With the speedy discontinuation of “The Book of Daniel” by the Network television I decided it was not necessary to write an overly long or detailed follow-up to my first post about the show’s first episode. Obviously the people of America did not want to see such dirt on television, except for certain Episcopal pastors in various parts of the country.

Instead I would simply like to point out a small observation. The ultimate goal of bringing shows onto the TV screen that eventually get cancelled is the progressive desensitization of the people who regularly watch the television.

It was shows like “Ellen” that first introduced homosexuality into the mainstream TV sitcoms and now sitcoms are filled with one or more regular homosexual characters and it is no longer an oddity, but normality. But what am I saying that you don’t already know from your own experience?

I suspect I am saying nothing new, but I would offer some ‘prophetic’ options nevertheless… With the Church (in America) in its current state and the eventual and inevitable offspring of the Daniel-type show, I would venture to guess that apostate Christianity is going to experience one of three things:

1) The Church will be washed once again and reformation will take place and a very visible winnowing-like-effect will take place with the corrupt members of the Church.
2) The Church will experience a great departure from within, in which the majority will depart by actually renouncing the name of Christ.
3) Or the government will become so corrupt over the next 50 years that Christianity will be cleansed by persecution and only the faithful will preserver even unto death.

Now, in all these options I want to make one thing clear. The visible Church will never die and the Kingdom of Christ that is manifested in the visible Church will continue to grow and grow until it has filled the earth. The Church will go through many hard times and many false teachers will arise. But on thing will never change – Christ will always be the head of the Church and the Church will always be His Body and His Bride.

Christ has given us (His Bride) all things and all things will one day be given to us as an inheritance and we who are saved will live forever enjoying all the glory that God has promised us in Christ. “The gates of Hell will not prevail” is the Bible’s way of saying that the Church is offense in its very nature and not merely defensive. When Christ ascended to Heaven to sit on His thrown at the right hand of God it was then that the Kingdom of God was given over to the saints. And ever since that day the heavenly Kingdom of God has been growing and the New Humanity, the Church, is always growing up into maturity and will never be destroyed. For every kingdom that seeks to destroy the Church, that evil kingdom will be cast down and shattered into a million pieces never to rise again.

It is my hope that you will see the Church in all its glory and that you will know that God in Christ has and is reconciling the World to Himself. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, but for those who are false and for those who do not obey Jesus – their end will be the weeping and gnashing of teeth and a fire that will never be quenched.

In Christ and In Defense of the Faith,

No, this is not an introduction to the canonical book or an exegetical essay describing the 70 weeks therein. This is a critique and analysis of the new NBC program called ‘The Book of Daniel.’Unfortunately, or should I say fortunately, I did not know that it was a two hour premiere so I only recorded the first hour. But within the first 5 minutes of the show it was obvious that all the articles I had read were telling the truth about the content of the show and the ‘issues’ Daniel’s family has.

Oddly enough, the show starts out with their daughter in jail at the local police station and her father, Daniel, picking her up. I thought the show was going to be some kind of comedy that mocked Christianity with a light tone. But right from the start you know that it is a satirical drama that is very dark with dry, even blasphemous, humor.

In essence you learn within the first 20 minutes that the family’s daughter is dealing drugs, one of the sons is a homosexual, the other son is adopted and very addicted to having sex with girls, and lastly, the father and mother are addicted to prescription drugs and alcohol respectively. Daniel, the father, is an Episcopal priest who sits under the leadership of a woman bishop. The daughter, Grace, is dealing drugs in order to raise enough money to publish her Manga (Japanese Animation) comic which just so happens to be a comic book version of her own family and all their problems. The homosexual son, Peter, is recovering from what seems to be a bad breakup with his boyfriend. The adopted son, Adam, is Chinese and his current girlfriend is 15 (about to turn 16) years old and very in to having sex with him on an almost daily basis. The family’s mother, Judith, seeks comfort from all of their family problems by drinking vodka to ease her frustration and pain. Lastly, we come to find out that Daniel is addicted to prescription drugs.

But the most outrageous and blasphemous part of the show is when Jesus appears (during various parts of the show) to talk with Daniel about a problem that Daniel is having and to discourage him from using the prescription drugs. Jesus appears only to Daniel. But the problem is that Jesus doesn’t care about the Bible and simply talks to Daniel in a very non-judgmental and condoning way about each situation Daniel is struggling with. Jesus’ main, and very telling, statement is that “your daughter is a good girl” or “don’t worry, just let it work itself out.”

This first episode involves a very bad scandal regarding Daniel’s brother-in-law who has disappeared with over 3 million dollars of the churches money that the church intended to start a school with. The brother-in-law is married to Daniel’s wife’s baby sister, but as the show progresses it is revealed that he has run away with not only the money but also his secretary. Daniel’s wealthy golf buddy who helped raise the funds takes him to play golf in order to threaten him with a church scandal if he doesn’t find the brother-in-law and get back the money for the school. His wealthy friend’s daughter is the girl Daniel’s adopted son is having sex with.

At the start of the show, on the drive home from the police station, Daniel, his wife, and his daughter all begin to shout and curse at one another. The pinnacle of the shouting match is when Daniel tells his wife and daughter to realize that they actually have a loving family and that they should be thankful for that because of how rare that really is these days. But in the process of making that entire statement he is yelling the whole time and using various explicatives throughout that I cannot quote on this Blog. Everyone becomes quiet and the rest of the ride home is in silence. But as soon as they arrive in the driveway Daniel tells them to get ready for church and acts as though nothing is wrong. He says, “Let’s not make a big thing out of this to your brothers, you can tell them later or not at all.”

So, what we come to find out in this first seen of the show is two fold. Positively, Daniel shows himself to be the head of the household, but negatively, he leads his household into sin and continually sweeps things under the veritable rug so as not to deal with them.

The family continually makes fun of one another or curses at each other and tells everyone to stop talking about it (whatever the problem is) and that they should all be quiet and leave well enough alone. Of course that is my edited way of saying how they tell each other off.

“Temptation, is it really a bad thing? I don’t think so. What I mean is if there were no temptation how could there redemption? If we never did anything bad how could we repent and be stronger for our weakness? Doesn’t good need evil in order to be good? Now obviously I’m not suggesting that we should go looking for temptation. But my brothers and sisters, if temptation corners us maybe we shouldn’t beat ourselves up for giving into it. And maybe, maybe we shouldn’t ask for forgiveness from a church, or from God, or from Jesus, or from anyone until we can first learn to forgive ourselves… [walks from the pulpit to the benediction table] Let us rise for the profession of faith. We believe in one God.”

This was the end of the Sunday morning service that Daniel preached before the intro theme to the show began.

Need I say anything else? Well, after the sermon the Bishop meets him in his office and begins to tell him that he shouldn’t say those things, especially since the Episcopal Church is in crisis for their liberal policies. And Daniel responds be saying that we are a country in crisis and that he’s entitled to his interpretation. When he tries to quote the Bible the bishop tells him not too because of all the degrees in religion and philosophy she has. So, from that point on in the show we see that the Bible has no real importance in the church or in people’s lives and that college and doctoral degrees negate it as the chief authority.

After that potion of the conversation, Daniel asks if we are really supposed to expect people to not give in to temptation. The bishop responds by saying that that is the business they are in with Daniel’s reply asking, “I thought this wasn’t a business.” But the bishop responds by telling him to take a closer look at his expense account.

The show does not get any better and even worsens when we hear the conversations between Daniel and Jesus as they talk about things one on one.

In closing I would like to highlight a few of the conversations between Daniel and Jesus…

In Jesus’ first appearance to tell Daniel not to take anymore prescription drugs Daniel begins to tell Jesus that he doesn’t know what to do about Grace. Jesus responds by telling him not to worry about it and that Grace is a good girl.

Later in the conversation Daniel says, “You know I been meaning to ask you… Have I been chosen?” Jesus replies by saying, “No,” with a smile on his face. Daniel says, “Well, why do you talk to me then?” Jesus answers, “I talk to everybody.” Daniel says, “Well few mention it.” Jesus says, “Few hear me. Tell me what they want. Most don’t listen.” Daniel says, “Huh.” And the conversation ends.

Daniel has another conversation with Jesus later in the show…

Daniel says, “Why is it so easy to talk to you?”

Jesus replies, “I’m a good listener. Plus I never burden you with my problem.”

Daniel says, “You have problems?”

Jesus maintains the focus by saying, “Now we’re talking about you problems.”

Daniel gives up and says, “Tell me what to do. I don’t know what to do anymore.”

Jesus replies, “Yes you do. It’s just hard. Life is hard, Daniel, for everyone. That’s why there is such a nice reward at the end of it.”

Daniel then says, “I know that’s supposed to be comforting. But it’s not. Aren’t you supposed to comfort me?”

Jesus says with sarcasm, “Oh, where did you read that? Some Episcopalian self help book?”

Daniel laughs.

Jesus continues, “That’s good. You should laugh more. Hey, have you that… ‘Jesus’ guide to a comfortable life’? Very comforting, that one is.” (with sarcasm at the end)

Daniel laughs and responds, “No, but I have read ‘Men are from Mars, Jesus is from Heaven.”

Jesus mentions another, “My Tuesday with Jesus.”

Daniel mentions another, “I’m okay, you’re divine.”

Jesus replies, “That’s my favorite!”

And they both continue laughing and chuckling at what each other says.Lastly, another obviously un-Biblical stance the show takes is near the end of the first hour where Daniel and Judith are talking about their gay son and Judith says that it is genetic. Then they start blaming it on their families past history and discuss the various instances of homosexual males on both sides. They continue laughing and go to bed for the night.

With all this said I will end this post. But I will post again with a much more critical and Biblical response to the issue soon.

In Christ and In Defense of the Faith,

“Do you want to be extravagantly blessed by God? Are you ready to reach for the extraordinary? To ask God for the abundant blessings He longs to give you? Join Bruce Wilkinson to discover how the remarkable prayer of a little-known Bible hero can release God’s favor, power, and protection. You’ll see how one daily prayer can help you leave the past behind – and break through to the life you were meant to live.” – From the back cover of The Prayer of Jabez“Do you want to be a kipper for God? Are you ready for the most profound sort of immaturity? Just chant the Jabez mantra, and God will make you into something like a little canned fish, vacuum sealed from temptation and ready to be eaten without satisfying anybody. Soon you too will feel an adrenaline rush that you can call the Holy Spirit and use it to justify any fool thing you want to say. It’s, it’s, it’s like Harry Potter for modern Evangelicals!” – From the back cover of the Mantra of Jabez

Well, by now you should know more or less how I feel about such things as The Prayer of Jabez. But I just wanted to recommend this little parody of the prayer to you. =)

The Mantra of Jabez is by Douglas M. Jones, senior editor of Credenda/Agenda magazine. The book is part of the “Upturned Table Parody Series” from Canon Press in Moscow, Idaho. The full title of the book is…

The Mantra of Jabez: Break on Through to the Other Side

As opposed to Bruce Wilkinson’s The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life.

I really want to encourage anyone who has read the Prayer of Jabez and thought it the most wonderful thing to consider just how important it is to grow in the Christian Faith and to move on to maturity in Christ.

I was able to hear Bruce Wilkinson preach, back in the summer of 2000 before this whole thing blew into what it is today. He preached about his new book and what the prayer meant to him. He talked about how he had used it for well over 20 years and that it had changed him and given him many opportunities to witness and minister.Basically he was telling us to amend the prayer of Jabez in the Bible to pertain to asking God to increase our borders of ministry so that we can be more open to sharing our faith with others. Back in those days when I heard Wilkinson preach I was a different person and not as critical or thoughtful as I am today. Some may say that I’ve changed for the worse, but I don’t think so. The shallowness and cheap grace that I have grown up with in the realm of modern day Evangelicalism is something I will never return to, Lord willing. And I hope that I may be used of God all the days of my life to encourage others to do the same in seeking to know Christ more fully and deeper than they ever thought possible.

My point is this… Do you really think that all your personal ministry, as a Christian, is missing is this prayer of Jabez? Do you really think that Jesus missed the boat when He taught His disciples how to pray? I don’t think so! But The Prayer of Jabez would have you think that, based upon some man’s mystical experience, you can say this prayer each day and God will undoubtedly bless your life. But if you don’t pray this prayer, well, I’m afraid you’ll just have to settle for a lesser life in the Christian community. Shucks!

I would like to end this entry with the preface for both books. Enjoy comparing and I hope your offense is not too great!

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The preface to The Prayer of Jabez:

“Dear Reader,

I want to teach you how to pray a daring prayer that God always answers. It is brief – only one sentence with four parts – and tucked away in the Bible, but I believe it contains the key to a life of extraordinary favor with God.

This petition has radically changed what I expect from God and what I experience every day by His power. In fact, thousands of believers who are applying its truth are seeing miracles happen on a regular basis.

Will you join me for a personal exploration of Jabez?

I hope you will!

Bruce H. Wilkinson”

The Preface to The Mantra of Jabez:

“Dear Newbie,

I want to teach you how to chant a daring mantra that, unlike burdensome traditional prayers, God always has to answer. It is brief, which is really nifty for modern evangelical attention spans – only one sentence with four parts. You can even shorten it more if you remove all the consonants. Just hum the vowels. It’s tucked away in a silly part of the Bible, but I believe it contains an automatic formula for favor with God.

This mantra has radically changed what I expect from God and what I experience every day by His power. In fact, thousands of believers who are humming it are seeing wonderfully short-term things happen on a regular basis. Many of them are even touching fewer and fewer material things!

Will you join me for a personal exploration of the mantra of Jabez? Anyone can hop on. It doesn’t demand anything of you, just mouthing some words.”

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As you can see above, this parody expresses why I dislike The Prayer of Jabez so much. At the end of the parody there is an explanation of why the author chose to write such a harsh thing and I would like you all to take a moment and read it…

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“The Upturned Table Parody Series

The “upturned table” in our series name points back to Christ’s anger with the merchants in the temple. Our parody series isn’t as concerned with money in the Temple as it is with what modern Evangelicals spend on abject silliness. Now you can’t say that sort of thing or publish parodies without someone pointing out that you’re no genius yourself. And we don’t claim to be. First, we see out parodies as sermons to ourselves before anyone else. For we too are responsible for the lame state of popular Evangelicalism today, even those of us who are from more classical Protestant backgrounds. We, too, exhibit some of the targets of our own barbs. Second, we also don’t claim to sit aloof, all clean and wise, looking down on others’ silliness. We are a part of the Evangelical community ourselves. These are our bothers who write these things; they represent us too. We have no doubts about their sincerity and good hearted goals and wonderful characters, but we all must do light-years better.

The first response from many who love the books we aim to skewer is to be “wounded” and “offended,” but that is the tiresome refuge of every little god who thinks blasphemy restrictions apply to him (oooh, notice the evil gender violation there). We all need to grow up and take the heat. But what about all those for whom these “precious” books have meant so much? One answer is that medieval folks could say the same thing about their relics. Relics made people feel warm and fuzzy too, but they were evidence of sickness.

Christian reality is a rich and fascinating blend of truth, beauty, and goodness. It is an exuberant love of life and light and celebration. Even with some of the glorious heights of Christian culture reached in prior eras, the Church still hasn’t truly begun to plumb the magnificence of the Triune God. We’re only scratching the surface, all the while non-Christian visions are perennially addicted to death. In order to mature, Evangelicals need to move beyond the bumper sticker shallowness of the past four decades and long for the true wisdom. Parodying our silliness is one small nudge in that direction. To whom much is given, much is expected.”

=====================It is my hope that you will take these things to heart and seek to know the one, true God and Jesus Christ whom He sent!