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BLACK CHRISTIAN
DVD & MOVIE/ PLAY REVIEWS
Review & Additional Sermon by Angry John, 8/18/10
PASTOR JONES, MY SISTER LOVES YOU
BlackChristianMovies.com, www.lightyear.com
Pastor Jones doesn’t date anymore, because he promised his wife, who died some time ago, to be faithful to her--forever.
As a Christian I find it commendable that a minister should only be married once, when while he is serving in his duties in the church as an ordained Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If his lust is under control, he has more time for the church, community and parishioners.
“A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant…” 1Timothy 3:2, KJV. Verse 12: ”Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well”.
“Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committteth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which she is put away doth commit adultery. His disciples say unto him. If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry. But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given…and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it”. Matthew 19:9-12, KJV.
Here Jesus says, if you want to be celibate and married or celibate and unmarried for heaven’s sake you should. It isn’t an easy choice, but it is a form of higher calling and higher spirituality that is completely the individual’s choice. No one, not even Jesus, would tell his apostles that they had to become like eunuchs.
I found it remarkable, in a good way, the way that this movie portrays a Black Pastor as so middle class & not a rich televangelist, like the ones we see on TV. That’s right I said Black Pastor and I’m not black…that I know of. I know that we all came from Adam & Eve so race shouldn’t be an issue among Christians. If any of us go back in time a 1,000 years or 5,000 years to investigate our ancestors who knows what we’d discover about our racial ancestry? What a scandal that all races don’t get along and there are still Black Churches and White Churches. I can understand Vietnamese, Cambodian, Haitian, or Spanish Churches, if they don’t speak the language and their cultures are so foreign, but wait, the only Church Culture is the Christian Culture. Use translators and let’s become one family, where possible!!
I find it refreshing and wonderful that “Pastor Jones” is such a celibate and chaste widowed man totally devoted to God & his flock. We need more good role models in film, especially Christian media.
ANGRY JOHN’S FANATICAL SERMON
On public TV I see some black, brown & white pastors with bulging muscles, tight pants and expensive clothes & the women preachers with big wigs, peroxide blond hair, skin tight mini skirts or pants suits with lots of breast tissue showing and sexy high heels.Let's remember they are role models for Christian young people & the non Christians are watching. Let's write letters & tell them to maybe dress a little more modestly & humbly. The problem is we want to dress to get attention ourselves & we don't want to offend our favorite TV pastors. We have to think of the unsaved & put their mind on Christ when they watch Christian programming, they already have their mind on money & sex. We should take their mind out of the gutter to heavenly realms.
What Gospel are they preaching? Certainly not, the Gospel of poverty, chastity, sacrifice and obedience to God.
No they’re preaching the Popularity Gospel that we can be accepted and praised by the sinful world and still be saved by Jesus Christ. We can't deliberately serve this world first. We must deliberately serve God first & the world will tag along.
“Don’t be religious—be spiritual”
"Flash, flash" the sign says on the Church electronic bill board. Well that’s the same advice that the demonically deceived New Age followers are acting on. We can act like we don’t know Jesus in the way we dress, talk, spend our money, live our sex lives, and put Jesus and the Church last and still we say, "We know we will be saved?" Just because I KNOW I’m going to hit the Lottery doesn’t mean I will, it’s just wishful & foolish thinking. Sorry, I’m part Catholic, part Adventist & part Protestant & that’s the way I think.
We must have the fruits of the Spirit or some kind of behavior change that comes from the heart. We think we can have this world and the next world too, but that’s not what the New Testament teaches. Fools, deceived ones & LIARS! Don’t go through the sparkly, large & wide gate that most people use, find the narrow gate and go through it to find Jesus. (Matthew 7:14) I'm preaching to myself & maybe someone that needs to here this. I'm not a pastor, can you tell?
“For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matthew 16: 26, KJV
[JAMES & BETTY ROBINSON]
A compromised Gospel creates weak, powerless and sin--addicted Christians, but maybe our children will get serious about God, let’s hope so. I heard James Robinson say on his TV show with his wife Betty that 90% of Pastors and Christians are harassed & in bondage to some sin, even if it’s only in the thought life. That makes sense, because why else would there be so many preachers/speakers giving us simple self-help advice as if we were ignorant pagans, like:
[POSITIVE THINKING AND HOLY THINKING]
Joel Osteen, Joyce Myers, Dr. Laura Schlessinger (Orthodox Jewish radio personality with moral advice for anyone.), Zig Zigler (Saleman/Motivational Speaker), Robert Schuler, Creflo Dollar & T.D. Jakes?
And why do we need Dr. Phil & other psychologists if we’re Holy Spirit--filled Christians? Our faith is weak and diluted by worldly and humanistic philosophies and anti-Christian morality that are hidden in TV, movies, videos, talk-shows, nature/science shows (evolution), our public schools and advertising, books, and newspapers. Did you know that many Christian politicians believe in making laws to make abortion legal and that everyone should help pay for the poor woman’s abortion, even if it is against the Bible and our conscience? Thou shall not kill (murder), but even some types of anger are considered murder to Jesus. Let’s avoid the influence of entertainers that are false to Jesus, but gladly avail ourselves to true Christians that are willing & able to help us. If, we do need the above speakers & we reject them, then we would only harm ourselves. Many of us are in the closet-miserable, depressed, trapped in addictions & sins, even though we are Christians. Need help? Use these above mentioned speakers & other sources, even professional counseling.
[BACK TO THE PASTOR JONES REVIEW]
So Pastor Jones gets sweet-talked into going out with a gorgeous & super sexy woman. She divorced her husband. No mention or concern is shown by her that she might have sinned. She doesn’t ask the Pastor if she will become an adulterer if she gets remarried again & he doesn’t bring it up because it’s not even an issue. You don’t understand the Bible,
“Because of the hardness of your hearts" (Matthew 19:7-12; Mark 3).
The Bible talks about “one flesh” & how God hates divorce, but all of this is ignored. She might as well be in a baseball stadium, talking to a hot dog vendor instead of a Pastor in his church office. So, he goes out on a walk, with the sister of a choir member in good standing--not a date. Another day they go to lunch, at an expensive restaurant and she pays. Not a date, not a date in his mind…. He takes a nap one day, in his lonely house and his hidden lust manifests itself in a dream. When he awakens, he doesn’t encourage this lust, nor does he see it as a sign that God wants him to have sex with her or maybe marry her first & then have sex. He gets on his knees and prays. He repents and calls lust evil. I wish that more churches, all churches would instruct us on these things during public church services.
That is the Christian duty that we love God so much that we resist sin, repent and rededicate ourselves to loving obedience to Christ.
Jesus never told the Apostles to make celibacy or becoming like a eunuch a test of church membership, but he did say to have one wife & children that are under control, if you are a bishop, minister & deacon. And the young widows should get remarried.
Everyone will interpret the way they will and I don’t speak for anyone but my self, but I have my own opinion and you will have yours.
PASTOR JONES, HEAVENLY VOICES, DVD
Review by John, 8/29/10
The church doesn’t have enough money to pay for the choir, so the choir director & her best friend try to raise the money. There is jealousy, bickering, friendship, & humor. There is also a shy girl who lives with her father. The father is an alcoholic & doesn’t want his daughter to sing in the choir. There is a young man that plays sports with drug dealers and is torn between the church and his friends. These are very human stories of how easily the churches and youth can go under. Unless everyone pulls together life stays the same…until it gets even worse. Christianity is about saving our communities, brother & sisters from their sins and Hell. This is a movie about sanctification and growth in the Christian walk.
PASTOR JONES, SAMUEL AND DELIA, PG13. DVD, 80 MIN.,
WWW.MAVERICKENTERTAINMENT.COM, www.BlackChristianMovies.com
Review by John, 9/9/10
Some attractive, but evil church women want to see if one of them can seduce and bring down a young handsome pastor. One of them believes she can, but there are some twists and turns to the plot. The Pastor has lost the comfort of the Holy Spirit so he’s no match for the vixen. He comes to a crisis of faith and his church is in crisis with him. Who will lead the church? Will the young Pastor become lost in the world? Pastor Jones tries to guide him, but he is not making much of a difference. God always wins in the end, but what happens in this movie. Watch it.
PASTOR JONES, SISTERS IN SPIRIT, DVD, 90 MIN
(First in the Series?)
Review by John, 9/14/10
This is the DVD that should be watched first in the Pastor Jones series, but I watched it last of all, oh well, no one told me. In this one a Pastor is near retirement and he is training a new Pastor to replace him-Pastor Jones. His young wife died a few years ago and he has his eyes on Jesus and the new Church. He’s friendly, hard working, positive and likes everyone.
This apparently is very challenging to single women in this church and not just any women, but the retiring pastor’s two lovely daughters! One hasn’t dated in years, but the other daughter is always with someone. So the sisters, once so close, both go after the same man, the man of God, who sees them as: sisters, church members, the Pastor’s daughters, but not sex objects, not potential marriage partners and not someone to share his evil lusts & desires with.
This is a man like Jesus Christ himself and we don’t see this type in the pulpit or anywhere very often, because he’s a bit more naïve than most adult men. He can’t see that some, most people are not pure and holy like him. I say that because when women are hot on your trail, trying to lasso you & hog tie you, you either run until caught, or you reject them until you put them in their place, but sometimes they still convince you that you want to marry them. But you eventually understand what is going on, either you start to fall in love or you start to run in panic from this crazy woman. Pastor Jones doesn’t have a weakness or preoccupation with the ladies, but these women don’t notice the real him. They’re too busy hating each other, for stealing their man, who happens to belong to Jesus, but they don’t understand that either.
Look at romance in the Bible and it is always a Jewish man from a righteous family trying to hook up--marriage style with a Jewish girl from a good Jewish lineage, preferable one in which the Messiah will ultimately be born. That’s not for the good of the girl or man, but for the good of God, the Nation of God and the future Messiah. Today, we marry and divorce like they did in Noah’s day, for selfish reasons. So what, God said, there won’t be another flood!! Yes, but the fire is coming and the judgment at death and the end of time. God will not be mocked. More then that our children are watching & they are coming to the conclusions that it's stupid to marry.
Let your pastor tell you,
“Angry John is just a fanatic, God wants us to have fun and have sex and get married and here are a few Bible texts to dispel your fear of God...(fill in the blanks, if you can)”.
Believe the Holy Spirit and don’t grieve Him or go against the still soft part of your heart or that will soon harden and shatter too.
[Back to Pastor Jones]
Ok, so the father talks to the young Pastor and asks him what’s going on with his daughters and he says, nothing. And for once in the history of mankind, it’s true. I find that very elevating to the men of the world. We don’t have to be dogs addicted to sex, especially anonymous sex or pornography. Hopefully our minds are on Jesus, work & a future wife.
The elder Pastor gets sick, so Pastor Jones reads the letter passed on to him. He reads it and is in shock. What does this letter contain, will the pastor die, will the Pastor marry one of the sisters and what is the secret? This movie, along with another Jone's movie, kind of ends and says to be continued, but none of the DVD containers say Pastor Jones 1, Pastor Jones Part 2, Pastor Jones Part 3, so it seems cruel to cut me off and leave the ending to be continued. I didn’t know which movie to pick off the library shelf, but what can I expect for free?
These Pastor Jones movies are more Christian and more elevating, than even a lot of Christian movies I have seen. They’re not multi million dollar Hollywood special effects movies, but that leave more room for the the Holy Spirit’s whisper to be heard by us.
THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG
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Index: “reviews-books-movies-audios”
BY JOHN, 12/14/10
This is a clever & enjoyable Disney cartoon. Daddy had the best home cooking in New Orleans & his daughter’s dream is to own & run a restaurant one day. Their family are poor blacks who work for rich whites, but they are rich in love. When she grows up the dream gets complicated with a handsome prince, an evil Voodoo man, people turning into frogs, a good Voodoo Cajun Lady & lot’s of talking animals. The heroine is the young woman that is so busy working for her dream that she’s never dated and never even considered marriage to anyone who isn’t at least as hard worker as her & he better want to work in a restaurant. Does she give up her dream of the restaurant or the dreamy guy? What would you do? This movie contains good morals of hard work & decency. There are some scenes of smiling, but somewhat scary demon shadows from the underworld who do the bidding of the evil man. It does have a good ending.
THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG, DVD, RATED G, 98 Min, Disney, DisneyDVD.com, Distr. By Buena Vista Video Home Ent. Inc., 91521
TYLER PERRY PLAYS & MOVIES
Review by John, 8/29/10
Tyler Perry’s plays are a little different than the movies, based on his plays. The plays seem longer and more like musicals. Some of the songs will make you cry, some will make you feel closer to Jesus, but a few are too long. The words of the songs are unique and very pertinent to today’s world. I enjoy watching the plays and the movies.
The play: “Madea Goes to Jail” includes the actor on the TV show, House of Payne that plays the father. This play was the funniest of all to me. Meet the Browns is pretty funny too and to see “Mr. Brown” dance on a stage (on DVD), wow, & listen to the singers who have so much talent and the ever wild Madea is always a riot.
SOME WHITE PEOPLE ARE WILD TOO
I don’t think Tyler Perry’s movies make black people look bad, because I’ve seen some pretty bad white folk, at their worse.
What matters in a story is its ending. Is the lesson learned, do the victims become leaders of their own lives, are they reunited to God, & do families help each other? Based on that, the Black people in Tyler Perry’s stories come out as winners and great role models for everyone.
HEALING THE PEOPLE WITH TRUTH
The Bible makes Jews look bad or does it? It contains something very rare indeed and it’s called the Truth. In order to teach people the right behaviors you have to reveal the bad ones. That’s what the Bible does, but it doesn’t always spell out the moral of the story. If you are a good religious person you will often see the truth after a little reflection or meditation on the story.
How can you change the Jewish race, the Arabic race, the White race, the Chinese race, the Brazilians, the Cubans, the Spanish race, the Black race, etc. and all the religions of the world?
You must tell the truth, the embarrassing stories of failure about your race and then tell us what you are doing to change the past and how you will become better people in the future. Most races or religions won't do that & that's their loss & also ours.
This is what Tyler Perry is doing while entertaining us, he is exaggerating for comedies sake, but there's lot’s of truth. Goodness triumphs over evil. That is the Good News that Jesus confirmed, one day death, sin, accidents, hatred, selfishness and disease would all be conquered not by guns & violence but by turning the other cheek & love.
Does Mr. Perry go too far sometimes? Yes, there’s too much gun play, wild violence & constant threats, but half of its being leveled against evil people that deserve it. It feels good to see the bully run, but we still have to be careful not to become bullies ourselves. Sometimes I think the women are too scantily dressed for a Christian-type movie, so don’t expect a Billy Graham or prudish-type of movie from Tyler Perry.
CHRISTIANS SHOULD SUPPORT CHRISTIAN ENTERTIANMENT
We are all sinful humans. Some of us are going to Heaven when we die and many will go to Hell. Heavenly people confess their sins, find a plan to do better and keep loving God and every person and creature on earth until they die. In the truth & in Christ there is no Black or White, Red, Yellow, Brown, slave or free, king or pauper, we are all one human race, so let’s act like we are one body.
What we listen to and watch will affect our attitudes and create
our future actions and will even determine our faith.
Will we have faith in human beliefs, corrupting pleasures and false sciences or will we have faith in the God that created us, who is keeping us alive and is whispering advice into our hardened hearts? Christian & Godly entertainment & media must be the first choice for the religious and spiritual Christian. Why should we pay to watch and listen to ideas from atheistic, perverse, misguided, Godless and anti-God authors? We will soon find ourselves addicted to the ideas of the Humanists & God-mockers & one day wake up in Hell.
So let’s play the game according to God’s rules.
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Romans 12:2, KJV.
1John 2:15, 5:4-5
Some of Mr. Perry’s plays & movies that I’ve seen on DVD:
Madea’s Family Reunion
Meet the Browns
The Family That Preys
I Can Do Bad All By Myself
Why Did I Get Married?
Madea Goes To Jail
These movies should be watched by adults & older teens or responsible adults who are going to explain the movie to younger teens.
I think these movies have a lot to offer Christians, but the easily offended might want to skip some of them.
A MOTHER’S PRAYER
THE INSPIRATIONAL HIT STAGE PLAY
BY ALVIN MOORE JR.
MOVIE REVIEW BY JOHN, 9/7/10
A MOTHER’S PRAY, DVD, 93 minutes, Swirl Films Inc. © 2009, Image Entertainment, Alvin Moore Entertainment, www.onevillageent.com, www.swirlfilms.com, with Johnny Gill, Robin Givens & Shirley Murdock
This is a story about an intact Black Family of five, with a couple of fighting relatives. It’s a Christian Family & the father is a minister. This is a play about a good Christian family where the prodigal, inexperienced children lusting for freedom & adventure leave home in anger and frustration. They aren’t ready for non Christian life yet nor prepared for the evil in the world. Is anyone prepared for that?
We should try to be fortified with God’s word and have family or Christian church support in our journey from our dependence on our parents into adulthood.
There is sickness, fumbling parents and prayer. This is done with singing and dancing at times. The grandfather is funny & can dance, but I wasn’t impressed with his singing (Sorry). I don’t want to ruin the ending except to say there was salvation.
BLACK FRIENDLY MOVIES WITH WHITE MOVIE STAR?
THE APOSTLE & GET LOW
Starring: Robert Duval
Two Reviews by John. 9/10/10
You might consider watching The Apostle on DVD, rated? Maybe it’s a PG13, I forgot to check before I returned it to the library. There is violence, domestic violence, adultery and sincere religion mixed with great evil. To be continued...
ELMER GANTRY
Get Low reminds me of the old movie “Elmer Gantry”, with mostly white people. I haven’t seen it in a long while, but if I get it wrong, let me know. There is a “holiness” woman tent preacher (An attack on the healing evangelist a woman like Kathryn Cullman?), a great healer, who gets mixed up with a fast talking, immoral, & sexy man who becomes a great preacher. This is just another one of his many scams and he’s not happy until he has sex with the pure woman evangelist. She wises up to him in the end, but much damage has been done. He sees some genuine miracles, but is he convinced that there is a God who does miracles?
BLACK MOVIES, BLACK ACTORS
THE MIRACLE OF ST. ANNE
BY SPIKE LEE
Let me say something about Spike Lee. I saw his great movie: “The Miracle of St. Anne”. When I walked out I hated white people, especially military officers and southern store owners and I’m white! I'm not advocating self-hatred, but I was upset with Mr. Lee or anyone influencing self-hatred or hatred, prejudiced or violence against any race, even Caucasians. Is that what he intended?
Of course being a Christian, I can’t go around hating white people or Asians or Hispanics or Blacks, women, children or poor people. We should be especially careful not to oppress, cheat, pick on, deny rights to the poor, orphans or widows, unjustly prosecute and steal from them, because God will avenge them. So, I stopped hating whites after about 20 minutes, sorry Spike Lee.
I don’t know, but it seems like extremists like the Ku Klux Klan & Amadinijad in Iran, etc. all want their family, religion, race & friends to blame another family, religion, race & friends for their problems. Didn’t we learn anything from the evil Hitler scapegoating the Jews? Him & his female friend wound up dead after he lost the war & left his country in even worse condition. This is harsh reality, but the truth is for the wise. I don't remember Jesus accepting the throne of King David & kicking the Romans out of Jerusalem, before he died. He could have, but I guess he wasn't into war or politics. Let's be like him. This earth won't be our kingdom until Jesus returns in the clouds with all of his angels & sits on a throne. I'm willing to wait until then, but it won't be easy waiting.
[The Miracle of St. Anne]
The black soldiers weren’t prejudiced against the ancient Italian villagers once they learned that these poor Italians weren't taught to be prejudiced. They had never known a black man or people who hated Negroes.
Is Spike Lee’s message, “The white man must be hated & reduced to powerlessness & then the truth and power will come down from Heaven and flood the Black man’s soul and he will become peaceful, the head of the world and filthy rich”? He seems too intelligent to believe that.
The insanely rich, evil & powerful are running the world and making money off of wars, drugs, sex and slavery. Some liberal artists are making films to promote fear, hatred & anger. I don't call that "art" I call that propaganda & violence against love & peace. Worldwide Destruction must come from men & women who refuse to follow God. Spike Lee doesn’t want to blame any of the African tribes men for their crimes of enslavement against their own race. It would seem crazy if I said,
“White men can’t be blamed for the crimes they commit. They should blame someone else. ‘We commit crimes because it’s because white women are such spoiled, selfish and illogical persons. They drove us to drink and cheat and then we needed money for the new sex partner & baby so we had to rob the liquor store once a month & not pay our taxes”.
That wouldn’t hold up in court or with the IRS & certainly not with God. So why do some Black or White leaders or Spanish or Jewish or Moslem or Asian leaders scape-goat others for their races self-inflicted problems? Because it brings money, power and prestige to their political, music or film making leaders. Mother’s are always willing to blame others for their child’s problems. “They’re just jealous of you.” In the long run we all had to take responsibility for our weaknesses and deficiencies and change our minds and our lives in a new direction. Repent!! A prophet or a social critic says unpopular things, but that's what we have to do sometimes to be obedient to God.
[Back to THE APOSTLE]
There is a holiness preacher, gifted since a child to heal & preach. He travels across the country and drinks too much. That combination alone can tell you what will happen to his marriage. He cheats on his wife and he later finds out that she knew about most of his affairs. This comes up because his wife has hooked up with the much younger male Youth Leader and she’s the piano player in his church!! Who do you think the Church Board wants to kick out? Well, the preacher evangelist of course, they don't criticize or condemn her open adultery. He also has a violent streak and can be very scary, so they've probably been looking for any excuse to get rid of him. He flips out & has to flee the police and winds up in a depressed southern backwoods. He seeks out a retired preacher, who happens to be black & retired & gets his permission & cooperation to rebuild the broken down & unused church. This revives the faith community. He saves the families & the economy of the entire area. Black, Yellow, and White all worship together, but trouble soon enters the picture.
Jesus forgives you for your sins, but man’s law doesn’t forgive that easily. He found and…well, see the movie to find out what happens.
GET LOW
With Robert Duval
PG13, in theatres
Review by John, 9/10/10
This is about a hermit, who is picked on, but shoots back. He’s scary and doesn’t say much. But, then he decides to have a funeral, his own funeral, and come to it. Apparently he wants to confess something that has been on his mind all these years. It gets funny and improbable until we finally hear his confession.
REAL MEN AND LIBERALS DON’T NEED CHURCH OR GOD
The rebellious spirit is working its subtle death in this movie. Why? Because, he refuses to confess to Jesus Christ, because, God has nothing to do with it, what ever it is, we don't know. He sinned, he punished himself, & now he seeks forgiveness & salvation on his own terms. He’s a real self-made man, but is their room in Heaven for un-surrendered hermit? He thinks so. God ain’t going to tell him how to rule his life. Most men seem to have this attitude, conservative, religious, agnostic or evangelical, but I hope they realize that without God they’d have no life and no hope for salvation. God is not mocked & God will have the last laugh. On the other hand God understands our childishness & foolishness & may He have mercy on our souls.
One of the secrets is that the hermit had built a beautifully crafted church for a Black preacher friend and possibly for a Black congregation. The preacher is old and is not ready to do any favors for the crazy white hermit who used to be such a good man. He wants him to confess his sins to God and to society, but he’s unable or unwilling.
After impossible odds all the people or relatives of the people he knew or hurt are rounded up & the terrible secret is...
The End.
