Arnold Kling exposes a new movie.

The Acton Institute has produced the most subversive movie I have ever seen. The Call of the Entrepreneur, which is being released on an agonizingly slow schedule, is a threat to tyranny everywhere, including here at home.

The movie’s message is that entrepreneurs are creators of wealth, Wall Street financiers are enablers of economic progress, and the villains of the world are people like the Communist leaders in China and American religious leaders who rail against capitalism.

Here’s the short description from the movie’s website:

A merchant banker. A failing dairy farmer. A refugee from Communist China. One risked his savings. One risked his farm. One risked his life. Why do their stories matter? Because how we view entrepreneurs – as greedy or altruistic, as virtuous or vicious – shapes the destinies of individuals and nations.

But there are probably too many impediments to it to be shown widely in this country. Kling explains:

But it has very little chance of being shown in public high schools in America. It is far too explicit. “Call of the Entrepreneur” features the Reverend Robert A. Sirico, including a full-frontal shot of his clerical collar. As producer Jay W. Richards points out, the movie uses “the G word.”

As a Jew, I am certain that I missed a number of the religious aspects of the movie. There were subtle references to Christian doctrine that went right past me. Perhaps there are Christians who would be more aware of the context and, based on their knowledge, might even take offense at the film’s stance. I imagine that passionate atheists would tend to be turned off. But I think that a typical high school student could be exposed to the religion in “Call of the Entrepreneur” without being permanently scarred or corrupted.

I would argue that “Call of the Entrepreneur” and “An Inconvenient Truth” are both religious films. However, unlike Al Gore’s movie about global warming, “Call of the Entrepreneur” steers clear of sensationalism, dogma, and misleading half-truths. It is ironic that public teachers and parents are happy to see “An Inconvenient Truth” in the classroom, but “Call of the Entrepreneur” would probably be greeted with protests if it were shown.

Kling’s being sarcastic, of course, but makes his point clear. The more we see government as savior, the less freedom we have. The more the entrepreneurial spirit is encouraged, the better it is for all of us, the poor included. Don’t give a man a fish, teach him to fish, and allow him to open his own fish business without excessive interference. That’s how freedom works.

Technorati Tags: Call of the Entrepreneur, Robert A. Sirico, Acton Institute, Arnold Kling

When Thomas Jefferson wrote the Danbury Baptists, attempting to clarify the roles of government and organized religion in the new United States, Jefferson wrote this:

Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should “make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” thus building a wall of separation between Church & State.

Taken out of context, the “wall of separation” line has been misused over the generations. And the context is not just the letter Jefferson wrote, but it is a specific answer to a specific question from the Baptsts. Here is their concern, with emphasis added:

But sir, our constitution of government is not specific. Our ancient charter, together with the laws made coincident therewith, were adapted as the basis of our government at the time of our revolution. And such has been our laws and usages, and such still are, [so] that Religion is considered as the first object of Legislation, and therefore what religious privileges we enjoy (as a minor part of the State) we enjoy as favors granted, and not as inalienable rights. And these favors we receive at the expense of such degrading acknowledgments, as are inconsistent with the rights of freemen. It is not to be wondered at therefore, if those who seek after power and gain, under the pretense of government and Religion, should reproach their fellow men, [or] should reproach their Chief Magistrate, as an enemy of religion, law, and good order, because he will not, dares not, assume the prerogative of Jehovah and make laws to govern the Kingdom of Christ.

The Baptists were concerned specifically about the government imposing laws on religion that would tell them what to do with regards to their beliefs and the practice of them. Jefferson said government would not do that.

There could be no real question as to whether or not religion could have an effect on the government, since a chaplain and an opening prayer were part of Congress from the beginning. Jefferson himself used government money for the express purpose of evangelizing the American Indians. This from the man who wrote about a wall? By his words and his deeds, and in the full context of his words, it is clear that the wall he spoke of was one erected around religion to protect it and its followers from government intrusion, but the reverse situation was not addressed but, in fact, encouraged to a point.

I say this as a prelude to this news story coming from the BBC about an event in England that could occur here in the near future.

A gay man has won his case for unlawful discrimination after he was refused a youth official’s job by a Church of England bishop.

The employment tribunal said John Reaney, 42, was discriminated against “on grounds of sexual orientation” by the Hereford diocesan board of finance.

And what law was broken?

Under the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003, it is illegal to discriminate against people as a result of their sexual orientation, but the law does contain an exemption for organised religion.

The Church of England has a position on the moral status of homosexuality. It is based on their religious beliefs. But today in England, not even the established church is allowed to act on its beliefs if the government has said otherwise. That “exemption for organised religion” isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.

This is the beginning of the end of religious freedom, when the government becomes the new arbiter of religious practice. And if you don’t think it could happen here, then you’re likely in for a surprise when the walls come tumblin’ down.

Hat tip: Go, Pundit, Go!

Technorati Tags: Thomas Jefferson, Danbury Baptists, religion, government, separation of church and state, England, John Reaney, Hereford, Church of England

Someone once said (I’m thinking C. S. Lewis, but if you know the quote, please note it in a comment) something to the effect that we don’t need more good Christian literature, we need more good literature by Christians. Does the trend mentioned in this news story portend more of the former or the latter?

Could the next Harry Potter be a devout Christian?

As the days tick down until Saturday, when a breathless world learns the fate of the teenage wizard, a new breed of fantasy fiction, with Potter-style stories, is emerging.

Like the Potter series, it has mystical creatures, macabre events, epic battles and heroic young protagonists.

But, unlike the Potter books, this genre has overt Christian tones: messiah-like kings who return from the dead, fallen satanic characters and young heroes who undergo profound conversions. What you won’t generally find: humans waving wands and performing spells.

Christian fantasy, which had been a slow seller, has caught fire recently, industry analysts say, ignited by the success of the Potter series, which has sent some Christian readers looking for alternatives.

What could come of this is a boatload of Narnia knockoffs, most with the same redemption allegory. Now, I’m not knocking the allegory itself, per se; there’s certainly nothing wrong with presenting the “old, old story” in a new way. But not everything written by Christians has to be a thin veneer overlaying the New Testament.

And there are a lot of good books written that happen to be written by Christians. In our house, Ted Dekker is a big name, not only for his incredible thriller and suspense novels, but because he went to the same missionary boarding school in Indonesia as my wife and was just a grade or two ahead.

The article notes that the Potter controversy continues (interestingly, Dobson has praises for the series), while the array of other options is on the increase. But with great popularity comes great mediocrity, and just because the author’s a Christian doesn’t mean it’s a masterpiece. But trust me, those masterpieces do exist, and we need more of them.

Technorati Tags: Christianity, books, Christian fiction, Harry Potter, Narnia, Ted Dekker, Dalat School, James Dobson

Ain’t Hamas television just so cute?

Hamas’s Al-Aqsa television station recruited a new children’s character to “continue” the legacy of its star martyr, Farfur – the Mickey Mouse lookalike who was beaten to death by an Israeli on the previous program.

The new character on the children’s show Tomorrow’s Pioneers, a bee named Nahool, tells the hostess he is Farfur’s cousin and that he wishes to “continue the path of Farfur… the path of martyrdom, the path of the Jihad warriors… and in his name we shall take revenge upon the enemies of Allah, the murderers of the prophets…” The expression “Murderers of the prophets” is an Islamic expression used by the PA religious leaders to refer to Jews. Defining the Jews as the enemies of God is common in PA religious broadcasting.

Entertaining and educational as always.

Technorati Tags: Farfur, Farfour, Nahool, Hamas, television, Israel, Tomorrow’s Pioneers, Palestinians, Judaism, Jihad

Danny Carlton analyses the Pope’s latest document asserting that the Catholic church is the real Christian church and the rest of us are just posers. He thinks, as do I, that this is no real cause for concern among Protestants, since this is essentially a restatement of what the Roman Catholic church has always taught. No surprises there.

Well, except it does get a few folks in a knot. Read the post for details.

Technorati Tags: Roman Catholic church, Pope, Christianity

You’d expect Glenn Penner’s idea of the greatest threat to world missions is the persecution of the church. After all, he blogs for “Voice of the Martyrs”, an organization who’s central focus is the persecution of Christians worldwide. But you’d be wrong.

No, I do not believe that persecution is the greatest threat to the continuing spread of the gospel. I am much more concerned about something that, at first glace, seems benign and even helpful but which I contend is far more insidious. I am referring to the dependency creating practices that ministries are increasingly promoting in the name of “partnership.”
Such programs are varied and wide-ranging. Some claim to be “revolutionizing” world missions through their approach of having western Christians sponsor national missions, churches, evangelists, missionaries and pastors. Claiming to be more efficient and culturally adaptable, such groups appeal to the western desire to be cost and labour effective by claiming that such an approach provides more “bang for the buck.” Or alternately, they bemoan the fact that these poor servants of God have to labour so hard to meet the needs of their families that they have no time to spread the gospel (to which I respond, “Paul didn’t seem to have that problem. See 1 Thessalonians 2:9.” Indeed, Paul seemed to think that his approach was the best possible strategy for spreading the gospel. But then again, I suppose we know better in the 21st century).

A careful study of the issue, however, demonstrates that dependency on western resources to spread the gospel has proven, in most cases, to be an absolute disaster.

Read the whole thing for why he believe this is the case.

(The political animal in me also noted that this “absolute disaster” mirrors quite amazingly a US government program that is also, in my opinion, an absolute disaster, and for almost all the same reasons. Read Glenn’s blog post and see if you find the same thing I did.)

Technorati Tags: Glenn Penner, Voice of the Martyrs, christianity, world missions, persecution, dependency

In case you’re still under the impression that al Qaeda hates us because of our foreign policies, here’s some perspective.

The leader of an al-Qaida umbrella group in Iraq threatened to wage war against Iran unless it stops supporting Shiites in Iraq within two months, according to an audiotape released Sunday.

Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, who leads the group Islamic State in Iraq, said his Sunni fighters have been preparing for four years to wage a battle against Shiite-dominated Iran.

“We are giving the Persians, and especially the rulers of Iran, a two month period to end all kinds of support for the Iraqi Shiite government and to stop direct and indirect intervention … otherwise a severe war is waiting for you,” he said in the 50-minute audiotape. The tape, which could not be independently verified, was posted on a Web site commonly used by insurgent groups.

It is not primarily a political struggle, but a religious one, at least on their part. If attacks by al Qaeda in Saudi Arabia weren’t enough to sway opinion, perhaps this might. We are not Muslim, and we’re the big guy on the block, so we make an enticing target. But al Qaeda’s issue is their form of Islam.

Al-Baghdadi criticized Kurdish leaders for their alliance with Shiites in Iraq’s government and accused them encouraging unsavory morals.

“The leaders of apostasy … have impeded the march of Islam in Muslim Kurdistan and helped communism and secularism to spread. … They insulted the religious scholars … encouraged vices and women without veils,” he said.

Insulting scholars and missing veils. Does this sound like a political group to you?

Technorati Tags: al Qaeda, Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, Islamic State in Iraq, Islamic State in Iraq, Islam, religion

What Warner Bros. movie has been translated into 1,000 languages (the most recent being finished this month), the most of any film (beating #2 by about 900)?

Click here for the press release.

Technorati Tags: Jesus film, Christianity, movies

Shire Network News #97 has been released. The feature interview is with American academic, Professor Deborah Lipstadt, about the resurgence of anti-semitism worldwide, and why it’s not just Jews who should be afraid.. Click here for the show notes, links, and ways to listen to the show; directly from the web site, by downloading the mp3 file, or by subscribing with your podcatcher of choice.

Below is the text of my commentary segment.

Hi, this is Doug Payton for Shire Network News, asking you to “Consider This”.  In a recent video, Al Qaeda’s number 2 guy, Ayman Zawahiri, warned of impending doom, praised jihadi fighters, offered his “reflections” on the status of Iraq, Egypt and elsewhere, and even cracked a joke. Looks like he’s trying to connect more with the common man while still bolstering his jihad creds. More of a kinder, gentler hate, or, if you will, compassionate crusaderism.This was a well-produced video, with Zawahiri sitting in front of a studio background rather than the typical camouflage sheet. But however good it looked, it wasn’t professional. A piece of paper on the desk in front of him was easily visible and what video experts have been able to pull from that shows that this is not the last we’ll see of a softer presentation and more engaging content. So then, from the home office in Camillus, New York, and avoiding any copyright violations, here are the top 9 ideas Ayman Zawahiri has for the next Al Qaeda video!

Number 9: Instead of usual headgear, hire US Presidential candidate John Edwards’ celebrity hair stylist.

Number 8: Offer a free “I (heart) O B L” T-shirt to the first 5 callers to the throw-away cell phone number on the screen.

Number 7: Audition his band “Ayman and the Masked Gunmen”, singing “Global Warming from the War on Terror”, for a spot in Al Gore’s Live Earth concert.

Number 6: Appeal to conservatives by introducing “No Infidel Left Behind…Alive”.

Number 5: Appeal to liberals with their “socialized ammunition” policy.

Number 4: Get Michael Moore to produce next video. Working title: “Nutso”.

Number 3: Paris Hilton in a burka.

Number 2: Issue a fatwah against that Brian guy from the Shire Network News podcast.

And the number 1 idea Ayman Zawahiri has for the next Al Qaeda video:

Preview his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech. (Heh, well, if Yassar Arafat could win one…)

And now, back to Brian.

Meryl Yourish gathers up the information. First off, here’s the first paragraph from the World Council of Churches web page about “Who Are We?”:

The World Council of Churches (WCC) is the broadest and most inclusive among the many organized expressions of the modern ecumenical movement, a movement whose goal is Christian unity.

So this is a specifically Christian organization. Yet their “Latest News” page, as of now, has an article condemning the Israeli “occupation” and how it hurts human dignity, but absolutely nothing about this 3-day-old story on Muslims in Gaza attacking a Christian school and church. How about any stories about the endless rockets launched into Israel from Gaza ever since Israel held up their part of the peace process and pulled out? Nothing.

Nope, Israel is the big problem. Odd, then, that those in Gaza are fleeing…to Israel.

Many Christians said they were prepared to leave the Gaza Strip as soon as the border crossings are reopened.

Where they can’t get along and where they kill innocents in order to take power, the WCC is silent. But they condemn the country where the refugees flee to. What an awful double-standard.

Technorati Tags: World Council of Churches, Christianity, double standard, Gaza, Israel, Islam