The Morning Five

What we've been up to ...

Jesse Carey — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:43:05 GMT

You may have noticed the lack of activity on the blog recently. First off, I apologize for the inconsistent updates lately. But you may have also noticed a new feature that launched—my.CBN.com. For the last several months, the CBN.com team has been working to create our very own social network; a place where users can create profiles, connect with others, help sponsor fundraising goals and grow in their faith together. So even though the blog has been a little stagnate, we have been staying busy! (Thanks for your patience by the way!)

The launch of our own social network has come at an interesting time for social media. When the mainstream media had their access restricted in Iran during protest following disputed election results, the world turned to another medium to see what was happening. Citizen journalists, activists and protestors armed only with cell phone cameras, lap tops and internet connects posted images and updates about the oppressive crackdown on social networking sites. Even the United States government attested to the power of this new medium. During the heights of the upheaval in Iran, the State Department requested that the micro-blogging site Twitter post-pone pre-scheduled site maintenance because “tweets” from the protests had become so vital to allowing the world to see what was happening on the streets of Iran.

In a later press briefing, an official from the State Department said, "I think, as I was following this … I began to recognize the importance of new social media as a vital tool for citizens' empowerment and as a way for people to get their messages out.”

And though the social media concept of “citizen empowerment” has captured the world’s attention for its ability showcase political oppression and social unrest, it is just one of the reasons why traditional media is giving way to a new kind of mass communications—one that is relational.

The example of what happened in Iran is just one of the signs of a shifting tide in the way people communicate. In the last year, thousands of CBN.com users have received ministry through live chat rooms during our Spiritual Gifts webcasts. Now, connection can happen around the clock as users create profiles, invite friends and post their own content to the community.

To learn more about the new community, you can read my recent article, “What Is My.CBN.com?” and of course, join the community and try it out for yourself. We can’t wait to connect with you.

A Few Quick Links

Jesse Carey — Fri, 15 May 2009 14:34:44 GMT

Sorry for the lack of new posts lately. As you can see from poking around the site, we've been pretty busy with some changes and new features (CBN Radio, CBN TV, the new CBN News). Thanks for your patience! Here's a few stories from around the web that caught may attention this week:

Marketing the Church
With the numbers of Americans who call themselves “unaffiliated” from a religious denomination on the rise, what are churches doing to re-present themselves to the public? Advertising Age has posted a new story called “Churches Get Religion on Marketing” that looks at new, media-centered initiatives some churches are undergoing to each the masses.

Brewing up Discussion
A recent article in Christianity Today’s Leadership Journal magazine about the growing role of alcohol (and positions on drinking) is causing quit the stir. The feature story “Trouble Brewing”, which was published early this month, has become a hot source of discuss on some Christian message boards and among some church leaders.

Life-Saving Faith
Stephen McEveety, one of the producers of The Passion of the Christ, has acquired the rights to the autobiography “Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust." The book is the tells the story of a women who survived the genocide while clinging to her faith in God.

Baseball's Salvation.
Baseball star Darryl Strawberry was a guest on The Club this week. During his interview he recounts his powerful testimony of going from a sports superstar to hitting bottom after a battle with addiction. His story of faith and redemption reminded me of another ball player whose testimony has also been getting a lot of attention lately—Josh Hamilton.

Looney Tunes, Religon Stats and David Garibaldi

Jesse Carey — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 13:59:23 GMT

The Belief Decline
There has been a lot of research lately that looks at the decline in traditional Christian beliefs in the United States (including this recent Newsweek cover story, “The End of Christian America”), but now a new study shows it’s not an isolated decline in North America. A poll conducted North of the border shows that the number of Canadians that believe in God has dropped from 84 percent in 2000 to 71 percent today.

A Looney Controversy
A painting by Glen Tarnowski (based on the work of Looney Tunes animator Chuck Jones) has stirred a huge controversy at a gallery in San Diego. A painting titled "The Gathering" depicts Leonardo da Vinci’s "The Last Supper", except the traditional figures have been replaced with Bugs Bunny and the gang. According to employees at the gallery, they’ve been inundated with complaints since the display went up. Ironically, Glen Tarnowskis is a devout Christian, and claims he meant for the painting to be a fun reminder of how God wants to “gather” with us.

Speaking of Painting …
This video of David Garibaldi was a hit over the Easter weekend, drawing tens of thousands of users to the site. David is an amazingly talented artist who combines painting with unique a style of performance art to create a work he calls “Portrait of Christ”. If you haven’t seen it yet, be sure to check it out: http://www.cbn.com/media/index.aspx?s=/vod/AR62v1

Haggard heading to Divorce Court, NBC's Kings, CS Lewis, the devil's debate and more ...

Jesse Carey — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 18:38:21 GMT

Ted Haggard update ...
Ted Haggard is heading to the Divorce Court. He and his wife will on the TV show April 1. Don't worry, it's not what you think.

Before there was the Da Vinci code ...
According to a new BBC documentary, CS Lewis hid a secret code in the Chronicles of Narnia books. Apparently, each of the books is linked to a planet. From a Guardian UK article: "It has long been accepted that the classic children's series features Christian symbolism, but scholars have laboured for years to discover a third level of meaning, trying unsuccessfully to fit the themes of the seven sacraments, the seven deadly sins, and the seven books of Spenser's Faerie Queene to the novels." Apparently, it's cosmology.

Is there hope for Kings?
The new NBC show Kings, which is a modern-day retelling of the story of David, (you can read my review here) got killed in the ratings this past weekend. Despite a strong critical response, the show's debut failed to grab an audience. Personally, I really like the 2-hour premiere. Hopefully it can pick up some stream this Sunday night.

Debating the Devil
ABC's Nightline is hosting another religous debate on March 26. A few months back the network aired a debate called "Does God exists?" featuring evangelist Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron arguing against two atheists. This time pastors and philosophers will debate the topic "Does Satan Exists". Should be interesting.

The Pope Controversy
The Vatican is trying to defuse the controversy over the Pope's recent statement that condoms were not effective in the prevention of the spread of HIV in Africa. Here's the story.

Coach K, Christopher Hitchens, American Idol, MTV and the Basketball's Christian Roots

Jesse Carey — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 15:50:35 GMT

Christopher Hitchens Promoting Christian Books?
What do Don Miller, Max Lucado, Don Piper and … Christopher Hitchens have in common? They will all be appearing at the Christian Book Expo in Dallas this weekend. Hitchens, the well-known atheist and author of the best-seller “God Is Not Great”, will be debating several Christian apologists.

Idol Worship
American Idol + MTV.com + Christian contestants = “A Heated Reaction”

Pass the Rock
I love March Madness (Go Duke!), and basketball has always been my favorite sports. Here’s a really cool story that looks at the game's Christian roots.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Speaking of March Madness, blogger Brett McCracken has posted a surprisingly spiritual look at the NCAA tournament (Go Duke!)

Coach K vs. Obama
Speaking of Duke and the NCAA tournament. Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski wasn’t very happy after seeing President Obama’s NCAA tournament bracket choices on ESPN (Obama had Duke rival North Carolina winning it all). (Go Duke!)

Losing our religion?

Jesse Carey — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 13:32:32 GMT

The new American Religious Identification Survey has been getting a lot of press in the last two weeks. The study, done by Trinity College, measures the religious orientation of the American public throughout the last two decades. Although the study breakdowns a lot of interesting numbers about people’s religious affiliations, there are two stats that stick out: More American Christians are calling themselves “nondenominational” or “evangelical” than ever before, and the amount of Americans that say they have no religion is the only number that has gone up in all 50 states.

Even though these results have led researchers to ask different questions (“It deepens the conundrum about who evangelicals are" and why are people abandoning their faith across the country), I think both stats indicate the same thing: Americans have grown dissatisfied with organized/denominational religion.

Whether they are leaving a mainline Protestant denomination in favor of a “nondenom” church or abandoning religion altogether, the trend shows that Americans are increasingly weary of traditional religious structures.

The challenging part is that there is no clear answer as to why these trends are happening. Although there are several factors that may be contributing to a cultural abandonment of organized faith, a recent (unrelated) Barna poll may offer some answers.

According to Barna, since 1995, Americans that maintain a “Biblical Worldview” has been on the slow-but-steady decline. The group says that the amount of Americans who believe in basic Biblical principles is falling.

Of course, a worldview is reflected through a person’s behavior, but their outlook is ultimately shaped by their beliefs. You could make the case that because Americans know (and believe) less and less about Christianity and the Bible, they are walking away from faith in general.

I think that, if anything, this information should not only make Christians more passionate about evangelism, but also about teaching people what the Bible really says. The research shows that even people who call themselves Christians know very little about what the Bible teaches.

Practical lifestyle books, uplifting sermons and praise and worship music are all good things, but they shouldn’t completely replace regular teaching and reading about the foundations of the Christian faith. I think these new stats show that we need to become more intellectually secure in our faith.

Coincidentally, last week we launched a new 45-day email course that walks subscribers through the Foundations of the Christian faith. Each day, users get a short, topical lesson as well as Bible memory verses. It's an easy way to grow deeper in the knowledge of scripture and the Christian worldview. (You can subscribe for free here).

Mary the Movie, the Sunday Morning Test, Darwin's Church and More ...

Jesse Carey — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 20:51:00 GMT

Just a quick update today. Here’s a handful of links from around the web that caught my eye over the weekend.

Church Shopping
Slate has an interesting story about “Why American churchgoers like to shop around” when it comes to choosing a church. It includes some stats like this one about American churchgoing: “One in seven adults changes churches each year, and another one in six attends a handful of churches on a rotating basis.”

The Brain and Belief
Time magazine has a lengthy feature called “The Biology Belief.” Though the story isn't necessarily an endorsement of faith (it has interviews with scientists that attempt to debunk faith’s benefits), it does have some interesting points: “Here's what's surprising: a growing body of scientific evidence suggests that faith may indeed bring us health.”

Darwin's Church Scandal
A series of recently uncovered letters reveal that before he abandoned his Christian faith at the age of 40, Charles Darwin was heavily involved in his local church. He was even responsible for helping to uncover a church scandal involving the embezzlement of an organ fund.

What Would You Do?
A pastor in Texas wanted to see just how compassionate his congregation was toward the down-and-out, so he tried a pretty radical experiment on Sunday morning. He disguised himself has a disturbed stranger, reeking of alcohol, wandering through the parking lot. As a local news crew filmed the interaction, the church passed the test with flying colors, offering their disguised pastor food, shelter and help.

Mary the Biopic
Blogger and founder of the Act Once Christian screenwriting program Barbara Nicolosi is at the helm of the new film that looks at the life of Mary. So far Peter O’Toole, Al Pacino and Camila Belle have signed on to Mary, Mother of Jesus. MGM hopes to release the film in early 2010.

Michael Phelps and Ted Haggard Feedback ...

Jesse Carey — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 17:01:47 GMT

My latest feature on the front page of CBN.com has gotten some interesting feedback through email. You can read "Michael Phelps and Ted Haggard: The Connection" here.

Some readers emailed me and said they don't feel like it is a fair comparison, and that Michael Phelps was a victim of his own insecurity, whereas Haggard should be held to a higher standard because he is a Christian leader.

What do you think? I want to let readers have an opportunity to express their thoughts on the story and how the Phelps/Haggard scandals are being covered.

Thanks! Can wait to hear what you have to say!

Leave your comments below

An Indie Church Movie that (Indie) Rocks

Jesse Carey — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 20:34:08 GMT

The Oklahoma-based Tulsa Bible Church is the latest congregation to try its hand at filmmaking. Inspired by the success of Georgia’s Sherwood Baptist (the church that produced Facing the Giants, Flywheel, and Fireproof), Tulsa Bible Church’s pastor approached member Brian Shoop, a 58-year-old Tulsa-area actor, to see if he would be interested in trying his hand at writing a script for their own foray into filmmaking. Over the course of the next year, Shoop penned the script for Treasure Blind (which he also stars in), a story about a lonely cab driver who, along with a blind grandson he never knew he had, embarks on a journey to find buried Civil War-era treasure.

Although the movie isn’t an official church undertaking, more than 100 volunteers from the church helped on the production of the film. The Tulsa World has an interview with Shoop here and you can watch the trailer for Treasure Blind on YouTube. The film releases on DVD this week.

On a side note, the filmmakers appear to have a taste for indie rock. The trailer for the movie contains music by instrumental outfit Explosions in the Sky (best known for scoring the film Friday Night Lights) and the movie's website contains a "thank you" to indie-pop darling Rosie Thomas for allowing them to use her songs in the film.

Samson Goes Hollwood, GodTube Gets Tangled, Redeeming Movies and More ...

Jesse Carey — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 22:44:35 GMT

Hey There Delilah
According to Variety, Warner Bros. is planning on releasing a film based on the biblical story of Samson and Delilah. The “futuristic retelling” of the classic Old Testament story will be directed by Francis Lawrence, the man behind the camera on the recent sci-fi blockbuster I Am Legend. This isn’t Lawrence’s first foray into Old Testament filmmaking—he’s the executive producer of the new NBC series Kings, which is loosely based on the story of David.

GodTube No More
The Christian user-submitted video site GodTube.com has changed its name in an effort to rebrand itself from just a viral video site to a full-on social network. A few weeks ago, the site posted this video announcing the soon-coming change, and users gave decidedly mixed feedback (you can read their comments under the video). But this week, the site unveiled its new look, and new name—Tangle.com.

Overall, I think the graphics, new look, and functionality are really sharp, but some of the site’s other regular users seem to be a little off-put by the name change. (You can read their response on this video). A personally don’t have a problem with the change, and think they’ve done good job with the new presentation, but Web 2.0 users are notoriously resistant to change (remember the debacle when Facebook introduced their new look?). Throw in some strong opinions about whether or not the word “God” should be in the name or not, and you’re sure to cause some controversy.

Ad Wars
Remember that story from a couple weeks ago about a group of atheists in the UK running pro-atheism ads on buses throughout London? Well now a group of Christians in the city have bought posters promoting faith to counter the effort.

David Larlham, a representative of the Bible society responsible for the ads, told the AFP, "I was pleased to see (the atheist) campaign, because it’s good that the country is a free country where people can voice their opinion and declare their belief.”

At least the groups are being civil, and the ads haven’t been mean spirited. And, even though most Christians probably don’t approve of messages that are anti-God, at least it is opening up a discussion about faith. Undoubtedly, ads running on public buses can spark conversations about God among commuters who otherwise may not be comfortable talking about faith with strangers on their way to work.

Redeeming Movies
The media ministry Movieguide has announced this year’s nominees for the “Epiphany Prize”. The film chosen as “The Most Inspiring Movie of the Year” will be honored by a ceremony and receive a large cash prize. Among the films nominated for the award this year are Prince Caspian, Fireproof, Grand Torino, Henry Poole is Here and The Family that Preys. You can go here to see films nominated in other categories.