Christians rightfully revere the Bible. It is the “Good Book”; the “Word of God for the people of God.” We study the Bible, meditate on its words, and argue about the proper way to interpret the text. Sadly, our reverence for our sacred book often keeps us from enjoying the funny stuff. Students may chuckle at the racy parts of the Song of Solomon or guffaw when Balaam’s donkey opens its mouth to speak.

Sean: Since we’ve started our “Sparks” discussions, Tony, I’ve wondered how our views on the Bible compare. We’ve both expressed concerns about the lack of biblical knowledge today among youth, but I can’t help but wonder, Is it for the same reason?

I’m concerned about the lack of biblical knowledge among young people, because I believe an accurate understanding of the character and nature of God is critical for spiritual formation. This is why I often wonder, Can true health in the church take place apart from accurately handling the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15)? This is why much of my concern about new movements in the church revolves around the de-emphasis on the authority of Scripture.

Students see school as one of the most important facets of their lives. For the most part, the relationships and interactions at school are the ones they attend to the most.

On the surface, it may seem like one three-letter word describes the band Stellar Kart: f-u-n.

As a seventh grader in youth group, I was always the first to volunteer to participate in object lessons. It was my time to shine, my chance to take center stage—my opportunity to impress the cute girl at my church.

Will Smith plays a modern-day superhero who’s immortal and invincible (well, 99.99 percent of the time—hey, even Superman was dogged by Kryptonite). The problem is that Hancock is a surly, depressed drunk who causes so much property damage and general mayhem while doing in the bad guys around Los Angeles that the citizenry and head honchos no longer want Hancock around. (Not unlike “Dirty Harry” on ginseng, steroids, and Cutty Sark.) 

For a flick that borrows heavily from The Matrix (think stunning special effects, cartoonish gun violence, vague nods to spirituality, and a main character snatched from a humdrum, oppressive life by a band of renegades in the hopes that he can discover his unique identity and do a job none of them have the ability to pull off) and just a tad from Office Space (think sad-sack, pencil-pushing cubicle drone constantly pushed around by a nauseatingly repellent boss and only slightly less boorish girlfriend), Wanted doesn’t feel like a knockoff. In fact, it’s quite entertaining.