My Top 10 Favorite Movie Characters of 2024, and What We Can Learn From Them!

 Hi everyone, and welcome back to this LONG overdue entry of the Nightcrawler Experience!
I've been putting this off for so long, but I need to get it out now: Time for my annual look at my top 10 favorite movie characters of last year, why I liked them, and what we can learn from them about what it means to be a Christian!

The same rules as always apply:

1. The characters are not listed in any order of preference.
2. It can be any kind of character, be it hero, antihero, villain, or supporting character.

3. The characters can be from any movie that came out last year, be it in theaters, direct to video, or streaming online.

4. It can be from any genre of film, of any rating.

5. It can include original characters created for the film, or adaptations of characters from pre- existing properties that are getting the movie treatment.

6. It can include characters appearing for the first time in a movie, or those who we've seen before but who we learn more about.

7. They are all characters which I like a lot as a fan, and that I believe can teach valuable lessons on living as a Christian, whether as a "Be like them" example, a "DON'T be like them" cautionary tale, or an allegory for a Biblical figure or principle. I will explain my reasons for both with each one.

Disclaimer 1: There will be some spoilers for the movies in question to better show why I like these characters and what they can teach us.

Disclaimer 2: Not every movie featured in this list is suitable for sensitive audiences (It should be pretty obvious which ones are and which ones aren't). Use discretion in deciding whether or not to see each of them or let children see them.

Disclaimer 3: I obviously do not own the rights to any of these movies or characters.

Now, let's get this long- overdue list going!

I think we should start on a wholesome note:

1. Blossom, 'IF.'

                           (Credit for this image goes to the user Broadwaygirl98 on the Heroes Wiki at https://hero.fandom.com/wiki/Blossom_(IF)?file=Blossom_%28IF%29.png)

'IF' was a fascinating, heartwarming live- action/ animated comedy- drama about a girl named Bea who discovers that she has the ability to see people's imaginary friends (Called "IFs" for short, hence the movie's title), and sets out to help them either be reunited with their old creators, or find new humans to be friends with. 

While all the "IF" characters in it were great, with creative designs and unique personalities, my favorite was definitely Blossom (Voice of Phoebe Waller- Bridge). This anthropomorphic butterfly ballerina who looks like she could have been a background character in a Betty Boop cartoon is one of the first "IFs" that Bea meets and befriends. We eventually learn that Blossom was in fact the childhood imaginary friend of Bea's grandmother Margaret (Fiona Shaw, best known for playing Aunt Petunia in the 'Harry Potter' films), and when Bea realizes this, she helps subtly arrange for a little reunion between them.

There are so many reasons why Blossom is a wonderful character. First, I really like her design. She's clearly based off of the style of 1930s cartoon characters, which perfectly fits when we find out that she was the creation of a now- elderly person who likely watched those sorts of cartoons a lot as a child, and looks simply adorable. Second, her voice is very good, too. Phoebe Waller- Bridge (An actress I'm normally not a huge fan of) gives Blossom a lovely little British accent that fits her well. Third, her kindness and loyalty to Bea as well as to her fellow IFs makes her even more endearing. Lastly, Blossom's part of the story is simply quite compelling and poignant. If the scene when Margaret finally remembers her old friend again and Blossom is strengthened enough from this that she regains the full use of her wings doesn't have you near tears, you need to have someone check you for a pulse.
That beautiful scene ties into the theological lesson that Blossom can help to teach us. See, she had tried many times to get Margaret to remember her and see her again, to no avail. So, it took Bea playing one of her grandmother's favorite old ballet records when Margaret thought she was alone to get her to start dancing again, which eventually restored her memories of her old friend Blossom.
Blossom's pursuit of Margaret in this way can be seen as very similar to how God pursues and tries to reach out to all of us. Psalm 139 points out that God is there by our sides, seeing us and all that we say or do, with His hand always ready to help guide us, even when we can feel lost. It also ties in with Revelation 3:20, which says "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with me." It shows how, as Blossom does towards Margaret in the film, God shows initiative in desiring a relationship with us, inviting us all to open our hearts and receive Him.
That's all I have to say about Blossom; a delightful character who helps demonstrate that God always seeks us out and desires us to have a relationship with Him.

The next entry on this list is another CGI character, in this case from a fully animated movie:

2. Embarrassment, 'Inside Out 2.'

( Credit for this image goes to the user Basta7897XD on the Disney wiki at https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Embarrassment/Gallery?file=Embarrassment_Poster_Pose.png)



Pixar's 'Inside Out 2' is set a year after the wonderful previous movie, which featured the sentient emotions in a 12- year- old girl named Riley's mind as they try to navigate her through life. In this sequel to it, a now- pubescent Riley's emotions have to adjust to the arrival of a few new emotions: Anxiety (She's not exactly a villain in this movie, more like a misguided unintentional antagonist), Envy, Ennui, and my personal favorite of the bunch, Embarrassment.
I love the general character design of Embarrassment, and how fitting it is for this emotion; He's big and hulking compared to the other emotions (Thus attracting a great deal of attention wherever he goes, whether he wants to or not), is clad in a hoodie which he often wears with the drawstring pulled very tight so that little of his face can be seen, has a gigantic nose to reflect having something to be self- conscious about, has very sweaty palms, and of course has an incredibly shy, timid personality which causes him to only talk once in the entire movie. I could not come up with a more perfect design for the personification of embarrassment than that even if I tried.

He also seems to largely have a good understanding of what's right. Anxiety takes the reins in Riley's mind fast, and she forces out the original five emotions in order to rebuild Riley's mind in her own way, but it becomes clear pretty soon that Embarrassment is NOT in favor of this plan, though he's of course too shy and scared of her to directly call her out on the matter. Nevertheless, he finds more subtle and covert ways to do what's right; He secretly helps good old Sadness (Whom he develops a quite adorable friendship with) in a multitude of ways in her quest to get her friends back in and set things right for Riley.

As for the Biblical lesson that can be taken from this character, I think Embarrassment can in a way be seen as quite similar to Rahab, whose story is seen in Joshua 2-6. She, like Embarrassment, was no stranger to shame due to the fact that she was a prostitute. Also, she like Embarrassment found herself secretly coming to the aid of outsiders in need and doing what was right even though it meant betraying her own people in order to do so, similar to how Embarrassment helped Sadness in a lot of ways even though it meant betraying Anxiety, because he had come to realize it was the right, righteous thing to do at the end of the day.
An odd comparison to make, but it works well at showing how to overcome shame, and gain righteousness and redemption. Well done, Embarrassment!

Now that we've looked at two animated characters from family- friendly movies, it's time to take a turn into slightly darker and more mature territory with our next character:

3. Prof. Albin Eberhart Von Franz, 'Nosferatu.'

(Credit for this image goes to the user "Greater good" at the Robert Eggers wiki at https://robert-eggers.fandom.com/wiki/Albin_Eberhart_von_Franz?file=Albin_Eberhart_Von_Franz.jpg)

Last year's remake of 'Nosferatu' was a dark, grim, creepy, incredibly well- made film that will make your skin crawl. The characters were all portrayed very well, but my fave was almost certainly the stoic vampire hunter Prof. Albin Eberhart Von Franz, played here by Willem Dafoe.

We learn that he was once a respected Swiss scientist who was largely discredited for his unthodox beliefs pertaining to the supernatural. When a former student of his seeks out his advice on some bizarre phenomena he observes, Von Franz realizes that it is the work of a vampire and agrees to help.

As an obvious nod to Abraham Van Helsing from 'Dracula,' Prof. Von Franz is a great mentor- type hero, trying his best to help his newfound allies to destroy the evil vampire Count Orlock before it can hurt anyone else. Willem Dafoe gives a typically brilliant performance as him, with the audience at times left unsure of his trustworthiness or even his sanity, but he nevertheless remains a strong force for good. He evokes strength and righteousness even in the midst of his eccentricities, and steals every scene he appears in. If you were to face off against an ancient vampire, you'd want someone like Von Franz on your side.
    Another cool thing about him is that his first name was meant as a nod to Albin Grau, a real person who was the producer of the original 1922 silent film 'Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror.'
The theological point that Prof. Von Franz helps to teach is on not letting "modern" views cloud us from recognizing real evil when we see it. At one point, in addressing his former student showing skepticism towards his remarks about the supernatural due to it seeming to fly in the face of science, Von Franz responds "I have seen things in this world that would make Isaac Newton crawl back into his mother's womb! We are not so enlightened as we are blinded by the gaseous light of science. I have wrestled with the Devil as Jacob wrestled the Angel in Penuel, and I tell you that if we are to tame darkness, we must first face that it exists!"
There is a LOT of truth in that statement. So much of our seemingly "Enlightened" and "Progressive" modern world denies God and denies the existence of real evil through its reckless over- reliance on moral relativism. Is it any wonder, then, that so much suffering and cruelty can be so prevalent in the world today?

There were people with similar mindsets in the Bible, too: Romans 1:28 says about people, "Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done." Over the next couple verses, it then elaborates on how this rebellion against God drove people to commit all manner of evil. Jesus Himself points out in Mark 7:21-23 that this evil can come from within people, dark thoughts that become evil actions.
It may not be a very politically correct view, but it IS the truth, both in Prof. Albin Eberhart Von Franz's time and in the real modern world.
  .

Next up, we go from a character who hunts the undead, to one who IS undead:

4. The Creature, 'Lisa Frankenstein.'

(Credit for this image goes to the user "JamesBames37" on the Dead Meat wiki at https://the-dead-meat.fandom.com/wiki/The_Creature_(Lisa_Frankenstein)?file=Lisa_frankenstein_the_creature.jpeg)

'Lisa Frankenstein' was a hysterical horror rom- com in which a lonely girl named Lisa unwittingly causes a long- dead pianist (Cole Sprouse) whose grave she frequently visited to rise from the dead. After recovering from her initial terror and giving him a badly- needed shower, Lisa quickly grows fond of the Creature (As the credits refer to him), and he of her, and they set out to find a way to be together, with all kinds of mayhem ensuing along the way.

The Creature is a wonderful character, definitely the best part of the movie in my opinion. Heck, I liked him so much that I cosplayed as him at last year's Spooky Empire (Twice- annual horror film convention) with my then- girlfriend/now- fiancee cosplaying as Lisa!

Cole Sprouse gives a masterstroke of a performance, dominating every scene he is in even as the Creature, similarly to the aforementioned Embarrassment, doesn't have a single word of dialogue up until the very end of the movie. He conveys so much through facial expressions and body language, you can tell pretty much exactly what he is feeling in every scene. I'm genuinely surprised that Sprouse didn't get nominated for any awards for his performance.

 The love that the Creature has for Lisa is really quite touching in its own way (Even though it does drive him to murder some people; They all deserved it, particularly Lisa's beastly stepmother). Even when she ignores him or briefly pushes him away as she does at one point in the third act, it doesn't stifle his love for her in the slightest.

God's love for us is much the same way in that sense. Romans 5:8 shows that even when we were sinners, Christ still died for us. Romans 8:38-39 shows how nothing, not even death itself, can separate us from God's love for us. We can turn from Him or deny Him through our lifestyle, but His love for us remains unchanging.

That's a good look at the Creature, and at the love of God.

Now, we go from one undead movie monster to another who's considerably more widely recognized.

5. Beetlejuice, 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice' (Uh oh, I said his name 3 times!)

(Credit for this image goes to the user "Valyrian Wildfire" on the Beetlejuice wiki at 
https://beetlejuice.fandom.com/wiki/Beetlejuice_Beetlejuice_(movie)?file=BeetlejuiceBeetlejuiceMovie2024PressKitStill01.jpg)

It's showtime!

 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice' may have felt a bit disjointed at times (It's a movie that they clearly had been trying to make for many years, and came up with many scripts for, and the end result feels like it contains elements of all of them), but it was still a very funny and enjoyable movie with a LOT of creativity behind it, and just like in the 1988 original, its best feature is definitely its titular ghoul, played once again by Michael Keaton.

He steps into his old role flawlessly, with it still fitting him like a grave- decayed glove. The Ghost with the Most is as funny as ever, has now stepped up a little in the Netherworld as BJ now runs his own full bio- exorcist business, and has learned a little from everything he went through in the last film; While the Sandworms were Beetlejuice's undoing in the first film, when he runs into one in this film he is prepared for it, dodging and steering it matador- style in a hilarious display. We also see more of Beetlejuice's backstory in this movie, including that he has a horrific ex- wife who is now determined to destroy him. 

In the earlier film, Beetlejuice was pretty villainous all the way through, but in this one, he feels a little more neutral; He's still not the most trustworthy fellow around and definitely has his own agenda, but he is also more willing to help others and stick his rotted neck out for them. He enables his unrequited love Lydia to enter the Netherworld so she can save her daughter Astrid from meeting a horrible fate, ensures that a truly monstrous person answers for his crimes, and exposes Lydia's fiancee as the profiteering fraud that he is. For all his viciousness, Beetlejuice is shown to clearly have at least a little good in him this time around.

Still, the heroes know better than to put too much trust in him, as Beetlejuice's main concern remains finding a way to get Lydia to marry him. So, even as the heroes are glad to have his help, they're wise enough to be on their guard around him and have a contingency plan in place at the end to keep him from achieving that goal.

The Bible frequently warns us to be clever and discerning, not putting too much trust in those we know to be unreliable. Jesus tells us in Matthew 24:4 to "Watch out that no one deceives you." 1 John 4:1 says "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world." 

We all need to remember that not everyone in this world is Godly or worthy of our trust, even if they seem helpful. It's a matter of care and discernment, not letting certain people who you know have undesirable agendas get their hooks into you too deeply.

So, there we have the great return of a well- loved character who helps teach good lessons on being careful around those who are untrustworthy. About the only thing left to say for this entry is "Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice"!

Now, for one more entry in the darker section of this list, before moving into lighter territory:

6. Shadow, 'Sonic the Hedgehog 3.'

(Credit for this image goes to the user "Dyllyb" on the Villains Wiki at https://villains.fandom.com/wiki/Shadow_the_Hedgehog_(Sonic_Cinematic_Universe)?file=S3+movie+art+Shadow+01.png)


The 'Sonic the Hedgehog' films, based of course on the iconic video game series of the same name, remain solid family entertainment, but the latest entry in the series, 'Sonic the Hedgehog 3,' takes things in a slightly darker direction, mainly through a new character who would end up becoming my favorite movie villain of 2024: Shadow the hedgehog (Voice of Keanu Reeves). Early on in the film, Sonic's honorary human "Parents," Tom and Maddie, rhetorically ask him what he would be like if he didn't have a family in his life (In addition to Tom and Maddie, his friends Tails the fox and Knuckles the echidna act all together as a kind of surrogate family to him). In Shadow, we get an answer to that question, and it's not pretty.

Long story short, Shadow arrived on Earth decades ago and was treated as a lab rat by scientists for a long time. Eventually, they tried to kill him, and the only human who ever showed any kindness towards him ended up losing her life instead and he was imprisoned for 50 years. He became filled with rage at this, determined once he escaped to get revenge not just against the government agency that experimented on him and got his friend killed, but against all of humanity in general.

For a CGI character in a family- friendly movie, Shadow is seriously intense and one heck of a villain. He's clever, he's driven, he's powerful, and he's ruthless. The scenes of him attacking various characters are well- staged and incredibly scary.

In particular, when Shadow first faces off against Sonic and his friends early on in the movie, seeing the way he mercilessly clobbers Knuckles (The "Tough one" in Sonic's circle of friends, and frankly my favorite character in the entire 'Sonic the Hedgehog' franchise ever since I was a kid) is deeply disturbing. Every blow he lands in that moment will have you cringing in sympathy- pain.
Yet, Shadow also definitely has his sympathetic moments. You can understand the pain he carries with him, and will find yourself wanting to see him realize that he can deal with it in less destructive ways.

Keanu Reeves is frankly amazing as the voice of Shadow. He brings loads of emotion to the character, quite possibly more than I've seen him do for any other role.

In Shadow, we see what a corrosive, soul- corrupting effect unbridled anger and a drive for revenge can have on someone. He claims to be trying to avenge the death of his young friend in what he does, but from what we had seen of his friend, she seems like the sort of person who wouldn't have wanted Shadow to become so bitter and hate- filled; She'd have wanted him to be happy, at peace with himself and the world, and to forgive those who wronged him. Out of his anger, he also very nearly kills an innocent person, part of Sonic's "Family" who had never wronged Shadow in any way. This is turn causes Sonic to very nearly become as consumed with rage as Shadow was, but he thankfully pulls himself back from the brink eventually.

The Bible makes it clear that we should not let anger or a desire for revenge consume us in this way.

Proverbs 29:11 says "Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end." Psalm 37:8 says to "Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil." Lastly, Ephesians 4:31 says "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice." All of these verses help see that we as believers need to keep our tempers under control as best we can, set aside bitterness and a desire for revenge, and instead love and forgive those who have wronged us.

That's about all there is to say about Shadow; My favorite movie villain of 2024, who teaches a grim lesson on the importance of controlling your anger before it controls you.

A few other memorable 2024 baddies include Abigail from 'Abigail,' both Delores and Jeremy from 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,' Gryla from 'Red One,' Walter Peck from 'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' (Sure, Garraka is technically the main villain of that movie, but Peck is just so infuriating and easy- to- hate, even more so than he was in the original film, that I gave him the edge), and Count Orlock from 'Nosferatu.'

Alright, now let's lighten up this list a little and head back into slightly more pleasant territory: In contrast to Shadow, this is a character whose faith in humanity ends up being restored, and during the merriest time of the year to boot:

7. Callum "Cal" Drift, 'Red One.'

(Credit for this image goes to the user NBProductions17 on the Heroes Wiki at https://hero.fandom.com/wiki/Callum_Drift?file=AXqWBdOn9zvBAoJ9RLrMiOwUQf9.jpg)

'Red One' was a fun Christmas fantasy- adventure film that kept me engaged all throughout it, with North Pole head of security Callum Drift being one of its best parts!

Callum starts out the movie preparing to retire from his current position due to how disillusioned he has become with Christmas and humanity in general; It's driven partly by the fact that we learn this Christmas is the first time in all of history that Santa's Naughty List has more people on it than the Nice List does; Not exactly an encouraging revelation, but one that seems more and more true every day in real life.

However, Cal's retirement has to be delayed when Santa Claus is kidnapped by the evil Gryla, and he is forced to join forces with black- hat hacker and lifelong Santa skeptic Jack O'Malley (Chris Evans) to rescue Kris Kringle and save not just Christmas, but ultimately most of the world as a whole.
Callum remains I'd say one of my favorite Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson roles I've seen to date. He's tough, he's funny, and he has some heart, too. You can understand how jaded he is with humanity, but recognize that he needs to discover that there is still hope for things to change.

 When Callum's not fighting hostile snowmen or grappling with Krampus (Who's also portrayed in a pretty memorable way in this movie, here he's more of an antihero than the evil figure he's usually shown to be), he's having his perspective on things changed by everything he sees over the course of this adventure.
In discovering Gryla's merciless endgame plan that she has in mind for Santa and all of the human race, Callum realizes that he himself was wrong to have such a jaded, misanthropic view of things. Through seeing his new friend Jack redeem himself and reconcile with his estranged son, in turn, Callum eventually realizes that humanity isn't as beyond hope as he had previously thought, has some real good in it, and can be saved from itself and redeemed.

This is a view that God Himself has of us, as shown through His sending Jesus down to die for our sins and help us find redemption for our souls. It also fits with Titus 2:14, which says "(Jesus) gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify for himself a people for his own possession, zealous for good works." Sounds like the sorts of people who would fit well on the Nice List, doesn't it? Lastly, it goes well with 1 Corinthians1:30: "Because of him, you are in Christ Jesus, who was made to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption." Even after knowing full well how rotten and fallen humanity had become, God still loved us enough to sacrifice His Son to die horribly on the Cross to give us the chance at redemption.

That's it for my look at Callum Drift, a fun character from a nice Christmas action movie that helps demonstrate God's view of humanity and its potential to return to Him. He Rocks (Sorry, I couldn't resist the pun)!

Now, for another Christmas- related character:

8. Grace, 'The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.'

(She's the only adult in this poster; Credit for this image goes to  STHerbs97 on the Christmas specials wiki at https://christmas-specials.fandom.com/wiki/The_Best_Christmas_Pageant_Ever_(2024)?file=Poster-BestPageant2024.jpg)

I've already talked about 'The Best Christmas Pageant Ever' last December, so I'll keep this entry relatively short.

Grace was easily one of the best parts of that marvelous movie. She steps up to the BIG challenge of directing her church's famous annual Christmas pageant on its 75th anniversary, which then becomes even more daunting as the rambunctious Herdman kids end up taking the main roles in the pageant and a bunch of meddling and self- righteous "Church- ladies" criticize practically every decision that she makes. Nevertheless, she keeps her faith and compassion strong, and it ends up indeed becoming regarded as the best Christmas pageant that the town had ever seen.

Judy Greer's performance makes Grace even more compelling of a character. She conveys the perfect balance of stress, patience and love for both her family and her church. I'm sure a LOT of overworked moms out there could greatly relate to her.

As I pointed out in my look at this movie, Grace's kindness and outreach to the Herdmans is a great example of Godly love and mercy in action, and a perfect demonstration of Colossians 3:11- “Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.” In addition, it is a great example of Jesus's exhortation to care for "The least of these," as seen in Matthew 25:31-40.

So, that sums up Grace, a wonderful character from a movie that I hope will one day achieve "Christmas Classic" status, and the lesson she teaches on showing Godly love even to those who might seem undesirable.

Now, we go from one character in a Christian movie I'd talked about in the past in this blog, to another, this one a fictionalized version of a real person:

9. Rebecca Smallbone/ Rebecca St. James, 'Unsung Hero.'

 (Picture taken from the 'Unsung Hero' website)

Come on, everyone who knows me well knows she had to make my list!

 As with the previous character, since I just talked about 'Unsung Hero' in my last article on this blog, I'll keep this relatively short and try to mainly talk about elements that I didn't mention in my actual review of the movie.

The movie shows the challenges that a teenaged Rebecca Smallbone (Wonderfully played by Kirrilee Berger) and her family went through in their move from Australia to America, their deep financial struggles, and her attempts to get recognized for her gift of singing.

Rebecca faces a lot, and it's sad early on to see her struggling to overcome her nerves, and her facing one rejection after another from the musical establishment. When a particularly callous record- label suit at one point tells her right to her face "Nobody cares what a sixteen- year- old girl has to say about God," you'll find yourself wanting to step into the movie and tell him off.
Her dealing with these rejections and learning from them ties into the Scriptural lesson that Rebecca helps to convey in the movie. See, in one scene when she is feeling particularly discouraged, her mom Helen gives her a little pep talk and tells her that she shouldn't be so concerned with making and singing the music that record agents want to hear, and should instead make and sing the music that God puts on her heart, caring more about serving Him with her gift than about pleasing people.

 It is through taking this approach that Rebecca further hones her talent, suitably impresses Christian record label owner Eddie DeGarmo, and starts on the way to becoming the Christian music powerhouse that God intended her to be.
This calls to mind a couple verses from the Bible. One of the first is Galatians 1:10 says "For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ." There is also 1 Thessalonians 2:4 says, "But just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the Gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts." In everything we do, whatever we are called to be in our lives (Be it a singer, plumber, teacher, or wherever our gifts lie), our foremost concern needs to be bringing glory to God, not caring so much about what other people think of us; God's view of us is infinitely more important than theirs, so He needs to be our top priority. 

That sums up my look at this great depiction of my favorite singer in her teenage years, and the valuable lesson she can help teach on living and acting in a way to please God rather than the haters of this world.

To finish this list, I'll be looking at someone who, like Rebecca, discovers a great personal calling, though his is more supernatural in nature:

10. Nadeem Razmaadi, 'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.'

(Credit for this image goes to the user Mrmichaelt at the Ghostbusters wiki at https://ghostbusters.fandom.com/wiki/Nadeem_Razmaadi?file=NadeemRazmaadiSc16.jpg)

I'm very glad that the 'Ghostbusters' franchise is being actively used again, with the latest entry, 'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' being a good continuation of it. A new character who really stuck out for me in it was Nadeem Razmaadi, played by Kumail Nanjiani.

When you first meet this guy, you probably won't like him very much; He shows up at OG Ghostbuster Ray's occult bookstore looking to score some quick cash by selling some mystical items that had belonged to his late grandmother. It quickly becomes clear that Nadeem is a directionless slacker who drifts through life, barely makes a living as a third- party reseller of sneakers, and only cares about immediately getting by, hence seeing his family heirlooms (Which were hidden in a secret room he discovered while looking for Pop Tarts) as just something to sell.

However, we soon see that Nadeem can and eventually will rise above that deplorable state and achieve his true potential. We find that he is descended from a long line of "Fire Masters," mythical spirit catchers whose lineage traces back to ancient times and who have supernatural control over flame which they mainly use to help keep the evil demon Garraka and other supernatural nasties under control. Nadeem turns out to have inherited this power, and when Garraka returns and attempts to wipe out all life and usher in a new Ice Age, this one- time aimless loser manages (After a lot of failures, admittedly; Pyrokinesis proves to be very difficult to master) to discover his destiny and bravely help the Ghostbusters to save the world.
Of course, a 'Ghostbusters' film HAS to have lots of humor, and Nadeem provided a good amount of that; I don't think even a single line of his failed to get me laughing. Yet, you can then find yourself thrilled along with him when he first really puts his new power to good use helping to save a Ghostbuster from being killed by a possessed proton pack, and of course when he finally confronts and helps defeat Garraka.
Nadeem learning of this destiny and stepping up to do something important with his life in this way calls to mind Ephesians 2:10, which says "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." God may not give us fire- based powers to fight evil, but He has created us to help bring glory to Him and build His Kingdom on Earth using the gifts He did give us. Rising to God's calling for our lives can at times be scary, but it's what He made us for, and He will empower us to do great things with it if we lean on and trust Him. After all, as it says in Isaiah 41:10, "“Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

That sums up Nadeem Razmaadi, a very entertaining character who shows us that we can rise up with the gifts God has given us and do great things through following Him. Let's hear it for the Fire Master!

A few "Honorable mention" characters for me include Poppy Prescott from 'Despicable Me 4,' Zhen from 'Kung Fu Panda 4' (She very nearly made this list), Kraven from 'Kraven the Hunter,' Imogene Herdman from 'The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,' and Wolverine from 'Deadpool and Wolverine.'

That's all for this edition of the Nightcrawler Experience. Keep your eyes open, as I have a couple new entries in mind for Spooky Season.
Until then, stay safe and healthy, and may God bless you all!

God's Provision, The Joys of Giving and Receiving, and Living with Thanksgiving; A Review of 'Unsung Hero.'

 Hello everyone, and welcome to another edition of the Nightcrawler Experience!
It's now time for me to do another entry I've been meaning to do for quite a while now, looking at a movie I saw last year that had a big impact on me as well as on my now- fiancee Hannah who saw it with me.

First, though, before talking about the movie, I think I'll talk a little bit about music. As anyone who knows me personally can tell you, my undisputed favorite singer is the contemporary Christian singer Rebecca Jean Smallbone, aka Rebecca St. James.

Her beautiful voice and the heartfelt and Godly songs she has written blew me away when I first started getting into Christian music in the early 2000s, and continue to do so today. I've seen her live in concert multiple times (Including one concert in Fort Myers in 2006 that was recorded for her "aLIVE in Florida" album), and personally met her twice. She has been a well- loved figure in Christian music for over 30 years now, and her songs have not just entertained but also helped untold scores of people, myself included, to better connect with the Lord Jesus Christ. The books she's written are great, too, including one new book she just wrote with her husband Jacob "Cubbie" Fink (Former bassist for the pop group Foster the People) a couple months ago called 'Lasting Ever.'

Rebecca's success also enabled her younger brothers Joel and Luke, who acted as her backup singers for years, to eventually become a very successful Christian music group of their own called For King and Country.

However, Rebecca's initial rise to fame was definitely not an easy one, and a movie was eventually made about it called 'Unsung Hero.' 

(Credit for this picture goes to the user ALTRGAMING2007 on Moviepedia at https://movies.fandom.com/wiki/Unsung_Hero?file=Unsung_Hero_poster.jpg)

It premiered in theaters in late April of last year, did very well in the box office for an independently- produced Christian film, and is now on DVD/ Blu- Ray and streaming. I of course saw it with Hannah on its opening weekend, and figured I should give my thoughts on it here. I'd have done so sooner, but life got in the way a LOT.

This movie tells the story of a teenaged Rebecca (Played here by singer/ actress Kirrilee Berger) and her family, the Smallbones, and the struggles they faced up until she eventually made a name for herself in Christian music.

At the start of the film, Rebecca's father, David Smallbone (Played here by his son Joel Smallbone), is a concert promoter for contemporary Christian artists in the very early 1990s. He personally invests a fortune in helping the singer Amy Grant arrange a concert tour through his home country of Australia, as he believes this could be extremely profitable and his ticket to the big time. Problem is, Australia then out of nowhere goes through a severe economic downturn, leading to Amy's tour being cancelled and the Smallbones losing everything. To top it all off, David learns all of this awful news just before his wife Helen reveals at his surprise fortieth birthday party that she is now pregnant with what will be their seventh child. Not exactly the best time to learn that his family will soon have another mouth to feed.
Desperate for another gig that can save his and his family's financial security, David apparently works out another deal to be the promoter for a Christian singer named Carman, and moves himself and his entire family from Australia all the way to Nashville for this. Almost immediately after arriving, however, this deal falls through, and the Smallbones are left with nothing but the clothes on their backs and in their bags and a little house with no furniture at all.
In spite of this, the family remains committed to each other and to God, and are willing to do what they can to survive in their new home. The whole family finds work cleaning houses and doing yard work, finds ways to make their limited income from this stretch as far as possible, and are helped a LOT by the generosity of the church they begin attending, particularly a kind wealthy couple who worship there (Played by Lucas Black and Candace Cameron Bure).
Amid all this, it quickly becomes clear that 16- year- old Rebecca has a real talent for singing, but needs to develop it a little and find a record label that will give her a chance. The rest of the family help her however they can as their circumstances slowly but surely start to improve, leading eventually to her auditioning for the eccentric but well- meaning Christian singer- turned- record label owner Eddie DeGarmo, and the start of something amazing.

It should come as no surprise that I thoroughly loved 'Unsung Hero'! It's easily one of the best and most engaging Christian films I've seen in years. I've known about many of the details of the Smallbones' initial struggles and Rebecca's rise to fame before this from when she's talked about it in interviews and testimonials in her concerts, and the movie adapts it very faithfully for the most part. The movie has loads of heart, a few funny moments sprinkled in, and some nice moments of drama and character development.
A VERY cool element of the filmmaking process for 'Unsung Hero' is that each of the actual Smallbones makes at least a brief cameo in the movie, from obviously Joel playing his father David, to Rebecca herself appearing as a flight attendant early on when we see the Smallbones' flight to America, to (I thought this was REALLY clever) their youngest daughter Libby appearing as a nurse during the scene when baby Libby was born! So, it's like she assisted in her own birth!
The acting is all great, particularly for a Christian film. I love that, rather than just focusing on Rebecca or one of the other members of her family, they are all fleshed out quite well and we see many of their respective struggles. Joel Smallbone brings a lot of emotion to his performance as a younger version of his father David. You genuinely feel for him in all that he is going through, his struggles to provide for his family and feel like he's doing something good with his life. You can see where he's coming from with his decisions, but at the same time tell when he's unwittingly letting his pride get in the way of doing what's best for his family.
Daisy Betts shines through as the mother, Helen. She wrestles with so much, trying to support her husband while initially not being sure if his decisions are the best, and doing everything in her power to keep her family together and help them make the best of their new situation in life, just like a good wife and mom should.

Kirrilee Berger is marvelous as a teenaged Rebecca. She looks almost exactly like how Rebecca looked at around that age (So much so that apparently, when the real David Smallbone came to the set and first saw her, for a fraction of a second he almost thought she WAS his daughter somehow turned back into a teenager), demonstrates excellent acting range, and has a lovely singing voice that mirrors Rebecca's. We see her at first just pitching in to help the family stay afloat with this new life, then when it's clear the time has come for her to really step up and become the singer she was meant to be, that proves to be quite complicated; Initially she sings well in informal settings, yet struggles with her nerves whenever she has to do an audition tape or perform before record- label execs. It's incredibly satisfying to see her eventually overcome this and nail her audition for Eddie DeGarmo in the end of the movie.

Another great aspect of this movie can be found in the title, as who the "Unsung Hero" in the Smallbones' story is depends a great deal on the viewers' individual points of view, and whom in the movie they can most identify with. For fathers and other middle- aged men dealing with disappointment and trying to ensure that they can provide for their loved ones and make their own lives mean something, that hero is David. For wives and mothers who try to support their husbands and children and ensure that the bonds of love and faith that hold a family together remain strong, that hero is Helen. For teenagers trying to follow their dreams, ignore naysayers and do what God has called them to do, that hero is Rebecca. It's all about perspective.

Of course, as 'Unsung Hero' is a Christian movie, it obviously has a good amount of Scriptural messages in it, but manages to deliver them in a much more subtle way than many Christian films do.

One of the first of these is on trusting in God's provision at all times, even after losing everything. The Smallbones are left with pretty much nothing after David's deal with Carman falls through, yet on the night when he breaks the news to his family and he and Helen let them know about their financial situation, they also make it clear that the family must lean on the Lord more than ever to ensure they will be provided for and endure. They know that, as bad as things can get, God will provide a way for them to make it through if they work hard and trust in Him, and indeed He does provide for them as they continue to trust in Him. This calls to mind Proverbs 3:5-6, which says "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight." The Smallbone family learns the truth of this firsthand in the movie, and so can we. I know all too well what it is like to be in maddening uncertainty and have my anxiety over the future and what to do next almost consume me, but I also know that God is looking out for me, and if I put my faith in Him rather than just in my limited understanding and my fears, He will always provide me with a way out, and so He has, time and again. He can do the same for all of you. 

Another important message to 'Unsung Hero' relates to both giving AND receiving. As I said, while the Smallbones struggle a lot to stay afloat financially upon moving to Nashville, they are helped a great deal by the people in their church who do an amazing job demonstrating Godly compassion and generosity to this new family they haven't even known for very long. We see this in a lot of ways, from the gift of a car, to everyone coming together to ensure that the Smallbones' first Christmas in America is a genuinely happy one worth celebrating, to them even anonymously helping to cover the medical bill when Libby is born. It's the exact sort of thing that Jesus talked about when He instructed believers that coming to the aid of "The least of these brothers of mine" when they are in need is the same as coming to the aid of Jesus Himself.
On the other side of the coin, there's also the matter of receiving the generosity of others well. We see David for a while starting to become resentful of the wealthy couple in the church providing for his family so much (He sees it as kind of a blow to his pride, particularly the paying for Libby's delivery when he was just about to negotiate a payment plan of his own). He eventually realizes that this is not a good attitude to have; These forms of generosity to the Smallbones were a kind of ministry on the part of the other people in the church, a way for them to serve and glorify God by helping other people who they could see were in need. I myself have learned to not turn away or refuse the generosity that others might extend to me; I try to do things myself, sure, but when people might see that I'm in need of something and attempt to help, I'll accept any help they can offer, because I know that it can indeed be a form of ministry for them by putting God's love into action, and a way of bringing joy into their lives by giving them the knowledge that they are performing an act of kindness.

 Together, these two points demonstrate Galatians 6:2, which says "Carry one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." Notice there, it's part of the LAW of Christ for believers to provide for each other. That means not only being willing to help those you see who may be in need, but also not being too proud to accept help from others when you are in need, so that the cycle of mutual help and fellowship among believers in Christ can endure.

A final point to be taken from 'Unsung Hero' relates to prayer and thanksgiving. One lovely aspect of the Smallbones adapting to their new life in America and their vastly changed financial circumstances is that they continue to make prayer a key priority in their lives. We see that in one room of their house, they have a wall divided between a "Please" section in which they would tape up pieces of paper with their prayer requests for things that they would pray for, and a "Thank you" section in which they would tape up all their blessings that they were grateful to God for. As the movie continues and the Smallbones' circumstances gradually improve, we start to see things being transferred from the "Please" section to the "Thank you" section quite regularly. I'd say all of this is a great example of Philippians 4:6- "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Another verse that ties in perfectly to this is 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, which says "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

 Prayer is vital to the life of a Christian, both making your requests known to God when you are in need of them, and thanking Him in prayer when those requests are met. The latter part can be tricky, because once our requests are met, it can be easy to forget about them and move on to what we want or need next, so we need to remember the ways God has blessed us and properly thank Him for it. If you don't have the space to make a wall for it like the Smallbones did in the movie, a simple notebook could become a prayer journal so you could record your requests, remember when they are met, and thus remember to thank God for always being there for you.

That about sums up my long- overdue look at 'Unsung Hero,' a marvelous Christian film showing how my favorite singer and her family gradually achieved what God called them to, which teaches equally marvelous lessons about trusting in God to provide for us, the importance of both showing and receiving generosity, and the important roles that prayer and thanksgiving play in the life of a believer.

That's it for this edition of the Nightcrawler Experience. Keep your eyes peeled, as my next entry is coming soon, my top 10 favorite movie characters of 2024. Until then, stay safe and healthy, and may God bless you all!

Faith in God's Goodness, Avoiding Idolatry, and Finding Joy Through Christ: A Look at Some Interesting 'Dogma.'

Hi, everyone! Happy Easter, and welcome back to the Nightcrawler Experience!
We are now well into 2025, and I will be doing something a little different: Usually, the first blog post I make each year is my Top 10 favorite movie characters of the previous year. While I am still working on compiling that list for 2024 movie characters, this year I have a couple other entries that are almost finished and that I really meant to put out last year, so I want to get them out of the way first this year.
 For this installment, to finish my three- part look at pop culture media that directly involve religion and faith, I will be looking at the 1999 comedy- drama film 'Dogma,' which very recently celebrated its 25th anniversary!

(This image was taken from the View Askewniverse wiki at https://viewaskewniverse.fandom.com/wiki/Dogma?file=215px-Dogma_%28movie%29-1-.jpg)

This movie is part of what's known as the "Askewniverse," a series of several movies in the same universe, all directed by Kevin Smith, and each feature among their casts of characters two goofy potheads named Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith himself) in various levels of prominence. Jay is a gutter- mouthed moron who hardly ever shuts up, while Silent Bob is much wiser and more reflective, and as his nickname indicates, he generally only talks once or maybe twice in each movie, usually saying something really brief and/ or really profound. The two of them play off each other well, and are always good for a laugh in every movie they appear in.

Now, on to 'Dogma.'
DISCLAIMER! As you can probably tell from my description of Jay and Silent Bob, this movie is definitely not suitable for all audiences. It's rated R, mainly for the fact that it has a ton of bad language, and its ending is very bloody. So, use caution before seeing it or letting kids see it.

The central plot of 'Dogma' revolves around two angels named Loki (Matt Damon) and Bartleby (Ben Affleck). For defying God long ago, they were banished from Heaven forever and forced to reside in Wisconsin of all places.

Loki and Bartleby's situation takes a major turn when they receive an anonymous letter pointing out to them that if they can reach a certain New Jersey cathedral on a certain day, they can get back into Heaven by exploiting a somewhat obscure loophole in Catholic dogma. They quickly set out on their way to do this. Problem is, we eventually discover that if they are able to pull this off, it will completely unmake all of existence.

Enter our main protagonist, Bethany Slone (Linda Fiorentino), a woman who works in an Illinois abortion clinic of all places. While Bethany is a practicing Catholic, she very strongly doubts that God exists due to some quite heartbreaking personal tragedies she faced. One night, she is visited by a top- ranking angel known as the Metatron (The late Alan Rickman in one of his most underrated roles), who fills her in on the Loki- and- Bartleby situation and tasks her with traveling to New Jersey ASAP and attempting to reach the cathedral before the two fallen angels can so that she can hopefully stop them from unwittingly destroying the world.

 Bethany soon gains a number of companions on her quest; First up, two "Prophets" who turn out to be none other than the aforementioned Jay and Silent Bob. They are deeply attracted to her, and decide to follow her on this journey. Next up, they meet Rufus (Chris Rock), the foul- mouthed yet often quite wise and witty thirteenth Apostle of Jesus, who was apparently left out  of the Gospels due to his race (Though, interestingly enough, Romans 16:13 does have the apostle Paul mention a "Rufus" who apparently was some kind of leader in the early church). Eventually, they also meet up with Serendipity (Salma Hayek), a former celestial muse who came to Earth to start a writing career, only to suffer from writer's block and work at a strip club to pay her bills.

We see Bethany and her little group on their journey, Loki and Bartleby on theirs, and we know that the time will come soon when their respective paths will converge in a thrilling climax with all of existence at stake. 

I consider 'Dogma' to be quite possibly Kevin Smith's best movie to date. It may not be his funniest movie (Though it does have tons of EXTREMELY funny moments), but I'd say it is his most thought- provoking, exciting, and intelligently- written movie. The assorted philosophical questions it raises on faith as well as other subjects are things that I could picture a lot of viewers talking with each other about over coffee or lunch afterwards.

I HAVE to do a character run- down since there are so many memorable ones in this. Loki and Bartleby prove to be fascinating characters, with their assorted banter with each other quite entertaining and natural- sounding. Big props to Matt Damon and particularly Ben Affleck for their performances. In the climax at the cathedral, Affleck brings an out- of- nowhere menace to Bartleby, showing how his obsessive pursuit of his goal has eventually driven him over the edge into sheer madness.

Bethany makes for a nice enough "Everyman" sort of protagonist, her reactions to all the strange and miraculous things she sees and is told about feel like how you or I would react under the circumstances. The more you see and learn of her and her assorted inner struggles (i.e. The personal tragedies she faced that had heavily hindered her faith in God), the more you sympathize with her. Linda Fiorentino gives a clever and yet heartfelt performance as her, conveying stress, sadness, exhaustion, and eventually, hope. By the end of the film, you'll DEFINITELY find yourself wondering where she'll go from here.

Jay and Silent Bob steal every scene they appear in, just as they do in all their other movies. Jay has so many funny lines, and Kevin Smith's performance as Silent Bob conveys a whole cornucopia of emotions just through simple facial expressions and gestures. They bring much- needed levity to the film to keep it from taking itself too seriously. A line of dialogue by Jay in one scene also includes a subtle but very amusing nod to an earlier Jay- and- Silent- Bob film called 'Mallrats.'
Chris Rock as the "Apostle" Rufus is an interesting case. In his first couple scenes, he's a LOT like how Rock usually presents himself in his acting roles and his stand- up routines: Very loud, short- fused, using a good deal of cursing, and rather obsessed with race. However, as the film progresses, he makes Rufus more thoughtful, wise and indeed thought- provoking. A scene later in the film when he and Bethany are on a train and have a conversation about what Jesus was like and about faith in general is wonderfully- handled by him, you could genuinely believe that this Rufus was a disciple of Jesus who faithfully followed Him.
I admit, Serendipity the muse was a bit of a wasted character. Salma Hayek's performance as her was good, but she doesn't do as much as she could; She shows up to meet Bethany and her group about halfway through the movie, but then doesn't stay with them for the next phase of their journey, and then out of nowhere shows up to help save the day near the climax of the movie. A couple more scenes with her would have been nice.

As I indicated earlier, I consider the angel Metatron to be Alan Rickman's most underrated role. He may be best known by the majority of movie buffs for playing characters like Hans Gruber or Severus Snape (Perhaps some day, I could look at Scriptural lessons that can be taken from the Harry Potter series? Let me know if you'd be interested in that), but his performance as Metatron is honestly brilliant, even though he only appears in three scenes of the movie. He's grumpy, cynical (Both rather typical traits for Rickman characters, I admit), but also loyal, frequently funny, dignified, and kind deep down. A scene about 2/3rds of the way through the film when he comforts Bethany while she is feeling deeply discouraged will genuinely move you, largely through the compassion and empathy that Rickman conveys in that scene.

Even though obviously the main threats for the heroes to overcome in this film are Loki and Bartleby, there is also another prominent villain in 'Dogma,' in the form of a suave yet sadistic demon named Azrael (Jason Lee) who it quickly becomes clear is working his own twisted agenda and seeking to exploit the whole Loki- and- Bartleby situation to advance it. He makes for an excellent baddie largely through Lee's performance (Lee would go on to be cast as the voice of the supervillain Syndrome in 'The Incredibles' largely because the Pixar execs were so impressed with his performance here), and the trio of quasi- demonic hockey- playing teens he uses as his henchmen/ muscle are suitably menacing, too. As for the grotesque monster known as "The Golgothan" that Azrael secretly sics on Bethany and co. halfway through the film, you'll have to see that thing to believe it!

In addition to everyone I mentioned, there are two minor characters in 'Dogma' that I feel also deserve mention: First, the late comedian George Carlin appears in it as a long- winded Catholic cardinal (This is especially ironic due to the fact that Carlin was known for being a hardcore atheist), and gets some laughs for some of his lines, rather embodying the pompous religious leader who talks a good game theologically but is almost certainly more worldly than Godly deep down. Second, in the very end of the film, the singer Alanis Morissette appears as God, and although she doesn't talk, she still conveys power, compassion, and an almost childlike love of the world and its simple pleasures through her performance. A likable enough take on the Almighty. 

Morisette also sings a really cool song called "Still" that is heard in the film's closing credits.

Oh, and one more thing to keep in mind if you watch 'Dogma': The movie opens with a seemingly- inconsequential scene of a homeless man on a boardwalk being attacked by Azrael's hockey- playing henchmen. Tuck that scene in your mind when it happens, as it will in fact have a TON of bearing later in the story!

As you can probably guess, in spite of how irreverent 'Dogma' can be at times (It attracted a lot of controversy when it first came out), it still conveys TONS of Scriptural truths, if you know where to look.
The first I can think of concerns faith not just in God Himself, but in what God has in store for us. During one scene on a train, Bethany is asked when she lost faith in God, and she responds that she can remember exactly when it happened: Shortly after going through the aforementioned personal tragedies, she was on the phone with her mother talking about it, and as she put it, "When nothing she was saying was making me feel any better, she said, 'Bethany, God has a plan.' I was so angry with her, I was like, 'What about MY plans?' You know? I had planned to have a family, with my husband; Wasn't that plan good enough for God? Apparently not."
On one level, I can deeply relate to Bethany's feelings in that statement. I too have had what I considered to be good, acceptable plans for my career, relationships, and life in general, only to have them yanked away from me in ways that at the time seemed completely senseless. However, when our plans derail, it is often because God has something better in mind for us that we could never have imagined at the start. This, too, I have seen firsthand; I'm a great deal happier and more fulfilled now with where God has put me on so many levels than I would have been if my initial plans had come through the way I had intended back then. This can even be seen through Bethany's experiences in the movie, if you look closely at it; Had she gotten her own plan (A family with her then- husband), her life would have gone in a completely different direction from what it took, meaning she likely would not have been able to stop Loki and Bartleby, and all of existence would have been destroyed. Furthermore, not to give away a big spoiler in the end of the film, but Bethany ultimately DOES get at least part of her own plan/ wish granted, in an unusual but truly wonderful and blessed way. This ties into one of my favorite Bible verses, Jeremiah 29:11: "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'Plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" God has a much better sense of the big picture than we do, and He truly does know what He is doing. So, when your own plans get set aside in one way or another, have faith that God has something better in mind for you and faithfully follow Him.

A pair of additional theological lessons to be taken from this film can be found in a single scene of it. See, a very important scene in 'Dogma' for me occurs about halfway through it; Loki and Bartleby take a little detour from their trek to the cathedral to visit the corporate headquarters of a kids' entertainment/ fast food franchise called "Mooby, the Golden Calf," the title character of which appears to be based on a combination of Mickey Mouse, Barney the dinosaur, and obviously the Golden Calf that the Hebrews briefly worshipped in the Old Testament. Loki was the Angel of Death and dispenser of God's righteous judgment on sinners before being cast down (Noah's flood, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the 10th Plague of Egypt were all his work, apparently), and so he decides to do the same to the Mooby company's horrifically corrupt and morally bankrupt board of directors.

 When the two fallen angels confront the board, Bartleby first up rebukes them for the fact that this character they have built a franchise and mega- corporation around has become an idol to many, drawing worship away from God. He then points out that only one of the assembled executives in the room is a remotely decent human being, as God and His angels are able to see every detail of every life, even the closely- guarded personal secrets that they have. To prove this point, Bartleby then lists some of the deeply despicable sins that the other executives have committed (i.e. One of them cheated on his wife eight times in a year including at one point sleeping with her best friend in the bed he and his wife shared on an occasion when he was supposed to be watching their kids, another approved the production and sale of toys made from materials that he knew were toxic and unsafe in order to save money, and so on). It ultimately ends with Loki shooting each of them except for the one who turns out to be a decent person, who is allowed to live. The whole scene is disturbing, thought- provoking, and yet darkly funny all at once.

In an honestly brilliant bit of cinematography, there is a point or two in this scene when the camera does a close- up of the Mooby statuette at the center of the board's table. In the background whenever this close- up is done, through the board room's large window, we can see what is clearly a church/ cathedral from across the street. With the Mooby statuette centralized in the shot and that cathedral positioned behind it, this is a marvelous way of subtly conveying that Mooby has indeed become an idol, a symbol that draws worship away from the Lord, just like the Golden Calf from the Old Testament was.

(See what I mean? This image comes from the url https://fancaps.net/movies/Image.php?imageid=1346128)

We all need to be very aware that even the most seemingly harmless things in our lives can end up becoming idols to us. A hobby or job that takes up increasingly more of your time, a video game you can't stop playing, a celebrity or pastor you become obsessed with, each of these and many other things can end up dominating our thoughts and actions more than God Himself does and thus can become idols to us if we let them. I've certainly gone through this myself. Jesus said in Matthew 6:24 that "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money." While that verse is obviously pointing out how an obsessive pursuit of money can become an idol to people, it can also apply just as easily to the things I previously mentioned. We can enjoy all those things, but we as believers MUST make sure that God comes first in all things and that nothing replaces Him in our hearts.

Another point to be taken from the "Mooby massacre" scene is on God's omniscience and His sense of justice. After Bartleby outlines the horrific things that the board members have done and how there's only one remotely decent person among them, Loki continues, "Do you know what makes a human being decent? Fear. And, therein lies the problem; None of you has anything left to fear anymore. You rest comfortably in seats of inscrutable power, hiding behind your false idol, far from judgment, lives shrouded in secrecy, even from one another; But not from God." There is a sobering truth in there for all of us. Our God is merciful, but also just, and He sees all. Some people, like the other executives in the scene, delude themselves into thinking that God will never notice the awful things they did and they will never have to answer for any of it, but everyone on this Earth will one day have to give some sort of accounting before God for how they lived, including what they did behind closed doors. Proverbs 15:3 says that "The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good." Jeremiah 16:17 has the Lord declaring "For my eyes are on all their ways. They are not hidden from me, nor is their iniquity concealed from my eyes." In addition, Hebrews 4:13 declares "And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account." Thankfully, for those of us who have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior, we have salvation through His sacrifice on the Cross acting as an atonement of our sins, but we too must remember that God sees all that we do and we will have to give an accounting of all of it in time.

To take things into at least a somewhat more cheerful direction, one final theological message I've taken from 'Dogma' is on the importance of maintaining our Godly joy. During the scene when Bethany and her new friends first meet Serendipity the muse and talk to her a bit, when the discussion turns to the Loki- and- Bartleby situation and the loophole in Catholic dogma they seek to exploit, this exchange occurs:
Serendipity: "I always knew that thing was a bad idea; Leave it to the Catholics to destroy existence."
Bethany: "You have issues with Catholicism, I take it?"
Serendipity: "I have issues with those who treat God like a burden instead of a blessing, like SOME Catholics. You people don't celebrate your faith; You mourn it."

I love that last statement, and it and it carries a lesson not just for Catholics, but for ALL Christians. We need to keep from allowing sadness and despondency to rule our lives and keep us from feeling joy over what God has done for us. Philippians 4:4 states "Rejoice in the Lord always; Again I will say, rejoice." Furthermore, Nehemiah 8:10 states, "Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." Notice that last part: Our joy gained from knowing the Lord can be a source of strength for us. We all know that life can be tough, between personal struggles and (Particularly for people who spend too much time watching cable news) seeing the world as a whole as a sad, scary place full of evil. However, even in those times, lasting joy can be found by remembering that God loves us, sent His son to save us from our sins, has a great plan for our lives, and has set aside a place in Heaven for each of us who accepts Him.

Unfortunately, 'Dogma' is a VERY hard- to- find film nowadays. See, it was directly financed by the now- infamous Harvey Weinstein, and the contract for him to do so dictated that as long as Weinstein lives, he will receive a small share of all proceeds made from the film, from ticket sales to streaming deals to each individual DVD sale. When details of the awful acts Weinstein committed came to public light, Kevin Smith refused to allow another penny to land in that creep's pocket if he could help it, so he discontinued all DVD and Blu- Ray sales of it and refused to put it on any streaming site until after Weinstein dies or the contract is otherwise nullified. As frustrating as that is for me as a fan of the film, I can respect Smith for making that decision for the reasons he did.
The good news is, 'Dogma''s not COMPLETELY impossible to find: Your local library may still have a copy of the DVD available for rent, AND there are full rips of the movie available to watch on YouTube (Type in "Dogma Full Movie" as a search term, and one or two should come up).

Furthermore, it sounds like Kevin Smith and some outside parties have over the last couple months managed to buy back the rights to the film from Weinstein's people, as he is currently doing a nationwide tour of screenings of the movie! I think he'll be doing a lot more with 'Dogma' in the near future, as he should! With any luck, this will lead to it being available to watch in home- viewing formats again soon, God willing.
That about sums up my look at 'Dogma,' a slightly irreverent but awesome and thought- provoking film that teaches great lessons about trusting in God's plan, keeping away from idols, learning to be as righteous as we can, and finding the true joy that only comes from the Lord. Truly blessed lessons to learn.

With that, I bring a close to this entry of the Nightcrawler Experience. Stay alert, as I will hopefully have a new entry out (The other one I had been working on for a while) within the next few weeks. Until then, stay safe, have a very happy Easter, and may God bless you all!

Inclusion, Intercession, and Seeking the Scriptures: A Look At 'The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.'

Hi, everyone!
Merry belated Christmas and happy New Year from the Nightcrawler Experience!
I was going to have my next entry finish out the series I'm currently on by looking at the film 'Dogma,' but I got so wrapped up in Christmas planning (No pun intended) that I'll have to put that on hold for a little while, but it'll be out some time in the next month or so, I think.
And, speaking of Christmas and getting wrapped up in planning for it, that's the focus of the film that I'll be looking at in this entry: This year's family comedy film 'The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.' 

(Credit for this image goes to STHerbs97 on the Christmas specials wiki at https://christmas-specials.fandom.com/wiki/The_Best_Christmas_Pageant_Ever_(2024)?file=Poster-BestPageant2024.jpg)

This film, based on the 1972 book of the same name by the late Barbara Robinson, is told from the point of view of a girl named Beth (Played by Molly Belle Wright as a kid, and by Lauren Graham as an adult narrating the story). She lives in a town which is widely renowned for its church's annual Christmas pageant, yet the opening narration makes it clear that the pageant had started to become a little stale lately. On this, what will be its 75th anniversary, the longtime pageant director Mrs. Armstrong breaks her legs and so Beth's mother Grace (Judy Greer) decides to take over, even though she has never done it before.
This in and of itself would be enough of a challenge, but she soon gets an even greater obstacle to contend with: The Herdman kids.
These six siblings were born from an absentee father and a mother who works multiple shifts to keep a roof over their heads. So, in other words, they're wild terrors. They bully other kids, disrespect adults, shoplift, smoke cigars, and generally are a menace to everyone in town.

One Sunday morning, the Herdman kids out of nowhere come to the church for Sunday school, as they've been led to believe there'll be free snacks there. They come on the very day that Grace announces she's going to need children to play the various parts in the Christmas pageant.

The Herdmans take a surprising interest in the concept of this play (Particularly their tough- as- nails oldest sister Imogene, who's thought a lot about acting), and decide they want to play the main roles in it. The other children in the Sunday school class are all too afraid of them to compete with them for the roles, so the Herdmans get the parts; Imogene as Mary, older brother Ralph as Joseph, the younger brothers Leroy, Ollie and Claude as the three Maji, and their psychotic youngest sister Gladys as the Angel of the Lord. Literally everyone in the church thinks that letting the Herdmans have anything to do with the pageant is a REALLY bad idea, but the aptly- named Grace is determined to give them a chance as a way of demonstrating Christian love and compassion.

As rehearsals go on, the Herdmans look surprisingly deeply at the details behind the story of the first Christmas (Which they had never heard of before), at times raising questions that none of the others had really thought of before. All sorts of hijinks and revelations ensue, leading up to a Christmas pageant that will never be forgotten by any who witnessed it.

I absolutely ADORED 'The Best Christmas Pageant Ever'! It was funny, inspirational, heart- warming, and just a real treat to watch! It was also extremely faithful to the book. It added on some scenes and a subplot or two to pad out its run time which would have otherwise been extremely short due to how short of a book it was (There's a reason why the only other adaptation of this book was a TV movie in 1983 that was less than an hour in length), yet the additions didn't really feel out of place or unnecessary.
One thing I like is that, while the movie gives off the impression of taking place some time in the past (After all, Grace is a child about 10- 11 years old when the story takes place, yet narrates the story as a middle- aged woman), yet it keeps it vague as to exactly what time period it takes place in. I get the feeling that was a deliberate choice, and it works well. I also like that it includes a "Where Are They Now" epilogue showing what eventually happened to each of the Herdmans. It was cute, funny, and made a lot of sense.

The acting in the film is all solid. Judy Greer is wonderful as Grace, portraying her as someone who is under increasing stress to show she has what it takes to pull off the pageant even as things get more and more out of hand, yet remains as patient and kind as possible, both towards the people in the church and towards her own family. Pete Holmes also sticks out very well as Grace's husband Bob, a good- natured guy who gets a few laughs and remains loyal to his wife's decisions and optimistic amid everything that happens.

The real stars in this movie, though, were the kids. The film and its young actors make the Herdmans out to be characters who, in spite of all the problems they cause to everyone, still manage to be likable and tons of fun whenever they appear. In particular, Bea Schneider gives a wonderful performance as Imogene Herdman, infusing her with real emotion in a lot of scenes. She definitely has potential to continue to impress as an actress. Also, Kynlee Heiman shines as little Gladys, making her terrifying (Especially when she screams, she has a real set of lungs on her) and yet adorable at the same time. Admittedly, I wish the film had given the cat- loving Herdman brother Ollie (In the poster above, he's the boy getting a headlock from his older brother Claude) a little more to do, but that's just a minor quibble. I pretty much guarantee this movie will be getting some Young Artist Awards nominations for its child- actor performances. Probably a win or two, in fact.

All in all, 'The Best Christmas Pageant Ever' is a wonderful film which I believe really does have the potential to one day join the ranks of 'Home Alone' and 'Miracle on 34th Street' as one of the great Christmas classics.

The original book was always meant to have a theological message to it, and as this movie adaptation of it is directed by 'The Chosen' creator Dallas Jenkins, it unsurprisingly contains a lot of spiritual truths.

The first I can think of relates to inclusion within the church. This movie, perhaps even more so than the original book, makes for a great indictment of the judgmental, ultra- controlling, borderline- Pharisaic attitudes that can be found in certain church settings, where a small group of church members feel like they have the right to control everything that goes on in the church and decide who is welcome there and who isn't. In this case, it's seeing how Mrs. Armstrong and a group of her fellow "Church- ladies" are practically champing at the bit for any excuse to get the Herdmans kicked out of the pageant and regularly pressure Grace on what a bad idea it is to keep them in. Their cruelty and snobbery (Particularly that of the character Mrs. Wendelken and her snotty daughter Alice, both of whom will have you practically tearing out your hair in nearly every scene they appear in) are a complete contradiction to the core teachings of the Christian faith that they claim to profess. I'm sorry to say I've seen people a lot like them in some of the churches I've attended over the course of my life.

In contrast to that sort of attitude, as Grace tells Beth at one point in the film, "The whole point of the story is that Jesus was born for the Herdmans as much as He was for us. We'd be missing the point of all of it if we turned them away."
That seems like a great depiction of the sentiment expressed in Colossians 3:11- “Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.” Jesus came to Earth and died for ALL of us, even those we might see as "Bad." The inclusion and love that Grace and eventually Beth show to the Herdmans ends up touching the hearts of everyone in the church, and likely played a big role in the fact that, as the "Where Are They Now" epilogue showed, the Herdmans would (For the most part) go on to do much better as adults than anyone figured they would. We all, similarly, need to open our church doors and our hearts to everyone, demonstrating the love of Jesus towards all of His children.

Another theological point to be taken from 'The Best Christmas Pageant Ever' is on intercessory prayer. One of the characters who changes a good deal over the course of the film is Beth, and one of the ways it is shown is through how we see her pray at night in various scenes. Early on, Beth's prayers include that God would find a way to get rid of the Herdmans so she can have an easier time of it. Later on in the movie, however, as Beth gains a more compassionate and indeed Godly heart, her prayers become more selfless, praying a lot for her mother Grace to get by well as the pressures she's under continue to mount, and even eventually praying for the Herdmans themselves, that God would look out for them and help them.

This more selfless attitude to prayer calls to mind 2 John 5:14, which says "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, he hears us."

Notice the term used: If we ask anything "According to His will." See, God most enjoys hearing us ask Him in prayer for things that will help fulfill His will for us and for the world. Simply praying for people who bother you to go away is not the sort of prayer that God is likely to answer, as such a desire is not in accordance to His will for our lives. In contrast, praying for the well- being of others, including your enemies, is a prayer that God will be much more likely to listen to.

One more Scriptural point to be taken from 'The Best Christmas Pageant Ever' is on learning more about the Scriptures and the lessons they have to teach. An important scene is in the first rehearsal for the pageant. Grace decides it would be a good idea to read the Christmas story to everyone there. The kids that were regulars at the church all groan, and say they've heard the story loads of times. The Herdmans, however, are genuinely interested in it. They listen deeply to it, wonder what certain words and terms mean, and actually ask questions about it (i.e. "What's a 'Manger'? Is that like a bed for a baby? Why would there be a bed in a barn?"; Their observations relating to Herod are hysterical, too). The Herdmans and Beth then go to the library to research the Christmas story in preparation for their roles, further expanding on their knowledge of the story.

This calls to mind the important truth that knowledge and studying the Scriptures are important for believers to expand their faith, and as it did for the Herdmans, can even lead those who are new to the faith to come to find Jesus as a result. As Romans 10:17 tells us, "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." In addition, 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." It's why even rereading Bible stories you've already read or heard of before is important; It can reveal new truths to you, and enable you to better explain them to those who are new to the faith.

That sums up my look at 'The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,' a marvelous new film that I can tell will become traditional Christmas viewing for me, both for its entertainment value, and for the timeless lessons it teaches on being welcoming to others, truly reaching out to God in prayer, and learning more about God's holy Word.

That's it for this edition of the Nightcrawler Experience. I should be cranking out a couple more entries soon. Until then, I hope you had a very merry Christmas, have a happy New Year, and may God bless you all!

True worship, providence, and an effective witness; What to do about "Homer the Heretic."

Hi everyone, and welcome back to the Nightcrawler Experience!

I meant to do a second Halloween- related entry this year, looking in a cautionary way at the film 'Late Night With the Devil,' but I've been so busy, and Halloween has come and gone, so I'll save it for next year.
For this installment, I'll be continuing my look at secular media that deals directly with the subject of faith in some way. This time, I'll be taking a crack at an episode of the legendary animated comedy show 'The Simpsons.' 

(Credit for this image goes to the user "The Great Bader Show" on the Simpsons Wiki at https://simpsons.fandom.com/wiki/The_Simpsons?file=Logo-tab_s33.png)

I'd imagine pretty much everyone has at least some knowledge of this show, now having 35 seasons under its belt; It centers around the Simpson family (Dim- witted father Homer, fussy mother Marge, bratty older son Bart, gifted middle daughter Lisa, and baby daughter Maggie), and the various exploits they have with each other and the MANY assorted residents of their hometown of Springfield.

I'll be honest here: "The Simpsons" is a show that has REALLY fallen hard over the last several years. In its heyday, it got my vote for being easily the funniest and cleverest show on television, particularly during the seasons when talk show host extraordinaire Conan O'Brien was one of its writers. However, it has gone on for way too long, outlived its novelty at least a decade ago, become increasingly heavy- handed and one- sided with its attempts at social/ political commentary, and most of its current episodes are about as funny as a wet sponge.
However, solace can be found in the fact that most of its earlier episodes (i.e. from the show's first 10- 15 seasons) largely remain as great as ever, plus the feature- length 'Simpsons Movie' that came out in 2007 remains very good as well; The movie would have actually made a wonderful series finale if the show had ended there.

For this entry, I shall be looking at an episode from the show's 4th season, with the admittedly worrisome title of "Homer the Heretic." Just bear with me on this:

This episode starts on an extremely cold Sunday morning. Marge wants the family to go to church, but Homer (Who often approaches church with a grudgingly tolerant at best attitude) doesn't want to because of the nasty weather outside, and gains an excuse to skip when he accidentally splits his dress pants. 

The rest of the family goes (A very funny dialogue between Marge and Bart ensues on the drive over when Marge tries to explain Homer's absence to the kids by saying that he's "Resting," and Bart asks "Resting- hung- over? Resting- got- fired? Help me out here!"), and has a horrific experience there as it's freezing inside the church due to a broken furnace, the pastor Reverend Lovejoy's sermon for the day is a long and depressing look at the Book of Lamentations, and at the end of the service, they are delayed in leaving by the fact that the church's doors have frozen shut. Another funny dialogue exchange occurs here when Lovejoy asks Groundskeeper Willy if he's making any progress on melting the ice off the door hinges with a blowtorch so they can get out, to which the surly Scottish caretaker responds, "Miracles are YOUR department, Reverend!"
As one final blow, when they DO get out, Marge and the kids find that their car has broken down.

Homer, meanwhile, has a wonderful morning staying at home. He sleeps in, stays warm, makes himself a ridiculously indulgent breakfast, and has many instances of good luck (i.e. He wins a radio call- in contest, watches a thrilling football game on TV, and even finds a penny). He calls it the best day of his life, and attributes all of it to skipping church.
His beliefs in that regard are further strengthened when he learns of the miserable time that Marge and the kids had at church. So, Homer then vows to never go to church again, much to Marge's horror.

That night, Marge prays for God to show Homer the error of his ways. This prayer is answered somewhat via a dream Homer has in which God attempts to talk some sense into him through a mostly friendly conversation, but when Homer suggests that he could just try to live right and worship the Lord in his own way, God agrees. Homer basically forms his own one- man religion around this concept.

(Homer talking about this idea with God; I love the detail that God is petting the Simpsons' cat Snowball 2 while listening to Homer, so wholesome! Credit for this image goes to the user "OptimusKryme" on the Simpsons Wiki at https://simpsons.fandom.com/wiki/Homer_the_Heretic/Gallery?file=Heretic36.png)

Marge next tries inviting Reverend Lovejoy over for dinner to talk with Homer about it, but that doesn't change her husband's mind, either. Devout neighbor Ned Flanders and his family then essentially stalking Homer to try and pressure him into repenting just angers him (And, quite frankly, I can't say I blame Homer for feeling that way about it; The Flanderses definitely went too far by acting in that way).

Things get worse when Homer's heretical attitude begins rubbing off on the children and setting a bad example for them, and he rejects a truly sincere plea from Marge to not force her to choose between him and God.
It's not just Christians he shows disdain for, either; Homer also coldly dismisses Krusty the Clown's attempt to seek donations for a Jewish charity, and in a later conversation with convenience store owner Apu, he quite nastily mocks the man's Hindu faith. Clearly, the concept of "Love thy neighbor as yourself" has no place in Homer's hedonistic new theology.

Things officially hit the fan in the episode's climax: Homer once again staying home from church (Now occupying the extra time with beer, cigars and "Playdude" magazines) leads to him accidentally starting a fire that quickly spreads through the house, and he is almost instantly rendered unconscious by smoke inhalation. Ned Flanders sees what is happening, and immediately runs into the burning house, risking his own life to help save Homer's. This scene manages to be thrilling, moving, and yet honestly pretty darn funny all at once. For instance, there's a part in which Ned attempts to get Homer out of the house by throwing him out a second- floor window that he had previously thrown a mattress out of to cushion his fall, only for the mattress to bounce Homer RIGHT BACK INTO THE HOUSE! I triple- dog- dare anyone to watch that and NOT laugh!

Eventually, good old Ned does manage to get Homer out safe and sound, the fire is extinguished by Springfield's Volunteer Fire Department (Which happens to include both Krusty and Apu), and Homer at long last sees the error of his ways and starts attending church again. Admittedly, he falls asleep in the middle of the service, but hey, it's a start. He dreams that he's walking with the Lord, having a friendly conversation with Him, and so the episode ends.

"Homer the Heretic" may not be my favorite episode of 'The Simpsons' (That honor goes to the Season 6 episode 'Lemon of Troy'), but it's gotta be in at the VERY least my top 5! It's mind- bendingly funny, poignant and thought- provoking at times, and the fire makes for a pretty good action sequence.

As is typical for 'The Simpsons' at its best, it includes one hilarious moment after another. In addition to the ones I mentioned earlier, here are a few more of my favorites:
1. Shortly before the fire starts, Reverend Lovejoy is giving a sermon meant as an obvious criticism of Homer's heresy, and opens it by proclaiming "The Devil walks among us!" At this, Bart sees a man sitting in the pew in front of him with a rather stereotypically devilish appearance (Pencil- thin mustache, pointy goatee, wearing a red suit) and pounces on him, putting him in a headlock and shouting "I GOT 'IM!"

2. When Apu leaves his convenience store in order to help put out the fire at the Simpson house, a trio of local bullies initially intend on taking advantage of his absence to try and shoplift whatever they can find there, only for Apu to put his toddler nephew in charge while he's gone, and the cute little tyke out of nowhere pulls a double- barreled shotgun on the bullies to drive any thoughts of theft out of their minds.
3. Near the end, when Homer has been pulled from the burning house and the Volunteer Fire Department are putting it out, Lisa refers to the fire as "An act of God." Homer notes the fire starting to spread to the roof of Ned Flanders' house and says "Hey, wait a minute; Flanders is a regular Charlie Church, and God didn't save HIS house!" Just then, a small raincloud instantly shows up out of nowhere over the Flanders house, pouring rain to extinguish the flames on it, and a rainbow appears, all accompanied by angelic singing. Homer of course responds to this with his trademark "D'OH!"

4. In the episode's ending, as Homer dreams he is in Heaven, walking and talking with God, in the background Jimi Hendrix can be seen playing air hockey with Benjamin Franklin, both of them sporting halos. Sometimes the simplest of gags can bring the biggest smiles!

I also kind of like the way this episode portrays God in the two scenes when He appears to Homer. He comes across as indeed all- powerful, righteous, and just, but also as attentive, understanding and relatable; He is willing to listen to Homer's questions and complaints, can concede that Homer makes a good point or two, and admits that there are some days HE'D rather be watching football, too, and that He, too, isn't fond of how dull Reverend Lovejoy's sermons can be. In the end of the episode, He comforts Homer in a friendly way over the fact that Homer's philosophy/ one- man religion didn't pan out. That's a nice way to portray Him, I think.

Speaking of God, I can definitely think of some faith- based messages to be taken from "Homer the Heretic."
One is obviously on the importance of attending church. It is abundantly clear that Homer was wrong to completely forsake attending church simply because his family had a bad experience at one church service while he had a good experience skipping that day. Church attendance (If at a church that earnestly serves Jesus, of course) is vital for believers. The pastor can reveal important spiritual truths to them, and (This is a point that the episode admittedly fails to address) worshipping in community with other believers greatly helps build one's faith.

 This is conveyed well in Hebrews 10:24- 25, which says "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." Worshipping together with other believers is how we can stay close to each other, and motivate each other to more fully live for Jesus and build His Kingdom. In addition, another verse pointing out the importance of church is 1 Timothy 3:14- 15: "I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth." This verse deals a lot with the importance of church, through its use of the term "Household of God" to show how believers at church are like family to each other and need to behave accordingly, its use of the term "The church of the living God" shows that it is through church that believers can most directly connect with God, and obviously pointing out that the church can be used to convey His truths to believers. Those are just some of the reasons for the importance of church.

A second theological point found in "Homer the Heretic" is on the right way to witness to others. As I pointed out earlier, when Ned Flanders and his family first learn of Homer abandoning church, they try to forcefully draw him back into the fold by flat- out stalking him, first at his home, then calling him while he's at work, and even chasing him by car, all while singing "The Lord Said to Noah." Well-meaning though the Flanderses were by doing this, it had the exact opposite effect they intended, as their harassing Homer in these ways just makes him angry and even more opposed to attending church. In contrast, Ned showing his love for his neighbor through action in the climax by saving Homer from the fire, risking his own life in the process, made a big emotional impact on Homer. Indeed, often the best way to influence people for the Lord and draw them to Christ is through actions of kindness that convey God's love to people, not basically trying to force them to convert. As Jesus Himself said in Matthew 5:16, "Let your light so shine before men, so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in Heaven." Actions truly speak louder than words, and such actions can make people much more eager to hear what you may later have to say to them about the Lord Jesus.

A final, similar theological point to be taken from "Homer the Heretic" concerns how God's providence works in people, and the forms that His intervention can take. In the very end of the episode, Homer is talking to Reverend Lovejoy about what happened, and says that he feels the fire was God's wrath poured out on him as punishment for his blasphemous ways. Lovejoy disagrees, however, pointing out that it's more likely that God acted in the situation by instead working on the hearts of Homer's friends such as Ned, Krusty and Apu so that they would come and help save him.
Considering that Reverend Lovejoy is usually portrayed as a boring, long- winded stick- in- the- mud who isn't very effective at providing spiritual guidance to anyone other than Ned Flanders, that was a genuinely wise and Godly sentiment for him to express. God intervenes in the world usually not to punish people, but to help them; It's the whole reason why He sent Jesus to the world. One of my favorite Bible verses, Jeremiah 29:11, helps convey this by saying "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" In addition, Romans 8:28 says "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." What God seeks most is not to punish, but to guide on the right path, at times through difficult means. Also, it should be noted that God's miraculous intervention doesn't always come through dramatic displays of power; It can very frequently indeed occur through everyday means, such as by His subtly guiding friends and loved ones to come to your aid when you are most in need, as happened to Homer in this episode. I've observed this myself many times.

That sums up my thoughts on "Homer the Heretic," a classic episode of a legendary show that teaches timeless truths on the importance of church, the proper way to witness to others, and the ways God can act in people's lives. In the immortal words of the big bald doofus himself, "WHOO- HOO!"

With that, I bring an end to this edition of the Nightcrawler Experience. Stay tuned, as I have an entry planned VERY soon to finish out this series before moving on to Christmas. Until then, stay safe and healthy, and may God bless you all!