Netflix Archives - Kuyperian Commentary

On July 18, 2023 By Adam McIntosh In Film, Music 2

HBO’s ‘Barry’ converts to Christ and listens to David Crowder Band

If you’ve never heard of Barry, it’s a dark comedy on HBO starring Bill Hader (viewer discretion advised). The show debuted in 2018, with its fourth and final season ending in 2023. The main character, Barry Berkman, is a former-Marine-turned-hitman. He uses his military sniper skills to murder people for money. That sounds pretty dark, right? Where’s the comedy? The comedy kicks in when Barry decides to take up acting classes as a hobby. Quirky and eccentric characters give the show a satirical edge.

Seasons 1, 2, and 3 contain little to no religious elements, at least none that I can recall. Imagine my surprise when Season 4 depicts Barry as a convert to Christianity. In Episode 5, Barry is in his secluded home, hiding out with his wife and son. They are watching a live-streamed worship service on their laptop. At the end of the sermon, the pastor says, “Peace be with you.” Barry’s family promptly responds, “And also with you.” They then hug and share the peace with one another.

In other scenes, Barry teaches his son to honor God’s creation and not resort to violence. He teaches the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000. He makes reference to St. Augustine. This is a Barry that we’ve never seen before. He is raising his son in the faith, and it appears that his murderous ways are behind him.

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On October 31, 2022 By Adam McIntosh In Culture, Film, History, Music 2

Jeffrey Dahmer: The Monster Who Ate Jesus

During the late ’90s and early 2000s, there was nothing more exciting to me than the underground Christian music scene. In 1997, at age 12, I started devouring all the Christian punk music I could find.
One of my favorite bands was called Blaster the Rocket Man. They were perhaps the most unique of any other band. Their lyrics centered on horror and sci-fi themes – like werewolves, vampires, and aliens – but from an explicitly Christian worldview. In Blaster’s songs, monsters could be saved from their monstrosities if they put their faith in Jesus. It was very Kuyperian if you think about it: Every square inch belongs to Jesus…even the horror genre.

One of Blaster’s albums was called The Monster Who Ate Jesus. That title might seem sacrilegious on the surface, but I’ve always taken it as a reference to the Lord’s Supper (eucharist, communion). In one of the band’s earlier songs, “American Werewolf,” the only way for the werewolf to end his curse was to eat and drink Christ’s body and blood. I was reminded of this concept while watching Monster, the Netflix show about Jeffrey Dahmer. (Warning: mature audiences only.)

Dahmer was one of the most notorious serial killers in US history, nicknamed the Milwaukee Cannibal. From the late ’70s to the early ’90s, Dahmer drugged, raped, killed, and ate his victims (mostly gay black men). Most people – Christian or not – find these crimes utterly reprehensible. Dahmer’s level of depravity cannot be overstated.

And yet, one of the most fascinating things about Dahmer is that he claimed to become a Christian in prison. Mind you, jailhouse conversions aren’t that fascinating. Many people claim to find Jesus behind bars and many of those conversions are dishonest and/or short-lived. What’s always fascinated me about Dahmer was that he never used his faith to try to get out of prison. In fact, he wanted to be executed, which is the biblical penalty for rapists and murderers (Genesis 9:6, Deuteronomy 22:25-27).

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