718: For Three Dollars More

Archived reviews of Adventures in Odyssey episodes!
Post Reply

What's your rating?

5: A full offering plate!
1
7%
4: I had a lot of interest in it.
8
53%
3: Just a few dollars.
4
27%
2: I'll give a little credit.
1
7%
1: This show had no cents to it!
1
7%
 
Total votes: 15

User avatar
Peachey Keen
Smile for the camera
Posts: 1198
Joined: July 2008
Location: Where The Wind Comes Sweeping Down The Plain
Gender:

718: For Three Dollars More

Post by Peachey Keen »

Was this episode worth your tithe...er, time?

User avatar
jennifertwt
Catspaw Rocks!
Posts: 790
Joined: April 2008
Location: Stockholm, Sweden

Post by jennifertwt »

Though this episode had a good message, I did not enjoy it as much as The Perfect Church or other Room of Consequence adventures. It is not bad, just not one of the "higher quality" eps since the relaunch. Looking forward to the rest of the album.
Jennifer Lundgren
Stockholm, Sweden
User avatar
Leonard Meltsner
I'm memorable
Posts: 1542
Joined: January 2010
Location: Odyssey, of course!! Isn't that implied in the name of the forum?

Post by Leonard Meltsner »

It's rather frightening to think that Matthew tried out a program untested on a live subject. We're all aware of what even a perfectly-executed program can do to the mind. *cough coughmortalcoil cough* The fact that Connie was programming it? Now that is terrifying.

It made me think of our last RoC episode, way back in 2003. They both involved a small action escalating into armed robbery years later (at least in Connie's program).

Whit's program made me think of The Tangled Web, in that it showed that even without some outrageous outward explicit impact, those actions will stay with you and affect you for the rest of your life.

Also, every episode so far has taken place inside an invention.
Image
Eugene-"Well, the sequence of events occured with extreme rapidity, but I shall attempt to recall them. I was powering my two-wheeler along this concrete pathway, when your personnage suddenly appeared directly in front of me blocking my course. My reflexes immediately sprang to life in an attempt to navigate an evasive manouveur around you while still maintaining course and speed, but I evidently over-compensated, and my Schwinn careened off the hardened path, taking me with it, and up-ended us both in this shrub, a Rhododendron of the heath family I believe, deducing from the leathery evergreen leaves, as distinguished from the deciduous Azalea, which as we all know is..."
Isaac-"You mean, you crashed into this bush cause I got in your way."
Eugene-"Well, that of course is another way of expressing it." Isaac the Benevolent
User avatar
Woody
Set blasters to rapid-fire
Posts: 5152
Joined: January 2012
Location: Whenever and wherever I want to be

Post by Woody »

It was good, not great. Though I did like it that they brought back the RoC. It's my favorite of Whits inventions. :D And it did have a good message.
I have been robbed of my rightful secret moderator powers! Vote here to help me get them back!
User avatar
Jesus' Princess
Country Girl
Country Girl
Posts: 4973
Joined: April 2011
Location: on the farm

Post by Jesus' Princess »

I personally didn't like it as much as the Perfect Church, but it had a good lesson. To me, it seemed kind of like the split episodes almost, where not a whole lot happens, but it's kind of predictable. May have just been me though :) I'd give it a 2.5 of 5
Image
User avatar
American Eagle
Chief of Police
Posts: 11977
Joined: September 2008
Gender:

Post by American Eagle »

Call me crazy, but I actually enjoyed this episode. It wasn't fantastic, but it made me feel like I was listening to an episode from 10 years ago.

4/5 stars
he/him | attorney | spartan | christian | bleeding heart type

Note: My past posts do not necessarily reflect my values. Many of them were made when I was young and (in retrospect) misguided. If you identify a post that expresses misinformation, prejudice, or anything harmful, please let me know.
User avatar
Leonard Meltsner
I'm memorable
Posts: 1542
Joined: January 2010
Location: Odyssey, of course!! Isn't that implied in the name of the forum?

Post by Leonard Meltsner »

I did like the way in that not only did it teach a lesson to Barrett about obedience and tithing and such, but also a small lesson for Matthew and Connie on how to teach people, making things relatable and reasonable and such.
Image
Eugene-"Well, the sequence of events occured with extreme rapidity, but I shall attempt to recall them. I was powering my two-wheeler along this concrete pathway, when your personnage suddenly appeared directly in front of me blocking my course. My reflexes immediately sprang to life in an attempt to navigate an evasive manouveur around you while still maintaining course and speed, but I evidently over-compensated, and my Schwinn careened off the hardened path, taking me with it, and up-ended us both in this shrub, a Rhododendron of the heath family I believe, deducing from the leathery evergreen leaves, as distinguished from the deciduous Azalea, which as we all know is..."
Isaac-"You mean, you crashed into this bush cause I got in your way."
Eugene-"Well, that of course is another way of expressing it." Isaac the Benevolent
User avatar
The Top Crusader
Hammer Bro
Hammer Bro
Posts: 22629
Joined: April 2005
Location: A drawbridge over a lava pit with an axe conveniently off to the side

Post by The Top Crusader »

Haven't listened yet, but yay for using a Clint Eastwood film title (sort of).
User avatar
Bennett
Someone's favorite
Posts: 1637
Joined: April 2005

Post by Bennett »

User avatar
Cbriggs45
Pilgrim
Posts: 278
Joined: November 2010

Post by Cbriggs45 »

i think it was a nifty idea that whit had opened the R.o.C to the kids programming it. i mean. it made me even at my age wish it was real.

i was excited to hear this when i first heard about it. i love the subject cause there are so many opinions of it.

it was an awesome view for the age range it was going for.

it was a good episode but.. the perfect church set the bar really high right off the get go. so.. yeah.
you can learn a lot from job 38-42, being humble isn't the easiest but its worth it.
User avatar
Christian A.
Animatronic
Posts: 1063
Joined: April 2011
Location: Copley, Ohio
Contact:

Post by Christian A. »

Overall... I think I liked this episode. Originally, when I first listened to it, I had some complaints. I thought it was a little rushed, like "Great Expectations," and I concurred with Alex Jefferson (the blogger) when he said that it seemed a little unnecessary to have two separate failed attempts at an RoC adventure before finally bringing Whit in to help. Also, because of the two silly adventures, I got the impression that the episode was a little bit too focused on entertaining, rather than bringing across the point about tithing.

However, after listening to it again, I've formulated a different opinion. I still have some minor complaints, and I'll get to those later, but I think this episode was actually very well done. Once Whit came on the scene, I thought the moral lesson came across very strongly. Obviously there was a good bit of silliness thrown in for the first half of the episode, but I suppose that can be disregarded, as it was likely designed to keep the younger listeners attentive. But I could use Barrett's words and say, "It was absurd!" or "This is ridiculous!" :P I thought the acting was good--better than usual, even--and the plot, especially of the last adventure, was very well constructed.

When the episode descriptions for this season surfaced over the summer, I was excited to see that we'd be hearing from the Room of Consequence again. Without looking on AIO Wiki, I guessed that the last time we heard from it was when Liz Horton experienced the adventure backwards in "Hindsight." And I was right. I was wrong, however, when it came to my guess about how many RoC episodes there have been in Odyssey history. My guess was that there were around three or four total. I could think of "Into Temptation," "Hindsight," and "The Eternal Birthday." I guess that just shows how big of an Odyssey geek I am. There are 12 total episodes (including the two from this season) that feature the Room of Consequence! (There are also two Odyssey videos that featured it, I see.) We could have a whole special album full of these episodes! Looking back through the list, I remembered all of the episodes, but I forgot that most of them featured the RoC. It's funny, because I seemed to remember only the very unique RoC adventures. I remembered the very first one, "Into Temptation"; the one where Liz experiences the same day multiple times, "Eternal Birthday"; and the one where the machine runs backwards, "Hindsight." Many of the rest of them, I remembered as Imagination Station adventures, I guess. Most of them are very good episodes. The only one I don't remember very well is "Thy Kingdom Come." Maybe that's just because I haven't listened to it as often; it just seems like that was one of the more forgettable RoC adventures. It's probably different for different people.

Anyways... all that was to say that I was glad to see the return of this machine. It's been odd for it to have disappeared for these 15 albums, since we've last seen it. And it did seem to run a little differently. It took Matthew and Connie mere minutes to program a somewhat elaborate adventure for Barrett to experience. I don't remember there being much programming involved in the other episodes. I thought it was all based on the user's own mind, as in the case of the Imagination Station. But, I suppose I can think of an instance or two where the adventure needed to be programmed. Jason programmed Heather's (or was it Erica's?) adventure in the soap opera TV show in "Soaplessly Devoted," and Whit and Eugene had to program Liz's adventure in "The Eternal Birthday." But those are the only ones I can think of where it was specifically mentioned that the adventure was pre-programmed. It just seemed more like a game than an epic adventure into your possible future when Matthew and Connie were able to manipulate it so drastically with a few keystrokes. Plus, weren't these adventures always supposed to be plausible outcomes of choices? I don't remember there ever being an option where the user would experience a completely ridiculous future, as Barrett did in this episode.

All that aside, I really was happy that we got to see the RoC in action again. We'd had two/three Imagination Station episodes in this season already, so it was time for a change. The Room of Consequence has always seemed to be very effective in its persuasion of the conscience of the user. This time, the writers decided to utilize the machine to teach a lesson that, surprisingly, hasn't really ever been touched on in Odyssey history. And I thought they did it quite effectively. But I'll get to that later. Right now, I'd like to get out of the way the few minor problems I had with the story:

1. As was the case with scenes featuring several tween girls in Albums 51 and 52, particularly, I had a little bit of a hard time following the scenes with the older Matthew and Barrett the first time I listened. It was a little difficult to distinguish the two voices. But, eventually, I got the difference between their voices, and it was no longer a problem. So that was only a very minor complaint.

2. One more important problem I had was that on at least two occasions, Mrs. Meltsner spoke in front of the church during a Sunday morning worship service. Now, granted, these events took place during the fictional RoC adventures, but I seemed to me that they were representative of what would be a perfectly normal occurrence. Now, as was the brief complaint I had last week about Emily and her feministic dreams, this is a personal belief and preference that I try to support with Scripture. And this time, I'm backed by my whole denomination at least. 1 Timothy 2, as well as 1 Corinthians 11, I believe, say that a woman should not speak in the church, but that they should remain silent during the worship service. They shouldn't speak up, but should address their husbands with any questions and comments they have later. I know that's just as controversial as what I said last week, what with all of the female pastors and worship leaders and such. But that's what I believe, so that's just something I wanted to add.

3. My final complaint is the most relevant to the actual story of the episode. I didn't really like how much Barrett seemed to have backslidden in the future. I know it was all fiction, but Barrett wasn't like, "Hey! I know I'm a Christian now, so there's no way I could act like that and lose my salvation." I just thought it was very odd that Barrett totally gave up on going to church, helping people, and making God a priority, but Matthew still treated him as if he was a Christian and didn't really address that issue. And then what struck me as most weird was that when Matthew told Barrett that Joey, the kid at the recreation center, had recently "given his life to Jesus," Barrett was like, "That's awesome!" On the one hand, he seems to have no care about spiritual things whatsoever, but then he's still excited when someone gets saved. From my point of view, and from the Bible's point of view, if you've been saved, God has changed your heart and your desires, so that you will never ultimately rebel against Him again. You will sin, sure, but He's sealed you with the Holy Spirit. Nothing you could do could separate you from His love, and because of that love, you're not going to want to live in unrepentant sin. Jesus died for your sin, to take the wrath of God away from you. If His wrath no longer abides on you, you could never backslide so much so that you would end up in Hell, with His wrath on you again. I know many people don't share that conviction either, but that was something that bugged me about this episode, so, again, I just had to bring it up.

Alright. Now to the good stuff. I really liked the message of this episode. I think my family differs a lot from the traditional view of tithing, in that we don't believe that God requires a rigid ten percent, as He did in the Old Testament. There's no rehashing of that commandment in the New Testament. But there are several passages--particularly in 2 Corinthians 9--that talk about giving cheerfully to the church, supporting your local pastor, and stuff like that. So we believe that Christians are not absolutely obligated to give ten percent of their earnings to God, as is the majority view today. We believe that ten percent is a good starting point, but that it's really about your heart and what's going on inside of you when you're giving your money.

I was surprised to hear that that was basically the main point of this Odyssey episode as well. Whit specifically says to Barrett at the end of the show that he probably figured out by now, tithing is not so much for God's benefit, but for our benefit. It shows us our heart condition and when we're not trusting God to provide for us. When we don't trust God enough to give Him just a portion of our income, it's showing that we probably don't trust Him in other areas either. So, yeah, I thought the writers handled this topic very well. Better than I was expecting, for sure.

That brings me to another positive. I actually found myself liking Whit in this episode! Andre Stojka's performance in this episode really made me think back to the old days of Whit, where he was the grandfatherly character with good advice and biblical values to teach the kids. And this wasn't just a generic moral lesson, this was a teaching straight from the Bible. And he even made a Gospel application when he said that we should be willing to sacrifice for God, because of how much He sacrificed for us.

And, on the subject of actors, I realized the second time I heard this episode that, Brandon Gilberstadt is back! I knew I recognized old Matthew's voice the first time I heard the episode, but I couldn't pinpoint it. This time, it came back to me, and I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't know he was still around and willing and able to do a voice for Odyssey like this. I mean, he was in that one episode in Album 50, but I thought that was just a one-time thing--especially since they had to get him over the phone. But yeah, it was nice ot hear from him again.

Oh, and one final thing! Am I the only one who thought that the pastor of Barrett and Matthew's church sounded a whole lot like Paul Herlinger? There were a couple of scenes that started off with him talking, and I was shocked when it sounded so much like the old Mr. Whittaker. I was thinking, why didn't they just use this guy instead of Andre Stojka? I think he could have done a great job sounding like Whit. But what's done is done, I guess. I really would have liked to see how he would have done though. I'll have to look up who that actor was.

Wow. That was a long review. I had even more to say than I thought. Are you guys liking these long reviews? If you're not, and they're taking too long to read, I can try to shorten them, so let me know. Thanks for reading it if you did, though. I appreciate your appreciation of my hard work. :)
User avatar
Leonard Meltsner
I'm memorable
Posts: 1542
Joined: January 2010
Location: Odyssey, of course!! Isn't that implied in the name of the forum?

Post by Leonard Meltsner »

That was a good review! I think you meant "For Thine is the Kingdom", not "Thy Kingdom Come", which was the ROC episode on God's sovereignty.

I'm curious, what male:female ratio do you have at your church that allows it that women never speak up? I'm wondering because we have 5 different worship teams, all of which are led by women, with my mom as the main worship leader, and probably over half of our announcements are done by women, as they often involve Women's Ministries, or things the women are doing to collect things or make things for various charities, and they have to explain what's going on. Or even the female missionaries who come and speak? I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just curious about how you do things.

Finally, I wouldn't say that someone being saved means that they will never rebel. As a youth leader, I've seen people give their hearts to the LORD, be very devout, and outreaching to others, but spiritual attacks can come and there are a few who fall away and now spend their time partying and getting drunk and high. It's extremely sad, but it definitely happens.

And I don't think that (older) Barrett was aware of his own falling away in the future. It happened slowly. "The safest road to Hell is the gradual one - the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts."-CS Lewis. The time lapse of this episode helped to demonstrate this concept. Theoretical-future-Barrett very slowly stopped giving of his money and time. Even in the end, he didn't realize how much he had fallen away. So when he heard Joey had become a Christian, he was excited, because he still considered himself a believer, even when he had slipped away from his faith as he had.
That's my take on the scene, and will hopefully make it make more sense.
Image
Eugene-"Well, the sequence of events occured with extreme rapidity, but I shall attempt to recall them. I was powering my two-wheeler along this concrete pathway, when your personnage suddenly appeared directly in front of me blocking my course. My reflexes immediately sprang to life in an attempt to navigate an evasive manouveur around you while still maintaining course and speed, but I evidently over-compensated, and my Schwinn careened off the hardened path, taking me with it, and up-ended us both in this shrub, a Rhododendron of the heath family I believe, deducing from the leathery evergreen leaves, as distinguished from the deciduous Azalea, which as we all know is..."
Isaac-"You mean, you crashed into this bush cause I got in your way."
Eugene-"Well, that of course is another way of expressing it." Isaac the Benevolent
User avatar
Dallas R.
My posts are revolutionary
Posts: 403
Joined: January 2009
Location: Wisconsin

Post by Dallas R. »

Christian A. wrote: Oh, and one final thing! Am I the only one who thought that the pastor of Barrett and Matthew's church sounded a whole lot like Paul Herlinger? There were a couple of scenes that started off with him talking, and I was shocked when it sounded so much like the old Mr. Whittaker. I was thinking, why didn't they just use this guy instead of Andre Stojka? I think he could have done a great job sounding like Whit. But what's done is done, I guess. I really would have liked to see how he would have done though. I'll have to look up who that actor was.
Hmm. I see what you're getting at. I could hear some resemblances. It wasn't too strong though. I'd have never thought it if you hadn't said something. He sounds more like a young person that sounds a little older than he actually is. I feel like if he were playing Whit, he would basically just sound like some guy trying to imitate Paul Herlinger. The nice thing about Andre Stojka as Whit, as it doesn't sound like a sub par impression, without the real personality of Whit. Andre captures the spirit of Whit, yet still makes the character his own. When I hear Andre, I think Whit. I hear a voice like the Pastor in this episode, I think Paul Herlinger. Does that make sense?
Katrina Meltsner talking to Katrina Shanks Video
(Pamela Hayden and Audrey Wasilewski face-off)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDHyEphRM4g

Yep. Using my signature for a shameless plug. But trust me. If I can be so arrogant, I think it'll be worth your time.
User avatar
Christian A.
Animatronic
Posts: 1063
Joined: April 2011
Location: Copley, Ohio
Contact:

Post by Christian A. »

Leonard Meltsner wrote:That was a good review! I think you meant "For Thine is the Kingdom", not "Thy Kingdom Come", which was the ROC episode on God's sovereignty.
Yes, sorry. That's the one I meant.
Leonard Meltsner wrote:I'm curious, what male:female ratio do you have at your church that allows it that women never speak up? I'm wondering because we have 5 different worship teams, all of which are led by women, with my mom as the main worship leader, and probably over half of our announcements are done by women, as they often involve Women's Ministries, or things the women are doing to collect things or make things for various charities, and they have to explain what's going on. Or even the female missionaries who come and speak? I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just curious about how you do things.
It really doesn't have anything to do with the amount of women who attend the church--though, the ratio is about the same. We only have about 100 people attend on any given Sunday. And it's not like women are never allowed to speak ever. Women are only not allowed to speak or contribute to the Sunday morning and evening worship services. They are free to contribute and ask questions during the Sunday School hour and at Prayer Meeting on Wednesday nights. They do sing the worship songs, and we actually do have a lady who plays the guitar for some songs. But no woman is in a speaking or teaching position.

We obtain that stance from 1 Timothy 2 in which Paul says, "I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man." If that were all he said, maybe people could make the case that that only applied to that culture and that today is different. But Paul goes on, "For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived fell into transgression." If it were a mere cultural problem, he wouldn't have appealed to truths from the very beginning of creation to back it up. The fact that he used Adam and Eve as his example is evidence that this applies just as much today as it did 2,000 years ago. Paul also says, "The head of every woman is man." The woman does not have the authority to teach a man in a church setting. That's just the way God wants it. It's not demeaning of women; it's just putting them in the place He created them for.
Leonard Meltsner wrote:Finally, I wouldn't say that someone being saved means that they will never rebel. As a youth leader, I've seen people give their hearts to the LORD, be very devout, and outreaching to others, but spiritual attacks can come and there are a few who fall away and now spend their time partying and getting drunk and high. It's extremely sad, but it definitely happens.
I don't believe that people can lose their salvation. I'll post here what I posted in The Soda Shop the other day:

"So is it our works that are keeping us saved? Like, we need to work to remain saved, and if we stop doing good works and start doing bad enough works, we are no longer saved by God's grace alone?

If we're saved by grace alone, that means that we are kept saved by grace alone. Our good behavior and not rejecting God don't keep us saved; God keeps us saved.

Furthermore, if you're a saved person, God has given you a new heart that no longer delights in doing evil. If you're delighting in sin and willfully rejecting God, that's just evidence that you never got a new heart.

And what about the verses that talk about the Holy Spirit as the seal of our salvation until the final day of redemption? Is the Holy Spirit just going to up and leave us when we sin enough? Isn't He supposed to help us to fight against our sin? Why would He just leave us to ourselves when He's supposed to continually sanctify us and keep us until we die?

It just doesn't make sense that someone who has had their sins washed away forever--their past, present, and future sins have been totally forgiven--could become "un-forgiven" and guilty before God again. If Jesus took the wrath of God on the cross for them, then how can the wrath of God abide on them again?"
Leonard Meltsner wrote:And I don't think that (older) Barrett was aware of his own falling away in the future. It happened slowly. "The safest road to Hell is the gradual one - the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts."-CS Lewis. The time lapse of this episode helped to demonstrate this concept. Theoretical-future-Barrett very slowly stopped giving of his money and time. Even in the end, he didn't realize how much he had fallen away. So when he heard Joey had become a Christian, he was excited, because he still considered himself a believer, even when he had slipped away from his faith as he had.
That's my take on the scene, and will hopefully make it make more sense.
Actually, despite my disagreement with you above, I do think that that explanation makes sense. He still had joy over the idea the a young boy got saved, but he didn't realize his own true condition as a false convert.

-- December 3rd, 2012, 8:57 pm --
Dallas R. wrote:
Christian A. wrote: Oh, and one final thing! Am I the only one who thought that the pastor of Barrett and Matthew's church sounded a whole lot like Paul Herlinger? There were a couple of scenes that started off with him talking, and I was shocked when it sounded so much like the old Mr. Whittaker. I was thinking, why didn't they just use this guy instead of Andre Stojka? I think he could have done a great job sounding like Whit. But what's done is done, I guess. I really would have liked to see how he would have done though. I'll have to look up who that actor was.
Hmm. I see what you're getting at. I could hear some resemblances. It wasn't too strong though. I'd have never thought it if you hadn't said something. He sounds more like a young person that sounds a little older than he actually is. I feel like if he were playing Whit, he would basically just sound like some guy trying to imitate Paul Herlinger. The nice thing about Andre Stojka as Whit, as it doesn't sound like a sub par impression, without the real personality of Whit. Andre captures the spirit of Whit, yet still makes the character his own. When I hear Andre, I think Whit. I hear a voice like the Pastor in this episode, I think Paul Herlinger. Does that make sense?
Yeah, I can see what you're saying. And you're right. He doesn't sound just like Paul Herlinger. I was just saying that he sounded a lot like him. But I still think I could be satisfied with him as Whit. But I guess we'll never know if that would have worked or not.
User avatar
TigerintheShadows
Ignorance of the law is no excuse
Posts: 4171
Joined: August 2009
Location: Guess. I dare you.

Post by TigerintheShadows »

Christian A. wrote:I had a little bit of a hard time following the scenes with the older Matthew and Barrett the first time I listened.
Yeah, I noticed that, too. I think that if Brandon Gilberstadt had gone for more of a Jared-esque voice, I'd have been able to tell the two apart better, though the downside to that would have been that we'd have been spending the whole time adult!Matthew was talking wondering where the spy cameras and night vision goggles were. ;) That didn't stop adult!Matthew from being too stinking cool, though, but anyone with that voice has got to be awesome. \:D/

Speaking of voices--Barrett's voice now reminds me so much of Corey Padnos's voice post-change. I can't hear it anymore without thinking about my baby boy. :inlove: (On the negative side, if they do bring Trent back, they probably couldn't use Barrett because Andy Pessoa and Corey now sound so similar--which is a shame, because I rather like Barrett.)
Christian A. wrote:Whit specifically says to Barrett at the end of the show that he probably figured out by now, tithing is not so much for God's benefit, but for our benefit. It shows us our heart condition and when we're not trusting God to provide for us. When we don't trust God enough to give Him just a portion of our income, it's showing that we probably don't trust Him in other areas either. So, yeah, I thought the writers handled this topic very well. Better than I was expecting, for sure.
//nodnod It was nice to see this show address that we shouldn't just give because we have to or even because we want to--we give because God gave first.

This episode was strong for me because our sermon on Sunday was on 2 Corinthians 8, discussing generosity and how it relates to the churches of which Paul was speaking. He wasn't trying to push the giving issue, and nor was my pastor; he explicitly stated that we give because God gives to us, just as we love because God loves us. It was really nice to hear this episode right after I'd just heard a sermon on generosity.
Christian A. wrote:If we're saved by grace alone, that means that we are kept saved by grace alone. Our good behavior and not rejecting God don't keep us saved; God keeps us saved.

Furthermore, if you're a saved person, God has given you a new heart that no longer delights in doing evil. If you're delighting in sin and willfully rejecting God, that's just evidence that you never got a new heart.
But it's not always immediate, especially if you've grown up in such a way as to make "getting saved" seem like a normal thing (like, you're desensitized to it, so even if you really were saved, you continue living your life like you used to), nor does it mean that you won't ever succumb to a vice. It's true that nothing can snatch us out of the hand of Jesus, but He never promised that as soon as we got saved, we'd be perfect, nor did he ever promise that we wouldn't fall away. The difference is that the true sheep always find their way back, and the false sheep continue to wander.
Image
"Death's got an Invisibility Cloak?" "So he can sneak up on people. Sometimes he gets bored of running at them, flapping his arms and shrieking..."
"And now the spinning. Thank you for nothing, you useless reptile."
"It unscrews the other way."
AIO tumblr sideblog
User avatar
radgeek
Catspaw Rocks!
Posts: 766
Joined: January 2011
Location: By my husband's side or the pharmacy

Post by radgeek »

I'll join with the conversation on salvation only because I'm a case study. I was saved as a four-year-old. I know this for a fact. But around 13 Satan tried to pull me away with something I hadn't had explained to me fully yet. It was homosexuality and I became trapped. You don't enjoy it with the Holy Spirit in you but you've allowed yourself to be wrapped up in sin can't find our own way out. I had to find God's way out. I've left that all far behind but if I died before getting out of that lifestyle, would you have thought of me as unsaved?
I have the best signature ever!

ToO mother of Merlin J. Marvin, iluvsns, ric, TKD, Alyssa, Garrett, ID4J and Monty and the other siblings that I've yet to find. ToO sister of Whitty Whit.

In the market for a Reformers Unanimous Signature Banner

Blitz: You Americans are lost. As missionaries, we generally hate stereotypes.
Jelly: Was this meant to be ironic? ;)
User avatar
Mrs Jason Whittaker
Classic
Posts: 648
Joined: March 2008
Location: Mitchell, SD

Post by Mrs Jason Whittaker »

Christian A. wrote:2. One more important problem I had was that on at least two occasions, Mrs. Meltsner spoke in front of the church during a Sunday morning worship service. Now, granted, these events took place during the fictional RoC adventures, but I seemed to me that they were representative of what would be a perfectly normal occurrence. Now, as was the brief complaint I had last week about Emily and her feministic dreams, this is a personal belief and preference that I try to support with Scripture. And this time, I'm backed by my whole denomination at least. 1 Timothy 2, as well as 1 Corinthians 11, I believe, say that a woman should not speak in the church, but that they should remain silent during the worship service. They shouldn't speak up, but should address their husbands with any questions and comments they have later. I know that's just as controversial as what I said last week, what with all of the female pastors and worship leaders and such. But that's what I believe, so that's just something I wanted to add.
Katrina speaking in front of the church may not line up with your beliefs or your denomination's stance, but it does line up with the beliefs of the majority of Focus on the Family's target audience. Perhaps I am overstepping as I do not share your belief, but I think that in this case, Katrina speaking a few sentences in front of the church, is a minor incongruence, and easy enough to ignore if you don't agree with. I've had to do the same for a few different things here and there on Odyssey that I don't agree with.

Personally, I get upset every time I hear A Lamb's Tale and A Time For Action. I work for a Christian charity that collects donations to distribute to the needy and I do not like the way AIO portrays this. We feel very strongly about giving new toys for Christmas, but in Odyssey they are collecting used toys. I just shake my head and try to remember that the point of the story is Tamika's willingness to give, not the condition of her donation.
Christian A. wrote:3. My final complaint is the most relevant to the actual story of the episode. I didn't really like how much Barrett seemed to have backslidden in the future. I know it was all fiction, but Barrett wasn't like, "Hey! I know I'm a Christian now, so there's no way I could act like that and lose my salvation." I just thought it was very odd that Barrett totally gave up on going to church, helping people, and making God a priority, but Matthew still treated him as if he was a Christian and didn't really address that issue. And then what struck me as most weird was that when Matthew told Barrett that Joey, the kid at the recreation center, had recently "given his life to Jesus," Barrett was like, "That's awesome!" On the one hand, he seems to have no care about spiritual things whatsoever, but then he's still excited when someone gets saved. From my point of view, and from the Bible's point of view, if you've been saved, God has changed your heart and your desires, so that you will never ultimately rebel against Him again. You will sin, sure, but He's sealed you with the Holy Spirit. Nothing you could do could separate you from His love, and because of that love, you're not going to want to live in unrepentant sin. Jesus died for your sin, to take the wrath of God away from you. If His wrath no longer abides on you, you could never backslide so much so that you would end up in Hell, with His wrath on you again. I know many people don't share that conviction either, but that was something that bugged me about this episode, so, again, I just had to bring it up.
This isn't about whether or not someone can lose their salvation (Odyssey has never been so brave as to touch the Calvinist vs. Wesleyan/Arminian debate). The point is that Barrett has become selfish and stingy a little at a time. He wasn't willing to tithe on a little, so as he ages and his income increases, he continues to not give. I certainly hope we aren't judging a person's salvation based on whether or not they give generously. The Bible clearly teaches that we are saved "by grace through faith," and not through following a set of rules.

I think the best review of this episode was already given--by Bennett. Tithing isn't about setting an example for others to tithe (Matthew's point) or tithing because without our giving someone might miss out on hearing about Jesus (Connie's point) or even tithing to foster a generous spirit (Whit's point), although all three are true. We tithe because God tells us to. We tithe out of obedience.
"Your days, at the most, cannot be long. It would be best to use them for the glory of God and the benefit of your generation."
-William Booth
Post Reply