Sony Music Hates Youth Ministry Video Montages

I grew up in a time of overhead projectors and picture slideshows.  When I was in grade school my idea of "multi-media" was listening to a warbley tape recorder narrate as the faded colors of a slideshow dimly lit up our projector screen.  Our math teacher would write in green dry-erase marker on an overhead slide.  This was the pinnacle of modern technology!  Except that it wasn't.

I grew up in the 80's and 90's but because I attended a public school, often we had a generation old set of technology at our disposal.  It's funny how churches have the same problem of being behind the curve of all things modern.  We still used an overhead projector in high school at my church and sometimes if we were lucky, we could watch a vhs tape on our color projector.  But times have changed, and (most) youth ministries are almost in perfect sync with the newest technologies.  Now we have PowerPoint, Media Shout, lyrics on the screen, videos on the screen, fog machines, laser lights, entire decks of starships fitted with holographic projectors that use intricate force fields to look and feel real (ok, maybe not that last one).  This brings me to a youth ministry staple.  The montage video.

Sure the montage video is nothing new, in fact it began with old slideshow machines synchronized with a tape recorder and mix-tapes.  But now we have computers that can edit our videos and share them with the world on YouTube.  Which brings me to my point for today.

Sony Music hates youth ministry video montages.

Why does a gy-normous record label even care about our lame spliced-together-the-night-before-because-I-was-watching-a-Firefly-marathon-all-day-Saturday videos?  It's all about the music.  You see at no point in the church media revolution of the 2000's did anyone ever teach youth ministry film makers how to capture any audio worth replacing in a montage (unless Jr. High retreat fake-fart noises count).  So to mask our bad audio (and video) capture skills, we throw in some incredibly awesome Christian band (or secular band that sounds Christian, or U2) to make up for it.

If you're showing your wonderful piece of film to a private church group, there's really no problem.  But post the video to YouTube and Sony tracks you down like a hungry teenager after bacon at a breakfast buffet.  You see, the songs or parts of songs that make your video awesome?  Sony owns them.  And for some reason that I can only attribute to being bullied in the 3rd grade, their lawyers are ready to pounce on any unauthorized use of their content.

It's not like we're encouraging our youth to go and steal some music off the internet.  If anything, they might LIKE the music and go buy it.  At any rate, be warned that Sony (and other music labels) roam around like a roaring lion waiting to devour our hard 8 hours worth of work.

Sometimes it takes months (years) for YouTube to identify your montage videos as copyright infringing goods, so there's no immediate reason not to put them there.  You could try and stick it to the man and not use music from the offending record labels (and their subsidiaries), or you could just deal with it and perhaps use Vimeo or Facebook to post the videos instead.

NBC - "Kings" Episodes 1 & 2. Missing a critical main character

The premiere of Kings had me shocked, a major network was really making a TV show (loosely) based on the Bible. As I watched these first episodes, I couldn't help but think that there might be people who would be interested in the original story these were based on. For those of you who are interested, you can find the original biblical account in 1 Samuel 8-17. I'm guessing that the series will weave in and out of the biblical narrative and might even jump around a bit.

I think one my major problems with this series is going to be the liberal non-literal interpretation of the scripture passages. I think the show will interpret the story this way for 2 reasons:

1). The culture of today rejects the Bible as the literal retelling of historical events.

2). A liberal interpretation is much easier to "stretch" for the sake of the writers.

I'm not going to fault Hollywood for incorrect biblical interpretation, but I'd like to point out where traditional, orthodox interpretation of the scriptures and more modern non-literal interpretations differ.

So here we go, episode 1 (parts 1&2) (spoilers to follow!)


It was interesting seeing the modern depictions of the biblical narrative. Ancient cities are replaced with modern nations complete with skyscrapers, tanks, cell phones, and corporations. It's refreshing to see an old story gain new life with a modern twist.

The characters seemed pretty familiar. Samuel is now a black preacher, but with what seems like less authority than the Samuel in the Bible. David is older than what I would have imagined him to be in the original stories, but the actor that plays him does a decent job. Here is where I first noticed a departure from the biblical narrative. David is pegged at being a down to earth nice guy. Sure I guess in our culture nice guys are seen as moral and maybe even religious, but this was a man after God's own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). Nowhere in the episode does David even mention his faith. It seems like NBC's idea of a man after God's own heart is someone who does what they think is "right." There is no reason for God to choose David in the series, I'm sure there were lots of humble nice guys to choose from, so why David?

King Saul (Kings Silas) I think is the best portrayed character so far. We have a hard time grappling with a ruler with absolute power and even Silas was in the pocket of a major corporation. The bibles picture of Saul was a man who was impressive in stature, weak morally, prone to jealousy, rash decisions, and anger. Seems pretty spot on.

I'll only mention this week a few things about Jonathan (aka Jack Benjamin). David and Jonathan in the biblical narrative became extremely intimate friends. David says when speaking of their relationship: "your love to me was extraordinary, surpassing the love of women" 2 Sam 1:26 (ESV)

The word "love" here in Hebrew is ʾahabâ and denotes deep commitment. The Hebrew had a word for erotic/sexual love which is dôd. You can see what the word means in context in Song of Songs: "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is better than wine" Song 1:2 (ESV)

It's extremely obvious from the first episode that the NBC series is going to go for the more juicy incorrect interpretation of David and Jonathan's relationship and make it sexual. This isn't surprising since our culture in America equates love with sex and well, in all honesty - it will get better ratings that way.

Something I'm interested in is whether NBC/the writers will have the courage to portray God something other than some strange force that controls butterflies. It was God who gave David the courage and success with Goliath. It was God who saved the Israelites from their enemies. It was God that David's heart belonged to. I'm interested to see whether or not this series will neuter God's role in the narrative, or if He will pay a bigger role in the show.

Because of this, Kings is missing a critical main character of the Biblical Narrative... God. We'll have to see where things go in the future.

Grace and Peace :)

New NBC TV series - "Kings"

Ah, thank you NBC for giving me something to blog about! From the NBC website:

From executive producer Michael Green (NBC’s "Heroes") comes a riveting new drama about a modern day monarchy. "Kings" is a contemporary re-telling of the timeless tale of David and Goliath. This series is an epic story of greed and power, war and romance, forbidden loves and secret alliances -- and a young hero who rises to power in a modern-day kingdom.

It's a great concept for a show really. The Bible is full of fantastic stories with complex characters and as I would tell my youth group teenagers, if they made a movie about the Bible it would have to be rated "R" or "NC-17." But like any book Hollywood touches, there will be a collision of the original story and "artistic license." Will Kings stay true to the meaning of the origninal stories, or will NBC use people's limited knowledge of the Bible and large Christian American population to take this concept all the way to the bank?

As I watch these episodes, I'll post my thoughts here and try to compare/contrast the advancing story with the biblical accounts. As for the quality of the TV program, I'll leave that to much more articulate critics.

I'll try and post my thoughts about the premiere tomorrow. You can watch Kings on NBC's website or my favorite, on Hulu.

A new year, a new post

Well 2008 is far in the rear view mirror and 2009 is here, huzah!

I think that my thoughts of 2008 reflect a lot of what I have been hearing from friends - it's been a tough year. Here are some things I'm looking forward to this year...

• New possibilities - you never know what great opportunities could be up ahead
  
• New friends - living in another state away from most of your friends is tough going, I'm looking forward to meeting new kindred spirits this year
  
• New president - I'm no Bush hater, but I do look forward to seeing the change that Obama brings to our country and to it's image/influence around the world (hopefully good change)
  
• New Technology - I'm stoked to see what new technology emerges this year, I'll probably be getting a new cell phone and with it either an iPhone or an Android phone.
• New revelations in my walk with God - I'm always learning new things about who God is, I would love for God to blow my mind this year

Some other things I'm enjoying right now:

• I'm getting my new stereo installed in my car today - goodbye CD's hello iPod
• I just got a bunch of new music I'm enjoying such as Coldplay, Deathcab for a Cutie, Wild Sweet Orange, and Trace Bundy to name a few
• I'm speaking at our district winter retreat at the end of the month
• I'm continuing my trip to the geek-side and installing a full Linux installation on my 2 gig flash pen-drive ($5 at Walmart!)

That's it for now, what are all of you looking forward to this new year?

Premarital Abstinence Pledges Ineffective, Study Finds

This might come as a shock to some people, but I'm not incredibly surprised.

"New research shows that, whether or not they wear purity rings or make other pledges that they will protect their virginity, more than half of American teenagers become sexually active before they get married."

Read the full article here

A brief rant about Christian book stores

I was at a local Christian bookstore today and was rather perplexed/put aback by a sign that was placed under the new book by Rob Bell - "Jesus Wants to Save Christians." The label reads:

"This book may contain thoughts, ideas, or concepts that could be considered inconsistent with historical evangelical theology..."

I am all about using discernment when I'm reading a book - even the bible. The thing that got me a bit worked up was the fact that this sign was only applied to 2 books that I could find in the store. Are we supposed to blindly believe all that is written in the other thousands of books there and only use our discernment on these books? What's the deal? While I'm please that Lifeway would carry a book that is controversial and that they might not fully agree with, this specific labeling as "dangerous" is not only bad marketing, but insulting to me as a customer.

What do you think? (your opinion of the author/book aside)

Are we too pessimistic?

I was just watching one of those disaster shows on the History Channel. You know, those shows that focus on how the dinosaurs might have been wiped out and then shows how our planet might be obliterated by a comet, earthquake, hurricane, or super volcano eruption? It got me thinking -why does the modern world seem to have a fascination with our destruction? It seems like we have become incredibly pessimistic and cynical as people.

Sure there have always been stories of humanity's destruction. From biblical accounts of floods, plagues, and apocalyptic visions to ancient Greek mythology it seems there has been some history of this talk of pending destruction.

I just finished a great book called Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven, But Nobody Wants to Die. In this book, the authors David Crowder and Mike Hogan talk about how culture thinks of death and they explore the history of the soul. Reading this book I came to realize... we're afraid of death. Could it be that humanity has an acute sense of our own mortality and that causes much of the pessimism and focusing on how we might be destoyed?

In many ways, our planet is suffering from incredible brokenness: Wars, disease, famine, natural disasters, cultural shifts, the destruction or erroding of family systems. We can feel the destruction... the despair. It rocks us to the core. As we (maybe subconciously) consider our impending death, it causes us to express this dispair in various different forms: pessimism, depression, sarcasm, cynicism, selfishness, hedonism.

How has this pessimistic culture affected me? I'm noticing as I get older (and wiser?) that I have become increcingly a more cynical and sarcastic person. The weight of our world - the despair and harsh realities are stripping away my joy little by little. How do I avoid slipping down this dark path?

I think that it just shows our need for a redeemer. A God that can pull us out of the mud and mire and breathe life into our hearts and lives. If this death and pessimism is at it's root all about dying, then becoming more hopeful and joyful must come from embrasing eternal life. Jesus Christ.

A victim treats his mugger right

I saw this story on digg.com today:

Julio Diaz has a daily routine. Every night, the 31-year-old social worker ends his hour-long subway commute to the Bronx one stop early, just so he can eat at his favorite diner.

But one night last month, as Diaz stepped off the No. 6 train and onto a nearly empty platform, his evening took an unexpected turn.

He was walking toward the stairs when a teenage boy approached and pulled out a knife.

"He wants my money, so I just gave him my wallet and told him, 'Here you go,'" Diaz says.

As the teen began to walk away, Diaz told him, "Hey, wait a minute. You forgot something. If you're going to be robbing people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat to keep you warm."

The would-be robber looked at his would-be victim, "like what's going on here?" Diaz says. "He asked me, 'Why are you doing this?'"

It doesn't say anywhere in the story if this man was a Christian or not, but Matthew 5:39-41 says:

"But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles."

Those of you who read this blog and are Christians, what do you think? Should we take this passage literally? What would this world be like if everyone acted as this man did?

You can read the whole story here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89164759

Reaching the Emerging Generation - w/ Dr. Ron Walborn

I just found this really great video through Shane's blog (thanks Shane, you're my blogging hero). It's pretty long, but worth the watch - especially if you are somehow involved with ministry to people 20-40 yrs old or would like to be more effective in your ministry to these ages.

Politics and Jesus

I've been following the news lately and everyone seems to be a buzz about the upcoming primaries and presidential election. This has got me thinking about who I am going to vote for and what exactly a Christian's role should be in politics.

So here are a few questions for all of you:

• As a Christian, is it our responsibility to vote?
• Would Jesus vote?
• What candidate would you vote for and why? I'm looking for specific issues and not things like personality or likability.

A Savior on Capitol Hill?

I watched part of the Youtube Republican debate last night on CNN and I can't help but think of this song by Derek Webb.

I’m so tired of these mortal men
with their hands on their wallets
and their hearts full of sin
scared of their enemies, scared of their friends
and always running for re-election
so come to DC if it be thy will
because we’ve never had a savior on Capitol Hill

you can always trust the devil or a politician
to be the devil or a politician
but beyond that friends you’d best beware
‘cause at the Pentagon bar
they’re an inseparable pair
and as long as the lobbyists are paying their bills
we’ll never have a savior on Capitol Hill

[Bridge]
all of our problems gonna disappear
when we can whisper right in that President’s ear
he could walk right across the reflection pool
in his combat boots and ten thousand dollar suit

you can render unto Caesar everything that’s his
you can trust in his power to come to your defense
it’s the way of the world, the way of the gun
it’s the trading of an evil for a lesser one
so don’t hold your breath or your vote until
you think you’ve finally found a savior up on Capitol Hill

Happy Halloween

Halloween used to be one of my favorite holidays (it was the free candy). As I grew older I've discovered the nasty clash between the holiday and many Christians. The interesting thing is that Halloween has it's roots in a holiday called All-Saints Day (wikipedia).

Instead of taking a pagan holiday and making it Christian (Christmas & Easter), the world has taken a Christian holiday and made it secular. If you're a Christian, I'd encourage you tonight and tomorrow to think about all of those Christians who were martyred for their faith so that we could know about Christ. Snuggle up with Foxes Book of Martyrs and read some real life freaking stories this Halloween.

Me? I'll be enjoying my candy :)

The Worship Industry

What do you think of this video?

Spare cycles... for God?

I was reading this article today and it got me thinking...

We human beings have so much untapped potential. The aforementioned article explored the concept of boredom and the latent productivity of the human race. Basically, we have much more free time than we'd like to admit and we fill this free time with everything from entertainment, movies, video games, hobbies, staring at the wall... you get the point.

Just look at the vast amount of information and resources available on the internet. Web 2.0 is all about collaboration. Most of the people who blog, manage Wikipedia, contribute to myspace and Youtube are all volunteers. Their doing it for free.

What if we took our "spare cycles" - our spare time - and used it to further the Kingdom of God? I'm not knocking down-time, it's incredibly important to us all. But if I was honest with myself, I would say that I have too much free time.

What if we as Christians collectively collaborated to further the kingdom of God with the time in our margins? What would happen when millions of Christians took 5-10 minutes a day to spread the love of God? A word of encouragement to the lady at the store, a helpful hand to the neighbor next door, a hug to a friend in need, a quick call to an old friend. All of these things don't take more than a few moments, but combined we could make a real impact.

The point of using spare cycles for God isn't to be busier. It's about stewardship. What are we doing with our time? Do we really need to watch 3 hours of TV a day? Do we really need to see 3 movies a week? Do we really need to spend all of our free time doing things that merely entertain us? What if we all gave a little? Imagine the possibilities.

I'm not dead :)

I know it's been a while since I blogged. I guess I just didn't feel like I had anything to share. The summer is almost here and I'm busy as a beaver getting things ready for our student ministry trips and special events this summer. On top of that I'm the program director at our District Summer camp so that has kept me pre-occupied.

On the "Erik has a life" front, Rachel and I will be going to see Spiderman 3 tomorrow night. I've heard mixed reviews, but I'm still looking forward to seeing the movie (especially with the company I will bring with me).

On a similar subject... is anyone getting tired of mega-marketing campaigns associated with the big movies? I guess it's just a product of the culture we live in, but it certainly gets old, fast.