Douglas Jacoby Podcast

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Things mentioned in this podcast:

• The American Civil War (1861-1865)--over 600,000 dead.
• The incongruity of brothers killing brothers! Nearly all denominations urged the killing of soldiers on the other side.
• The Restoration Movement was exceptional in not dividing (though there was still a negative impact). Nearly all the RM leaders were pacifists.
• Luther: okay to kill unless you know it's a fellow Christian. (Isn't this backwards?)
• Not allowed to sue a brother (1 Corinthians 6). So would we be allowed to kill him? If we cannot hate our enemies (Matthew 5), can we hate our brothers in Christ?
• Romans 12:12-21.
• Mark Twain (1835-1910): War Prayer (available in many places in the public domain) an incisive and biting rebuke of militant Christianity.
• If this podcast inbtrigues you, be sure also to hear Law, Allegiance, Revolution.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Here is Mark Twain's The War Prayer, published in 1916, six years after the great humorist's death (13 minutes).

This piece is in the public domain. Douglas' podcast includes a few opening comments, the Prayer in full, and a brief conclusion.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

1 Introduction  

What does the Bible say on the subject of abortion? In fact, no scriptures address the subject head-on. This is curious, because abortion and exposure of unwanted infants were common in the ancient world. Various poisons were administered to induce abortions. Several ancient texts related to abortion and exposure of infants:

• The Hippocratic Oath forbade abortions: “I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody who asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect. Similarly I will not give to a woman an abortive remedy. In purity and holiness I will guard my life and my art” (c.400 BC). There would be little need to forbid them if they were unknown or not performed by some physicians.
• "Ah, women, why do you dig out your child with sharp instruments and administer harsh poisons to your children as yet unborn?... Neither the tigress has done this in the jungles of Armenia, nor has the lioness had the heart to destroy her unborn young. Tender woman does it, though, but does not go unpunished. Often she who slays her own in her uterus dies herself."—Ovid (43 BC-17 AD), Loves 2.14.27-38.
• Exposure: "If you chance you bear a child, if it is male, let it live. If it is female, throw it out."—Oxyrhynchus Papyrus 744 (a text from ancient Egypt, dated to 1 BC).

While early Christians were vocal in their opposition to abortion (see ¶3), the scriptures typically referenced are far from conclusive. Principles may be adduced, such as the injunction against murder, but it seems circular to define abortion as murder in order to settle the question of its morality. Might there be exceptions? If there are, then a universal prohibition is not possible.

Most Bible students believe life starts at conception, based on the poetry of Job 10:8-12; Psalm 139:13-16; and Jeremiah 1:5. If they are right, then any abortion is tantamount to killing. But did God intend poems to be mined for literalistic doctrine? Not likely. Consider Psalm 139:13-16.

13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

Psalms are poetry. We were not literally “knitted,” nor were we woven “in the depths of the earth.” The psalm clearly affirms that life begins before birth; it does not establish the time of that first moment of that life.

In Matthew 1:18-20, Joseph is told that Mary was "with child," and about this child, "What is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” This gives stronger support for the idea that conception is the point of the beginning of life. But even here we might wish for clearer testimony. An omniscient God knows the future, and so can easily have a providential view of our entire existence, even before we have a soul.

What about Exodus 21:22-23?

22 “If people are fighting and hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely [or has a miscarriage] but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. 23 But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life…

This passage is capable of two translations: miscarriage or premature birth. Here the penalty for causing an abortion or miscarriage was a fine, not the death penalty, as if the baby were already born. Although I am not pro-abortion, I hold that the Bible appears to recognize some differences between a baby already born and one still in the womb.

In the absence of direct, explicit, crystal-clear scriptural teaching on abortion, it may be fruitful to ponder the following questions. Try to answer them honestly.

2 Questions for thought

• The fertilization process requires many hours, and is followed by another day in which the individual (diploid) is formed. In what sense is the mother-to-be pregnant before the process is complete?
• Is the loss of a 16-cell embryo equal to the loss of a full-term fetus?
• Up until two weeks, the zygote can split into twins, triplets, and so on. The process of individuation is still incomplete. Can a soul be shared three ways?
• The baby's heart starts beating after 22 days. Does life begin with the heartbeat?
• The sex of the embryo is not determined until the seventh week. Accordingly, many Muslims and Jews consider the embryo to be fully human only after 40 days. (Though I interpret the Muslim Hadith of Bukhari 4.549 to indicate ensoulment at 40 or 120 days.) Do Jews and Muslims value life less than Christians?
• All the organs are formed by the end of the first eight weeks of gestation. Yet recognizable EEG patterns (the mental activity associated with humanity) don’t appear until 24 weeks. What are the implications? Is it possible that the individual becomes fully human on a continuum?
• Continuous brainwaves do not begin until about 28 weeks. Until then, the neurons carrying pain impulses to the brain are not yet fully wired. What are the implications? (On the other end of life, at what point does the spirit depart from the body? At the cessation of brain activity?)
• Is abortion allowable if this is the only way to save the mother’s life?

3 Historical Christian viewpoints

Views on abortion have varied through the course of history.

• “You shall not murder a child by abortion” is a command found in early 2nd-century sources Barnabas 19:5 and the Didache 2:2.
• Late 2nd century apologist Tertullian wrote, "It does not matter whether you take away a life that is born or destroy one that is coming to birth. In both instances, the destruction is murder" (Apol. 9.4).
• Augustine too spoke of the sin of aborting a human life, referring to "the murder of an unborn child" (On Marriage, 1.17.15, about 400 AD). Yet he believed in delayed ensoulment (Enchiridion 85). Jerome held to a similar position: “The seed gradually takes shape in the uterus, and it [abortion] does not count as killing until the individual elements have acquired their external appearance and their limbs” (Letter to Aglasia). The church fathers of the East, on the other hand, tended to view ensoulment as simultaneous with conception.
• An Anglo-Saxon (Old English) document found at Canterbury, referring to the fetus, reads “… In the third month he is a man, except for the soul” (Anglo-Saxon Prose, Michael Swanton, tr. London: J. M. Dent, 1993), 263.
• Gratian, a Canon Law jurist, decreed in 1140, "He who procures an abortion before the soul is infused into the body is not a homicide” (Concordia discordantium canonum, Decretum, Ad. c8, C. XXXII, q.2.).
• In the High Middle Ages, Thomas Aquinas believed that the rational soul [many souls] is infused by God into the body at 40 days for males and 90 days for females. – John Haldane and Patrick Lee, “Aquinas on Human Ensoulment, Abortion and the Value of Life,” Philosophy 78 (2003), 255-8.
• As Anthony Joseph concluded, "American abortion law today is vastly less protective of the unborn than the civil law tradition of medieval Europe" ("The Crime of Abortion & the Middle Ages," in The City, Houston Baptist University, Winter 2015, 86.
• Modern scholar Richard Swinburne suggests that the soul does not function until about 20 weeks after conception (The Evolution of the Soul [Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987], esp. ch. 8).

4 Conscience and Consistency

Whatever believers think about this important subject should be consistent, informed by science and theology, and moderated by conscience.

• 2% of abortions result from rape, incest, or the mother's life being threatened by the pregnancy (so Charles Camosy, author of Beyond the Abortion Wars). This would mean 98% of abortions are performed because the pregnancy is inconvenient. The fact is important because abortion is often defended as a standard practice because of its potential desirability in extreme situations.
• Antiabortionists are inconsistent when they are pro-life in regard to an embryo or fetus but anti-life when calling for the execution of the abortionist. On the other side, abortionists are inconsistent when they affirm that a fetus is fully human (when they approve of the pregnancy) and that it’s at the mother’s disposal (as part of her body). Is it human, or not? If it’s a baby before it’s born, it must not be cast off. Otherwise, on what grounds could eliminating a one-year-old baby be rejected as murder?
• Attacking or killing physicians who perform abortions is hardly the way to underscore the sanctity of life.
• Some feminists observe that legalized abortion does less to emancipate women than to empower irresponsible men. Good point.

5 Conclusions

• Life clearly begins before birth, and so I hold that abortion of a living human, a viable fetus, is murder. Yet at which point does the pre-human become a person? Could this take place on a continuum? So it seems to me, as to a number of ancient and modern thinkers.
• If the fetus is viable outside the womb, it seems impossible to distinguish abortion from murder. Even in case of rape, it is far from clear that the child should be punished / aborted for the actions of an adult (the rapist).
• Conservative Bible-believers range from forbidding abortion in nearly all cases to opposing it in all cases—quite a narrow range, when you think about it.
• Of course the Lord is pro-life, yet he also wants us to make a right choice. Choose our words wisely; choose our battles wisely; pray for the Lord to make up the difference at any point where we may be defective in our knowledge, relatability to others, or Christ-like compassion.
• While I am pro-life, I am not advocating any specific governmental policy. Like many, I'm acutely uncomfortable when governmental "experts" attempt to regulate every aspect of our private lives (education, ethics, religion, and other personal choices).
• There is no doubt that abortion creates a tremendous load of guilt. Therefore this is one subject we should discuss with wisdom and love.
  • Abortion is a sensitive issue. While holding to biblical conviction—uncompromisingly—still we need to behave and speak with genuine concern for others.
  • This is probably not suitable for a small group Bible discussion. Advice for preachers: sensitivity when tempted to publicly call abortion "murder."
  • As we deal with all matters of personal interest to those we hope to reach, students of the word should strive to:
• Take a stand on the truth. Know the facts.
• Be silent where the Bible is silent. Don't create laws, even when they seem wise, without full biblical warrant (Colossians 2:22).
• Present the gospel message in a gracious spirit (Colossians 4:5-6).

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Introduction

• Stem Cell Research (SCR) is an area of medical ethics.
• The issues are complicated because of the science, and also difficult because the Bible does not address scientific or medical issues directly.
• What are stem cells?  "Stem cells are the body's raw materials — cells from which all other cells with specialized functions are generated. Under the right conditions in the body or a laboratory, stem cells divide to form more cells, called daughter cells. These daughter cells either become new stem cells (self-renewal) or become specialized cells (differentiation) with a more specific function, such as blood cells, brain cells, heart muscle, or bone. Stem cells are unique — no other cell in the body has the natural ability to generate new cell types."
• The NIH has invested more than $500 million in human embryonic stem-cell research.
• A research law passed by Congress in May 2011 gave the Obama administration the go-ahead to continue funding embryonic stem-cell research. Other presidential administrations had been resisting this research.

Two poles of opinion re: Embryonic SCR

• For: "Support SCR if you care about disease." Paid ethicists may regard pre-implantation embryo as a clump of cells, not a person. ESCR touted as a panacea. Such a position disrespects the views of nearly all world religions. It also exaggerates the current success of ESCR, which are negligible.
• Against: Conservative believers (esp.) hold that personhood begins at fertilization or conception. Psalm 139 gives us a “divinely inspired ultrasound." Oppose research if we're "playing God." Such reasoning has been used to oppose counseling, surgery, and science in general. Was Psalm 139 (as poetry) intended to give us scientific data about human life? Are those who oppose SCR against all SCR, or only against ESCR?
• It’s not that simple; beware those who oversimplify.

Two sources for SC

• Embryo, amniotic fluid, fetus, umbilicus, placenta. More than 400,000 fertilized ova are in cold storage.
• ASC: can obtain from brain, lung, breast, liver, pancreas, tooth pulp, bone marrow – even adipose tissue.
• We don't have to settle the difficult metaphysical issues in order to talk intelligently about scientific research.

Risks

• ESC: Obtained from IV fertilizations (at about day 3) -- destroys the embryo. Risk of rejection; risk of tumors.
• ASC: Obtained from adult (or from one's own body) -- reduction of rejection or tumorigenesis.

What works?

• Adult stem cells far more successful than embryonic. Ease of procurement.
• The technology is in its infancy, yet (as of time of this podcast), 514 clinical trials -- all with ASC, none with ESC.
• ASCs have scores of over 60 therapies, ESC have none that I am aware of.
• Applications: Leukemia, multiple myeloma, ovarian cancer, solid tumors, sarcomas, testicular cancer, brain tumors, retinoblastoma, breast cancer, neuroblastoma, Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, renal cell cancer, autoimmune diseases.
• IPSs (induced pluripotent stem cells) have eclipsed ESCs in terms of value because of lower cost, greater ease of production, and problems originating in genetic identity of the patient.
• In financial terms, so far, ESCR has yielded a poor return.

Conclusions

1. At the present, ASCR is far more promising than ESCR.
2. Fine to have a position, but be willing to suspend while evaluating evidence.
3. If you don’t understand the science, admit it’s beyond you--be humble.
   1. Some Christians I talk to admit they don’t understand.
   2. Others are dogmatic, yet it’s clear they haven’t any idea what the scientific evidence is behind their opinion.
4. In any SC discussion we need to distinguish whether we’re talking about ESC or ASC.
5. If you believe that life starts at fertilization and are contemplating medical intervention for pregnancy, or are discussing the issues with others, think carefully about your words and decisions. Will left-over eggs will be frozen and then destroyed? Or frozen, and later experimented on? Maybe implant all the eggs, or maybe hold off for now.
6. We need a robust Christian ethic that recognizes God’s boundaries and values.
7. Christians need to engage theologically in the issues of our day, not sit it out.
   1. Worst to have an ill-informed opinion!
   2. Actually better to have no opinion.
   3. But best to have an informed opinion.

Further

• Podcast on Abortion (as this site)
• Dr. Oz on Oprah, click here.
• Presidential debate at Saddleback. Click here.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

ESCAPE:  Lesson 4 of 4.

Douglas Jacoby and Steve Brand have joined forces to teach a series called ESCAPE. Steve Brand is a professional counselor and expert on addictive behaviors. Here’s the provisional plan:

1. The psychology and neurochemistry of pain, escape, and addiction. Focus: marijuana, alcohol, pain medication.
2. Alternate fictional reality. Focus: movies, novels, worlds of gaming, TV.
3. Fantasy proxy relationships. Focus: pornography.
4. Computer and internet behaviors. Focus: gambling, shopping, surfing, smartphones.

The importance of not being conformed to the world (Romans 12:2), or falling prey to the many tempting avenues of “escape”.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

ESCAPE:  Lesson 3 of 4.

Douglas Jacoby and Steve Brand have joined forces to teach a series called ESCAPE. Steve Brand is a professional counselor and expert on addictive behaviors. Here’s the provisional plan:

1. The psychology and neurochemistry of pain, escape, and addiction. Focus: marijuana, alcohol, pain medication.
2. Alternate fictional reality. Focus: movies, novels, worlds of gaming, TV.
3. Fantasy proxy relationships. Focus: pornography.
4. Computer and internet behaviors. Focus: gambling, shopping, surfing, smartphones.

The importance of not being conformed to the world (Romans 12:2), or falling prey to the many tempting avenues of “escape”.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

ESCAPE:  Lesson 2 of 4.

Douglas Jacoby and Steve Brand have joined forces to teach a series called ESCAPE. Steve Brand is a professional counselor and expert on addictive behaviors. Here's the provisional plan:

1. The psychology and neurochemistry of pain, escape, and addiction. Focus: marijuana, alcohol, pain medication.
2. Alternate fictional reality. Focus: movies, novels, worlds of gaming, TV.
3. Fantasy proxy relationships. Focus: pornography.
4. Computer and internet behaviors. Focus: gambling, shopping, surfing, smartphones.

The importance of not being conformed to the world (Romans 12:2), or falling prey to the many tempting avenues of "escape".

A friend writes in with a pertinent quote:

"Technology offers even more examples. Video-game players get into flow so frequently that Csikszentmihalyi’s ideas have become the most widely accepted theoretical framework for explaining the lure of the joystick. Studies have shown that the amount of flow generated by a video game directly correlates to everything from player engagement to overall product success. In fact, as Dr. Erik Gregory, the executive director of the Media Psychology Research Center, wrote in 2007: 'Placing players in flow is the key to video gaming’s universal appeal.'

Meanwhile, for Internet surfers, researchers have found flow the secret ingredient to almost every aspect of online experience. Both website slipperiness (the ease with which we enter and exit an online experience) and website stickiness (how certain sites hold our attention) are influenced by the state. Researchers at Vanderbilt University have found that from the marketing side of this coin, online flow experiences attract customers, mitigate price sensitivity, and positively influence subsequent buying behaviors."

- Kotler, Steven (2014-03-04). The Rise of Superman: Decoding the Science of Ultimate Human Performance (p. 98). New Harvest. Kindle Edition.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

ESCAPE, Lesson 1 of 4: Douglas Jacoby and Steve Brand have joined forces to teach a series called ESCAPE. Steve Brand is a professional counselor and expert on addictive behaviors. The series explores addictive substances and behaviors and what God's word has to say about them. There are four lessons in the series. Here's the provisional plan:

1. The psychology and neurochemistry of pain, escape, and addiction. Focus: marijuana, alcohol, pain medication.
2. Alternate fictional reality. Focus: movies, novels, worlds of gaming, TV.
3. Fantasy proxy relationships. Focus: pornography.
4. Computer and internet behaviors. Focus: gambling, shopping, surfing, smartphones.

The series tackles the importance of not being conformed to the world (Romans 12:2), or falling prey to the many tempting avenues of "escape."

Addendum 1 (from Sept/Oct 2014 issue of Does God Exist?, used with the permission of John Clayton):

POT LEGALIZATION. One of the most dramatic changes in American social views is the new attitude towards marijuana. At the time of this article 21 states and the District of Columbia sanction medical marijuana. Colorado and Washington have now legalized recreational marijuana. There are wild claims made by both the supporters and detractors of marijuana, but in the June 14, 2014, issue of Science News some basic facts are listed (page 17). Marijuana affects the amygdala of the brain, causing altered emotional states. (The amygdala performs a primary role in processing memory, decision-making, and emotional reactions.) Marijuana reduces motor activity in the basal ganglia, an area of the brain which is associated with voluntary motor movements, eye movements, procedural learning, and cognition. Marijuana also affects the brain's cerebellum, causing impaired coordination. It alters cortex thinking, making it hard to pay attention or switch quickly between two tasks. Another part of the brain affected by marijuana is an area critical to short-term and long-term memory, the hippocampus. This makes memory less efficient, making it harder to learn and remember new information. The hypothalamus, which controls hunger, among other things, is stimulated by marijuana, increasing appetite and creating the “munchies” effect. It also targets the nucleus accumbens, which plays an important role in pleasure, causing the pot user to want to use it again. In spite of claims to the contrary, marijuana can be addictive. Ten percent of users become dependent. We are reminded of the need to take care of the temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16). Source: Science News, June 14, 2014, pages 17.

Addendum 2 (based on frequent questions submitted to this website): If everything God created is good, including the plants (Genesis 1), then why can't we enjoy marijuana? The many plants that the Lord created include the poisonous as well as the health-giving. Of course, everything God created is good. How about lava? Common sense dictates that we keep our distance from some things.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Scriptures cited:

• 1 Samuel 4:18 -- Eli overweight
• 1 Samuel 2:29 -- the real issue was spiritual
• 1 Samuel 2:12-17 -- his sons were affected, too
• Judges 3:17, 21-22 -- Eglon
• Amos 4:1 -- sins of the rich oppressors
• James 5:5
• Ezekiel 16:49
• 1 Corinthians 4:4
• 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 -- body the temple of the Spirit
• 1 Corinthians 8:1-11:1 -- limiting freedoms for sake of others and glory of God (see 8:1-11:1)
• Galatians 5:23 -- self-control a fruit of the Spirit
• Proverbs 23:2 -- take drastic measures if you will eat inappropriately! (admittedly out of context)
• There is no scripture dictating the ideal body shape or body weight. What is "fat" is partly a matter of perception, culture, or fashion.

Reasons to stay trim:

• Our bodies are temples of the Spirit; self-control is a fruit of the Spirit.
• Our example to others (including children); we don't want anything to impede the gospel.
• Respect for those who have nothing -- those who struggle to eat at all.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

In April someone asked me if I'd seen Black Panther. I had heard of it, but admitted I wasn't particularly interested in yet another superhero movie. "I'll probably watch it once it comes out on the airplane," I replied. Yet on learning the film featured a black superhero -- possibly the first ever -- and had touched some emotional chords among many African Americans, I knew I needed to see it. This is an important film -- and one reason I needed to watch it was that I am not an African American. There are some things I simply don't get.

As it turned out, in May I was able to watch Black Panther on a flight to Japan. (Even on the small screen, the movie was riveting.) I took copious notes. I watched it a second time (without the sound) on a flight from Atlanta to San Antonio. It's truly a superb film. But let me digress for a moment.

Detour: Black Lightning
Poking around the worldwide web, I quickly found another black superhero. He is Black Lightning, a winsome and modest school principal with superpowers. But this DC Comics creation isn't recent; Black Lightning came out way back in 1977 -- the last time it snowed in the Bahamas, and the year I became a Christian. The television series Black Lightning came out in 2018. As one reviewer put it,

It is a disturbingly familiar scene: a black motorist standing outside his car on a rainy night, arguing with the white police officer who has pulled him over for seemingly no reason. As this moment plays out in the opening minutes of “Black Lightning,” the CW series based on that DC superhero, the motorist in question is Jefferson Pierce (Cress Williams), who stepped back from his role as a crime-fighting vigilante to focus on his civilian identity as a high-school principal and father to two teenage daughters. Just when his roadside confrontation is about to cross a dangerous threshold, Pierce closes his eyes. When he reopens them, his pupils glow with angry electricity… Click to continue reading the New York Times article. For more on the important cultural issues highlighted in the Black Lightning series, click here.

This is very well done -- I was hooked, with at least enough interest to view the entire first season (13 episodes). Then I found more superheroes of color... and more... We took this detour to note that there are numerous black superheroes (even if I was clueless as to their existence) -- not to mention superheroes of other complexions and ethnicities. See the bullet points at the end of this article for a complete list. For now, back to Black Panther.

Vibranium & Wakanda
Long ago a meteor containing a special element, vibranium, struck West Africa. As a result, there is a mountain full of vibranium, which has been mined for centuries -- and yet they are only just scratching the surface. Because of the unique and near-miraculous properties of vibranium, the people mining it, the country of Wakanda, become a highly advanced civilization -- more advanced than any of the developed nations of the world. Some of the many cool special effects of Black Panther are bulletproof suits, aircraft like spaceships, holographic telephones, and super-advanced medicine (e.g., bullet wounds healed 100s of times faster than normal).

Yet fearing what might happen if other nations also possessed vibranium, they hide their secret from the outside world, in order to safeguard their source of power. Their warrior-king becomes the first Black Panther, the protector of Wakanda. (For more about the plot and characters, click here.)

Black Panther has all the elements of a great film. There are some aspects that are not realistic. For instance, the Northern Lights are visible in West Africa. (But, hey, this was fun!) Wakanda itself has been cobbled together from multiple (continental) African cultures, languages, and geographical regions of Africa (which probably broadened its appeal).

Beneath the surface
Although I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, I was conscious of a layer of dialogue -- sometimes just small nuances -- passing below me:

When T'Challa's uncle comes to the US, he observes US how blacks were being treated. He is indignant! From childhood up, I have certainly witnessed plenty of mistreatment and injustice.
T'Challa’s sister calls Everett Frost, a CIA agent, a “colonizer.” Anyone who knows the history of Africa, especially in the past 125 years, has a different view of the western powers.
Wakanda was in a position to liberate the two billion people "who look like us."

When T'Challa's rival for the throne, N'Jadaka (Killmonger), is mortally wounded, T’Challa says that maybe he can be healed. N'Jadaka replies (I am quoting from memory): "Why? So you can just lock me up? Just bury me in the ocean, with my ancestors that jumped from ships 'cause they knew that death was better than bondage." I thought of films like Amistad, and books like Uncle Tom's Cabin, which depict the horror of chattel slavery.
The film ends with a question about black identity: "Who are you?" In other words, Who am I? Will I do what is right? What is meaningful? Or will I only react to how I have been treated? Great questions all.
I noticed these salient points -- perhaps I could write an essay -- but I confess I did not feel much. (Knowing the history of an oppressed people is a good start, but it hardly puts the reader on the inside.) Since I am an "outsider," I asked three friends for their take. The first two are African-American; the third is married to an African-American. (I also spoke to several more friends from Africa, Asia, and Europe, but I thought the following responses were the most thoughtful.)

Joey Harris, CEO & Consultant, Aeron IT Consulting, Augusta, Georgia
Michelle Wright, Anchor and Morning Reporter for WSB Radio, Atlanta
Michael Burns, Teaching Minister, Minneapolis-St. Paul Church of Christ -- with a special ministry as a popular speaker on racial issues.

What my friends thought -- and felt:

Joey responds:

"I appreciated the (typically intra-community) themes of the various ways of resisting colonialism represented by Wakanda (isolationism) and Killmonger (armed resistance/revenge/militancy), as well as the larger themes of Wakanda protecting the world from their advanced technology (isolationism) vs. sharing their knowledge and technology with the rest of the world. I enjoyed the way their decision was portrayed at the end of the film, and again at the first of the two post-credit scenes.

As an African-American, it was refreshing to see a representation of an African country free from the effects of colonialism with a multicultural (pan-African), religiously pluralistic, multiethnic society which fused traditional aesthetics and values with ultramodern technology, without surrendering their unique cultural identity. I especially enjoyed the way that women and men were portrayed as equal partners in all aspects of society. And yet the traditional respect of elders, authority, and society were maintained in ways which still fit well with modern society and technology. Even the user interfaces of the technology were done in very believable and African ways.

I liked the way they protected their society (and the world from their technology) by having an outer, 'public' Wakanda— the portrayal of the Wakanda marketplace was also very believable, with the streets milling with people, shopping, eating, transacting business, etc—and a hidden, shielded, 'true' Wakanda.

Directorially, I loved the way that Coogler managed such a large cast and gave everyone—not just the main, titular character—important roles and screen time. I also enjoyed how General Okoye and her husband were on opposite sides politically, but able to maintain their relationship in the face of strongly opposing views. The women in general were strong characters. (Okoye, N’kia, the Dora Milaje, the Queen -- and of course, T'Challa’s little sister, Shuri, was 'the world's smartest living person.') (In Avengers, it’s Infinity War; they make it clear she is much smarter than both Tony Stark and Bruce Banner.) Yet she is still a (teen? early twenties?), a normal, fun-loving young woman in other respects.

The villain was truly tragic. He had a valid point about injustice, but a wrong way of reacting/dealing with it. Yet I was struck by how humble T’Challa was, sparing his opponents (the other tribal chieftain and Killmonger), as well as wanting to collaborate with people and nations wherever possible. Getting to the heart of things, T’Challa admits that he and his ancestors were wrong to isolate Wakanda with protectionist policies, hiding the true nature of the country’s advancements. The Wakandans ultimately decide to share their knowledge and take concrete steps to do so as soon as the decision had been made—a blessing for the world."

Michelle weighs in:

"Black Panther stirred me... It was fantastic. As many have said, it was nice to see 'people who looked like me' on the screen—both protagonists and antagonists. It was so good to see personal differences, not just differences of skin color. The acting was superb, and the effects fantastic. It truly made me proud (in an honored, not prideful way). The movie opened up discussions not just between American blacks and whites, but also between American blacks and African blacks.

There were a lot of deep, deep things in this superhero flick. There are so many layers dealing with so many things: economic disparity (Compton v. Wakanda), lack of exposure, the death/killing of black fathers which leaves many black sons fatherless and trying to figure out what to do, concealing of talents/resources, and hiding who we really are (for fear of exploitation). A truly amazing movie!"

Michael comments:

"My boys were very excited to go see Black Panther, so we went. Here are my thoughts.

1. Black Panther is an important movie about black identity in America. I've had people ask me before why it is okay for black people to say that they are proud to be black while it seems not okay for whites to say they are proud to be white. The answer to that has to do with identity. White is a category of social construct that has always been, at its core, about power and control. It's a fluctuating category that didn't always include Italians, Slavs, Irish, and others, while no one has a problem saying they’re proud of being Scottish or German or Greek. While these ethnic identities should never trump our identity in Christ, they can be fun but important pieces of who we are. After all, identity was in Christ. He saw no superiority in his ethnic identity, but he still identified with being Jewish, viewing the Jews as his people. But black Americans don't have that ethnic and cultural identity. It was stripped away from them. They can't say I'm proud to be Igbo, or Zulu or Xhosa. They only thing they have is to confirm pride in being black. We did a DNA test for my wife recently, and she found out that she is most predominantly Nigerian. There was something important about that to her, I think. It doesn't matter in terms of her being in Christ, but it does matter. Galatians 3:28 doesn’t deny there are differences between male and female, slave and free—only that in Christ—at the foot of the cross, as it’s often said—we all stand on even ground.

That's where Black Panther becomes so important. Most African Americans don't have those roots and identity. Wakanda is a mythical place but it was never colonized, it was never enslaved, and it embodies all kinds of African culture. It is the dream. And because so many black Americans don't have that ancestral identity, Wakanda seems like the perfect symbol. It gives them an identity. This is why, I think, so many have latched on to it. For that reason, I think it was a really important movie for many. It connected them with something they want, even if they haven't always known they wanted it—an identity. This identity of course is a secondary identity for those in Christ, but still an important one.

2. The character of Kilmonger is both fascinating and nuanced. In the end, his philosophy is embraced as correct; T'Challa changes his mind. Kilmonger felt it was wrong for Wakanda to turn its eye inward and ignore the injustice imposed on the rest of Africa. He was right. But I see an important piece of social commentary under the surface with this character. He allowed his bitterness towards these injustices to boil over, becoming a weapon of revenge. In so doing, he was destroyed by the very injustice. Wakanda had ignored the oppressed, but they had survived. They would now turn to help others, but on their terms. That's very powerful social commentary. That leads into the next observation.

3. The movie gets at the very real social pressure put on African Americans when they have "made it" somehow. They must deplete their own resources, at least according to the community, by giving back what they can to family members and others. My wife has felt an enormous pressure from this and the constant requests and expectations to pay for everything, to help, to take care of others. These can be difficult waters to navigate. Should they indiscriminately help because that is their obligation? Should they start over with their own generation and give to the next, yet realize they simply cannot save everyone else? Should they help but on their own limited terms? Difficult questions to answer.

4. Black Panther does a brilliant job of capturing the tension between Africans and African Americans. I've met many African disciples living in the United States who tell me that when they moved here as teens their African parents told them to stay away from African Americans because they were no good. They have really had to struggle with their prejudices since becoming Christians. The movie doesn't overtly address those issues, but it is there under the surface in a very real way.

Those are just a few thoughts that I have had initially. Oh, and the big fight scene in the final third of the film dragged on and was a bit gratuitous, but I guess that's Marvel films for ya :-)."

Bonus (not included in the podcast):
 

An African response: "It is a nice movie, although after watching a few productions from Marvel and DC, it was not exhilarating enough for me... The plot, with the conflict in the two generations of Wakanda kings and their relatives, is a great script, though.

I always find the fake African accent of Americans funny. The addition of the South African actors brought some authenticity. The portrayal of an Africa that does not have much to offer to the world is not something some Africans take lightly. I know there are many Africans still who prefer it that way so that handouts continue coming, but it is a wrong view of Africa. A major part of the movie portrays an Africa fully able to take care of itself, using its own natural resources. I like this; frankly, I wish most Africans (and the world) could see and believe that we have enough to take care of ourselves and help the world!

I like the strong sense of identity and loyalty that comes out from among those who stand with Wakanda. This is the heart of many Africans, and things like these excite me and remind me how committed and loyal our hearts can and should actually be toward our God.

The picture also had some realistically familiar African settings, like that village on the mountains with people on horses and walking around in blankets. It looked and felt like Lesotho [in Southern Africa]. Which brings a funny twist: the clothes of the men look like they are from today's Lesotho, while and the women soldiers look like West African warriors of years gone by. Much of the language used is also familiar. I may be mistaken because of the close similarities in languages, but I think it is Zulu. Overall, the movie is more representative of Southern Africa than it is of other parts of Africa. That is my opinion." -- Rapula Malejane, Botswana [Southern Africa]

Spiritual growth opportunities

If you're still holding out, watch Black Panther.
Appreciate the biblical points of the film. For example:

•  
  • Reject racial stereotypes.
  • Share, don’t hoard.
  • Engage, don’t withdraw.
  • Human anger does not bring about God’s will.
  • Some character embody "godly" wisdom, others "earthly" wisdom (see James 3). [Selected scriptures read from James 3-4.]

Talk to friends about how the film impacted them.
And if you are a majority race member (white), especially if you live in the U.S.:

• Read literature by prominent blacks (e.g. W. E. B. DuBois, The Souls of Black Folk).
• Read John Howard Griffin’s Black Like Me.
• Learn about more black superheroes.

Read Michael Burns’s Crossing the Line: Culture, Race, and Kingdom.
Embrace forgiveness, patience, and reconciliation—not bitterness, anger, and agitation.