The truth is many sincere, devout, well-meaning Christians who think of themselves as post-Enlightenment consider the devil to be a concept in Scripture that needs interpreting in its cultural context.
“Lord of the Dance”: Michael Flatley gives us his triumphal world tour Irish dancing troupe, complete with 3-D renderings of the light and sound extravaganza. But despite the attempt at visual depth, it just falls flat for anyone other than the aficionados of this particular genre of folk dancing.
It’s easy to like the Flaherty family. Mike (Paul Giamatti) gets up and jogs in the morning, and comes home to a loving wife, Jackie (Amy Ryan) and two cute little girls, and the older one is starting to imitate the slang-slip words of her parents, but she’s still adorable enough for that to be amusing instead of alarming.
The Art of Curating Worship: Reshaping the Role of Worship Leader by Mark Pierson Sparkhouse Press, November 2010. 240 pages.
reviewed by DEBRA AVERY
Don’t read this book if you are looking for the next big thing in worship that guarantees growth in attendance, or if you are looking for liturgies and songs to plug into your standard order of worship.
Unsqueezed: Springing Free from Skinny Jeans, Nose Jobs, Highlights, and Stilettos by Margot Starbuck InterVarsity Press. 2010. 229 pages
reviewed by Leslie Klingensmith
Pull up a comfy chair, brew a pot of tea and sit down with your most candid and hilarious girlfriend to kibbitz about the ways that we women buy into the cultural stereotypes of beauty.
“Mars Needs Moms” is one of those kid-friendly animated films that adults will purchase for their children and grandchildren to watch, but will find something else to do themselves. There’s nothing really objectionable—the story line is creative, and the screenplay is functional enough—but it just isn’t magical.
“Limitless” is the kind of adult film that gets audiences rooting for a guy who takes drugs. Only this isn’t just your run-of-the-mill narcotic; this is the magic pill that will make you super-alert, super-smart, and well, maybe more than a little hyper.
We seem to never tire of movies about 19th century England. We re-make “Jane Eyre” every decade or so, perhaps because of its purity of romantic longing: no real fulfillment, and no sex, please, we’re British.
Ah, a meaty role for Matthew McConaughey. And he knows what to do with it. He plays Mick Haller, a defense attorney who operates from the back of his Lincoln Town Car, with uniformed chauffeur.
“happythankyoumoreplease” is one of those ensemble pieces, set in New York City, where everyone is single, everyone is looking for romance and nobody can quite figure out what to do with their lives.
It would be tempting, in this visual era where looks are so incredibly important, to get preachy about, say, how un-camera-friendly Abraham Lincoln would be.
The Dangerous Act of Loving Your Neighbor by Mark Labberton InterVarsity Press, November 2010. 236 pages.
reviewed by NEIL CRAIGAN
In The Dangerous Act of Loving Your Neighbor, Mark Labberton challenges readers to consider what it means to be a faithful follower of Christ in the world today. The subtitle says all that needs to be said: “Seeing Others Through the Eyes of Jesus.”
In Defense of Civility: How Religion can Unite America on Seven Moral Issues that Divide Us by James Calvin Davis Westminster John Knox Press, September 2010, 216 pages
reviewed by SHARON CORE
One has only to look to the last election to realize that civility has taken a back seat in our political process.
Whether you will enjoy this film depends a lot on your personal theology. It helps if you’re intrigued by the question of how human free will intersects and interacts with the divine plan.
“The Roommate”: Minka Kelly plays Sara, who goes off to college taking potluck for a roommate, and the one she gets turns out to be a psycho off her meds.
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand Random House. 2010. 473 pages.
reviewed by Roy W. Howard
My father was a Japanese POW for 42 months, having been captured when he was 19 years old in the Philippine Islands while serving with the Army Air Corps.
