The Gospel Reloaded

by Greg Garrett, Seay Garrett, Chris Seay

Book Overview

The world has changed. The Gospel Reloaded rushes headlong into The Matrix, exploring the trilogy's intricate details, religious undertones, and eclectic philosophies. These aren't movies you just... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1576834786
• ISBN13: 9781576834787
• Release Date: June 2003
• Publisher: Pinon Press
• Length: 173 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Taking A Risk, But Definitely Worth It

Chris Seay and Greg Garrett take a significant risk in seeking to draw parallels between evangelical Christianity and an R-rated, culturally significant movie, but their risk was worth it.While drawing criticisms from both within and from outside of Christian circles, the authors strived to redeem the worthy aspects of the Matrix. This choice to interact with contemporary culture proved a noble effort, garnering several media exposures from mainstream sources such as Publishers Weekly and USA Today.In the words of another review, "The movies call us to seek and find--to ask of our own lives what's real and what's a mirage. They are modern epics, chock-full of meaning and metaphor." The Gospel Reloaded does exactly that--pushes the edge, explores the "truth" of the Wachowski brother's dialogue, and challenges even hardened critics to contemplate its questions.Overall, I would not recommend this book to younger Matrix fans, but definitely encourage it for the student or serious thinker seeking to make sense of the Matrix from a Christian perspective. It can also serve as an excellent conversational tool for sincere explorers on their own spiritual journey. The Gospel Reloaded will mess with your mind, just like the film, but leave you better off for the ride.

Great Integration of Culture with Faith

It is so refreshing to see a Christian write about the culture without criticizing everything that doesn't overtly preach Jesus. Greg Garrett and Chris Seay do this intelligently and entertainingly. This is a great book for anyone who loves examining the connections between faith and culture and isn't afraid to look for God in "secular" places. They obviously know their topics well and the book is short enough to read and reread as you watch and rewatch the movies. I highly recommend!!

not your average "christian" book

Chris Seay and Greg Garrett do a great job exploring spirituality in the Matrix films. However, what struck me most was that the authors did not solely focus on the "Christian" influences in the movie. Instead, they relate all the influences that the Wachowskis brought into these films from Christianity, Buddhism, Greek philosophy, even anime films. But, per the authors intent, they do bring it all back to the Christian ideas.Well worth the read!!

. . . but take it with a grain of salt.

I read this book and saw both movies in a 48 hour period, which I highly recomend. This book mainly deals with religious undertones (intentional or not) in the Martrix films. But it also talks a bit about the many pop culture influences (albeit in only one chapter). Although most fans will be familiar with the Anime, John Woo, and Joseph Campbell influences, there was an interesting analogy to comics (Neo as Superman, Morpheus as Batman).Although sometimes the author(s) sounds a bit like he's standing at a pulpit (after all, Chris Seay is a pastor) his message is, overall, uplifting. He mostly speaks of faith and tries to remain more spiritual than religious. I would have liked a chapter devoted to the relations to Buddhism and Zen, but I suppose the authors are not authorities on those subjects (the book "ZEN IN THE MARTIAL ARTS" is also highly recomended by this reviewer)Many pages discussed John the Baptist and were very interesting. And the final two chapters are interesting, the last in particular. The title is Apocolypse Now, but it's surprisingly uplifting. After all, why should you be scared of Apocolypse unless you're an evil person?I also learned a little about Gnosticism, which is very interesting and I'd like to learn more about it (not to follow it, but just because I love learning about new things).In conclusion, buy this if you're a fan, read it in a two day period, and watch both movies during, before, and after you read it.

Bravo

Review: The Gospel Reloaded The new book by Chris Seay and Greg Garrett titled The Gospel Reloaded is a winner. At first I was skeptical of a book about spirituality in the Matrix films. I was expecting the usual comparisons of Neo to Jesus Christ that I had read on countless web sites. Thankfully there is no bible thumping in this book. Instead Seay & Garrett (both enthusiastic fans of both films) discuss the different religious symbols & metaphors in the film as well as tackle what philosophically & culturally influenced the film. The authors write at length about other religion's influence the films such as Buddhism, Gnosticism, and Judaism in addition to Christianity. They also reference Joseph Campbell's The Power of the Myth and how closely Andy and Larry Wachowski story adopts that narrative. In addition, Seay and Garrett refer to Greek authors Homer & Plato and their stories of The Odyssey and The Cave as additional reference to the story of the Matrix. While discussing the religious & philosophical influences on the film, the authors recognize the cinematic influence on the Matrix comes from the Star Wars saga, Kung Fu cinema, Japan's Anime movies, and John Woo's films. The writers are also brave to tackle a very serious issue in our culture today: organized religion. In many ways they argue how today's organized religion can mirror The Matrix, always trying to control the way we think & feel while keeping us blind, while we seek to awake to freedom in a different & free world. Bravo, to those two for their hard work bringing all these elements into the book The Gospel Reloaded.