Movie Review

Luther (PG-13), starring Joseph Fiennes and Sir Peter Ustinov. This is very nice big budget ($20-$25 million) historical movie, and the sets and uniforms and slices of life are compelling and well done. Tracing Martin Luther's life from his conversion to his confrontations with Catholic officials over his writings, the movie portrays the leader of the Reformation as a called human, striving within his limitations to fulfill the work assigned to him. The Gospel message is apparent, though the movie is not preachy. It is, on the contrary, understated and well put together.

Book Report

Bill Myers' latest offering in the field of Christian fiction is The Face of God. His work is usually par for the course, about what you would expect in field. It is technically fine, and covers the basic topics in the field. I do have a concern about this book, however; in "The Face of God," a burnt-out minister's life is restored via the discovery of ancient religious artifacts. These artifacts have been sought for thousands of years, and lead to much pain, suffering, and quite a substantial body count. All of this to bring faith to one self-centered American minister? That is my problem with the novel. God certainly desires us all to have a closer walk with Him, but I don't see Him cutting such a swath of destruction on a worldwide scale in order to accomplish it.

It's the Most Hellish Time of the Year (Again!)

As October rolls on towards its inevitable end, evangelicam and fundamentalist churches are putting up their "Hell-O-Ween" haunted houses again. These are the ones that show various types of sinners paying for their lives of sin. I hang my head i nshame when I see the billboards and flyers appear.

John Paul II

The world is celebrating the Silver Jubilee of Pope John Paul II, and it appears more and more clearly that he won't have many more anniversaries to celebrate. This Holy Father will go down in church (and secular) history as a great man who accomplished great things. He will be listed -- alongside Reagan, Thatcher, and Gorbachev -- as one of the critical figures in bringing down the evil that was world Comunism. He is a beloved figure, and I -- a faithful Protestant -- am grateful for God's hand upon this man, am praying for him daily, and will mourn him when he is called home.

I Am Not So Bright, After All

According to philosopher Daniel Dennett, that is. His article in the New York Times reported that leading atheists have taken to calling themselves "brights," with the clear implication that those of us who believe in a power beyond ourselves are not so bright. Author Dinesh D'Souza does a fine job rebutting this in a recent Wall Street Journal column. D'Souza references the works of Burke and Kant in his critique of Dennettm ending with this sentence: "The atheist foolishly presumes that reason is in principle capable of figuring out all that there is, while the theist at least knows that htere is a reality great than, and beyond, that which our senses and our minds can ever apprehend." Absolutely.

Veggie-Fails

Bad news in the Christian merchandise industry . . . I use that phrase sardonically, have no fear. But the sad news is this: following the $24 box office that the Veggie-Tales movie "Jonah" raked in just last year, the production company (Big Idea Productions) has declared bankruptcy. Following the model of many secular companies, BIP took their success and parlayed it into expansion, growing much too big way too fast. The most telling quote came from CEO Phil Vischer, who said, "When things were going so well, I thought God was wanting us to expand . . . Now I think it was more me having all these ideas." I must confess that I have no sympathy for this incredible juvenille theology. Mainstream evangelicalism has successfully put down the "prosperity doctrine" as far as actual money goes, but the concept is still there in the notion that if we please God, He will bring us success in our ventures on our terms. I just do not get that. Mr. Vischer and his company is just the latest of a long string of people coming to grips with that faulty paradigm.

Real Good Music

Finally. A "worship team" that is actually a "band." I like SonicFlood and the other modern worship outifts, but they all sound like they are playing in church, and are not actual bands. I can't quite put my finger on it, but all of these outfits fall short of the "band" sound. Until I found The Rock and Roll Worship Circus. There is no doubt that they are a worship band, in the full meaning of both of those terms. Check them out, and let me know what you think.

Happy Birthday, Christian Metal!

You know the genre has been around a long time (and that I am getting old!) when Stryper is going on a reunion tour. They came close to my town, and I saw the ad noting that this is their "first tour in 12 years," with "all of the original members." I remember those heady days of Christian rock and metal, from Rez to Barnabas to White Cross. And of course it all started with Stryper, the grandfather of this form of music. And they are back -- boy, am I old!

The Gay Flap

The Episcopal Church is in the process of deciding whether to promote an openly gay man to the post of bishop. This is one of those cases (rare cases) where the issue is actually homosexuality. Most religious folks scream "gay" when the real issue is usually not homosexuality, but fornication. The only time when homosexuality should be addressed is when two people are committed to a long-term relationship.Heterosexuality has done far more harm to this world than homosexuality has.

Thou Shalt Not Steal

We all know this quote, and those of us of a spiritual bent try to take it seriously. Then why are Christian songs (which account for seven percent of all music sales, more than Latin, jazz, or classical) pirated just as often as other kinds of music. This pirated includes online file-sharing, as well as the more traditional taping for a friend. If you consider music a ministry, then sharing is a reasonable activity -- we pass on tapes of sermons, right? But when music becomes an industry and not a ministry and if money means more than touching lives, then it's stealing. It should be different, but I'm not sure if it is.