The new series, Caprica, on Syfy appears on the surface to be an exercise in not letting a good thing go. This prequel to Battlestar Galactica looks like it has the legs to run with the franchise, but who knows? I haven’t spoken to any of the B.G. die hards that I know about it. I don’t want to write a review of the show, but highlight some of the themes that are possible in this genre.
The pilot episode (synopsis) introduces some interesting topics for Christian educators who like to use science and fiction in their teaching.
1. a monotheist uprising in a polytheist society
The Capricans are a religious people, somehow connected to the ancient Greeks. Their lives are “guided” by the Greek pantheon and several are mentioned in this episode, namely Athena and Hecate (here summoned in her chthonic form). In this episode, Athena is heralded as the patron goddess of the perochial academy attended by the troublesome Zoe Graystone. Athena, in this context, is a beacon of wisdom and educational elitism. The only Jesus quote that I picked out in the 2 hour episode was attributed to her…or was it?
In contrast, Hecate abides in the dark, underground rave inhabited by teen avatars who revel in their freedom to commit murder, illicit group sex and sacrifice virgins during crazed performance art. I didn’t mention the drug den because it just seems so tame by comparison.
Most interestingly, there is a monotheistic uprising that seems to threaten the religious quo. Sound familiar? There’s a hitch, however. This group of monotheists comprise a violent uprising. They are technocrats and lay persons that will ultimately spell the end of the human race. While one may jump to the conclusion that the show’s creators are giving Christianity a thumb in the eye, it plays on another level. While the monotheists are largely Caucasian, there is another monotheist group with ties to terrorist activities. Like many things in the Caprica Universe, very little will be as it appears…hopefully.
2. the pursuit of truth through science
Caprica involves deep loss. Eric Stoltz plays the Cylon-pioneering Daniel Graystone. The father of Zoe, ultimately, is contracted to develop the technology that will become the Cylon warrior. In the pilot, at least, it is science that provides the avenue through which the lines between right and wrong, good and evil, moral and corrupt. While the Gods have popular claim to these dualisms, it becomes clear that the they have nothing to do with the present and especially nothing to do with future events. The shades of gray are what make story arc in Caprica possible and the Caprican science produces plenty of them. A good question here is, “to what extend does science in Caprica intrude on Caprican religion” versus “the extent to which science intrudes on Christianity.”
3. relentless pursuit of achievement and success
We live in a “forward progress” world. We measure our success and achievement in terms of progress. Knowing what we know about Battlestar Galactica and the struggle of humanity to survive, as we watch Daniel Graystone push forward a new technology that ultimately brings avatars to life (now there’s some centripetal ontology), we as the audience and participants in our own non-fictitious future are pushed to ask…is progress always good? Is pushing the envelope to the furthest extent of our ability and knowledge always beneficial? Where do accountability and discipline enter into the equation?
**Cheers to the writers for creating a plot where the situational ethics of moving forward toward oblivion make sense.
4. immortality and security tied to the use of an avatar
I’m not sure what the zeitgeist is saying right now, but the idea of the avatar is so hot right now. It is the avatar in Bruce Willis’ Surrogates that highlights our human tendency toward vanity and ultimate desire to escape conflict at all costs. It is the avatar in James Cameron’s Avatar that highlights our inherent desire to be set free from our lingering urge toward Manifest Destiny and environmental decay. It is the avatar in Caprica that provides a link to immortality, which also, ironically, will lead to extinction.
What happens to our humanity when we are able to bypass tension between our desire to stay young and beautiful and the reality that everything fades? What happens to our humanity when we can choose to wage war but don’t have to bear the weight of holding a gun on out enemy ourselves? What happens to our humanity when we refuse to take responsibility for our relationships? When our desire to get what we want eclipses our need to love? Avatars raise interesting questions…if I may say so.
5. a new eve and a new fall
A rather latent theme in the show, but certainly not in the advertising, is the Eve/Fall motif. The pilot begins with the supertitle, “53 Years Before The Fall.” Central to the very onset of the story is the idea that Caprica is destined for destruction. You know starting out that what you are about to see is not good. You know that the actions of the heroes are far from heroic. In a way, you know that your central characters are antagonists. In my view, the most sympathetic character in the show is Esai Morales’ Joseph Adama, a man from a family of established mobsters who dances pretty close to the line at all times.
Zoe (get it? The Greek name for “Eve”) Graystone, a computer prodigy, creates the technology that leads to her own “fall” and the demise of all of humanity. It’s cliche to blame her and her alone, and the writers ultimately don’t do that. She is a teenager who is frustrated with her family and all of the superfluous wealth that she has access to. Her creation is a result of both parental tension and the influence of the “one true god.” Interesting…
How does Caprica mirror the story in Gen 2 & 3? How does John 1 speak into the Caprican problem?
Today, I woke up with a nice little bug that my daughter gave me. That being the case, I figured it would be a great opportunity to test out the Wordpress app on the iPhone.
With as much talking, theologizing and postulating as I do I am thouroughly amazed at my utter blog silence. Perhaps this is just a season for othe things…like nausea.
If you are a blogger and you don’t know about BookSneeze, you should. Thomas Nelson Publishing has initiated a new program to create book buzz on their Christian titles. Bloggers can sign up at the site (and follow on twitter) to receive free books for review as long as the reviews are posted, shared, tweeted, etc.
My first review for BookSneeze is Chris Seay’s The Gospel According To LOST. I looked forward to reading this title for several reasons. First, I am a LOST fan. LOST is a fantastic voyage, a journey of imagination marked in hour long segments. Secondly, I am familiar with the coolness that is Ecclesia Church in Houston, the church plant where the author Chris Seay is head pastor. Several years ago, I cold called the church to ask about their methodology and had a great conversations with one of the pastors who was overly generous with his time and spirit! I am also an ex-Houstonian, so there’s Lone Star style affinity happening. Lastly, I wanted to see what a Christian leader would write about LOST, if they got the chance to.
The first real question to answer when looking at a book of this nature is, what would drive someone to write an entire book connecting the Gospel story to the LOST mythology? I think the answer is simple: You get to watch the whole series and call it “research.” Genius, I tell you!
Seay does more than watch TV, however. In my view, the The Gospel According To LOST (TGATL) accomplishes three things. First, the author allows the reader a glimpse of his interaction with the story. Second, he provides a blueprint for how one might use the series to teach in a Church-type setting. Third, Seay draws parallels between LOST’s main characters and their types to those in Biblical literature.
TGATL provides the reader with a means to interact with the story. Too often, we watch something, especially on TV, and are a passive entity. That, however, is against the LOST code of viewer ethics. LOST gives the viewer the opportunity to not only observe, but interact and respond. TGATL serves to show how interactivity with the show might be approached. For a Pastor, it’s natural to watch the story lines develop and connect them to the Biblical story that they preach every week. That is precisely how the author interacts with it. Pay attention to Seay’s connection the story and its characters, his passion for the series and its creators. This is not just a book about his interactivity, it’s a teaching tool meant to unleash ours as well. ** If you are looking non-churchy interaction, see the epilogue.
TGATL is a useful field manual for Christian communicators who would like to present aspects, themes, plots and characters from the show in their classes and sermons. In the dialogue between the series and the author’s imagination, Seay makes as many connections to Biblical story arcs and theology as there are chapters. This book would make an excellent class for teens and adults who are as trapped on the island as the characters are. Let’s face it, it’s the 21st century. The church simply has to be using the media that people consume regularly and create imaginative inroads to communicating the Gospel. If you think that your congregation isn’t watching Lost because they are too busy reading their Bibles…wake up a smell the Jacob! In a world where Lost-ness is not just a metaphor for a TV show, this book provides critical opportunity for connection and discussion.
Lastly, TGATL is a study in character archetypes and the plots that they inhabit. Good stories work because of characters. We could really care less where they are, but when we care about the people we are hooked. This is true of all literature (as it is life). When I think of how many DVDs I’ve turned off because I just don’t like anyone in the film, it’s staggering. Good characters are good characters because they are, well, like us. They have strengths and weaknesses, desires and dreams, successes and failures, but most importantly, they have something to lose. Their existence balances somewhere in the tension between risk and security. Good characters grow and change. They make choices, better ones than they did the last time. Seay pays particular attention to character types. That’s what allows him to connect LOST to the Gospel so successfully. The characters on screen are alive in the pages of Scripture. The challenges of being lost on an island are similar to those of being lost in the plains of Judah. The real strength of LOST is not the magical, unpredictable power of the island, it’s in the delicate, familiar people who inhabit it. TGATL takes a close look at those people in all three dimensions. People that only Jesus could love…and does love. People like me.
The idea to take on LOST and provide the Church with a tool for teaching was genius, Chris! Perhaps I should start working on my own project: The Book of Firefly. I haven’t watched those in while ; ).
If you haven’t been caught up on the show in a while, maybe this will help:
On Wednesday night, a group of our teens and I were having a profoundly spirited discussion on predestination and at one point, one of the older students spoke up. She was trying to put herself in God’s shoes as she worked to understand the unknowableness of who chooses to love God and who will ultimately reject him (excepting if you are actually God, which I have on good authority, she is not). It’s important for us to understand, I think, that predestination as a doctrine is retroactive, meaning the only person it does any good is you, and you only know that once you have responded to God’s immeasurably loving invitation.
So she says:
OK, say you’re a doctor and you have a patient on the table who you can save. They have insurance and seem like an important person in the community. You also have a drug addict on the next table who has overdosed…you can save that person but you don’t really want to. I mean, they chose to overdose and they are of much less value in the community. Does God see them the way I see them?
It was a beautiful moment where the fog of doctrine was eclipsed by the warmth of grace. How does God view the least of these?
Wherever you are, God is with you. Whoever you are, God loves you. Whatever you have done, God’s got your back.
I have never enjoyed a Christmas more than I have this year (Going into this could turn into post after post of the kind of therapy oriented vitriol that would cost normal people thousands of dollars to work through…I just call it seminary ;O)
Also, I have never been more unnerved by the “Christmas Spirit.”
My family has listened to the Cox cable music channel this season. For the most part, the mix of songs is an appropriate blend of pop nostalgia and Christian hymnody. But tonight, tonight I heard this song and it just pushed me over the edge…
Oh, the real meaning of Christmas
Is the giving of love everyday.
Oh, the real meaning of Christmas
Is to live as the Master may say.
And when you’ re giving your presents
Don’t forget as you give them away
That the real meaning of Christmas
Is the giving of love everyday.
Really, boss? The giving of love everyday? Kind of depends on how your audience defines love doesn’t it. Could you have chosen lyrics with any less power and presence. Yeah, they accurately describe the nature of generosity, but Christmas, the real meaning, isn’t about our generosity. It’s about God’s and God’s alone. Christmas isn’t a good feeling, it isn’t emotion, it isn’t proper motivation for altruism…it’s an event. A moment in History where God crash landed into human history and altered it in an unimaginable direction. This event, what is truly being celebrated, has laid the foundation for eternity. It has toppled empires. It has broken hearts and sown mosaics from the shattered pieces. Though wise men came from far away to partake in the after affects, shepherds and simpletons were first on the scene. Kind of makes Ray Conniff look like he’s singing a silly love song. I plead alongside Charlie Brown:
As you journey towards December 25th, take note of the manger that stands in the way, the one that has worked its way between the past you can’t forget and the future you can’t imagine.
OK, so this may be a “Bah Humbug” moment…but, I’m done now and will get on with my regularly scheduled “enjoy Christmas” self.
Christ the Lord is on the way to take away the sins of the world.
King Jesus, grant us your peace.
Here is the liturgy I wrote for the Sunday after Christmas. I would love to have some kind of liturgical collaborative so that in the future there is a creative and dynamic store of reformed liturgy for common use. I’d love your feedback.
Scripture: Luke 2:41-52 and Col 3:12-17
Call To Worship:
Leader: Into a dark world, the light has shined. People: Immanuel, God is with us.
Leader: Born to Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem. People: Immanuel, God is with us.
Leader: While the world waits, salvation has come. People: Immanuel, God is with us.
Leader: Our eyes have seen the Savior, Jesus Christ, hope of the world. People: Immanuel, God is with us. ALL: Let all creation celebrate the birth of our Lord!
Confession:
Father, the Christmas presents are unwrapped, the gifts are given and yet there still remains the quiet reminder that we have left something unattended. You have chosen us as your holy and beloved children through Christ Jesus, but we often forget that it was you who chose us, not the other way around. You have mercifully clothed us in compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience, but often times we choose to wear something a little more in fashion: convenience, comfort, vanity, pride and hurry. We have received your forgiveness, freely and lovingly, yet we have a hard time giving it away to others. You have charged us, as the body of Christ, to do all things in the name of Jesus and yet our words and deeds often fail to glorify the name. Lead us that we may delight in all that you have given and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name, through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon:
Leader: The light has illuminated our darkest places. People: In Christ we are forgiven, clothed in the Son of righteousness.
Pastor: Thanks and glory be to God through his Son, Jesus, the one born in Bethlehem who has taken away the sins of world and gives eternal life to all who believe. Amen.
** I realize that I use masculine language for God here, it works in our context.
I haven’t forgotten to blog about the book. It’s been hectic around these parts! I’ll get part three up by Wednesday.
I LIED LIKE A RUG! For the last six months, I’ve been searching for my first call in the PC(USA). It’s got all my RAM tied up. I’ll get this post up soon. And then post some more!!!
In keeping with the fine tradition over at fredmckinnon.com, here is today’s set list.
The first Sunday of Advent was just fantastic. We don’t usually do much “liturgy” in our Contemporary Service, but today it was filled with “the work of the people,” and much the better for it.
After the sermon, a little Marvelous Light for the offertory. We closed the service with I Saw the Light/Go Tell It On The Mountain (yeehaws included!)
“Jesus said to him ‘I am the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen Him.’[Jn 14:6-7]”
Excellent! Now that we know that truth is a person, how shall we interpret that truth in one uniform, easily digestible, cross culturally transmittable language? Read the rest of this entry »
Welcome! My name is Chris. I am a husband and father and, therefore, infrequent blogger. I am currently the youth director and contemporary worship guy at Church of the Master in Mesa, AZ, a PC(USA) candidate and Fuller graduate.
January 29, 2010 
The new series, Caprica, on Syfy appears on the surface to be an exercise in not letting a good thing go. This prequel to Battlestar Galactica looks like it has the legs to run with the franchise, but who knows? I haven’t spoken to any of the B.G. die hards that I know about it. I don’t want to write a review of the show, but highlight some of the themes that are possible in this genre. 
Caprica involves deep loss. Eric Stoltz plays the Cylon-pioneering Daniel Graystone. The father of Zoe, ultimately, is contracted to develop the technology that will become the Cylon warrior. In the pilot, at least, it is science that provides the avenue through which the lines between right and wrong, good and evil, moral and corrupt. While the Gods have popular claim to these dualisms, it becomes clear that the they have nothing to do with the present and especially nothing to do with future events. The shades of gray are what make story arc in Caprica possible and the Caprican science produces plenty of them. A good question here is, “to what extend does science in Caprica intrude on Caprican religion” versus “the extent to which science intrudes on Christianity.”
A rather latent theme in the show, but certainly not in the advertising, is the Eve/Fall motif. The pilot begins with the supertitle, “53 Years Before The Fall.” Central to the very onset of the story is the idea that Caprica is destined for destruction. You know starting out that what you are about to see is not good. You know that the actions of the heroes are far from heroic. In a way, you know that your central characters are antagonists. In my view, the most sympathetic character in the show is Esai Morales’ Joseph Adama, a man from a family of established mobsters who dances pretty close to the line at all times. 
Posted in Caprica, Syfy, teachable moments 
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“The Child has come…Now What??”
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