Lit: A Memoir
by Mary Karr Harper. San Francisco. November 2009. 400 pages
reviewed by J. Stephen Rhodes
"Age seventeen, stringy-haired and halter-topped, weighing in the high double digits and unhindered by a high school diploma, I showed up at the Pacific Ocean, ready to seek my fortune with a truck full of extremely stoned surfers.” So begins poet Mary Karr’s tale of her recovery from alcohol addiction and her conversion to faith.
Those of you who can sing along with me the "Yogi Bear" theme song from the late 50s/early 60s cartoons need to know that this “Yogi Bear” is a re-make: new voice actors for all the characters, new type of animation, but, comfortingly, the old familiar story line. (Who said that music memory isn’t powerful?)
"The Fighter” is a real-life story, of “Irish” Micky Ward, the pride of Lowell, Mass., rising to the world welterweight title. But it sure wasn’t an easy road.
OK, first you have to enjoy that whole British royalty thing — regal, isolated, aloof, and treated with such tremendous deference by everyone around you that if you’re not careful you’re likely to start believing in — divine right or something.
BANGALORE (ENInews) — A Presbyterian theologian, the Rev. Roger Gaikwad, has been installed as the new general secretary of the National Council of Churches in India, which groups 30 Orthodox and Protestant churches.
Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor are among the elite actors in Hollywood: they’re proven veterans, and between them, they’ve done everything from comedy to drama to musicals.
We first encounter Angelina Jolie through the lenses of the men watching her from a surveillance vehicle, complete with the latest high-tech equipment.
A film based on the wondrous writings of C.S. Lewis is bound to be very satisfying for the believer, because Lewis himself was a Christian apologist, in the classic rhetorical sense, and he very much intended the heavy symbolism of his “Narnia” series to be understood as Christian.
One of the abiding criticisms from opponents of the Fidelity/Chastity ordination standard in the Book of Order (G.6-0106.b) has been that the term “chastity” is unclear in meaning. Recently, Dr. Mark Achtemeier raised this same objection in his recent debate with the Rev. Mark Loudon, that the chastity language in the Book of Order is “confusing.”
During the plenary debate at the 219th General Assembly in Minneapolis on the proposed new Form of Government, it was said that the first sentence of the Foundations of Presbyterian Polity introduces a Universalist creed into our Constitution.
John Calvin, to whom Presbyterian churches owe their primary inspiration, once said of his own work as a Protestant reformer: “Our constant endeavor, day and night, is not only to hand down the tradition faithfully, but also to put it in the form we think will prove best.”
“Burlesque” is not so much a movie as an elongated musical video. It’s like the old-fashioned song-and-dance musicals, except this one boasts stage routines that are a lot more suggestive. It’s rated PG-13 — they were careful not to fall into the trap of actually revealing anything that would give it an “R” rating — but the racy material is definitely not for children.
“Greenberg” is a very depressing film about two very depressed characters. But once you get into it, you find yourself caring about them, anyway, and hoping that somehow, some way, they would find a little happiness — and maybe even through each other.
It’s refreshing to see a lad play a troubled teen who actually is a teenager. Keir Gilchrist, a veteran television actor, plays Craig, who’s so depressed that he checks himself into a psychiatric unit.
But mark this: there will be terrible times in the last times.
The local folks happened to be the first to cast their votes, so I showed up to observe.
The 219th General Assembly has once again sent to the presbyteries for adoption a proposed amendment to G-6.0106b (“Amendment 10-A”), the controversial “fidelity and chastity” clause of our Book of Order.
As congregations diversify their ministries, they want to pay special attention to the many tools and opportunities available online. This means Facebook and Twitter, but far more than such social media tools. It means a solid Web site, but used in new ways.
As the German writer Goethe put it “when eras are in decline all tendencies are subjective, but when matters are ripening for a new epoch, all tendencies are objective.”
“The cultures of North America and of Western Europe are in decline. They are obsessed with sexuality and have narcissistic and hedonistic tendencies, which, when combined with a desire for immediate gratification, are literally killing them….How can anyone think that morally sick and dying North American and European cultures are in any way competent to overturn 1970 years of Christian biblical interpretation about human sexuality and to completely ignore the testimony of the larger (and healthier) worldwide church which affirms that same-gender sexual practice is sinful?”
Why the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) needs to add the Confession of Belhar to our Book of Confessions can be answered with one word: racism.
“Tangled” is the animated adaptation of the Grimm fairy tale “Rapunzel.” It’s a really strong production, with great singing voices, a credible plot, a big helping of humor, and a romance to root for, besides.
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF KOREAN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHES- November 19 • 2010
To our fellow Presbyterians:
NAIROBI (ENInews) — The head of the Sudan Council of Churches has been calling for close scrutiny of out-of-country referendum registration processes in Kenya, Uganda, and Egypt, while also reporting that police recently stormed the council offices breaking down doors, and conducted a search.
GENEVA/ROME (ENInews) — The head of UNAIDS, Michel Sidibé, says a statement by Pope Benedict XVI that the use of condoms is justified when intended to reduce "the risk of HIV infection" will make it easier for international organizations to cooperate with faith-based organizations in the fight against HIV and Aids.
I am a Christmas music nut. When the season rolls around, I overdose on the stuff on my car stereo and boom..
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