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The Legacy of Choseness

January 18, 2018

Romans 9-11 is not easy treading. These chapters represent the core of the apostle Paul’s response to the struggles of integrating both Jew and non-Jews equally into the Roman churches.

In this text Paul reveals his own struggles for his people; expressing his passion for Israel, while also explaining why Israel is now about more than genetics. It is a fascinating section of Scripture, which offers us an incredible glimpse into how a sovereign God operates to accomplish his will, which includes exploring the notion of God’s choseness.

In my faith family–the churches of Christ–the idea of choseness (or election) has not historically been a topic of much consideration. We have tended to dismiss these ideas in opposing Calvinism and/or the doctrine of predestination. Yet when we read Paul in these texts it sounds like God is up to something that seems fairly similar.

All About Context

Just as a reminder—what Paul is teaching flows directly out of the situation in Rome—a situation over which the Jewish Christians there were stumbling. Paul masterfully weaves history, Scripture, and theology to present the case that it was always God’s intent to include non-Jews into his covenant of promise. If the Jews had been paying close attention to the prophets they would have known that God had long planned to take the wild olive branch and graft it onto the cultivated olive tree. He did what he had to do with whom he had to do it for all of that history to play out—so when Jesus arrived to accomplish it, all would be ready. This was no slight to Jewish people however. It was supposed to be an honor—they were actually chosen for this—to be God’s instrument to share his Good News. And even though they did stumble over this, God still has not forgotten them. Those branches that died falling off the olive tree can very well be brought to life again and grafted back. God desires for all Israel to be saved. So it is a win-win situation. God’s grace is extended to all people of every nation with that cultivated olive tree—Jewish nation leading the way. Being chosen has its privileges.

Is God Unfair by Choosing?

This was a question asked of Paul in reply to his teaching by those in the Roman church. After all, from the womb God chose Jacob over Esau. In the Genesis narrative we witness this approach repeated often. On the surface it seems quite unfair. Paul’s answer was startling. God is God and we are not! God is his sovereignty has the right to do what he wants—to show mercy upon whom he desires. None of this redemption story depends upon our efforts anyway (9:16). It is all God-originated. Everything he has and continues to do is for the express purpose of furthering this story. How he has decided to do it is not for us to question—just as the clay does not question the mastery of the potter. It is not unfair at all—it is how we got to where we are. Our call is to not stumble over this, but embrace it; to trust explicitly in God and find our place within The Story. If God has chosen us—what exactly does that mean?

We have Grace to Share

Contextually it meant that the Jewish people had the wonderful privilege of being God’s instrument to share their covenanted blessings with others. How could others hear without the preacher sharing it with them? Who better to share than those most acquainted with faith? Yet some within the Jewish community refused their calling and election—so God rejected them. But as God extended his blessings to others, he still did not forget Israel. He did what he had to do, but continues to hold the door open for their full return. It is called grace—exactly the result of everything God set out to do. Every choice; every action of kindness or sternness; everyone chosen to be involved along the way; all of it for this:

So, too at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it is no longer works, if it were, grace would no longer be grace. (11:6)

There will always be the remnant chosen by grace or else everything God accomplished is for naught.

Our Choseness

Now consider what Peter says in light of the Romans text:

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (1 Peter 2:9; See also Ephesians 1:3-14)

See any similarities?

We are here—a people of faith in the exact same way Israel was—because God chose us. He chose to create us a little lower than the angels; took care of our sin problem when we could not and arranged a way for us to enjoy a full relationship with him through Christ Jesus. He elevated us above our own status based only upon his desire for us—nothing we ever did or could do. Just like he chose Jacob from the womb based upon his sovereign will he chose us. We are now a part of royalty—a people made holy—for God’s special use, that is, to speak his praises into the dark world yet aware that they have been chosen too. (Which by-the-way is exactly what Paul was trying to get the Jews in the Roman context to understand.)

So what can we learn from this:

  • We are now the chosen of God
  • The promised blessings for the chosen will occur, but individual participation in them still requires a faith response
  • Being chosen does not shield from failures and difficulties
  • The chosen still are to answer a missional call
  • All of this is predicated upon the act and will of God. He alone makes it all possible—so that none of us can boast in our choseness. And the NT makes it even more abundantly clear that what motivated him to do so is his deep and abiding love for us (John 3:16; 1 John4: 7-8)
  • Like the Jews–we can reject our choseness, but God will never give up on pursuing us

We do have a legacy of choseness. It should excite and motivate us. We should rejoice in being God’s elect and get on with the serious business that involves. By faithfully living it out and sharing it with others—we give witness to  The Story among those yet aware of the grace they also have access to in Christ Jesus.

Why Be Wretched?

January 11, 2018

First, let’s set the context—without it the story is difficult to discern. The Roman church of the apostle Paul’s day had some complications. Jewish and non-Jewish Christians did not play well together. Outside forces factored in (Jew’s banishment from the city of Rome by Emperor Claudius around 49 A.D. for approximately five years), but inside factors were driving the tension. The Jewish church wanted the non-Jewish church to honor and keep the Law (as in the Torah, Law of Moses). For them it still held substantial meaning even as they followed Christ. It was their heritage and embedded securely within their identity. No way they could worship God without it being somehow a part of the process. Circumcision, the Jewish calendar, dietary practices, etc. were simply too deeply ingrained to abandon. Paul understood. He was Jewish. It was not an issue as long as Christ was honored and followed above it all. One small item however—the non-Jews were exempt. The Law and those cherished practices were basically meaningless to them. They did not come to Christ through it. It did not enhance their relationship to Christ. In fact it actually got in the way. They were not expected to honor it. But this irritated many Jewish Christians. They wanted church done their way and so the struggle of which Paul’s divine correspondence addresses. Numerous lessons for us to learn in this letter, but for now let’s consider Romans 7-8.

The Law’s Failure

Or more precisely stated—our human failure. In this text Paul expertly affirms the purpose, strength and significance of the Law while at the same time detailing its weakness.

The Law itself was good—God’s covenant to us for generations. It was his marriage contract, but it expired. A death—Christ’s—annulled it and his resurrection ushered in a new contract/covenant, one vastly superior. The Law’s failure was that it could not release us from condemnation. It only served to remind us of our weaknesses. The Law was not at fault for this—we were. Sin used the Law to exploit our weaknesses and remind us of how truly wretched we are. Just like Paul, it left us conflicted and guilty—never able to extract ourselves from the consequences of sin regardless of how diligently we tried. So while we may want to be right, we end up wrong—evil always right there with us as Paul described it. That is not a good position in which to remain and just a quick glimpse at the Jew’s historical relationship with God demonstrates it. So, why desire that status quo? Why force that on other unsuspecting folks? Why be wretched when there is another option?

That option, of course, is Christ. In him there is absolutely no condemnation. He did what we could not; what the Law could not—set us free from the life of sin and death. Through him and God’s Spirit our sinful nature can be defeated. No more living in constant conflict! Instead we develop the mind of the Spirit. He empowers us. Our obligations are met as we live as more than conquerors. That is the story of the text! Incredible!

But let’s be honest—are we actually living this story?

Still Clinging to the Superficial?

The message is clear. Christ has done the job for us. In him we are set free. Our sinful nature no longer has to hold us captive. Life in the Spirit is something altogether more and wonderful. So why do we continue to find ourselves stuck in the middle of the wretched disconnect of knowing what is right and actually doing right?

Could it be that we have never really moved beyond the superficial to fully embrace the Spirit-led life? Could it be that we continue the worn out practice of attempting to measure our faith by our own merit? In our hearts do we find some comfort in measuring our Christian performance by some standard other than the grace of God? Actually we are prewired to do this. It is not the Law or the same situation of our text, but it is the exact same tendencies. And as long as we go here—we lose. We will never be able to develop a deeper relationship with God or fully develop within us the Spirit-led life. And we will forever be failing even as we redouble our efforts to work harder to take up the slack. The story here is—it is not up to us to tackle our sin problem. We are unable to take up the slack. Christ has already done that. What is up to us—is to follow him.

Now this may come across as too fine a nuance, but it is actually much more than that. Following him does not become about what we do, but who we are. The Spirit resides within totally remaking us from the inside out. It is not about a law, it is about a life—a discipled life fueled by faith. God’s nature becomes our nature instead of our sinful nature. His will becomes our natural default, not merely a set of facts to remember. Our relationship with him empowered by and through his Spirit supersedes all else. The Spirit enables us to realize a deeper level of commitment—not based upon performance, but upon what Christ has delivered: no condemnation; sonship; adoption; the inheritance of the Father. This reconstructs our very makeup. We begin to yearn—not for things of this world—but for what is to come in Christ. Apart from Christ we cannot even begin to define our life. It makes no sense without him. We cannot even fathom being separated from the Father.

Everything else—not our approach to Christ—becomes superficial. No more hesitation on selling completely out to him. If not, then it goes back to this—“O wretched man that I am”— that is, either always guilty and hopeless on one hand or self-righteous and sanctimonious on the other.

What does that accomplish? Nothing healthy. The Romans are evidence of that. Is this who we really want to be? Why stay here when there is amazingly more to experience in Christ?

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

Being a Kingdom Citizen

December 15, 2017

The Kingdom Revolution #12

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:1-2)

The context from which the Apostle Paul’s instructions in Romans 13 originate is crucial in understanding the text. Overall, he continues with the practical application of his theological presentation in the first eleven chapters. That presentation demonstrated unequivocally God’s eternal will in giving the non-Jews the same access to his blessings the Jew enjoyed for generations. It was no longer about genealogy or racial pedigree. It was now about Jesus and in him all are saved. Therefore the infighting; the prejudice; the judging; should stop and each should learn to accept the other in Christ. He is the transforming agent. Learn to view yourself as “living sacrifices” to God through him. Embrace the transformation as kingdom revolutionaries. Forget about the old and embrace the newness Jesus offers. Live daily as citizens of the kingdom!

That concept—citizens of the kingdom—is definitely in play in the Romans 13 text. Beyond the overall context of this letter, there is another to consider that was a major contributor to the strained situation in the Roman churches. This was the civil disobedience evident among parts of the Jewish community in Rome. It had earlier created the banishment of the Jewish population of Rome under Emperor Claudius in 49 A.D. (in which Apulia and Priscilla were caught up- Acts 18:1-2.). Knowing this and the damage it caused the Jews, Paul realized that this type of rebellion against established government would be counterproductive to spreading the gospel and to the reputation of Christians within a community. He did not want the church to get caught up in such civil unrest. This was not the kind of revolution Paul envisioned or desired for Christ followers.

A Kingdom View of Government

So he lays out how the kingdom revolution looks lived out within the parameters of the Roman governmental system. At this point in history Rome was an Empire, not a republic. It was not a democracy. Citizens had some rights (such as Paul). Non-citizens did not. It was not a representative government. No elections (as we understand them) were held. Justice could be fair, but it also could be brutal. Quite often rebellions broke out to challenge the “Pax Romana” in oppressed areas within the Empire. Some groups like the Zealots thought it was their birthright to overthrow Roman rule. Paul’s presents quite a different (and revolutionary) alternative in Romans 13:1-7. It is primarily about being a citizen of the kingdom first. Nations come and go. Governments change. Being a citizen of God’s kingdom enables a different perspective about governments and empowers the revolutionary values of the kingdom to be lived out effectively within any type of governmental system. From the text we learn:

  • A positive picture of government. It is to be seen as established by God for the purposes of punishing wrongdoers and as such it serves God’s purposes.
  • Rebelling against the God-ordained government equals rebelling against God and brings about a judgment.
  • “Everyone” is to submit to the governmental powers and not be in rebellion against them. Considering their context this was wise advice because Rome could and did act swiftly to eradicate rebellious and subversive activity (think Jerusalem in 70 A.D.) The Christian’s responsibility within their governmental context is to “do what is right” – not just for fear of punishment but because it is the right thing to do (“conscience”- vs. 5)
  • Doing what is right includes paying the various taxes required by government and paying your debts.

This is all connected back to the previous verses about doing what is “right.” Couple this with other NT texts (Mathew 22:21; John 18:36; 1 Timothy 2:1-3: 1 Peter 2:13-17) and it is clear. Citizens of the kingdom do not take up arms and rebel against earthly governments (even if they can be unjust and cruel—like Rome). That is not the revolution to which we are called. Instead our revolution involves doing the unexpected in this situation—submitting; obeying the laws; living quiet lives, but in so doing upending the injustice and revolutionizing our communities anyway.

Love is What Fuels the Revolution

It is not through swords, spears, bullets or ballots that Christ’s revolution triumphs. It is through the “continuing debt to love one another” lived out within the citizens of the kingdom (Romans 13:11-14). It is our debt to our world. All of the commands are good—to be embraced and practiced, but it is love that truly demonstrates the presence of God in us. Living out God’s love is the power that fuels the revolution and it will (and did in Rome’s case) transform even nations. Nations know how to handle hostile rebellions, but they do not know what to do with cheeks turned and love returned for hate. Evil is not used to good in reply. The revolution of God is weaponized through love. The essence of that is Christ on the cross. If we can capture that kind of love—even in our small doses—we will revolutionize our worlds.

Paul understood this perfectly, so he urges immediate action. The hour had come for the Romans to wake up; stop all of the unproductive bickering; the sin that continued to hinder them and recognize the time for revolutionary action was at hand! Darkness needed light shining within it!

Revolutionary Clothing

He moves from one metaphor to another—and a fitting one to close our study. “Rather clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ.” This brings us full circle back to Galatians 3:26-28. It gets back to identity. Not Jew, not Gentile, not male, nor female, not slave, not free, not black, not white, not Republican, not Democrat, not even American—our primary identity is in Christ. We wear his clothes. We reflect his values. Our citizenship is first and foremost in his kingdom. We seek it first. As a result we are transformed into disciples who follow his unorthodox and revolutionary teachings—turn the other cheek, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, take the loss, be wronged, go the extra mile, etc. We understand how “blessed be” is this approach. We also understand how subversively revolutionary and incredibly powerful it is. It changed the world once and it will again and again as we live it out.

Perhaps we need to freshen up our kingdom wardrobe and do some waking up of our own. “Because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.” Have no doubt about it. There is a revolution going on!

The Kingdom Response

December 4, 2017

The Kingdom Revolution #11

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:1-2)

Revolutions typically bring about the unexpected. Think about this definition of revolution: “a sudden, complete or marked change in something.” Being “transformed by the renewing of your mind” definitely fits into this definition. Jesus certainly lived it out. His resurrection literally changed everything and following him—as his disciple while living out his revolutionary teaching will make us over completely his image. This then empowers us to go out to “test and approve” the will of God in our lives—demonstrating the sudden, complete and marked change the kingdom has made within us.

And one way to very noticeably demonstrate this transformation is in how we react and respond to circumstances around us—particularly when those circumstances are not so favorable.

Good and Evil

Since the fall in the garden the story of mankind has played out amid the tension between good and evil. We conform to the “pattern of the world” when evil triumphs over good in our lives. Everyday we deal with some type of temptation. We all know the struggle—a struggle we would surely lose if not for Christ. The revolution he started overcame the enemy (1 Corinthians 15:58). Christ in us is greater than he “who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

Having thus been made over and empowered by his grace and through his presence, we are to continue to carry out the revolutionary tactics of not repaying “anyone evil for evil,” but overcoming evil with good. This is the divine guidance of Paul, which frames our text of study in Romans 12:17-21.

There are several layers to unpack connected to this teaching and it all has to do with our kingdom witness to the world. They, indeed, are watching. They are interested to see if our actions match our teachings—especially when we face evil hostility. How will we react? What will be our response?

I believe this set of teaching to be very critical to our living out the kingdom revolution. Like in the Corinthian lawsuit situation—our natural inclination is not to turn the other cheek, but to retaliate in kind and hurt those who seek to harm us. Yet, this is not part of the revolution of Christ. When we conform to the pattern of the world in this manner it completely undermines our ability to be revolutionaries—to bring about that marked and complete change in Christ. Returning evil for evil only perpetuates evil and changes nothing. It entrenches the damage evil does and passes it along. In Christ there is a revolutionary alternative.

The Kingdom Response

As Paul details it in this text:

  • Stop the vicious circle of evil by overcoming it with good. Don’t allow evil’s influence to warp our perspective and guide our thinking. Actually internalize the values of the kingdom to the point that they become our nature—our first response. So that when evil happens we can naturally respond with the grace and goodness of God. It takes that eternal outlook guiding us to not get lost in the momentary situation, but it is what fuels the revolution. It is Jesus stopping evil by overcoming it on the cross. It is us speaking blessings back to those who curse us. It is not responding like the world responds.
  • Doing what is right in the eyes of everyone. This speaks to our kingdom witness; to actually living out what we proclaim; to being that revolutionary in front of all. Hypocrisy undermines any attempt at revolutionizing a culture for Christ.
  • Not seeking revenge. All of these are tied together in this text. Doing right means a different response to evil. We do not strike back; we do not seek vengeance; we simply do not respond in any violent or threatening way. We leave all of that up to God who ultimately will bring justice to all. Instead we do the unexpected—the revolutionary.
  • Bless our enemies. Once more we see the influence of Christ’s Sermon on the Mount in Paul’s teaching. He also quotes Proverbs 25:21-22 to fortify his point. Instead of seeking to destroy our enemies, we offer them food and drink—revolutionary indeed! Again, nowhere else outside of the kingdom of God will this idea be found. Why? Because it is how evil is overcome by good; how the kingdom of God can make over the destructive world; and how we can demonstrate the response of God’s kingdom to evil to bring about positive change. The imagery from the Proverb demonstrates it vividly. The kingdom response to evil can generate a response of its own—an uncomfortable and perhaps even painful response like coals burning on our head—which then can give our enemies pause. It is a kingdom statement that can radically reverse the natural order of things even to the point of changing an enemy into a friend—and into a friend of Christ.

Contextually it is not difficult to see why Paul taught this to the Romans. Due to their infighting and judgmental attitudes toward one another, they were not consistently responding the kingdom way. It was time for them to do so—just as it is for us.

It is Not Okay

It is never right to return evil for evil. Period. No amount of justification can make it so. It is always the kingdom way to do what is right in all circumstances—overcoming evil with good. It is not impossible to do. It flows out of the transformation—the complete and marked change Christ creates within us. It can happen through his power and strength radically making us over as kingdom revolutionaries. Once made over we can discern the good and pleasing will of God in all situations—even the challenging ones—and put into practice his revolutionary teachings. Such is our calling as kingdom revolutionaries.

Revolutionary Action!

November 21, 2017

The Kingdom Revolution #10

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:1-2)

Contextually Paul wastes little time getting directly to the heart of the matter within the Roman churches—literally. It is the practical stage of the transformation. It is what the makeover really looks like. He is calling for revolutionary action—what living the revolution is all about.

Redirected Passion (12:8-16)

Or perhaps even better stated—redeemed passion. He begins with a makeover of what drives us—our passions—what we love and hate. Could it start otherwise? For things to change in Rome; for the Jew and Non-Jew alike to get on with the kingdom revolution; the “inward man” needed a makeover. Genuinely and transparently they needed to love each other. Unless and until they sincerely did no transformation could take place. Period.

Driving this change would be a decided distaste for anything evil coupled with an overarching desire for the good, holy and righteous. Don’t fail to make the connections Paul is working for here. Revolutions change everything remember? Change here involves a Jew and non-Jew seeing each other through the kingdom perspective. The layers involved in this include how good and evil are viewed. No longer would the Jew view the non-Jew through a hate/evil lens and visa-versa. Instead sincere love replaces hatred and racism. In Christ it is all good! Cling to that! Cling to your brothers. Christ’s values become preeminent in relationships, not worldly values.

Therefore be devoted to each other as family—regardless of race. Part of the revolution is creating a new family and a new identity in Christ that trumps all others. It is a family not based on heritage, but on “no condemnation” in Christ Jesus. The bloodline that we all have in common is what Christ shed on the cross. Love each other deeply, transparently and sincerely in this family—without reservation—even to the point of honoring the other above yourself. In Christ we are all elevated! Live that out. That is indeed a revolution—not seen nor heard anywhere else outside of the kingdom of God. Be passionate about that—not about hating. Frame it all in Christ. It all flows from serving him.

Redirect all that negative emotion; all that passion twisted by evil values and transform them to reflect the values of Christ. What a difference that would make! Transforming—not conforming. This is the way revolutions spread! It is not business as usual. It is the revolution of the kingdom of God. Wonderful. Amazing. Different. Redeeming. Beautiful. Welcoming. Eternal. Cling to this!

Never Be Lacking!

Allow this positive passion to go deep within to create the kind of hope that endures even when challenged. The kind of hope that can even find joy when the pushback comes—and rest assured it will come. All revolutions face resistance. Pushback comes from being different; from doing things differently (such as Jew sitting down to a meal with a non-Jew); so be ready. Never be lacking in the kind of zeal that enables hope and joy to reset the challenges (this is a common New Testament encouragement—Hebrews 12:2: James 1:2; 1 Peter 1:6-9). No longer is the pushback—the persecution—crippling and disheartening. It can be processed as a “light and momentary” trouble. Our joy in Jesus outweighs it. Prayer is a significant part of this process too. It is how we express it all directly to God. It is the language of the revolution.

So much so that in the kingdom we can even redefine persecution itself. Incredibly it can be made over into an opportunity to bless the persecutors! (Notice the echoes of the Sermon on the Mount throughout Paul’s teaching here?) Talk about a revolutionary idea—this is it! Don’t speak curses back into the pushback—speak blessings! (How are we at this practice?) Find the losers around you—not the winners to identify with and associate with! Incredible! That is just not the American way (nor was it the first-century way), but it is the kingdom way. (If we have paid any attention to Christ, this should not be surprising however. It is exactly what he did—Matthew 11:4-6.) So the weak, the poor, the timid, the mournful, the outcast, the sick, the homeless, the meek, the hurting, the lost, the friendless, the sinner, those on the fringe—go bless them; go hang out with them. Intentionally befriend them. Do not care what anyone else thinks. Care what God thinks. Do it all together too—in harmony with one another and with the same goal in mind. Revolutionaries must be united in their pursuit of the revolution or it will not happen.

And for it to happen, Paul includes another bit of advice—get over yourself. He doubles back to verse 3 because he knew this needed to be reiterated. No one ever said revolutions were easy. As long as a Jew allowed any old prejudice to linger; who kept even a small portion of Jewish pride within; or the non-Jew hung on to similar attitudes—nothing would change. Not a chance any of this would happen. Therefore—let go of conceit. Forget who you once were. That was all meaningless and counterproductive to the kingdom. Transformation is transformation! The result is nothing looks like it once did and that includes the person looking back in the mirror.

God’s calls for revolutionary action! Action intentionally driven by the values of the kingdom of God. Action designed to further the kingdom. Action that is not unnoticed. Action that makes sense only through a kingdom perspective. Action that will continue to change the world. So, how about it? Are we up to it? Are we passionate about it? Are we a part of the revolution?

Revolutions Change Everything

November 14, 2017

The Kingdom Revolution #9

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:1-2)

Throughout this series of lessons, the idea that revolutions change everything has been a consistent thread. Revolutions by nature transform—they makeover what came before. Think of the recent entertainment “makeover” trend. Whether it was personal physical makeovers or the transformation of an old house—the results are always dramatic. Never featured in these programs is the person who lost only five pounds or the house that simply got a fresh coat of paint. That would attract no viewers. Instead the makeovers are revolutionary; the changes dramatic; leaving us astonished by the outcome.

Bring that idea into our next text of this study in Romans 12. Contextually Paul has finished his remarkable historically and theologically based presentation on God’s eternal will for the church to consist of both Jew and non-Jew. The first eleven chapters of Romans expounds upon his “there is neither Jew nor Greek” statement in Ephesians and expertly demonstrates the biblical case for it. It could only happen through Jesus—not the law. None are perfect. All (both Jew and Greek) deserve death (the “wages of sin”) but through Christ Jesus none (both Jew and Greek) are condemned. Having completed his thorough presentation of this, he turns to its application. What does this mean personally? What does it look like practically?

His answer? It kind of looks like a revolution!

Be Transformed!

One thing it is not, and that is to resemble is the way it was before—before Christ. Conforming to the old pattern—life without him—is not acceptable. Being completely transformed into new thinking, new goals, new behavior, and a totally new life is the result of “no condemnation” in Christ.

Everything changes. In the Roman context that started with how a Jew and Gentile thought of and treated each other in Christ. It also meant a great deal more which Paul details in chapters twelve through fifteen.

It can’t really be a revolution if only some things change. It cannot be a transformation if conforming to some patterns of the world linger. Like with the makeovers there must be a notable difference, such as, a Jew and Gentile eating together. This is the witness of the revolution in Christ—something astonishing, which can only find its reason in God.

This is what is so incredible about the Sermon on the Mount. The content of that message had not been heard before in that way. Little wonder those who heard Christ firsthand were astonished at his teaching (Matthew 7:28). In it he reset how we view the values of heaven. In it he announces the revolution that transforms everything!

Roman Echoes

There is little doubt and no mistake that Paul had this sermon on his mind in this section of Romans. Read particularly Romans 12:9-21 and echoes of Christ’s sermon abound. Paul understood this is the way of the transformation. This is what it looked like lived out—just as Jesus first proclaimed.

Not conforming, but transforming through a continuing devotion to renewal in Christ leads naturally and logically to embrace the way of Christ. It leads to the Sermon. It leads to a makeover. It leads to substantial, sweeping changes in all facets of life.

Not surprisingly it first leads to unblinking, honest self-evaluation. Before he ever recalls Christ’s teaching, Paul first urges an inward focus:

Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment in according with the measure of faith God has given you. (vs. 3)

Considering the racist tension in the Roman churches this was solid advice. Jews were not superior to non-Jews. Neither were Gentiles better than the Jewish Christians. All were sinners in need of Christ. So, for them, the revolution had to begin with an honest assessment of how they thought of themselves and their place in the kingdom, which, as Paul stated, was based not on heritage or ethnicity, but on the gifts of God.

Another way to understand this is—how can everything change for me; how can this transformation take place within me; how can the revolution be personally embodied if I think I do not need it? That it is just for the other guy? No way I can move forward fulfilling God’s kingdom plans for me if this is how I think.

True transformation demands that I give up those old notions that tend to entrench stubborn but damaging behaviors in order to accept the newness of the kingdom, which then enables me not only to see myself differently, but others also. The kingdom revolution creates therefore a place where there is neither Jew nor Greek, which Paul describes as “one body with many members,” working together through a variety of giftedness, “so in Christ, we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” Each belonging to all the others!? If that was not revolutionary teaching in the context of the Roman churches, nothing possibly could be!

But it all starts with that personal makeover—a revolutionary transformation that leads me to rethink everything the kingdom way and accordingly reframing relationships, community, and behavior. How I approach all of that simply no longer reflects my pre-revolutionary life. Everything changes.

It is in this astonishing makeover that we can make bold statements about the kingdom of God.


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1. Anonymous

    Wow that’d be impressive! Sounds like you got a great and hard working team here. Good luck with everything guys, we’re all rooting for you!

    • Pyro

      Hmm I’d be interested as well… wasn’t there a key combination for pulling up a world map?

      Basic controls are easy for those needing them, they’re below,

      Arrow keys for movement & menu navigation
      Enter selects the choice
      Esc aborts the choice or goes back 1 menu

      • anon

        Im pretty sure Q is world map. Someone told me i needed it to find the pocket castle, but i still can’t find it.

      • Pyro

        Anon, for the Pocket Castle, hit Escape to bring up the menu,

        Hit enter on Item, press right 3 times to get to Key Items, and Pocket Castle will be in there if you obtained it.

    • Pyro

      I didn’t make a B-Line & did some grinding but I believe my time count was at 18 hours or so when I left the continent.

      • Lol I didn’t want to go past what the demo translated so I’ve been farming slimes in the first area you can kill them so fast and give everyone but 1 that item you steal from the imp and it’s the best early game place to farm, I’m at 5 hours lol.

    • aitor

      I play entire game and in proportion…. i think the illias continent is the 70% of gameplay but the 20% of important history of first part

  2. Pyro

    Thank you sir 🙂 Take your time, I’d rather you push out a translation you’re proud of and not a translation people pester you to rush out the door so they can get their fap on to faster.

  3. Anonymous

    In regards to “skills and other gameplay related text”, would this include character-specific abilities? (Like how Luka can always use Heroic skills and Alice can use Black Magic)

  4. Pyro

    Just tossing this hint out there for anyone wondering. Shortly after you get “Baptized” you’ll see 2 Imps loitering around the starting city. To recruit them, after you’ve recruited the Blonde Imp, have her in your active party and those 2 will join you. — English names for those 3. Remi/Rumi/Rami

  5. CwHart

    Thanks man, appreciate you and the others are doing. Don’t feel the need to give us a time, take your time. If you wanna set goals for yourself then thats cool, but don’t burn yourself out on this man.

  6. Anonymous

    Tbh, the game’s fun enough on its own I’m not sure I care that much about the H-scenes.

    By chance, does anyone know how to recruit this monster?

    I’ve been killing it at 100 friendliness for about two hours, and not a single one has offered to join me. I’m not sure if she’s just a stubborn one or I’m supposed to do something extra.

      • Anonymous

        Yeah, I gave up and did other stuff for a while, but then Ilias learned the 1.5x recruitment chance ability (which is kinda weird since she hates monsters).

        I went back and got her. She was still pretty stubborn though lol. Or maybe just shy.

    • khalayia

      if your having alot of trouble recruiting certain monsters, the demon trainer intermediate job can likely help alot. all it requires is maxed hunter. id recommend barnie the elf hunter since she gets 1.5 recruit as a race bonus

      • Anonymous

        Even with this, certain monsters can just be REALLY stubborn. I don’t think the bonuses stack but I’ve got a x2 and two or three more 1.5s in my party.

        Took a fair number of Mimics for one to stick. Sandworm Girl keeps breaking out of every pokeball I throw at her, she’s as bad as Chansey. And a 2/4 of the enemies in the 3rd Tartarus just refuse to sign up. Not sure if there’s any enemies at all in the last last area, I’ll have to double check… but I heard it’s the only place with wild Mimics, which makes it an ideal Job Xp farm spot since they’re quick easy kills by then.

      • Anonymous

        Not sure if its just a coincidence or some sort of hidden trait but with some of the monsters I had trouble recruiting I went and changed party line up and changed the type of attacks I used to defeat them and they joined quick after I changed party and tactic so maybe that will work for you. Right now I put at least one monster that can be considered similar to the one I’m trying to recruit in party when I’m hunting for them and it seems to work so not sure if its just positive thinking or if there is hidden code to behind it.

  7. Anonymous

    When you release the demo content patch this weekend, will it include all the H scenes and H dialog for all the monsters that were in the demo?

  8. The Noble Shade

    If I’ve been reading things correctly, the demo DOES require a decryption process to play, while the full version DOES NOT require any decryption. Am I correct on this?

  9. WildFour

    Hey! How come this games get special treatment while VH2-3 only gets dargoth 100%? Not that I’m saying that’s not good but still. . .

      • Anonymous

        Well, there is a point: You can get the demo without paying or pirating, what isn’t true for the full version.

      • CMrC

        Well the content of the demo is in the full game, is not like they are 2 different thing expecially since the patch is going to apply to the full game

    • if you find a bug, why not describe the bug, saying ah ha, here’s a bug, and saying nothing else, doesn’t help ANYONE find the bug.

  10. Anonymous

    Whats Dargoth 100%? Compared to full 100%? Your work seems good in all the games ive played with your translations.

    • Anonymous

      Generally he left things untranslated in some of his works. He usually translated all the important bits, story, dialogue, H-scenes, and such. However small things, like encyclopedias and minor encounters were left untranslated. It’s fine for the works he did it in as the minor encounters were usually for grinding and had little in the way of actual content, but not so much for MGQP.

      It was actually the thing I was most worried about for a while. Fortunately that isn’t the case.

  11. Anonymous

    First off I’d like to thank Dargoth for his hard work. In which day of the weekend will the next patch be released, I’m asking not because of impatience but because Saturday I’m at work and I’m limited to mobile internet there so I can’t really download from work.
    Third is a game question, I got to the part where Luka learns his first Holy skill which I presume is meditation and I went to the treasure cave but there’s no one there, what didn’t I do before going there to be able to get the bell

  12. Anonymaster

    I hope the loli bandits will be included as well if he has the time! They open up shop inside of your castle if I understand correctly and then you can buy better weapons…

    • Pyro

      2 of the Loli Bandits have dialog plot points up to the end of the chapter.

      **** SPOILER ****

      You’ll need to do certain errands at certain points within the game for The Vampire & Dragon to expand their stock with newer items.

      I’ll reply with detail if requested. Some of which can be done within the Demo area of the game 🙂

        • Pyro

          When you supply them to the smiths in town, bring the Loli Dragon in your active party and a 3rd option should open up to allow her to get some training to be able to craft & supply those in your pocket castle.

          It’s a bit more involved though for your Vampire though.

  13. Goddess Ilias

    Thanks for your hard work and that of your “unfortune” friends 😀 , i really appreciate your efforts.
    Don´t rush i am just glad that i will be able to play this game someday, while understanding the Content.

    Now go, oh brave Dargoth, i will always watch over your translations.

  14. khalayia

    ah k, ty pyro, wish i found this out alot sooner; on another note, anyone know how to open the steel looking boxes?

    • Pyro

      I haven’t gotten there yet, apparently you need to get Theif to 10 + possibly another job to unlock an intermediate skill that can unlock Green. The same may be true for Steel boxes either in the same job at a higher level or even in the T3 jobs.

      • khalayia

        ive got the one for green, think its lvl 6 master thief but yeah im thinking it might be an advanced job……………….

    • Player4thegames

      It’s normaly an advenced job, but I don’t know if it’s possible to unlock an advenced job in the first part.

      • Pyro

        Let us know if you do please 🙂 — last night I was working mostly on getting all of my recruited monsters to 10 Affection

        The problem I may be over thinking, is will there be more scenes unlocked at affection levels after a certain character level

        So far, what I’m finding is every one has a scene at 10, some have scenes at 100, and rarer yet a select few have scenes between 10 & 100.

        Anyone know if there’s a Wiki up and running that a FAQ / Database can be populated with things all of us are finding?

    • Desert Eagle

      I’m wondering the same. I think I’ve found every Mimic chest there is but I never managed to recruit her. It didn’t occur to me that I wouldn’t find Mimic chests anymore. Had I known that, I would have saved and re-loaded until one of them agreed to join me.

      In Ilias Port’s University, I heard something like “mimics appearing somewhere in the world”. It sounded like there’s a chance of meeting one somewhere on the main world map. I’m not sure where to look though.

      • Anonymous

        Troops 118:ミミック娘 (Mimic); Looked through the main map; it doesn’t seem as she appears randomly but only in chest.

      • Player4thegames

        Normaly, like the pot, she will be available in futur part on a zone, if I don’t mistake information in Ilias Port

      • CMrC

        The pot zone was easy to find (and also easy to recruit, got her at 2nd try), but i’ve not been able to find a mimic zone after finishing part1, maybe should try to roam the map a little more

      • Desert Eagle

        I googled around a bit for “ミミック娘” (Mimic Girl). I think I found something.

        Some Japanese text mentions “a tower west of Saruun and Tartarus”. There’s no tower west of Saruun of course so I think it means east. There might be a tower further east from the Tartarus hole; I haven’t been that way yet. I think the text says that Mimic girl can be randomly encountered in that tower’s basement.

        I’ll try to find this basement and see if it’s true.

      • Anonymous

        The tower appears once you’ve beaten Part 1, so once you’ve done everything main story wise the tower will appear and you can grind honey pots and mimics there.

      • Desert Eagle

        Okay, I can confirm it too now. Mimics appear as a random encounter in the basement of the tower east of Saruun, after you’ve cleared the game. Hooray. 🙂

  15. Michiru

    Thank you Dargoth and team for all your hard work for helping all of us girls and guys flap to this lovely world of monster girls!

  16. Anonymous

    Dear Dargoth,

    Could you indicate the end of the demo, and end of translations so far please? I do not know if you included it already, but it would really be appreciated. Thank you.

      • Anonymaster

        I think I messed up my save… I went around leveling and collecting monsters while waiting for the translation to do the story and side-quests, but now there’s a pig-girl in front of the gambler who I need to talk to in order to find Amira and do the 4 bandits quest… Is there a way to move her, or will I have to use an earlier save?

    • CMrC

      Yep she did, and i really think xelvy’s cg with piss involved are more than enough, they really could’ve spared that one

  17. Anonymous

    I don’t know if anyone else has mentioned it yet, but I believe I found a bug.

    If you kill the final enemy in a battle with Double-Edged Cut the game crashes. I’d imagine it’s some kind of confusion with the battle being over but you’re still taking damage.

    If there are other abilities in the game that deal damage both to the enemy and yourself, they probably do the same thing.

  18. I’ve been scraping up info here and there about the basic jobs but I’m still missing 3 of them Informant, Scholar and one more between Engineer and Informant. Does anyone by any chance know where to get the permits for these jobs? Any help is greatly appreciated

    • Anonymous

      Informant has something to do with Amira. Mageshi (seriously) is the job between Engineer and Informant; by mastering it, you can become a Necromancer, Puppeteer and Spiritist so I believe it has to do something with Chrome. As for the Scholar, I`d like to know that myself)

      • Player4thegames

        For the job under Engineer it’s spiritualist http://puu.sh/gOVo5/8b8ef01d67.jpg
        For informant it’s when you encounter for the first time Amana, she will propose you to choice to pay 1500 G for the information, or do a quest for become Informant, I don’t think you can do it anymore if you pay, but maybe you can, don’t know.
        Scholar it’s in the university in Ilias port, on the second floor, go speak with the doctor, go to the bottom of the Forest of hesitation, and go to the beach, search you will find an item, go to the village in the forest, speak with the elf in the weapon shop, she will give you item, and one of them is an key item to give to the doctor, when you have it you can go on the third floor, and on this floor there is a BF, win and you have Scholar.
        For Spiritualist, it’s in Chrome mansion, make all the room (kill every monster in fact), and go again in the room where is mimic, if you finish all the room she will give you spiritualist.
        I hope I’ve help and my english isn’t too bad XD

    • khalayia

      to get informant, when you talk to amira for the first time, she’ll ask for 1500. instead of giving it, negotiate i think and she’ll give you a quest that takes you to slum village, following this will give you the information for free, the informant job, a mini phoenix called mimi as well as amira when you talk to her again. for the engineer job simply talk to the guy with the red bandana at the entrance to the first tartarus once you obtain one of the machina pieces from the other tartarus to the east

    • warrior -start
      martial artist -start
      mage -start
      priest -start
      hunter -start
      thief -start
      soldier -save slime girl, leave come back, save soldier, get key, open chest in cave of trials, come back, tell soldier, get permit
      merchant -talk to merchant in illasville item shop, save friend in the hills, return to first merchant, pick last option, get all rewards, and permit
      fortune teller -talk to fortune teller in pornville, give hard job bracelet, get permit
      playboy -start
      scholar -advance to point in story where you’re sent to hidden elf village, (forget name) give pink shell from beach to elf in item shop there, get stuff from it, give one of those things to doctor on second floor of university, get permit, or get permit from someone on the third floor, after getting permission from said doctor.
      engineer -get any machina item like a gun from either of the tartarus holes, and give it to the guy with the red bandana outside the first one, get permit
      mageshi -complete every “bonus” thing in chromes mansion, talk to chrome, get permit.
      police informer -do the 4 bandit quest line, find amira, ask about white rabbit, do not pay, join the guild, do mission to uncover feather racket, return to amira once solved, get permit
      cook -in second tartarus, after talking to famous cook, and getting told where the permit is in the real world, go get it, get permit
      nurse -win battleF with nurse on second floor of university
      maid -do the quest to clear the slug tower for the legendary maid in midas village, return, get permit.
      noble -three small medals paid to medal queen, get permit
      apprentice hero -start
      unemployed -start

  19. khalayia

    looks like one of the advanced jobs is a combination of all the mage specialities, so far it includes black mage, time mage, white mage and one other. if someone finds out the fourth please let me know.

  20. Cellulanus

    Looking forward to it. Unlike some people I don’t see the point of playing it at all until I can understand the story.

  21. Erebos

    Good day. I have a question about “alternative” world after the first Tartarus. Is there any reason to enter that place at the moment? It seems you need to have highest level possible to fight on par with high-ranked angels.

      • Erebos

        Thank you for the reply. It means that I need to use an artifact with less chance of encounter to evade angels on my way.

      • Well I honestly can’t advise you on that I’m a job grinding maniac so most of my characters have flirt job mastered. you only need it at level 2 for encounter half. stack a few of those and you won’t encounter any monsters at all

    • just stay on the road, go directly to the village, and don’t wander off the road to explore, and you will get zero encounters, it’s scripted to do that, and you’re even told to do that by the game.

      • NoName

        Yep, completely scripted, you can’t even run away from the battles as an indication of “You fucked up!”. That’s one of the problems people found when not playing using a translation program. Fortunately I saw the warning but little oh adventurer I am decided after saving to risk my stupid life.

        Fortunately I can easily kill them now, so yay revenge for me.

    • CMrC

      If that choice will bring serious outcomes i think it will be in enxt parts, i chose lucia but didn’t see any consequence from it

    • NoName

      It doesn’t really seem like it has some consequences, apart from allowing certain sidequests related to the girl you recruit. I just went with Lily to give her a second chance since that didn’t happen in the VNs.

  22. deuxvolt

    I still have an issue with my save being untranslated in the full version of the game and it crashing when i go into the “Config” sectionn.

    • Ok did you use any demo saves if so was it the translated one or the Japanese one also which patches did you use and what version of the game do you have.

      • deuxvolt

        I started my save for the 0.91 demo and already had it patched into English. I moved it into my 1.0 version of the game and its completely translated but when I move it to 1.2 it reverts back into the Japanese translation with the config crash bug.

    • just start over, it’s not that big a deal, there’s more stuff to get in the demo area than was in the demo anyway. Plus, you won’t have your config crash bug

  23. Anonymaster

    I think I may have messed up my save… I went around leveling and recruiting monsters while waiting for the translation, while avoiding the story and side-quests. Now, however, there’s a pig girl standing in front of the gambler, preventing me from talking to him to see where Amira headed off to. Is there anyway to move her?

  24. Civildeviation

    Dargoth, out of curiosity will unlocked abilities or other text suffer the same problem as the names not being able to be translated after patching? Also thank you for all the work you’ve done and will do, it really makes the game far more enjoyable.

    • Anonymous

      I think the name thing is more of the rpgmaker oh i name this guy asshole, he should still be named asshole when the game updates thing.

    • Anonymous

      You twat, that’s what plague doctors wore during the black plague. The beak is used to store medicinal herbs that are meant to be burned like incense to supposedly keep away the plague and the keep the mask from smelling like shit during the long periods of time it’s meant to be worn.

    • Anonymous

      You probably started the quest at the slums. You just go west to the cave and out to enter the town of slums. Talk to the girl in the tent (not the BF girl) and once you come out you should get a key. You go southeast and use the key to open a door into the house and search the shining object. After the event, you can go back and talk to the girl in the tent and recruit Amira as you’ve solved her quest.

  25. Ningyo no Koibito

    I must commend you for your dedication to this massive project, Dargoth. Do hang in there. Also, I was wondering if you were considering using Torotoro’s official spelling of Alice’s name (Alicefeeze) as opposed to Alipheese with the missing phonetic. Up to you.

      • Ningyo no Koibito

        I originally preferred Alispheese (with an S) until I found out the official spelling. I suppose Alicefeeze is kind of an odd spelling, but it at least explains why she likes “Alice” as a nickname.

      • Ningyo no Koibito

        According to Rogue, Luka IS the official spelling, with the exception of the misspelling in the battling label (Ruka). Then again, Alicefeeze was discovered because of the battling label, so perhaps that spelling is from an unreliable (albeit official) source. The Romaji is indeed ARISUFI-ZU, but it’s tricky to create a translation with all of the phonetics without making it look strange. Of course, it’s always good to respect the author as much as we can.

      • I put no stock in the Romanization chosen. Variable names in the games’ code are in Romaji, and they’re full of misspellings and mangling of English words. Stuff like theef_stealed. It’s really only useful to find what readings he meant for kanji in names, like seeing that Nanabi is not supposed to be Nanao, although Setouchi himself got that wrong in one of his BtE stories.

      • NoName

        Translating badly misspelled English words is one of the worst things a translator has to go through. Specially when even the context can’t help you find out what the fuck they were trying to say. Unless they write the romaji of it, it’s a matter of tossing a coin and hope it lands on the side you bet.

        • Sunny’s nickname and ability are サボレス and サボレスフェイズ. I have absolutely no idea what either of those is supposed to mean. I asked on TT’s forum but no one answered me.

      • NoName

        Suppress and Suppress Phase? Or Surprise and Surprise Phase, if I go for terrible mispelling? Tell me the monster that has that name, perhaps I can help.

      • Ningyo no Koibito

        Hmm…. フェイズ does seem to be phase. サボレス could be a variety of things. Savorless comes to mind. Google Translate wants to try things like Support Voles (what?). Does Sunny have a particular personality or habit that gives her such a nickname?

      • NoName

        And the effect of her unique ability? With this I may have an idea on where to start. I already grasped her personality after talking to her with the Talk option.

      • NoName

        … … … It’s a spanish word. Sabores. Which means flavours. Are you fucking serious, Torotoro? Urgh, I can’t believe I didn’t see that even though I know Spanish…

      • Ningyo no Koibito

        Wow. I think you’re right. They do use French and Spanish at times. Heck, Tiny Lamia is actually Petit (not Petite) Lamia. I guess they’re trying to give the names a bit of flavour. …Bad joke, I know. Please don’t hit me.

  26. Pyro

    Alrighty fun question, anyone know if the naming issue persists through a New game Plus… if NG+ is in this one.

    • Anonymous

      Mithra Castle is the destroyed one to the south of the slum on Ilias continent? If so, it seems to have no plot-related events yet.

  27. Desert Eagle

    Umm, I just noticed. There are TWO monsters whose names are “Honey”. The bee girl is called “ハニー/Honey” and the Honey Pot girl is called “蜜壺” (Literally “Honey Pot” but translated “Honey”.)

    I have to differentiate between them somehow. Either I call the bee girl “Hani” or just call Honey Pot girl Honey Pot.

    • CMrC

      Not sure how many medals it required, but she also gives you the lord job change. Also her 50 medal thing is the strongest piece of armor you can find. Even beating the shinigami won’t yeld an armor as good as that (and i don’t think it can be done without cheats, i just did it to check life, drop and dialogue)

      • Anonymous

        It is certainly possible to beat death.
        Power fighter lvl 6 ability (食いしばり) prevents one hit kills on your party if they are over 300hp. Combine that with constant healing and you can win, though it will be a grind.
        Also, Wing harpy race level 4 unlocks a dance (天空の踊り) which raises the evasion of all party members, which can help.

      • NoName

        That is not enough for Reaper, since I believe some of her attacks cause instant death, and some hits multiple times easily bypassing that ability’s usefulness. The strategy I’ve seen from some japanese guys is to abuse Unfortunate Harpy’s innate 70% evasion and boost it to 100%, making it completely untouchable, and keeping it on all the time, keep in mind though, it’s a freaking long battle because of how high her stats are, you’ll be hardly doing damage to it.

        My opinion, don’t beat it yet. Reaper was not intended to be beaten at this point, or at least that’s what Torotoro’s team believed, since you can’t refight it once you win (but as always, there’s some way to exploit the system LOL). Just beat Alice XVI, she gives good loot and she’s definitely easier to beat than the Reaper (still needs preparation though).

      • CMrC

        interesting i didn’t consider that abilityi, maybe that coupled with all member mastering dancer and singer for phys and magic evasion and a couple summoners for constant magic reflect shield and accsessories to avoid insta death might do it.

        I’m gonna try it

    • Desert Eagle

      For 30 Medals, you can get the job change item for “Lord” and “Pope”. Lord requires mastery of Noble and Warrior, and Pope requires Noble and Priest. You also get a very nice crown.

      For 45 Medals, you can recruit the Medal Queen.

      • Anonymous

        Desert Eagle, thanks for the info! Perhaps I should start searching for medals more carefully (buyed the permit to Lord and Pope`s jobs already). BTW, do you know how much medals there are overall in Chap1?

      • NoName

        As much as you want. Mimics and Honey Pots drop them (low chance though), and you can find them as random encounters in the tower east of the entrance of the 3rd Tartarus. That tower will only appear once you’ve beaten Part 1 though.

      • Desert Eagle

        I’d like to say that I’ve carefully searched every nook and corner for small medals. I also had Amira drink gallons of coffee and cola to get her medals. I think I’ve collected a total of 49 small medals; Just enough to recruit Medal Queen.

        However, I think it’s possible to farm these medals if you have the patience for it. According to a japanese wiki page, Mimics and Honey Pots have a low probability of dropping small medals. If you go to the tower basement after beating the game, you can grind (giggle) those monsters for medals.

        I might do that. I just need 29 small medals. Probably take many hours though but I wanted to master some jobs anyway.

      • NoName

        I believe Gambler (advanced job for Fortune Teller), when you level it up it gives you an ability that increases the chances of an item dropping x2. Keep in mind that if something has a chance of 1/64, it means now it has a chance of 1/32 (I think it works that way). Even with that x2, it’s still a reaaaaaaally low chance of dropping.

      • Civildeviation

        Another way of getting 3 medals and a plethora of other items is the Grand Dole (theatre) with Saki. Bring her in your party and talk to the manager. For each combination of monster girls that do their first performance you get items. Mimic and Honeypot get you the 3 medtals

      • Desert Eagle

        Gambler can do that? Well, if I’m really going to try and get those medals, I MUST get a gambler in my team. Turns out though, I don’t have the permit for Fortune Teller job. I just found out that the permit can be acquired from Pornof, the town of perverts (You trade 200% EXP bracelet to a fortune teller for the permit). Thanks for the info!

        And Mimic + Honey Pot show gives three medals? Thanks, I haven’t done that show yet! (I need to recruit Mimic first though…)

      • Anonymous

        I can confirm that Mimics and Honey Pots do drop them, but the odds really are terrible. I long ago lost count of how many dozens of each I’ve beaten and only had 1 medal drop from each. I know it was the first medal from each because it was added to Monsterpedia data.

        I’m certain I don’t have the 2x item drop rate yet, so I’ll make that my next goal for Luka since all I’m doing with him is filling out random jobs anyway, and I don’t think I have anyone else with Fortune Teller exp that I want to myself get exp on.

      • Desert Eagle

        @CmrC – No, it doesn’t stack. It seems that two effects that boost item drop rate (or exp rate) cannot stack at all.

        You can check it yourself too. Party menu –> Status –> Basic Info (click on it) –> Adv. Stats.

      • Anonymous

        Boosting cannot stack but you can use a booster to help cancel out one of the Exp reducers. The items/abilities that reduce an Exp type are not a Multiply by 0, they’re a -50% or -100%. A positive booster can cancel them out. Humans have it really easy with their passives, but since most Humans racial options are pretty lousy…

      • CMrC

        @Desert Eagle
        I was talking about having them on different character.
        Like if you have 8 gamblers all with the x2 drop ability on.
        I think it would be best for someone who is pratical with the code to check this than for me to start trying to define a statistics for all the cases (already grinded soo much that i’m starting to consider cheats instead of doing further grinding coz it got quite boring)

  28. CMrC

    I’ve started looking at the cgs in the graph folder. There seems to be a series with crome sitting on you while facing you, but from the request scene it only seems to play the one where she sits on you ginvg her back, as anyone found a way to accsess the other one?

    • Pyro

      I haven’t done enough digging but there may be a possible slight difference between battle loss rape scenes and post recruitment affection scenes. also per character there are multiple scenes for some of the girls. IE loss via a BJ vs Loss by Rape from the previous games for example.

    • NoName

      The best theory we have is (taking into account that facing Luka and kissing him is far more intimate than giving her back) that this scene will be accessible in a future Part 2 or Part 3 release, when some event makes Chrome’s relationship with Luka improve (like for example meeting her sister). Since obviously UN_DO wasn’t just going to do different versions of the CG at different moments, he just did them all, and Torotoro’s team added them all to the game, ready to be used in the future. That’s the most likely theory so far.

  29. shadowhearts2

    Having tried to play part 1 essentially using some hooking stuff with dictionaries that essential equaled google translate that produced English that made no sense I just wanted to say having tried the rest I’m more appreciative of the best. I’m rooting for you meatbag with newfound patience only the suck of robots can teach.

  30. CMrC

    Yessss after 15 min or more of battle i finally defeated the shinigami

    Luka, Power fighter, Valkyre
    Sylph, Super star, Wind spirit
    Promestin, Lord, High angel + mastered medic, and white mage
    Alice, Lord, Boa lamia (forgot ot chagne back to yoma) + mastered summoner

    Used the 食いしばり (defense tree) ability from power fighter tree on everyone, +20% evasion for phys and magic from dancer and minsterl, also used ability for death immunity on all that had it and accsessory for other.

    Used Luka as main dmg dealer (super hero transform + 2SP move that power up next attack) (+ sylph 5SP dancer buff to attack and agility he hits 20k on her with 6sp 4 random hit hero skill)
    Sylph to keep every one buff, and 2SP dancer skill to heal at start of turn if needed (had to keep all above 300hp), also kept stagetime on to have double turn.
    Promestin for general heal, medic 6SP skill that increase max healt of party to 1.5
    Alice, general heal and kept carbank summoner skill always active to have magic reflection barrier (you need to enable the ability in the green tree to use summoner skill to use summons without having right job, but not sure if i got it from summoner or one of the other 3 jobs following the spiritualist tree)

    Good luck and grinding everyone if you want to try to take her down^^

      • CMrC

        99 job exp 15k gold
        A really good armor that rises all stats but dexterity (still not as good as the 50 medal one)
        A potion that restore all hp/mp/sp to all your party
        A gem that rises willpower by 2

        Unfortunately you can’t fight her again after defeating her once, but you can enjoy her rape scene without having to loose to her

      • CMrC

        Normal steal: Erikusa(full HP/MP restore potion for single target), Life nut
        Item request(Orator skill): World tree leaf
        Ingredient steal: Skull
        Material steal: ???
        Underpant steal: Shinigami underpants

        If someone is interested i also mapped to an extent her dialogue lines and answers

      • NoName

        Erikusa is Elixir LOL.

        Btw, I fucking finally figure out how to steal materials. Harpies have a skill that allows that. One of their advanced jobs at Lv2 (I believe Wind Harpy or similar) allows you to do that. Thank god of the japanese wiki, seriously.

      • NoName

        Okay, the proper name is Wing Harpy, not Wind Harpy LOL. Guess I was close. The name of the race is ウィングハーピー, and the name of the skill is 素材を盗む.

      • CMrC

        Yeah knew it, just didn’t had the will to grind an harpy as well to make her fit that battle 😛 and i really missed the eilixir romanization 😛

    • Pyro

      do you have game revision 1.02 prior to attempting to patch? — if yes, did you run the patch in administrative mode.

      • Anonymous

        Yes I have 1.02, Tried administrator mode, tried all the compatibility modes, tried japanese locale, tried downloading fresh copies of the patch and game, disabled all antivirus/antimalware/everything, ran in safe mode, just can’t get the patch to do anything but freeze and go “not responding”.

  31. Arj

    Just for a frame of reference on how big the game is, how much % of the game is the Ilias Continent? ( roughly speaking )

    • NoName

      You’re going to spend in this continent 50%-60% of your time, while for the other (and it’s only half of it since the game stops you from exploring more in Part 1) it’s about 40%-50% IMO. If you’re not skipping sidequests, you’ll be spending a lot of time in every continent.

  32. Anonymous

    Anyone knows what is the actual name of soundtracks “casino”, “casino2” and “sinden”? I know that “castle7” is “Dance of the Reed Flutes” from “The Nutcracker” and other 3 sound familiar to me.

    • Anonymous

      Casino 2 is “The Entertainer” by Scott Joplin.

      As for the others, sorry. I can’t remember them off the top of my head.

  33. Civildeviation

    Few questions for ya folks:
    1) What is the purpose of collecting MG underwear?
    2) Is there a way to quickly check and see if there is a MG you haven’t recruited?
    3) Anyone know the list of job permits that you can get in this first part? I haven’t found taoist, ninja, or any items for intermediate races

    • NoName

      1) To show it to one guy in Porn village. You get an achievement after a certain number. Plus I suppose it’s a “collect them all” kind of fun event.
      2) Sorry, but the only way is to check your Recruited Monsters section in the Monsterpedia, then check the Enemies section in the Monsterpedia and see who’s missing in the first section. Keep in mind that some bosses do not join you (yet in Part 1).
      3) Link to the walkthrough, check there: pastebin.com/zaNGkJF2

    • Anonymous

      For 2, there is a line below their name on the 3rd page of their Monster Book entry. If it is 仲間になっている, you have recruited them. If it is 仲間になっていない, you have not recruited them, but they are recruitable*. If the line is not there, you can’t recruit them.

      *The only exception seems to be from an event near the end of the game. You choose to fight one of two people. The other will join you, but the one you fought appears as though they are recruitable.

  34. The high priest of San Ilia doesn’t ask me for guard duty which means I can’t do the quest in the village north east of San Ilia. I finished the basement library part, recruited Page 65XXX(whatever number) and opened every chest in there and also examined the sparles on the floor(not the ones that heal). What did I miss again?

  35. Cory

    How on earth are people getting the Machine Translation to work? I a using VN Reader and it isn’t working for jack, just displaying the plain jap text at the top of my screen instead of the translation.

  36. Anonymous

    is there a list of how and/or where to unlock intermidiary and advance job list and where to get the items to unlock them?

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Everybody Gets Elves

My good friend Jason Oliver has done an excellent remix of my Logos track Everybody Gets Elves, from the 2010 album Gehenna Now. Listen below; to find out more about Logos, go direct to their website. I hope to work further on music with Jason in the future.

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text:
Return to INTERVIEW: Jay Maisel.

N.Y.C., man, chairs, and orange wall. I did 30 or 40 portraits of this man. As I left, I looked back and took this final shot – my favorite of the lot.

ALT: I met this gentleman right after a lecture in NYC. I loved the light on him and asked if I could do a portrait of him. He said yes, and I worked on it for almost five minutes. I never got what I thought was good, but he was tired and I thanked him and left.

When I got outside the building, I looked back and saw him in a context that was new to me. That was the shot.

Orange Wall:Late:Jay Maisel

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Jay Maisel
© 2008 Jay Maisel, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
September 10, 2008


text:
TRT – Watson Lake to Mt Rose (28mi)

What a brutal section.

Day 1 consisted of 18 miles in between water sources, mostly exposed trail, and just getting baked by the sun. Ended up off the TRT to camp at Gray Lake just to find water.

Day 2 consisted of 9 miles that took me nearly 9 hours to complete. SO MUCH SNOW. Post-holed for hours on end in waist high snow. At times I was attempting to follow someone else’s footprints that had tried to do the same thing before me, but those disappeared and re-appeared as they obviously had as much trouble keep tracking of the trail as I did. All in all, I barely managed a mile and hour and lost and found the trail again probably 50+ times. My phone died so I don’t have pics that accurately convey the level of snow, you’ll just have to take my word on it…


text:
No Holds Barred!

Telling it like it is!

In contrast…

The media in the US, UK et al?… Phoney! Fake! & False!

As are MR T’s “political” opponents!… They have NOTHING to offer the American people – NOTHING!

NOTE: If the Demonrats win control of the House and the Senate with the “mid-term elections” you can pretty much kiss “The USA” goodbye, and Killery & Obummer & their ilk will be back! – ALL of whom have ALREADY been PROVEN to be CRIMINALS, and WORSE, and SHOULD be in prison already, awaiting justice! Close on their heels should be the msm, “social media” technocrats, and the “entertainment” industry!

Personally, I’m sick and tired of all the BS from “all of the above”! (same ol’ same ol’)

Please God, drop the hammer on them all, via MR T because he’s the only one with the authority who CAN, and if he can’t or won’t or the people vote for the “status quo” then it’s “game over” for the US AND the rest of the world! The elite cabal WILL have won! IF this happens then…?

THIS is what the usual suspects DON’T want the people to know! THIS is what they are GUILTY of and want to DISTRACT the public’s attention from! “Remember who the REAL enemy IS!”

“The whole world is watching!”? – You betcha!

Here’s a “theme song” “Q” has shared…

Comments Off on No Holds Barred! Posted in Posts

“You said nothing…….!”

And now “social media” are making sure that MR T and the rest of us get to “say nothing” through their censorship!

NOTE: As stated previously, I’m refraining from commenting or posting too many items now that repeat the same material. I like Stroppy’s posts because he is geographically first, and he doesn’t comment too much, nor make things too long. By now we should be able to interpret and understand for ourselves what “Q” is saying, and we should also understand that all other material on the net is only supplementary. We must stay focused, like a laser beam, not scattered. Any note-worthy news from CREDIBLE sources will only CONFIRM what we ALREADY know “straight from the horses mouth”, so we can “enjoy the show”.

One thing I will comment on however…

As stated previously, I am all for the exposure and dismantling of “the deep state” and the nefarious, Satanic, globalist, elite NWO, and I believe that MR T, “Q” & team are committed to this end and doing EXCELLENTLY, if you consider who and what they have taken on!

However, and it remains to be seen how everything will actually play out, Biblical Prophecy WILL be fulfilled, and it is VERY CLEAR in TWO VERY SPECIFIC aspects…

We read of “a beast”, a final “beast”, that appears to come from the West (my interpretation), overcoming all the previous “beasts” (global empires) and their remnants (today) that came before it, AND we read of the destruction of “Babylon, the Great Whore”, which most Bible scholars believe to be the U.S. and seems to take place towards the very end of all things.

“Make of it what you will”

I believe that what has transpired with the result of the US presidential election of 2016 has provided a “stay of execution” in the overall scheme of things, and I pray it succeeds, I really do. But “let’s see”!

Comments Off on “You said nothing…….!” Posted in Posts

We are in the middle of the “big week ahead”, so “Q” is dropping LOADS of info…

“Make of it what you will” but there are plenty of folks who can offer opinions that will help. You can/should also do your own homework, “Think for yourself”/”Think logically”, and remember this most of all – THE MSM IS YOUR ENEMY, THE MOUTHPIECES OF THOSE WHO WANT TO KEEP YOU ENSLAVED, THE ELITES!

“Remember who the real enemy is!”

IMPORTANT NOTE: In the above “Q” makes it VERY CLEAR when THEY consider the job is done = “when they are d**d”! “Q” is NOT messing around!

Also it should be noted that “Q” has A GLOBAL FOLLOWING!

And if you don’t know about “The Insignia Project” you SHOULD. Go back to Stroppy’s previous posts and prepare to have your mind blown as to “who’s who” and “what they do”. The sheer scale of the numbers involved will leave you reeling! (THIS is how and why they are able to “finance” their global domination!)

Comments Off on ESSENTIAL READING BELOW! (Updated!) Posted in Posts


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text:
Zombie goodness, when is it upcoming?

May 4, 2011

I’ve mentioned loads of zombie movies on Dawn of the Lead, diligently bringing them to your attention. It seems that one thing I haven’t been doing (as pointed out by fellow bloggers Sho3box and Vampifan – see links on the right), is following up on them with news on their development. With this I mind, I present to you and episode of Where are they now? featuring all the zombie movies I’ve posted trailers on. They’re in the order I’ve posted them, starting from the oldest entries. You can find the trailers by clicking on the date.

Apocalypse/Zone of the Dead – I posted on this Serbian flick way back on May 5th 2009. That’s almost exactly two years back.  Unfortunately it’s terrible, and I wouldn’t recommend watching it, unless you’re a fan of fairly shoddy, boring and generic zombie movies. The movie is available on dvd.

Rec 2 – This was featured in the same post. The sequel to the Spanish Rec – one of the scariest zombie movies around – is a nice film, although it’s not as good as the first one. Rec 2 is available on dvd.

Doghouse – A piece of British zombie cinema, I reported on Doghouse on June 9th 2009. It’s an excellent blend of comedy and zombie action, and I heartily recommend it. It’s available on dvd.

Zombieland – While it wasn’t quite the classic it was hyped (by yours truly as well, on June 21st 2009) to be, this big budget Hollywood zombie comedy was still a very decent film. It’s available on dvd.

Survival of the Dead – While this movie by George Romero was hotly anticipated, it turned out very unimpressive. I wouldn’t recommend getting it, even if I was a bit excited on August 14th 2009. It’s available on dvd.

Carriers – I reported on this in the same post. It turned out not to be a zombie movie, but rather one about a very dangerous infectious disease. It’s a nice little film, and available on dvd.

ZMD (Zombies of Mass Destruction) – This movie I posted about on September 7th 2009 was hyped as a “political zomedy”. It’s isn’t very good as a zombie flick, nor as a political comedy. It’s available on dvd.

Last of the Living – This low budget Australian zombie comedy (posted on October 15th 2009) was actually a nice surprise. It’s available on dvd.

Zombie virus on Mulberry Street – From the same post. Not a zombie movie per se, but a part of the genre nevertheless, this one features human/rat hybrids. Pretty good, actually, and availableon dvd.

Pontypool – From the same post. Canada’s gift to zombie lovers, Pontypool puts an interesting twist on the genre. The lead character’s voice alone warrants a recommendation, and it’s a nice film to boot. Available on dvd.

La Horde – This action packed French zombies/cops/robbers film is one of my favourites. I posted on it on December 3rd 2009 and later did a full review on it. Get it, it’s available on dvd.

Mutants – From the same post, this is another French title. Mutants, I think, is one of the best zombie movies I’ve ever seen. It features the descent of one man into zombiedom, and his girlfriend’s attempts to help it. Well worth watching and owning. Available on dvd.

Zombies and Cigarettes – From the same post, I can’t believe I actually forgot to follow this Spanish offering. It’s actually a short movie, it’s excellent and you can watch it for free here. I’ll be sure to post a full review later.

E’gad, Zombies! – This is a British short that I posted about on February 6th 2010. It has apparently been winning prizes, and is being turned into a feature length film. I just ordered it and will do a full review later. It’s available on dvd.

The Dead – From the same post. This zombie movie set in Africa, and has been getting great feedback from film festivals. Enough, in fact, to warrant a theatre release in Summer 2011. Can’t wait!

Eaters – Same post. This one from Italy. While film festival reviews say that it’s not bringing much new to the table, it still looks very nice. The official site says “coming in 2011”.

Opstandelsen – Same post. This great looking Danish 50 minute short film is getting its dvd release in Denmark in six days, on May 10th. Excellent news!

Blind Death (Muerte Ciega) – Same post. A low budget flick from Chile. It has completely dropped off the radar. The best I could find was a post on their Facebook page from a fan on December 30th 2010, saying “Wheeeeeeen?”

The 4th Reich – Same post. A British nazi zombie romp, which has apparently been bogged down with pre-production trouble. A February 2011 interview with the director suggests the project is still alive. Good news, since there are never enough nazi zombies.

The Crazies – I posted about this Romero remake on February 13th 2010. It was released and is actually a pretty nice watch, so I recommend getting it. It’s available on dvd.

A Chance in Hell – A New Zealand nazi zombie (yay!) movie I mentioned on April 22nd 2010. Their Facebook page leaves the impression that the movie is alive and iMDb lists the movie as “Completed”. Looking forward to more news.

Toxic Lullaby – This German movie (posted on August 14th 2010) picked up the prize for Best International Horror Feature at the New York International Film Festival in 2010. I haven’t seen it yet, but I’m looking to get my hands on it, since it’s available on dvd.

Dead Genesis – A Canadian movie that I mentioned on September 22nd 2010, Dead Genesis has been doing the rounds at film festivals and receiving accolades. The official site says “coming soon to DVD and VOD”.

Re-Kill – A US film of near future SWAT vs zombies action that I posted about on January 29th 2011. It will be available on dvd, and is slated for release on September 26th 2011.

Project Panacea – From the same post. A Russian zombie movie. I had absolutely no idea what’s going on with this one, but with some Google Fu and the assistance of Google Translate I found out on their Russian site that the film is “almost ready” and coming out on June 7th 2011.

Dead Season – I posted about Dead Season on February 17th 2011. This US feature about zombie apocalypse survivors trying to make a living on an island is currently in post-production according to iMDb.

Another World – An Israeli feature from the same post. The official site says the film is in post-production and will be ready for festivals and distribution in the 4th quarter of 2011.

Poisoned – On March 12th 2011 I reported a second Israeli movie! This is a comedy about a gardener in the IDF who must become a hero when it’s zombie time. The movie’s Facebook page says it’s coming out in summer 2011.

Quarantine 2: Terminal – From the same post. A sequel for Quarantine, the US remake of Rec. It’s its own movie, and not a remake of Rec 2. It will be available on dvd on August 15th 2011.

Humans vs Zombies – Same post. This movie spin-off of a popular live action role-playing game of sorts is due for theatre release on June 1st 2011.

Phew, that’s about it. I didn’t even realise I’d written about so many films. I won’t bother to list the latest few movies I’ve posted on, as you can just skip back a few posts. I hope this post’s useful, it was to me at least! And to Sho3box and Vampifan: ask, and you shall receive.

  1. Thanks for that, have seen quite a few of these now but Zombieland is still the best so far.

  2. Many thanks for that, Mikko. This was just what I was after and, boy, you certainly delivered the goods. It’s pleasing to see how many of these I own but at the same time, very depressing to see how many I haven’t seen. Unfortunately the “haven’t seens” far outnumber the “seens”. Ho-hum.

    I’m going to have to agree with The Angry Lurker and say that Zombieland was my favourite from your list. La Horde was excellent and I’d certainly place that as my second favourite. Apocalypse of the Dead was the one film I most regretted buying. It was just dire!

  3. Good work Mikko.

    Purely for the hell of it (and seeing as this is the internet, the ultimate democracy where *everyones* opinion counts…) here is what I thought of the various entries from the above list that I have seen (not that anyone asked or anything, but as I have a few minutes to kill before I have to do some more work). YMMV obviously:

    Apoc of the Dead was absolute horseshit. It is the zombie movie that has most repulsed me during the last couple of years, and for all the wrong reasons… I too actually bought my copy, ugh.

    Rec 2 was tolerable, but disappointing.

    Ditto for Doghouse. It tried hard but didnt work IMO.

    My minority views of Zombieland have taken up enough of your column inches on an earlier date… so I will leave it at “File under Wildly Overrated” or “How Romcom swallowed cinema” 😉

    Survival of the Dead was pretty much what I expected… crap from the highly overrated Romero (I actually hate typing that. I really want Romero to make his second decent zombie movie before he himself croaks. It doesnt look likely though 😦 )

    Carriers was so by-the-numbers that I can barely remember it. Someone got bitten and tried to hide the fact. The bit with the father and daughter was as close as it came to anything interesting.

    La Horde was without question the diamond in the rough. After a slightly shaky first 10 mins or so it became very entertaining. One of those rare beasts, a decent zombie flick. I must watch that again soon actually.

    The Crazies was also good. Very bleak and very watchable. ANother for the re-watch pile.

    I havent seen the rest of the list but am keeping an eye out for them for when I have some spare cash.

    So there you have it: Upcoming Zombie Goodness Revisited as viewed from a Sho3box. Not that anyone asked or anything, but for the sake of conversation about a topic that we all like 🙂

    Thanks for the rundown! It was fun to see what you thought of the films having seen them in their entirety.

  4. Thanks for the comments, guys! I especially enjoyed your opinions on the various flicks.

    I definitely suggest giving Mutants a try, as I felt it was really really good, especially if you like your zombie movies a bit bleak, deep and close to home. It’s 5,99 EUR at Play.com, and at that it’s a steal.

    While it wasn’t listed above, I definitely suggest giving Rammbock (Siege of the Dead) a go as well. I reviewed it some time ago, as you’ll no doubt recall.

    And if you’ve got 15 minutes to spare – and let’s face it, who doesn’t – definitely watch Zombies and Cigarettes, above. It’s great fun!

  5. Wow, this is a goldmine! Thanks for following up on all these movies.

    I’ve seen Pontypool, La Horde, the Crazies (both new and old) and of course Zombieland. The Mutants sound intriguing. Must try to get my hands on that one.

  6. Thanks for the list. I’ll check into the ones I haven’t seen.

    Mikko, I totally agree about Mutants. While it’s one of the highly contentious infected movies rather than traditional undead zombies, it still pushes all the right buttons. Mutants was a fantastic flick. Gritty, well acted, great monster and sound effects. Totally enjoyable.

    Another one to check out is Blood Creek (2009). It’s got grit, good acting, nazis & originality. I’d encourage any fan of horror/zombies to check it out. If you do the Netflix thing, it’s on watch instantly. Fun movie with no romance and no comedy.

    Which brings me to Zombieland. Great flick but I totally didn’t dig the teen romance component. Far as I’m concerned, I could have had a couple more big-ass zombie battles and no love interest at all. Weakened what was otherwise a freakin great zombie movie. The double-tap is a great rule, though. Respect.

    Thanks to everybody for sharing their thoughts.

    • Thanks for the comment Patrick! I’ll definitely check out Blood Creek, can’t go far wrong with nazis. In horror cinema, I mean. Zombieland, in my opinion, suffered a bit from..well, a lack of zombies. As you said, some more wouldn’t have gone amiss!

      And happy to see the list guide people to new undead movies. I’ve said it many times before, but I think the best thing a blogger can do is be useful.

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