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Easter Special 2022! Apr 17, 2022

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EASTER DREAM (1990) + THE PASSION: A BRICKFILM (2018) + JEHOVAH WITNESSES - SHOULD CHRISTIANS CELEBRATE EASTER (Web, 2014) + AN EASTER BUNNY PUPPY [TRAILER] (2013)

He is risen! Is Easter Sunday one of the holiest and most treasured days of the Christian calendar, or does it represent a corruption of the church by pagan values meant to expose our kids to dangerous sex magick? We've selected a diverse program of films to help us grapple with this spiritual crisis. Our discussion begins with a handwritten letter the Jehovah's Witnesses sent to Bible Boy Scott to invite him to their "Memorial for Christ's Death" — a non-celebratory Easter alternative by the strictest of the Christian sects. Eager to know more, we watched one of the Jehovah's Witnesses' insane, text-heavy video slideshows to learn about Easter's pagan origins. We were shocked by this new information, but as media researchers, we'd be remiss to not explore different perspectives. Next we go to the Mormons, who offer one of their trademark schmaltzy, glittering, and sentimental takes on the resurrection with a family-friendly VHS tape called EASTER DREAM. We combined this with a more typically Protestant, yet decidedly atypical Easter story — Christian LEGO enthusiast Josh Carroll's notorious THE PASSION: A BRICKFILM, which uses LEGOs and copious amounts of fake blood to bring the dark story of Christ's death to the playroom floor. Finally,.we splurge on a demented, fully secular Easter romp: AN EASTER BUNNY PUPPY by David DeCoteau. DeCoteau is one of our favorite filmmakers of all time, so we take great pleasure in finally introducing our gentle listeners to his bizarre body of work. We hope this Easter Special will entertain while providing a sober reminder about spiritual vigilance on this controversial holiday.

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The Goosehill Gang (1980) TEASER Apr 10, 2022

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There's actually not a ton of information online about THE GOOSEHILL GANG. It's a book series authored by Mary Blount Christian, a prolific children's book author who has published work outside of the Christian sphere as well as within. Loosely based on these books was a 5 episode home video series directed by Stephen Erkel in 1980. Lead child actress Allison Balson is a notable cast member in all of these, since she later appeared in a recurring role in the 1980s TV series LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE. Still, THE GOOSEHILL GANG doesn't have a nostalgic fan community online, nor anyone who seems to have dedicated time to archiving information about it. (If anyone has more info, please contact us at boysbiblestudypodcast@gmail.com.) Although we didn't have a lot of clues to follow, we were intrigued to cover this series — in fact, Bible Boy Scott owns a GOOSEHILL GANG episode on VHS from his days collecting forgotten tapes for Everything Is Terrible. We dive into two episodes. Notable is THE MYSTERY OF THE TREEHOUSE GHOST, where "gang" member Michael continues to defy his parents by reading ghost stories they would prefer he not read. The rest of Michael's friends support his parents unequivocally, stealing the ghost books from him and reminding him he is not allowed. We also check out THE MYSTERY OF THE HOWLING WOODS, where the strong Christian faith of the Goosehill Gang leads them to not be afraid of a convicted armed robber who has escaped from prison and is hiding nearby in the woods where they are camping. If you're a ten year old with God on your side, you're basically immortal - unless you're in the wrong kind of Christian movie and you perish from a sudden illness.

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I'm Not Ashamed (2016) feat. William Hellfire Apr 03, 2022

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The tragic, infamous Columbine High School shooting of 1999 had an unintended result: it inspired a pop cultural Christian martyr story that is as well-known to millennial churchgoers as anything from the Bible. The legend goes that when high school junior Rachel Scott was approached on that fateful day by teenage gunmen Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, they asked her, "Do you believe in God?". She responded in the affirmative, and she was promptly executed. It's a compelling story, but is it true? Eyewitness accounts are conflicted, but that hasn't stopped Rachel's legacy as a bonafide martyr. Books, artwork, youth missioning materials, and now this 2016 feature film certify her status as a contemporary Christian icon. I'M NOT ASHAMED (2016) gives Rachel star treatment. The minute details of her life are elevated to drastic importance — even the doodles in her notebook take on spiritual significance. She's troubled, but ultimately perfect. Even in her death, she inspires millions. But elevating an ordinary girl into a modern myth feels profane instead of sacred. Indeed, I'M NOT ASHAMED is a bizarre, cynical, and often hilarious mess of film with jaw-dropping levels of disrespect. We're honored to have legendary underground film director William Hellfire as our guest today. He and his creative partner Joey Smack released their Columbine parody film DUCK! THE CARBINE HIGH MASSACRE in 1999, a mere 4 months after the tragic mass shooting that inspired it. Their daring artwork made national news and even got the directors symbolically arrested on a weapons charge, clearly meant as a pageant to get their local police force a television appearance. We had so much fun exposing William to the world of Christian film by showing him the funhouse mirror image of his own work.

Buy DUCK! THE CARBINE HIGH MASSACRE on Blu-ray via Vinegar Syndrome and Saturn's Core Audio & Video

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Dennis Zech: Ministry Through Mystery TEASER Mar 27, 2022

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Magicians, astrologers, and psychics are all evil grifters, so why does minister Dennis Zech spend his free time doing card tricks for captive audiences of church congregations? He's making a larger point about the devil's deception. He explains: once you know how a magic trick works, you won't be fooled again, and this is a larger metaphor for how reading the Bible is an immediate antidote for the devil's lies. We watched a self-published DVD of one of Zech's routines from an unknown year. We were a bit surprised to find that it was more like stand-up comedy than a magic show. We were also intrigued by the fact that he took time to tell his audience of mostly children how global warming isn't real and that the 60th anniversary of the founding of Israel means that the apocalypse is imminent.

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Gerbert feat. Andy Holmes (Creator/Voice of Gerbert) and Dimitri Simakis (Everything Is Terrible!) Mar 20, 2022

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We're honored to speak to Gerbert himself!! Andy Holmes is the man behind everyone's favorite angelic orange Christian puppet, Gerbert, whose unrelenting earnestness and hilariously cute voice have granted him a second wave of internet fandom decades after the show originally aired. The Gerbert franchise began as a pitch for a Christian kids music album, but soon took on a life of its own as a show that was broadcast on CBN (a spinoff of Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network) from 1988-91. This late-80s era was pivotal for Christian media history. The youth ministry movement of the 1970s inspired many attempts at Christian kids' entertainment, and then the rise of the VHS format during the 80s led to a robust system for producing and selling media directly to Christian audiences. It's fascinating to hear Andy's story of how his idea to create wholesome entertainment for kids snowballed into a relatively high budget production and worldwide phenomenon. But it was the archival work of VHS collectors and found footage filmmakers Everything Is Terrible that brought the once successful Gerbert franchise out of the margins of forgotten media history, securing its well-deserved semi-ironic online cult following. They fell in love with the Gerbert VHS tapes they collected in the group's infancy, and through their recontextualization of the source material, turned Gerbert into an iconic figure whose wholesome vibes are a welcome contrast to the frequently demented subject matter covered in the EIT films. Our dear friend Dimitri Simakis introduced us to Andy Holmes, and Dimitri joins us to moderate this interview. We are all so grateful to Andy, a genuine and kind man with fascinating insights into the Christian media industry. He tells us that his goal with Gerbert was never to evangelize to kids nor use fear to inspire them, but to simply create a comfortable environment where kids could learn and develop a caring conscience. He has real heart and it comes through in his work. We hope you enjoy this special interview!

Buy KIDZ KLUB! by Everything Is Terrible! on DVD

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A Box of Faith (2015) feat. Jim Beird TEASER Mar 13, 2022

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Disguised as a heartwarming story of a young girl's steadfast devotion to God, A BOX OF FAITH is classic Christian movie misdirection. Dior's father is sent to jail after being framed for stealing from his workplace, and Dior opts to run away rather than be sent to foster care. She lives in her family's storage unit, in which she finds a mysterious box that essentially allows her to mail her prayers directly to God and get an answer from Him almost instantaneously. But this plot goes off the rails quickly when several characters separately engage in discourse about how Dior deserves to have her prayers answered because she is good at earning money. She meets another homeless girl named Emma who is portrayed lazy and freeloading, and the Box notably doesn't grant Emma's requests. Also, an incompetent yet enthusiastic social worker named Ms. Ward takes great interest in Dior's case because she thinks Dior is "ambitious" and "wants to do things in her life". American Protestant media is always equating strong virtue with financial success, but the appearance of this theme in A BOX OF FAITH is shocking in what could have easily been a straightforward and silly story about the supernatural power of the Christian God. Our dear friend (and Ash's roommate!) Jim Beird makes his podcasting debut to educate us on Arizona culture and ruminate with us as we ask - does God really have a plan for our pathetic little lives?

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Deception of a Generation (1984) feat. Michael Bilandic Mar 06, 2022

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The story goes that young evangelist Phil Phillips embarked on a 14 day "Jewish fast" and then wandered into a toy store. He saw a figure of Skeletor and it disturbed him so much that it changed the entire course of his ministry. He then made many works intending to warn kids and parents of the "occultic" influence of children's media. The most infamous of these works is TURMOIL IN THE TOY BOX, a book by Phillips that was adapted into a documentary called DECEPTION OF A GENERATION. On this VHS co-hosted by Gary Greenwald of Eagle's Nest Ministries, the two men dig through popular 1980s children's' toy and television franchises to hunt for insidious imagery within. They don't have to look far! Scooby-Doo glorifies witches and spell books, He-Man is more powerful than God, and the Smurfs are a living representation of the death of the human body. Who better to pore over this loaded evidence with us than filmmaker, DJ, and Smurf historian Michael Bilandic? We discuss how an infantilized pop culture has essentially turned everyone into a Christian toy freak. Michael's fantastic new film PROJECT SPACE 13 (2021) is out now for streaming on Mubi and on Blu-ray via Vinegar Syndrome.

Buy PROJECT SPACE 13 on Blu-ray: https://vinegarsyndrome.com/products/project-space-13-circle-collective

Follow Michael on Twitter: https://twitter.com/_RareArt

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A Man Called Norman (1988) TEASER Feb 27, 2022

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This VHS release by famous Christian propaganda wing Focus on the Family stars author and evangelist Mike Adkins telling a story about his unlikely friendship with a man… called Norman. In the style of a staged sermon, Mike delivers a one man show about how he earned the trust of this neighborhood eccentric, whose erratic antics scared and alienated everyone else in town. In fact, Mike directly credits the voice of God for giving him the boldness to intervene in this possibly disabled man's life — which Mike then promptly mines for inspiration to sell a sermon series and VHS tape. The kindnesses Mike showed to Norman are undeniably generous, but the way he seems to mock Norman while imitating him for his show seem callous and weird. Is A MAN CALLED NORMAN fuel for a common criticism of Christianity — that its followers do good works to get to heaven, and not out of the sincerity of their own hearts? The Boys unpack this topic and share their experiences of the difficulties of caring for the Weird Guys in their own lives.

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Shatter Dead (1994) feat. Nick Vance of Cinematic Void podcast Feb 20, 2022

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This shot-on-video (SOV) horror film is a gory and campy, yet deeply profound meditation on Christian themes. An angel has sex with a human woman, and this perverted "immaculate conception" causes God to abandon the human race. There is no more death. Those who die stay awake in their current state, forever. Actress Stark Raven portrays Susan, one of the last of the living who encounters walking dead, preachers, and terrorists on her wandering journey to find her boyfriend. Along the way, many try to persuade her to take the plunge into the next phase of non-existence, but what is immortal life separated from God's light? SHATTER DEAD is far from a Christian film, but it proves artistically that the absence of God is hell on earth. Our friend Nick Vance is the co-host of Cinematic Void podcast, and he shares our love of uniquely transgressive film experiences. Together, we wanted to introduce Boys' Bible Study listeners to the wide world of SOV film, with SHATTER DEAD as a compelling point of entry. 🪞

Listen and subscribe to Cinematic Void podcast: https://www.cinematicvoid.com/podcast

Follow Nick on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paranoidfutures/

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Stephen's Test of Faith (1998) TEASER Feb 13, 2022

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It's a film by Stephens, for Stephens! Directed by Stephen Yake and written by Steve Cleary, STEPHEN'S TEST OF FAITH is the story of a young boy named Stephen who meets his namesake - Biblical martyr Saint Stephen - after his faith is mocked in school by his godless classmates. That night, he dreams he is timehopping through disparate eras, communing with martyrs throughout history. He learns that many people have had to suffer in order to create the opportunities for Christians that exist today. He realizes that to deny Christ is to deny his place in heaven, even if there is a proverbial (or literal) gun pointed to his head. Everyone knows: the only thing better than having to go to Sunday school as a kid is being told you should be prepared to die for it!

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