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Trump

The World’s Still Ending; At Least There’s Good TV

January 13, 2021 by Matt Hill Leave a Comment

In the Season 3 premiere of the Your Sunday Drive podcast, we talk about the mass of issues related to the events at the Capitol in Washington D.C. on January 6, 2021.

Protesting vs. rioting. Similarities and differences to BLM. Trump’s culpability. The role of Christian nationalism. Cancel culture, deplatforming and free speech. The continued siloing of media and cultural echo chambers. Is there a “third way” and what’s the role of Christian faith?

Then we change gears to discuss current favorite TV shows, Cobra Kai in particular, and why engaging pop culture at a time such as ours may be vitally important.

Come along for Your Sunday Drive – quick conversation about current events, politics, pop culture and more, from the perspective of a couple of guys trying to follow Jesus.

Hosts: Matt Hill and Nate Polzin. Presented by the Church in Drive of Saginaw, MI, as often as possible. Please visit churchindrive.com and facebook.com/thechurchindrive

Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: blm, capitol, christian podcast, church, Cobra Kai, drive, free speech, inauguration, insurrection, january 6, mandalorian, parler, politics, pop culture, riot, Trump

Plot Twist! Why We’re Thankful for 2020

November 20, 2020 by Matt Hill Leave a Comment

Between the pandemic, social upheaval, political turmoil, etc., 2020 has obviously been a challenging year. In this Thanksgiving episode of the Your Sunday Drive podcast, we flip the script and explain why – plot twist! – we’re thankful for 2020.

We start with some reactions to the current election drama and positive spins on this year’s political and media-related issues. Then we discuss a bunch of things we’re thankful for, such as kids’ resilience, the goodness of people, possible fruitful changes to work culture, and “small things” to appreciate such as video games (including an impromptu aesthetic discussion about the definition of art 🙂 ).

Finally, we examine how hard times, our view of God, trust and thankfulness are all intertwined in the Bible.

Come along for Your Sunday Drive – quick conversation about current events, politics, pop culture and more, from the perspective of a couple of guys trying to follow Jesus.

Hosts: Matt Hill and Nate Polzin. Presented by the Church in Drive of Saginaw, MI, as often as possible. Please visit churchindrive.com and facebook.com/thechurchindrive

Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: 2020, Bible, biden, christian podcast, church, culture, drive, election, Faith, God, Jesus, Pandemic, politics, Thanksgiving, Trump

7.03 Debating Character in THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT

November 1, 2020 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

With the US Election ticking closer, ScreenFish turns back the clock 25 years to rewatch Rob Reiner’s THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT. When President Andrew Shepherd (Michael Douglas) meet impetuous lobbyist Sydney Ellen Wade (Annette Bening), he is instantly taken with her and pursues a relationship. However, their budding romance sparks questions about his character and his ability to lead the country in ways that threaten his re-election campaign. This week, we welcome back ScreenFish’rs Shelley McVea and Heather Johnson to talk about what we expect from our leaders, the nature of character and whether or not that matters more than policy.

You can also stream the episode above on podomatic, Alexa (via Stitcher), Spotify or Soundcloud! Or, you can download the ep on Apple Podcasts or Google Play!

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

7.03 The American PresidentDownload
BKA4CY THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT (1995) ANNETTE BENING, MICHAEL DOUGLAS AMPR 066

Filed Under: Featured, Film, Podcast Tagged With: Annette Bening, biden, Martin Sheen, Michael Douglas, Michael J. Fox, Richard dreyfuss, Rob Reiner, The American President, Trump, US Election

Step Up to the Booth: 1on1 with Sue Kramer (BE DOPE. VOTE.)

October 30, 2020 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but there’s an election next week.

Even if you haven’t, director Sue Kramer certainly has.

With the 2020 Presidential election finally here, it is time once again to head to the polls and share your dream of what America truly values. However, despite the overwhelming need for people to get out and vote, many people choose not to do so (or worse, feel that their opinion doesn’t matter). Concerned that people may miss such an important opportunity, Kramer developed Be Dope. Vote., an online campaign devoted to encouraging people to use their political voice. Asked where she got the idea for Be Dope. Vote., Kramer begins by pointing out that the word ‘dope’ jumped out at her due to its ties to current social conversations.

“I love the word ‘dope’. I’m a wordsmith and a screenwriter… I always get real connected to certain words. I love certain words and I also love the origins of certain words so I started looking up how ‘cool’ was this word that was used by jazz musicians, [who were] almost predominantly musicians of color. Then, [the word] got taken over by the Woodstock revolution and became gentrified within language. There’s this slang word that… became this word used by all. ‘Dope’ is very similar in that [the word] was used predominantly by people of color. Now, it’s become cool to use the word dope because being dope is also being woke. These are two things that are at the top of the agenda in terms of our lives right now in terms of the global stratosphere. So, I thought… what would be the phraseology to get people to vote? And I came up with Be Dope. Vote. and it just worked.”

With an emphasis on diversity, Kramer’s hope is that the Be Dope. Vote campaign will reach as broad an audience as possible.

“I specifically cast everyone from a nine-year-old to [former West Wing stars] Richard Schiff, who’s in his sixties [and Allison Janney],” she explains. “I cast men, women, children, teenagers, black, white, Asian to really represent the diverse culture that we live in. This video is a representation of faces and ages and gender [within] our global community and of our United States community where the vote is at stake right now. So, I am actually not just going after the youth vote. But the truth is this election has three groups of people that need to get out and vote. One of them, surprisingly is the white male. If 1% more voted democratic, then that could change the entire election automatically, which is shocking. I’m going after the 20 to 30 something because they did not come out in the last election and they need to come out in this election. So, I went after people who they love and also the black vote, which is important. So, Billy Porter, Miss J and ASAP Ferg being in the video and Brittany O’Grady (who’s biracial) and Ryan Destiny, who’s black, all of these faces of beautiful color are needed. Everyone’s needed to really speak to all the people that need to get out and vote.” 

As the election draws nearer, Kramer feels that the sense of urgency to get to the polling booths increases as well. While each federal election seems important, she also believes that people believe that voting in this year’s campaign may be more critical than others in recent years. 

“I think that people are appalled at what our country has become,” Kramer argues. “I think that we’ve never been more divided because of the current president. I do say ‘because of him’, even though I made a very bipartisan video that can be shared by anyone to go out and vote. You should use your voice, whatever it is, you should vote. But I think that people are fired up that they want change. I do think that there’s a lot of people on the president’s side that think possibly that he’s doing an okay job or might be thinking about a bigger picture of different beliefs. But I think that the tide needs to change and I think that people want to be part of this tidal wave… There’s a lot at stake here, so I’m willing to do anything it takes in terms of using my creative power to try to make an impactful, passionate plea to get people to vote.” 

Having been involved in political campaigns before, Kramer was initially unsure about stepping into the ring with this election. However, after reading a discouraging message online, she felt called to speak out about the importance of speaking your mind through the polling station.

“I hope Be Dope. Vote. has legs to last for decades and becomes a campaign that is used for every big election,” Kramer claims. “[I want to] put some type of creative spin on that helps ignite and fire up people to use their voices. The real reason I came up with this is because… after the Brianna Taylor ruling, I saw a tweet by a football player saying [that] he was throwing in the towel and that he wasn’t going to vote purposely. He’d just given up. Then, thousands of people responded saying the same thing: ‘I’m with you. I’m giving up. I’m not voting.’ That day was the day that I said I have to do something. I have to figure this out. I can’t let people throw in the towel, or I can at least do my best to try to convince them otherwise. So, I came up with Be Dope. Vote.” 

Because of the pandemic, Kramer viewed this as an opportunity to take a different approach with her celebrity guests. Rather than gathering together in physical space, Be Dope. Vote. is a refreshingly honest video that lets people be themselves over Zoom.

Says Kramer, “I brought in a friend and a colleague named Michael Rankin who has a show on LinkedIn called You Are Dope [where] he interviews people in this kind of Ed Sullivan radio style and he asks really wonderful questions and people are their authentic selves. Michael has a great new voice. And so that was a new fun factor.” 

“Then, I thought I’ve got to go all in with what we have, which is [that] we’re all talking on Zoom. We’re not doing hair and makeup like last time where my stars came in with agents and managers, hair and makeup and publicists. I [just wanted to] talk. So, we got on Zoom with all these wonderful people and it was just talking. I really pulled out these gems and Michael became the host and it was born. We put it together in basically a little over a week and then released it on Friday the ninth. I just hope that it has impact. That’s my biggest desire.” 

Since the Be Dope. Vote. campaign has launched in early October, Kramer has been overwhelmed by the support that it seems to have garnered from both celebrities and the general public. While success may be difficult to measure, she considers it a victory if anyone who sees their video changes their mind and gets to the polls as a result.

“I can’t quantify success,” Kramer points out. “I don’t have people calling me saying I saw your video and now I’m going to vote. But I can already call it a success by ASAP Ferg being one of the only rappers to come out. Snoop Dogg came out and said, we’ve got to vote. When these rappers come out and speak to their audiences, that makes a difference because they’re the voice of their people. So… if any of those people [in our video] hit their audience and somebody saw the video and thought, ‘Oh, I was thinking about not [voting] but, you know what? I’m going to do it.’ Then, it’s success. No matter who I hit around the country, it’s a success.”

“We’re trying everything that we can to just keep the fire going [and] spread the passion,” she continues. “I’m a filmmaker. I own an agency called Connecting Dots Guru, which is my branding agency seeing through a director’s eye and a screenwriter’s pen. I put my agency on hold for nine days and spent my own money on this to just get people to not throw in the towel. I’m not going after to be clear. I’m not going to change the minds of somebody who’s completely pro-Trump and was voting for Trump. Those people are still going to vote for Trump. I’m trying to change the complacent people who feel as if they’ve been too beaten down by COVID, isolation, Black Lives Matter, or by everything that’s gone on in this country over the past four years. But more importantly, over the past year and specifically after George Floyd, those people feel so beaten down that they just don’t have it in them. And I’m trying to say, come on, you can do this. You can do it.” 

With Be Dope. Vote., Kramer wants everyone to be reminded that each vote matters and allows people to have their say. While the political world is often frustrating, she also believes that that’s no excuse to simply abdicate one’s freedom of speech when the opportunity to express themselves is given.

“Hillary Clinton won the election in terms of votes, but lost the election on the electoral college,” she mourns. “Why? Because enough people didn’t get out and vote. And that is the reason, even though she won it in terms of the popular vote so that everyone was shocked. I, myself was shocked. Everyone I knew was looking at the CNN screens [and asking], how did this just happen? We cannot let that happen again. We cannot have regret that we did not get out. We cannot have a moment where we’re shocked that this happened, because if anyone thinks that they’re going to be shocked if Trump wins, then they better get out there. Get involved, bring a friend with a map and get out and vote because you don’t want to have regrets this time.” 

In addition, she contends that one has little right to complain about an outcome if they don’t participate in the process.

“Miss J says in my video that, ‘If you don’t vote, you can’t complain.’ So, we might not win this,” Kramer acknowledges. “I’m clearly on one side, but if you don’t get out there and try, you cannot complain. Everyone’s complaining and everyone’s tired. Rightfully so but you have to just pick your bootstraps up no matter how tired you are. No matter how much you wanted Bernie or Elizabeth Warren or anyone else to win the nomination, it doesn’t matter because that’s what happened with Hillary Clinton. All the millennials bowed out because they were upset that Bernie didn’t win. If they do that again, this time they will be ruining their entire future in terms of an endless amount of rights and an endless amount of ripples that, in my humble opinion, are catastrophic.“

To follow Be Dope. Vote., click here.

For full audio of our conversation with Sue Kramer, click here.

Filed Under: Interviews, News, Podcast Tagged With: allison janney, ASAP Ferg, Be Dope Vote, biden, Billy Porter, Miss J, Richard Schiff, Ryan Destiny, Sue Kramer, Trump, US Election

Election Final Thoughts; Year’s Best Shows; Tolkien on Stories

October 28, 2020 by Matt Hill Leave a Comment

With one week left before the 2020 election, we present some final thoughts, hot takes, questions, hopes and more.

We also share about some of our favorite shows and other media of 2020, asking the question “how can we redeem the time spent on such things?”

Finally – to help answer this question – we look at J.R.R. Tolkien’s “On Fairy Stories” and the idea that stories have three essential parts, all of which mirror the gospel.

All this (and more) in a new episode of the Your Sunday Drive podcast:

Come along for Your Sunday Drive – quick conversation about current events, politics, pop culture and more, from the perspective of a couple of guys trying to follow Jesus.

Hosts: Matt Hill and Nate Polzin. Presented by the Church in Drive of Saginaw, MI, as often as possible. Please visit churchindrive.com and facebook.com/thechurchindrive

Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: biden, boys, Christian, christian podcast, church, culture, election, fairy stories, last kingdom, Lord of the Rings, NeXT, oxenfree, Pandemic, politics, tolkien, Trump, utopia

Totally Under Control: Spreading the Truth Behind the Pandemic

October 13, 2020 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

Don’t mess with Alex Gibney.

When it comes to documentary filmmaking, Gibney has shone a light on some of the biggest frauds of this generation. The Oscar-winning filmmaker of Taxi to the Dark Side, Gibney has also fearlessly taken on such hot topics as Enron (Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room), the Church of Scientology (Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief) and Lance Armstrong (The Armstrong Lie). Now, with Totally Under Control, Gibney returns to discover the truth about the current global pandemic and how the US government responded to its threat.

Beginning in January of this year, Totally Under Control is a documentary that explores the first stages of the COVID-19 outbreak and its rapid spread around the world. As the virus begins to spread, multiple wings of the United States government falter at the hands of poor leadership and miscommunication, leading to one of the greatest threats to the American people in history.

You can be forgiven for feeling like the events of January 2020 took place a lifetime ago. In a lot of ways, Totally Under Control feels like a film that exists outside of time, even though we’re very much in the middle of the same global pandemic. (Frankly, so much has happened over the last 10 months that anything that happened before lockdown almost doesn’t seem real at this point.) Even so, Control offers many of the answers for which we have been searching over the last few months. As always, Gibney does an excellent job of exploring the minutiae that led to the madness of the pandemic. Though it focuses its lens primarily on the United States government and their response, the film also holds the US in comparison with other nations and how well they established new protocols and managed their responses so quickly. 

Beginning the story with the maneuvering and mistakes within the CDC, Gibney effectively highlights the players who mismanaged testing and information (and aren’t named Trump). Though the mismanagement of the current administration certainly led to major mistakes, Gibney notes that there were other cracks in the system that appeared along the way. Faulty testing, the collapse of the domestic ‘mask market’ and general confusion that was rampant within other levels of government also wreaked havoc on the overall system and slowed down some key preventative measures. (Of course, as Gibney’s lens becomes increasingly focused on the blinders of the White House administration, Control also shows the chaos that the President’s team created all by themselves, including throwing out the Obama administration’s playbook simply out of spite, sending mixed messages within their own team and simply lying to the American people in order to spin the press.)

Further, by pointing to the gap between science and politics, Totally Under Control recognizes the flaws in an administration that chooses to ignore scientific fact and instead trust voices that they believe help their public image. Every comment by leading medical officials seems to be deemed traitorous by the government, simply because they are ‘off brand’ for their style of leadership. In Control, Gibney not only establishes a timeline of events but he also allows those voices who have been silenced to speak and tell their stories. Recognized as experts in their fields, Control points to them as those who should have been heard. In this way, amidst the terror and chaos of the pandemic and its bungling by the government, Gibney’s film demonstrates the importance of knowing who to trust. At a time when the public are repeatedly told that all messages are part of a vast conspiracy, Totally Under Control reminds us to truly re-examine what makes someone trustworthy in the first place. 

Insightful and tragic, Totally Under Control earns points simply for its commitment to honesty regarding the events surrounding the outbreak of COVID-19. While some documentaries feel overcome by their agenda, Totally Under Controlearnestly wants the same answers as everyone else. This is not a film that desperately wants to discredit the government’s handling of the situation. Instead, Totally Under Control is a film that desperately wants to know how this happened in the first place (and discredits the government’s response in the process.)

Totally Under Control is now available on VOD.

Filed Under: Featured, Film, Reviews, VOD Tagged With: Alex Gibney, COVID-19, Pandemic, Totally Under Control, Trump

Trump v Biden Debate; Ravi Zacharias Scandal

October 2, 2020 by Matt Hill Leave a Comment

your sunday drive podcast

We respond to this week’s (crazy? disheartening?) “debate,” asking questions about what leadership in this country looks like, and whether Christians need to be wary of the idol of politics.

We also discuss the allegations against the late Ravi Zacharias and how the church should respond when leaders fail.

Finishing the theme of leadership, we listen to a portion of Dr. Francis Collins’ recent Templeton Prize acceptance address, where he discusses what individuals can do to fight polarization, even without ideal leaders.

Come along for Your Sunday Drive – quick conversation about current events, politics, pop culture and more, from the perspective of a couple of guys trying to follow Jesus.

Hosts: Matt Hill and Nate Polzin. Presented by the Church in Drive of Saginaw, MI, as often as possible. Please visit churchindrive.com and facebook.com/thechurchindrive

Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: 2020, abuse, biden, christian podcast, church, corinavirus, covid, culture, debate, francis collins, politics, ravi zacharias, scandal, templeton, Trump

Black Lives Matter; Remembering Ravi Zacharias

June 3, 2020 by Matt Hill Leave a Comment

your sunday drive podcast

In this new episode of the Your Sunday Drive podcast, we discuss the current unrest following the death of George Floyd, including conversation about Black Lives Matter vs. “All Lives Matter,” protests vs. looting, the role of social media and politics, biblical examples (including Jesus flipping tables) and frameworks for understanding justice, value, etc.

We then take a brief moment to reflect on writer/speaker Ravi Zacharias, who passed away recently, sharing some takeaways and highlights of Ravi speaking.

Come along for Your Sunday Drive – quick conversation about current events, politics, pop culture and more, from the perspective of a couple of guys trying to follow Jesus.

Hosts: Matt Hill and Nate Polzin. Presented by the Church in Drive of Saginaw, MI, as often as possible. Please visit churchindrive.com and facebook.com/thechurchindrive

Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: Black Lives Matter, christian podcast, culture, george floyd, Jesus, police brutality, politics, protest, ravi zacharias, riot, Temple, Trump, your sunday drive

Who Would Jesus Vote For?

March 3, 2020 by Matt Hill Leave a Comment

your sunday drive podcast

Finally, the “answer” to the question on everyone’s mind: Who would Jesus vote for?

In this one-year-anniversary, Super Tuesday episode of the Your Sunday Drive podcast, we discuss the different economic and governmental systems vying for votes this year, and ask some key questions: What are the basic differences between right and left economic systems? Does capitalism or socialism or some other -ism best fit human nature? Are there biblical principles to help us understand these options? Are there governmental models in the Bible and do they apply here and now? How do we weigh economic vs. social/moral concerns?

Come along for Your Sunday Drive – quick conversation about current events, politics, pop culture and more, from the perspective of a couple of guys trying to follow Jesus.

Hosts: Matt Hill and Nate Polzin. Presented by the Church in Drive of Saginaw, MI, as often as possible. Please visit churchindrive.com and facebook.com/thechurchindrive



Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: capitalism, christian podcast, church, democrat, economics, election, Government, Jesus, politics, Republican, socialism, super tuesday, Trump

2020 So Far: Iran, Church Shooting, Star Wars, Golden Globes

January 8, 2020 by Matt Hill Leave a Comment

your sunday drive

Your Sunday Drive Podcast Season 2, Episode 1.

In our first episode of 2020, we briefly refocus the goal of this podcast: seeking ways to approach current culture in a Christian/biblical way. We then ask “what’s happening so far in 2020?,” covering topics from the conflict with Iran and another recent church shooting, to some reflections on Star Wars and the Golden Globes fallout.

Come along for Your Sunday Drive – quick conversation about current events, politics, pop culture and more, from the perspective of a couple of guys trying to follow Jesus.

Hosts: Matt Hill and Nate Polzin. Presented by the Church in Drive of Saginaw, MI, as often as possible. Please visit churchindrive.com and facebook.com/thechurchindrive

Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: Bible, christian podcast, Christianity, gervais, Iran, pop culture, shooting, Star Wars, Trump, war

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