Star Trek or not Star Trek?

That is the question.

And the fans of the old series (and all of its clones) and the new fans of this latest voyage are having at it on the blogs and bulletin boards and news sites.

My daughter and I went to see the new movie last night. It was fast-paced, blurry, loud, bright and had plot-holes big enough to drive a starship through.

With all the millions of credits spent on great casting, fabulous sets and special effects, it was a break in the super-reality chain-of-logic to see the "engineering room" of the spiffy'd-up Enterprise and find out that the ship runs on twentieth-century fluidics. That's my theory, at least, because it looked like a water-recycling plant. Scotty deserves a nicer place to work. The new place was no particular improvement over his research lab on Delta Vega.

Yup, that's my singular gripe. One set. (More likely, a cheap location.) It just slapped me in the face and whacked me out of my pretend command chair in the multiplex pocket theater.

All the rest of the stuff, you can explain away to the inevitable paradoxes of yet another well-worn Star Trek time-travel story - this one at least leaving us with some new, dark twists in the trekiverse. We were overdue for some new imagination. No real complaint there.

(Well, I might gripe about the twentieth time that the cinematographer flashed halogens in my eyes instead of letting me see what was happening between the characters.)

Other than that, I'm on board with Scotty, whose show-stopping line at the very wrongest moment made it all the more wonderful:

"I like this ship! It's exciting!"

Fellowship

As nearly as I can tell, a word translated "fellowship" is only used in scripture a little more than a dozen times - apart from the word "offerings."

Nowhere in scripture does God say to refuse fellowship to anyone who has a different understanding of scripture than you do.

Nowhere.

Ephesians 5:11 says: "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them."

To see what some of the unfruitful works of darkness are, go up a few verses to the beginning of the chapter.

Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

Those trespasses are a world away from disagreeing about what man says that scripture says. When we disagree about that, aren't we using truly vain words? That, somehow, I know that this or that scripture means more than it says?

In fact, if we say that we have all the answers and are doing all the right things in the right ways and that anyone who disagrees with us is forever damned ... how exactly is that different from what is said in 1 John 1 ...?

If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

In fact, doesn't Paul in Romans 16:17-18 counsel us to be wise about people who draw complicated lines and cause divisions and to avoid - but not "disfellowship" - them?

"Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil. And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly."

Just asking.

I'm asking because the word "disfellowship" occurs nowhere in scripture; it is coined by man with his own belly in view.

Because I think we have too often been eager to sacrifice brothers and sisters in Christ over the burning pit of hell as fellowship offerings to the god of our own arrogance.

And because that god would be Satan.