24-7 Prayer Rewind - Life in the Movement for Monday, 3 February 2014

24-7 Prayer Rewind - Life in the Movement for Monday, 3 February 2014
24-7 Prayer Rewind - The Wolf of Wall Street
How does a Christian watch a film like Martin Scorsese's 'The Wolf of Wall Street'? (NB: This Rewind will only make sense if you have seen The Wolf of Wall Street trailer, but if not, it still might make you laugh)
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How does a Christian watch The Wolf of Wall Street?
"The year I turned 26 I made 49 million dollars – which really p***** me off because it was 3 short of a million a week”
And so begins the trailer for Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street, his latest collaboration with Leonard DiCaprio and the story of hedonistic and out of control stockbroker Jordan Belfort; a man, addicted to almost every vice on the planet, with the financial means and moral elasticity to grant himself every indulgence...
The Wolf of Wall Street is a tricky film to talk about. 
These types of visceral, hedonistic movies usually come pre packaged with a moral compass to guide you through your viewing experience; you’re challenged and shocked, and then you’re gently massaged into the position of the moral stance you’re supposed to take for or against it.
But there’s no such clarity in The Wolf of Wall Street. 
Throughout 180 minutes of wild debauchery, the film refuses to settle in a position of judgement on what we see.  And there are plenty of people; people with very loud voices, who weren’t too happy with that.
But the question of the film's morality, if picked apart by its content, leads to a far greater question. And it’s one not exclusive to this film.
Sex, violence, drug abuse, homophobia, sexism.
How do we view art, when this is art?
Whether or not we’re comfortable with it, is what we’re seeing a truth of the modern world? 
We were all in agreement that we wanted to tell the truest version of this story and not the sanitized version...It’s just holding up a mirror to what’s still going on.
Terrence Winter - The Wolf of Wall Street Screenwriter 
So, does that make it ok? Or is the film revelling in what it’s showing?
Generally speaking, Christians don’t agree with swearing. But what about when we watch Goodfellas? If a Christian had directed Goodfellas, should they have left the swearing out? Would Goodfellas feel an authentic representation of mob culture if they hadn’t been using authentic language? 
All art has something to say - but if it feels inauthentic or untrue, it's intentions, whatever they are, are undermined.
And, if we, as Christians, constantly seperate ourselves from films like this, do we become completely irrelevant and unaware of the truth of the world around us?
Living in the Tension
We are not neccessarily made bad by the things we are surrounded with. Equally, we’re not people of light just from standing near people of light. We have personal accountability. We are required to be an active audience in the cinema like we’re required to live active lives, making active decisions and actively seeking God. 
If we are weak to certain things, susceptible to influence; we must be intentional about self-certificating the movies we watch, knowing our own places of weakness and temptation. 
We are called to live in the tension between understanding the times and stewarding our souls.
Sometimes what we credit as 'being culturally relevant' comes at too high a price. Just as it is naive to seperate ourselves from the harsh truths of the world, it is equally niave to believe that what we watch doesn't effect us, influence us and ultimately change us.
We are called to be in the world, not of the world. We engage with culture, but we emulate God.
We're right to be asking, as Christians, how should we approach a film that displays an excess of sex, violence, drug use, homophobia, and sexism. We're right, in the same way that we need to be asking, as Christians, how should we approach any film? 
As Christians, how do we approach anything?
We watch films, we get jobs, we make friends, we play sports, we join churches, but we keep our eyes on God.
Nick Beasley is an English Literature graduate who spent a year studying at the London Film Academy before joining the 24-7 Prayer Communications team. He’s mostly interested in films and music and is a Manchester United fan, though he has no geographical right to justify his allegiance. 
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Blogging
24-7 Rewind "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it" - International Holocaust Remembrance Day
Nick Beasley
The 27th of January marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day 
76 years to the day, since the Red Army liberated 7,000 prisoners from the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp complex; it serves to remind us of the millions more who lost their lives, and the legacy of the horror that lives on. 
Wars of the past can often feel so distant that we struggle in trying to remember; struggle to relate, as the memory grows increasingly faint with time. 
But it's scars are still worn by millions to this day; those affected directly by the conflict and those who have suffered under the burden of its legacy, and it’s these who still need our prayers.
In remembering the past we are learning for the future. We honour the lives of those who were lost and we grow as a people. We repent of the mistakes we have made and we have allowed to be made, and we strive to ensure they are never made again.
Through remembering the past, we are actively bringing God’s kingdom to the present and the future. 
"Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." 
George Santayana
Nick Beasley is an English Literature graduate who spent a year studying at the London Film Academy before joining the 24-7 Prayer Communications team. He’s mostly interested in films and music and is a Manchester United fan, though he has no geographical right to justify his allegiance. 
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24-7 Rewind Geneva II: Talks See Promising Steps Towards Peace
Nick Beasley
There is a war raging in Syria, at this moment, as you read this. 
And people are meeting, Government officials from all over the world, in an attempt to resolve the conflict. Conflict that has lead to the end of more than 100,000 lives and has made refugees of nearly 10 million.
What is there to pray for more important than that?
Last week we called for a commitment to pray for Syria
Progress for Peace
Sunday saw the remarkable breakthrough of permission being granted for women and children to peacefully leave Homs, the besieged city at the heart of the conflict, with the opportunity for medical care upon exit. 
On top of this, discussions have begun regarding the allowance of safe passage for aid convoys to reach the area, with an estimated 800 families still residing in the city. 
But prayers are still needed to push this important progress through. The rebel party are suspicious of the motives behind the government’s actions, and their concerns are stalling the arrival of aid and escape that so many need so desperately.
The weekend saw the first face-to-face meeting between representatives from the conflicting sides, and though no words were directly exchanged between the two, this is still great progress.
With the positions of the government and opposition being so fundamentally opposed on such fundamental aspects of these discussions, yesterday’s meetings became, unsurprisingly, deadlocked; with the opposing sides defiant in their positions regarding the future of Syrian President Basher al-Assad.
While both wish to end the conflict, neither are willing to back down.
Meetings will continue this week, and with them our prayers are needed.
A continued call to prayer
Thank God for the encouraging and remarkable progress that has already been made. 
Pray for those affected 
Pray for those in Geneva working for peace.
Pray for God’s Kingdom to come and God’s will to be done.
If prayer can change the world, then what needs our prayers more than Syria at this time?
Nick Beasley is an English Literature graduate who spent a year studying at the London Film Academy before joining the 24-7 Prayer Communications team. He’s mostly interested in films and music and is a Manchester United fan, though he has no geographical right to justify his allegiance.  
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24-7 Rewind Is There Any Point in Praying for the Super Bowl?
Adam Heather
This Sunday, as the Seahawks face off against the Broncos, America will be watching. But that’s not all they’ll be doing. They’ll also be tweeting around 30 million times (#superbowl), 1/3 of them will be gambling, they’ll be eating a staggering 1.23 billion chicken wings and, potentially, 15% of them will be missing the birth of their child (or have at least threatened to, should they be called upon to make the choice). 
And all this down to America’s biggest sporting event.
Last year, 108.4 million people sat down to watch. Of the 10 highest viewed TV shows in the history of American television, 9 of them were Super Bowls.
Needless to say, people care about this game. 
In fact, companies understand just how much people care, and are fighting to pay up to 4 million dollars for a 30 second advertising spot between quarters. 
I am certain that, whether people believe it theologically correct, countless prayers will be uttered as the clock runs down to full time.
But really, should we pray for the Super Bowl? 
As a UK citizen I am not overly concerned with the outcome of Sunday’s game. But, as a life long supporter on Man Utd, I would be lying if I said I haven’t prayed for my beloved team - especially in the last 5 months. 
Thank you Jesus for Mata. 
I think the question about whether we should pray for the Super Bowl, highlights a bit of a problem with our understanding of prayer:
Do I think that God, if I pray, will divinely intervene on behalf of the Seahawks or the Broncos? I honestly have no idea. 
Do I think that if I had spent a bit of extra time in prayer for Utd, we would have landed another big signing this January to save our season? Probably not.
But I also don’t think those are the right questions. Better questions would be:
Do I care about Man Utd? Yes. 
Do people care about the Super Bowl? Yes.
Therefore, should I pray about the Super Bowl? Of course.Why? Because, I believe that God is interested in every part of my life. Not just the things of cosmic significance but the everyday things that make me, me. 
If the answer to whether we should pray for the Super Bowl hangs on whether or not it effects the outcome of the game then I would suggest it’s not worth it. 
But, if prayer isn’t just calling in divine reinforcement and asking God to do stuff or fix stuff; if it’s meant to be a real relationship with the Living God who calls himself Father, then I can only believe that he wants to be included in our passion for the Super Bowl. 
Adam Heather helps to keep 24-7 talking to the world as part of the communications team based in Guildford. He got connected with 24-7 after spending a year studying with a church in California. He loves  playing games and he is easily captivated by any exciting new idea. You can catch up with Adam on twitter
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Going deeper
The Prayer Course
Six videos to fuel discussion and deepen the prayer life of your church
24-7 Prayer and Alpha have teamed up to produce The Prayer Course - six 10 minute videos, hosted by Pete Greig, to help you explore different themes of prayer found in the bible: adoration, petition, intercession, unanswered prayer, listening to God and spiritual warfare. Available for free download at www.prayercourse.org
If you want to contact 24-7 Prayer, please use the contact form on the website.
24-7 Prayer - UK Registered Charity 1091413
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