Saturday, September 20, 2008

How do you get to Heaven?

Last week at bedtime, after we did what we call "nighttime prayers" with the boys, I asked Charlie "Now Charlie, how do you get to Heaven?". Expecting a simple, spot-on, theologically sound answer I nearly collapsed with both shock and laughter when he looked up at me and replied "You need a really big rocket with loads of petrol!". He then went on to explain that because Heaven is past space, that a normal rocket wouldn't be good enough. Thankfully, eventually, he got the answer right. Weans have a way with words.

Give Up Yer Aul Sins is a series of recordings from Dublin classrooms of the 1960s, of children re-telling Bible stories to their teacher. The audio has been set to new animations, and whilst the theology and cultural context leaves much to be desired (just one example from the voiceover "...when you want a miracle done you can ask the Blessed Lady, for she's His mother...", and the depiction of Christ is dreadful), otherwise the overall effect is lovely. Here's a YouTube clip on the life of Lazarus:



I notice from the endframes that these were funded by RTE and the Irish Film Board. What chance of getting BBC Northern Ireland and Northern Ireland Screen to fund and support sympathetic productions of the Protestant equivalent - stories of martyrs, missionaries and the Bible, with a rock-solid gospel message at their foundation? Parity of esteem? Not likely!

2 comments:

John Killian said...

This story will make the Sunday sermon here at Maytown Baptist Church near Birmingham, Alabama US

Mark Thompson said...

John, that's marvellous! From a child's bedroom in rural Ulster to a church sermon in Alabama in a matter of minutes - isn't technology wonderful?!