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Michelle L. Torigian

~ God Goes Pop Culture

Michelle L. Torigian

Tag Archives: Van Morrison

Veering from the Christian Brand

11 Wednesday Sep 2013

Posted by mictori in Current Events, Life, Movies, Music, Pop, Pop Culture, Religion, Television

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Book of Daniel, Christian movies, Christian music, Christian pop culture, Dogma, Peter Gabriel, progressive Christian, progressive Christianity, Rev., Saved!, The Last Temptation of Christ, U2, Van Morrison, Vicar of Dibley

I’ve never been one to follow the “Christian” brand.

Sure, I’ve read a few of the Left Behind books, seen one or two Kirk Cameron movies and listened to some Michael W. Smith in my time. (I actually still like those Michael W. Smith songs from the early 90’s.)

I never dated on the Christian website, mostly because quite a few of the men want “traditional” women. (Being a female member of the clergy and a feminist, I’m far from traditional.) I stay away from Christian programming because it seems preaching, self-righteous and judgmental.

My primary reason is that I like flawed characters with growing edges. I don’t want to see a character that starts believing in Jesus, and then immediately everything is perfectly resolved. Life doesn’t work that way. My faith is a journey with God. Some days are strong and others are weaker. Just like every other human, I’m flawed – and looking for ways to continue to grow closer to God.

In Christian pop culture, I often see easy resolutions and life in polarities. Good or bad. Clean or unclean. There is no grayscale. There is no flawed Christian who is born again.

And Christian pop culture makes it seem like there’s one Christian theology, one view of salvation, one type of relationship with Jesus. But my beliefs are far from that.

I don’t call God “father” unless I also refer to God as “mother.” I’m not “born again” but I find resurrections in my faith each day. I believe everyone goes to God at death – whether they are Christian, another faith or no faith at all. I believe in a woman’s right to choose and gay marriage.

I don’t follow the typical Christian mold. So why would I follow Christian pop culture that predominantly supports this way of thinking?

You will find me watching shows of flawed clergy (The Vicar of Dibley, Rev., The Book of Daniel). You will find me listening to music with implicit spiritual reference and reflections of the Divine (Peter Gabriel, Van Morrison, U2). You will find me viewing movies with challenging theological themes that force each of us to look at Christianity differently (Saved!, Dogma, The Last Temptation of Christ). I am authentically living my faith by looking for the Divine in mainstream, edgy culture rather than crisp clean “Christian” mediums. As I believe God is everywhere, God also abides in the edgiest of situations.

I think that’s where Jesus was too. He could have hung out with the clean people of faith but, instead, hung out with those on the margins – those who society and religion deemed unclean. By recognizing the Jesus who hung out on the margins, I know I am called to shine a light on the Divine in the unlikeliest of places.

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God Goes Pop – Resurrection Playlist Edition

31 Sunday Mar 2013

Posted by mictori in Life, Music, Pop, Pop Culture

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Alanis Morrisette, Anything Could Happen, At Last, Barry Manilow, Bright Side of the Road, Carry On, Dog Days Are Over, Don Henley, Don't Stop Believin', Easter, Ellie Goulding, Elton John, Emily, Escape Club, Etta James, Faith Hill, Fire and Rain, Florence + The Machine, Fun, Gloria Gaynor, Heart of the Matter, Here Comes the Sun, Here I Go Again, How to Save a Life, Huey Lewis and the News, I Made It Through the Rain, I will Always Love You, I Will Survive, I'll Be There, I'm Still Standing, Incomplete, Jacob's Ladder, James Taylor, Jimmy Eat World, Journey, Katy Perry, Kelly Clarkson, Let My Love Open the Door, Michael W. Smith, Music, P!nk, Part of Me, Paula Abdul, Pete Townshend, Peter Gabriel, Playlist, Promise of a New Day, Raise Your Glass, Resurrection, Shake It Out, Solsbury Hill, Someone Like You, Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You), The Beatles, The Fray, The Middle, There You'll Be, Van Morrison, Whitesnake, Whitney Houston

IMG_2477Last night, I was having a conversation with some folks about compiling a resurrection playlist.  For fun and inspired by them, I came up with a resurrection playlist.  These songs connected me to themes of remembering, hope, grace and resilience and have often been a source of comfort and strength during difficult moments.

1. Carry On – Fun
2. The Heart of the Matter – Don Henley 
3. Anything Could Happen – Ellie Goulding
4. I’ll Be There – Escape Club
5. Shake It Out – Florence & The Machine
6. Dog Days Are Over – Florence & The Machine
7. You’ve Got the Love – Florence & The Machine
8. Jacob’s Ladder – Huey Lewis and the News 
9. Fire and Rain – James Taylor 
10. The Middle – Jimmy Eat World
11. Don’t Stop Believin’ – Journey
12. Part of Me – Katy Perry 
13. Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) – Kelly Clarkson 
14. Emily – Michael W. Smith 
15. Raise Your Glass – P!nk
16. Promise of a New Day – Paula Abdul 
17. Let My Love Open the Door – Pete Townshend 
18. Solsbury Hill – Peter Gabriel 
19. Here Comes the Sun – The Beatles 
20. Bright Side of the Road – Van Morrison
21. Someone Like You – Van Morrison
22. Incomplete – Alanis Morrisette
23. There You’ll Be – Faith Hill
24. How to Save a Life – The Fray
25. Here I Go Again – Whitesnake
26. I Will Always Love You – Whitney Houston
27. At Last – Etta James
28. I Made It Through the Rain – Barry Manilow
29. I’m Still Standing – Elton John
30. I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor

What are some of your favorite songs that remind you of resurrection?  List them below or tweet me at @mictori.

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Bucket Lists

25 Monday Mar 2013

Posted by mictori in Current Events, Life, Pop, Pop Culture

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Tags

40, Ben Affleck, bucket list, buy house, cake decorating, child, half-marathon, Holy Week, Jesus, Love, marathon, marriage, movie extra, turning 40, Van Morrison, write book

IMG_20130325_200855In fifteen days, I turn 40.

This gives me no time to fill my “Before 40” bucket list – the list of activities I wished I had accomplished before I turn 40.  There are things I would have loved to cross off before this impending birthday, but it doesn’t look like these will happen.

Here is my “not going to accomplish before 40” bucket list.

  1. Meet the love of my life (could happen, probably won’t)
  2. Write a book
  3. Go to New York City
  4. Get married
  5. Go to Europe
  6. See Van Morrison in concert again
  7. Run a marathon/half-marathon
  8. Have a child (birth or adoption)
  9. Buy a house
  10. Meet Ben Affleck
  11. Take a cake decorating class
  12. Be an extra in a movie

I’m sure there’s other items…

Have some of you felt the urge to complete certain activities before you turned 30, 40, 50, etc?  What happened when you didn’t complete them?  Did you feel discouraged or even less than whjole?

Or did you save them for the next decade?

Why is completing our dreams so important by a certain age?  I think about Jesus the man, especially this Holy Week, I wonder if he was at a content place before he died?  Did he have his own Bucket List?  Was Jesus’ bucket list one that included improving the conditions for the poor and expendables during his time?  Was it one that included a significant other, marriage and children?

Or was he just blissful living fully in each moment?  Maybe that should be #1 on my list.

If you do have a way to help me make the other 12 things happen in the next 15 days, let me know…

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