Film in review: “Unstoppable”
You would think that in this technological era, we wouldn’t have a mechanical disaster like a runaway train. But we did. And it wasn’t that long ago, in southern Pennsylvania.
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Film in review: “For Colored Girls”
“For Colored Girls” is Tyler Perry’s adaptation of the play “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enough.” Like good theater, it’s more about the character development, and the personality interplay, and this strong ensemble cast leaves some really strong impressions:
Film in review: “Tamara Drewe”
"Tamara Drewe” is one of those British relational comedies, where everyone is witty and clever, and seems to be doing the “Aw, shucks” routine with hands in pockets and shoes scratching the dirt and tongue planted firmly in cheek. You almost expect Hugh Grant to come shuffling onscreen with that ironic, crooked grin, shrugging and scuffling.
Ronald Salfen interviews Stephen Frears, Director of the film, “Tamara Drewe”
RS: When you’re behind the camera, how do you decide when a “take” is right, and when do you order a re-take?
SF: It’s a matter of the tone, (cupping his hand to his ear) I have to “hear” it.
The Christmas carol wars
There are any number of passionately debated controversies animating the church these days — sexuality, Christology, the Middle East — but none may raise the heat in local congregations as much as the venerable debate about exactly when the congregation starts to sing its beloved carols.
December Eighteen: Awaiting the First Snowstorm
Three to five inches,
that’s what they’re saying,
overnight into the morning hours.
And tail-lights glow as streets and parking lots,
Advent 1: “… where war is a staple of life …”
“… where war is a staple of life …” with one eye and a nod to Isaiah 2:1-5
Celebrate the Season: Welcome the Stranger
While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn (Luke 2:6-7, NRSV.
Reading a la Craddock
Editor’s Note: Providing editorial commentary in this 2010 Fall Book issue is Roy W. Howard, pastor of St. Mark Church in Rockville, Md., and Outlook book editor.
Survey produces church life snapshot
LOUISVILLE — The largest survey of worshippers ever conducted in the United States shows that “there is more gray hair in Presbyterian pews today” than in 2001 – Presbyterian worshippers are on average 17 years older than adults in general in the country – and that Presbyterian congregations are getting smaller and experiencing more financial stress than they were nine years ago.
2011, 2012 budgets OK’d by GAMC
LOUISVILLE The General Assembly Mission Council has approved revised mission budgets for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) for 2011 and 2012.
Cincinnati pastor aids man, faces attackers
Harold Chapman, 80, pastor of College Hill Church in Cincinnati, Ohio, is being called a hero after he helped a young shooting victim Oct. 4, by fending off his attackers.
H. K. Christian leaders urge release of Liu
(ENI) Hong Kong Christian leaders have urged the government in Beijing to release 2010 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Liu Xiaobo, who was honored for his “long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China.”
Crittenden named stewardship leader
LOUISVILLE — David Crittenden, of Indianapolis, Ind., has been chosen to lead a new stewardship ministry for the General Assembly Mission Council (GAMC). He will begin service on January 3, 2011.
Druids get official OK in Britain
LONDON (RNS) — Druidry, the pagan worship that has been practiced on these shores for thousands of years, on Oct. 1 gained recognition by the British government as an official religion after a four-year legal battle.
Members named to Middle Governing Bodies Comm.
LOUISVILLE — Cynthia Bolbach, moderator of the 219th General Assembly (2010) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and Bruce Reyes-Chow, moderator of the 218th General Assembly (2008), have announced the names of the 21 members of the General Assembly Commission on Middle Governing Bodies.
Independent panel names six physical, sexual abusers of missionary children
An Independent Abuse Review Panel investigating sexual and physical abuse involving the children of Presbyterian missionaries serving in Africa and Asia has publicly named six people that it determined had abused children.
Jesus Wars: How Four Patriarchs, Three Queens, and Two Emperors Decided What Christians Would Believe for the Next 1,500 Years
Jesus Wars: How Four Patriarchs, Three Queens, and Two Emperors Decided What Christians Would Believe for the Next 1,500 Years- by Philip Jenkins
HarperOne, 2010. vii+317 pp. ISBN 978-0-06-176894-1
reviewed by Rebecca Harden Weaver
In A Brief Statement of Faith (Book of Confessions 10.2) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), we make an astonishing claim: “We trust in Jesus Christ, fully human, fully God.”
A Just Forgiveness: Responsible Healing Without Excusing Injustice
A Just Forgiveness: Responsible Healing Without Excusing Injustice- by Everett L. Worthington Jr.
Downer's Grove, Ill., IVP Books
reviewed by Dan McCoig
Worthington’s title is worth noting: A Just Forgiveness: Responsible Healing Without Excusing Injustice.
Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy
Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy- by Eric Metaxas
Thomas Nelson Publishers, 591 pages, $29.99
reviewed by Cynthia Bolbach
Neither know we what to do, but our eyes are upon thee.
Against the Tide: Love in a Time of Petty Dreams and Persisting Enmities
Against the Tide: Love in a Time of Petty Dreams and Persisting Enmities- by Miroslav Volf
Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010.
reviewed by Henry G. Brinton
In 1969, feminist Carol Hanisch popularized the phrase “the personal is political.”
The Seven Pillars of Creation: The Bible, Science, and the Ecology of Wonder
The Seven Pillars of Creation: The Bible, Science, and the Ecology of Wonder- by William P. Brown
Oxford University Press, January, 2010. 352 pages, $29.95.
reviewed by D. Mark Davis
Bill Brown’s latest book strikes me as an invitation; specifically, an invitation to persons of Biblical faith and to persons devoted to science to communicate with one another as what he calls “cohorts of wonder.”
Thinking With The Church: Essays in Historical Theology
Thinking With The Church: Essays in Historical Theology- by B. A. Gerrish Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2010.
reviewed by Roger J. Gench
After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters
After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters- by N.T. Wright New York: HarperOne, 2010. 307 pages.
reviewed by James Cubie
We know why
Time to break through denial.
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