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Voices

Despite War in Iraq, Muslims and Christians see ‘a realizable vision of a world at peace’

Can Muslims and Christians seriously engage with each other in these troubled times in creative, nonviolent ways? I am a witness to a community of 30 Christian and Muslim scholars who in early April, just beyond the sound of rockets and big guns, gave a resounding "yes" in answer to that question. We met and talked about our sacred Scriptures and how we view and interpret them. This was the second occasion for such an international gathering.

Editorials

Renewing the Covenant X: Summing Up

In three successive editorial series, which began late last year, titled The Real Presence, The Time Between the Times, and Renewing the Covenant, your editor has offered reflections on the state of the church, where we've been, where we are, where the Lord might be leading us. Such an effort is daunting and, perhaps, presumptuous, but has been undertaken in good faith to promote discussion about the most basic elements of faith, the church, life, the world.

Uncategorized

Jensen’s latest complaint: an allegation of heresy

Paul Rolf Jensen, the lawyer who has put in long hours over the past year filing Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) disciplinary cases, has filed another one — this time not involving ordination and homosexuality, but the theological views of a pastor trying to transfer his membership to another presbytery.

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Multiple strengths make successful congregations, says survey

Presbyterian researchers involved in a major study of U.S. congregations have found there isn't one "silver bullet" that will make a congregation succeed. Strong congregations can be large or small, there's no single formula for what works. But they say congregations that want to become extraordinary need to develop multiple strengths — to figure out what they do best — and to intentionally focus on those things.

Book Reviews

Soaring Where Christ Has Led: Innovative Worship Ideas for the 21st Century

By Richard Avery and Donald Marsh

CSS. 2002. 180 pp. Pb. $29.95. ISBN 0-7880-1906-6

— Review by Mary Ann Lundy, Santa Fe, N.M.

Many of us cannot remember a time when we did not know and sing what came to be a noun, "Avery-and-Marsh." "Let's do an 'Avery-and-Marsh,'" we'd say, or "I'll look in Avery-and-Marsh and see what there is for Easter." Going to national meetings and conferences meant that we could see them "do their thing" in the flesh, which meant arousing passive, stone-faced Presbyterians to move and clap and dance and, yes, sing with gust.

Movie Reviews

Bend It Like Beckham

'Bend It Like Beckham' is this year's 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding.' It's about a girl growing up in a very ethnic family, and how she struggles to honor her roots and yet find some independence. She's not perfect, but she's likable because she's so passionate. And she tries so hard. And while she cannot bend the world to her point of view, she can at least decide what to embrace and what to refrain from embracing (Ecclesiastes 3), and in the process discover something of who she is.

There are several refreshing elements to this film for the American moviegoer. First, it does not adhere to some of the silly Hollywood rules about what is glamorous. The lead character, 'Jess' Bhamra (Parminder K. Nagra), is neither tall nor skinny nor blonde nor blue-eyed; though her friend, Jules Paxton (Keira Knightly), is all those things. What the two girls have in common is a gift for soccer. Jess has just been playing 'football' with (guy) friends in the public park near her house. Jules is playing on a women's team. When she spots Jess' skill, she invites Jess to be on the women's team, as well. The coach, Joe (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers), is skeptical until he sees Jess play. And then he is ecstatic. And so is she, because she didn't realize how good she was until now.

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Atlanta lawyer initiates program to identify and promote a new generation of ministers

When Thomas Daniel signed up for the religion class his senior year of college, he did it for one reason: he wanted to take a class from John Kuykendall, then president of Davidson College (N.C.). "He is a truly fascinating guy and I wanted to take a course with him," Daniel said. "If he was teaching physics, I would have taken that."

Even at Davidson College — a Presbyterian-related school — Daniel didn't know anyone who went to church.

Movie Reviews

Gods and Generals

Actually, it seems more like 'God and Generals' because there is a whole lot of Scripture quoting, praying, conversing about the mysterious will of the Almighty in a reverential tone and, on deathbeds, the literal assurance of Heaven. It's not often a Hollywood movie is so very religious. But it is also very violent.

'Gods and Generals' is the adaptation of Jeff Shaara's Civil War historical novel about the early part of the war, when the Confederates were consistently victorious. Lee and Jackson looked invincible, while the Union suffered with a series of hesitant commanders who were either intimidated, afraid to make a mistake, paralyzed into inactivity, or all three.

Voices

You are what you eat

Because we must eat in order to live, a considerable part of our life is spent at table. Apparently, our first parents, Adam and Eve, were vegetarians (Gen. 1:30) until they took a big bite of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (2:17). In any case, food customs are deeply embedded in every culture today, and food preferences identify many ethnic groups.

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