect than anyone had a right to expect, and one that TNT doesn't usually dabble in.

Collide: The Gospel According to LOST

One of my new favorite magazines is Collide.  Its byline is "where the church and media converge."  It is edited admirably by Scott McClellan.  For anyone like me who wants to use the best media tools within the church to tell the gospel message, Collide is a must read.

While reading yesterday I came across this interview with Chris Seay, pastor of Ecclesia in Houston, Texas.  Chris is also the author of a new book entitled, The Gospel According to LOST.  Naturally with our current sermon series, LOST, I was intrigued.  Here's part of the description of the book from Amazon:

The focus on faith and truth is never more clearly explained than in the words of John Locke as he questions Jack Shepherd asking "Why do you find it so hard to believe?" Jack responds quickly "Why do you find it so easy?" But Locke declares "It's never been easy." This tension between Faith and Reason drives every episode and story line. Locke summed this up as he explained to Jack "That's why you and I don't see eye‐to‐eye sometimes, because you're a man of science…Me, well, I'm a man of faith."

Even though he authored the book, Chris says he doesn't attempt to write entire sermon series out of pop culture, preferring to preach through books of the Bible.  But Chris tells Collide Magazine that he does like to use pop culture references like the LOST television show in his sermons:

I draw from it [pop culture] a lot, in a more natural style, like what I picture Jesus doing when he walked through the fields and said, “Look at the crops. Let me explain to you what’s going here in terms of reaping and sowing.” I think that’s what we’re called to do as teachers, just with everyday life. We have to use the things around us to explain the things of God, and Jesus was so good at that.

Clearly, the gospel dwells within the culture, and so we’ve got to be people that see the signposts and call people into conversations and call them toward truth. Pop culture is part of that, but it can’t be the whole thing. If you teach Lost and you don’t get to the gospel part or to Scripture, you’re just running in the circles of a postmodern narrative, which is not what I feel called to.

Clearly I don't have any problems designing sermon series on top of cultural references.  But anyone who has heard me preach knows that I use the pop culture for a launching pad to get into the Biblical lessons.

One of the other things I loved about the Collide Magazine interview with Chris Seay was the artwork.  The paintings above were created by talented artist, Scott Erickson.  What you see above is just a sampling of the artwork, so get over to Collide or to Scott's Flickr page to check out the rest of Scott's LOST paintings.

Glee Club on Fox - A "Wow" Experience

Hey everyone.  I just used my daily 40 minutes of television to view a brand new show, which premiered yesterday on the Fox network.  The show is named Glee.  Apparently this is only a "Pilot Premiere" of a series that is scheduled for this coming Fall.  I lucked into recording it on my DVR and thoroughly enjoyed it.  It is definitely worth watching.  I'm only sad that I'll have to wait until this Fall to watch more episodes.  The show is about a the formation of a Lima, Ohio high school performance singing group, made up of "losers" who have winning voices.  Sure, it's more than a little saccharin, but then I always did have a sweet tooth.  Right now, the full episode is available to watch for free on the Fox website. (Well, not exactly free - you'll have to watch 2 minutes of Fox Network's commercials first!)  Also the two most fantastic songs, "Rehab" and "Don't Stop Believin'" from the premiere episode are available as singles in the iTunes Music store.  Just type "Glee Cast Version" in the search engine of iTunes.  I've embedded a 4:24 extended trailer from YouTube below.  Enjoy!