I asked for and received Andromeda Season One for Christmas. I like Andromeda. The acting is usually sub-par (sorry if you're an Andromeda actor/actress and run across this) and the settings seem unrealistically contrived at points. But I don't really watch television for good acting or completely realistic situations; I want good points that make me a better person after having invested an hour watching. True, I would like to have a total package with them all together, but I can't even get that with my favorite show, Lost. I take what I can get.
One episode in particular really touched me, "To Loose The Fateful Lightning." I'm not going to go into the full story and review it. That is done at other websites. By the way, this website gave it a F- for a review. I think it is my favorite episode.
The captain, Dylan Hunt, was offered nova bombs, bombs that destroy whole solar systems, to use power to bring on his vision of the Commonwealth. He refused. He was then offered the option to use the nova bombs as a manipulative tool to bring back the Commonwealth. He refused again. It wouldn't be the Commonwealth he envisioned if people are brought into it by force or coercion. They must be brought into it by the truth. They must buy into the ideal of the Commonwealth in order for it to really be the Commonwealth.
I found that a good concept for church leaders to adapt. We have a vision for the church and where it should go. We see what the church is really supposed to be and we know what needs to be done to get us there. But we need to always realize that when it comes to church, the means are always as important as the ends. We need to let the truth stand up for itself and never try to coerce someone into having a Christian faith or doing a Christian action. If we don't, our churches will be filled with people who really aren't convicted of the Truth. We will end up with churches that aren't really examples of the kingdom of God, but just social clubs for the Biblically-impaired.
Another neat scene took place in the show. The Andromeda and its crew ran across a battle station that was inhabited by nobody older than 20. A radiation leak from the nova bombs was killing them away. Anyway, through the years and many generations they had turned the technical schematics of the station into holy writs. The sad thing was that nobody could actually read them. They just passed down the information that the holy writs contained rather than teaching the next generation to read. This led to a total misunderstanding of what was really in the schematics.
This scene, unfortunately, reminded me of some people I have met who have grown up and continue to go to church. Now, I'm not saying that children who grow up in the church don't know how to read; however, I do think that some of them never really learn to derive what they believe from the teachings of Scripture. They just believe things because that is what they were told to believe. Removing the Scriptures as the central point of authority and placing tradition in its place is a very dangerous step to take.
Speaking of children, Isaac is calling my name right now. I must go get him out of bed. Have a great day and...
...watch out for the potholes.
