Chicago & Air Supply, Movie & Book Reviews, Lewis & Tolkien |
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J. Jackson, lead singer and lyricist for ApologetiX here.
ApX alum guitarist Tom Milnes recently recommended a movie to me called Nefarious. My wife, Lisa, and I watched it this week. It’s an independent Christian psychological thriller from 2023 in which a psychiatrist, Dr. James Martin, has to interview a serial killer on death row, Edward Wayne Brady, in order to certify his mental state. If found sane, the out-of-appeals convict will be executed that night.
Although the warden warns him in advance that Brady is “a master manipulator,” the unfazed Dr. Martin has a “seen it all before” attitude. Nevertheless, he’s thrown a curve ball when Brady informs him that he’s not afraid of death, because he's actually a demon named Nefarious who's merely inhabiting the inmate’s body.
I don’t want to give away too much, but let’s just say that the ensuing interview takes its toll on Dr. Martin’s initial skepticism. It reminded me a little of the famous C.S. Lewis novel The Screwtape Letters, in which a senior devil named Screwtape gives advice to his nephew Wormwood on how to successfully secure the damnation of his “patient.”
In a similar fashion, Nefarious lets Dr. Martin in on some tricks of the trade. Of course, he has his own agenda for doing so. The Screwtape Letters is amusing (I read it many years ago), whereas Nefarious is unsettling, but I thought both were thought-provoking and extremely well done.
In some ways, the conversation between Dr. Martin and Brady/Nefarious reminds me of the chilling interviews Clarice Starling conducted with Hannibal Lecter (or was it really vice versa) in The Silence of the Lambs.
In case you’re considering watching it, I should mention that Nefarious is rated R, but so was The Passion of the Christ, as you may recall. In both cases, it wasn’t because of profanity or nudity or overt sexual themes but because of some violent imagery (although it’s brief in Nefarious) and content certain viewers would find disturbing. It’s definitely not a movie for kids. |
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As I prepared this preamble, I checked out Focus on the Family's "Plugged In" website to see what they thought about the film. Reviewer Adam R. Holz said the following: "Nefarious is not your average thriller. Or horror movie. Or Christian movie. In fact, it’s not like much I’ve ever seen.” I agree. Like me, he saw parallels to The Screwtape Letters. (You can read their entire review HERE.)
Speaking of C.S. Lewis, I finally got around to reading his classic defense of the faith, Mere Christianity, at the end of last year. I’d heard it quoted and referred to innumerable times since my coming to Christ in early 1988, so I don’t know what took me so long, but it was worth the wait.
I’m currently reading a book about Lewis and his fellow author and friend J.R.R. Tolkien, The War for Middle Earth: J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Confront the Gathering Storm, 1933-1945 by Joseph Loconte. Published in 2025, it describes how their mutual faith, love of ancient literature, and experiences in World War I informed their writings and actions during World War II (and the events that led to it).
I’ll close this section with a quote I read in that book. It’s from a talk Lewis gave to the congregation at the University Church of St. Mary the Virgin (a church that was nearly a thousand years old) in October 1939:
“Most of all, perhaps, we need intimate knowledge of the past … A man who has lived in many places is not likely to be deceived by the local errors of his native village; the scholar has lived in many times and is therefore in some degree immune from the great cataract of nonsense that pours from the press and the microphone of his own age.”
Preach it, Jack. |
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New Single Spoofs Chicago & Air Supply |
On Sunday night, we released our sixth single of 2026. It spoofs a pair of ballads by a couple big-name groups. Both songs were #1 adult-contemporary hits, and one of them also topped the Hot 100, while the other reached the Top Five. |
Hard to Pray, I’m Sorry - Hard to Say I’m Sorry - Chicago Even the Nice Are Debtors - Even the Nights Are Better - Air Supply |
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The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single |
J. Jackson, lead singer and lyricist for ApologetiX here again.
Here are the stories behind the songs on our latest single: |
HARD TO PRAY, I’M SORRY
Many people say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. For me, that usually consists of cereal (preferably Raisin Bran), orange juice, and a banana. But my spiritual breakfast consists of spending time in prayer with God and reading His Word, and I try to always do those first.
Sometimes I put off eating for a few hours because I have pressing things to take care of, but I avoid putting off praying and the Bible. Occasionally, it really is hard to read and pray. I might be tired, stressed, depressed, or distracted. Maybe I'm in a difficult section of scripture. But I know I need to communicate with the Lord. I do most of the talking when I pray, and He does most of the talking when I read.
To my wife's chagrin, I'm obsessive about going for a long walk every single day, no matter what the weather's like. I know physical exercise is good for my physical health, and I want to stay in the groove. How much more important spiritual exercise is for my spiritual health!
"For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come" (1 Timothy 4:8).
If I don't keep exercising regularly, I can get out of shape, and that principle applies in both physical and spiritual matters. It may seem like I harp on this over and over, but my point is: There are certain things in life we should do over and over. Moreover, if Almighty God always has time for me, then certainly I should make time for Him!
"Hard to Pray, I'm Sorry" features J. Jackson on lead and backing vocals, Tom Tincha on guitars, Rich Mannion on keyboards and bass, and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums and percussion. |
EVEN THE NICE ARE DEBTORS
In March 2026, ApologetiX released parodies of a couple songs that had hit #1 back to back on the Billboard rock chart in 1982 ("Hurts So Good" by John Mellencamp and "Caught Up in You" by 38 Special), unintentionally putting them on successive singles.
In April 2026, we did a similar thing with two tunes that had hit #1 back to back on the Billboard adult contemporary chart in '82 ("Even the Nights Are Better" by Air Supply and "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" by Chicago). This time, however, we released them on the same single.
Both of those ballads were very popular with my first-ever girlfriend. I already liked Chicago and had their original greatest hits album, but Air Supply wasn't very popular with guys my age in '82, even though "Even the Nights Are Better" was their seventh Top Five single in a row. Nevertheless, I genuinely liked the music for that one.
Jesus used the word "debt" multiple times when discussing sin in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Most famously, in the Lord's Prayer, He said, "And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors" (Mathew 16:12).
When I first read the opening chapters of Romans as a new Christian in 1988, it was revelatory to me because, as I've occasionally told audiences at our concerts, "I always knew I was a sinner; I just didn't know all the rest of you were, too." Meanwhile, a lot of people in my past probably thought I was too "nice" a person to be a "sinner," but this parody's title says it all.
"Even the Nice Are Debtors" features J. Jackson on lead and backing vocals, Tom Tincha on guitars, Rich Mannion on keyboards and bass, and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums and percussion. |
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New USBs Include Songbook & New CD, Too |
Two weeks before last Christmas, we offered a deluxe USB thumb drive that proved to be popular with fans.
It included the digital versions of all of our CDs, plus any singles, EPs, or rarities that aren't on CD, but it also included the latest edition of our digital songbook (1992–2024), which is not on our standard USB. We had just enough of them to get us through the holidays.
We're happy to announce that we recently got a new batch in stock. And this time, they not only include the songbook, they also include our new CD, Everything But, plus all the singles we’ve released thus far in 2026.
The songbook is 1359 pages long with lyrics and commentaries for each song, photos, articles, discographies, and multiple indexes (parody title, topic, original song title, original artist, year the original was a hit, and Bible verses covered)! Sorry, no sheet music.
Emblazoned with the band's logo, the USBs have a storage capacity of 16 GB, and they’re write-enabled, so you can add more music to them if and when you get future ApX downloads.
We only have 85 of these USBs in stock. They're available for a donation of $150 or more each. Multiple copies are available for $100 each.
ALL THAT, PLUS THIS ...
If you order one or more of these USBs, we’ll also email you a PDF of our complete library AND a link to download the songbook directly to your computer. That way, if you're getting the USB for somebody as a gift, you'll also get digital copies of our library and songbook for your own collection. Or vice versa.
NOTE: If you wish to order the digital songbook or the complete library without the USB, those options are still available. |
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Get ApX Complete Library, USBs, Songbook |
To get the complete ApologetiX library, ApX USB thumb drives, and/or the new ApX digital songbook — or to get more info about them — just click on the item(s) you want below. |
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Bible-Reading Plan for 2026 |
We began our latest trip through the Bible on Wednesday, April 3. Note: If you don't have a Bible handy, you can look up these passages for free on Bible Gateway. They have about 60 different English translations/versions there to choose from, plus translations in many other languages, many of which also have multiple translations/versions. |
CLICK HERE to see the reading plan for the whole year. |
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If you'd like to donate to the ministry of ApologetiX, there are a couple ways you can do it. |
If you prefer to mail a check or money order, please make it out to "ApologetiX" and send it to:
ApologetiX
208 Charlemma Drive
Pittsburgh PA 15214-1414
Although the donations are not tax-deductible, they will be received very gratefully and used immediately. Thank you! |
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Psalm 63:1 You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. |
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P.O. Box 101705
Pittsburgh, PA 15237
USA
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