Our church leadership culture has failed. It is past time that we set aside the idolatry of corporate leadership structures and rediscover the vastly different way of leading modeled by Jesus.
Read More...Book Review: Lead like Jesus, not a corporate CEO, says author
May 23, 2013 Posted by Leave a Comment
Book Review: Lead like Jesus, not a corporate CEO, says author
May 15, 2013 Posted by Leave a Comment
Our church leadership culture has failed. It is past time that we set aside the idolatry of corporate leadership structures and rediscover the vastly different way of leading modeled by Jesus.
Read More...Film Review: Malick’s concept of love still shrouded in mystery
May 7, 2013 Posted by Leave a Comment
Mr. Malick, reportedly a Catholic, poured his faith out in the profound The Tree of Life, a movie that moved me so much, it inspired a tattoo on my arm.
Read More...Film Review: Place Beyond the Pines survives a few missteps
May 2, 2013 Posted by Leave a Comment
The Place Beyond the Pines tells a story in three “acts,” that may or may not be inspired by the Old Testament theme of children suffering “for the iniquity of [their] parents” (Exodus 20:5). Either way, it makes for a compelling if oddly structured drama.
Read More...Book Review: Richard Rohr’s latest offers true Christian wisdom
April 18, 2013 Posted by Leave a Comment
As a pastor himself, Richard draws abiding wisdom and warning from his years of dealing with others, himself and God. He provides first aid to folks who are recovering from religion, and he offers it with an openness one doesn’t often see in church leadership.
Read More...Film Review: Robinson biopic offers winning entertainment
April 11, 2013 Posted by Leave a Comment
42 is named after Robinson’s uniform number—which in 1997 was retired permanently in his honor. And of course, the movie is a tribute in itself, a crowd pleaser that overcomes a few moments of dramatic excess with sincere performances from all concerned.
Read More...Book Review: Author guides us from finances to faithfulness
March 28, 2013 Posted by Leave a Comment
By Mark Norman, Special Contributor… Rich Church, Poor Church: Keys to Effective Financial Ministry J. Clif Christopher Abingdon Press, 2012 Paperback, 120 pages We are living in a shift. With cultural changes in the United States and our global financial situation in turmoil, it is important that the work of the church expands to talk about every aspect of discipleship, including church finances. In Rich Church, Poor Church, the Rev. J. Clif Christopher addresses a transforming understanding of stewardship. Some may say that the economic condition of the church and [...]
Read More...TV Review: Show finds grace, hope hidden in dark corners
March 21, 2013 Posted by Leave a Comment
A young, newly-minted nurse is dispatched to the home of an aging veteran to tend the old war wounds in his leg that never healed. While she’s initially repelled by his roach-infested apartment, the old man’s gentle, upbeat spirit soon wins her over. He has managed to sustain it, even after losing his family, and his health, in three different wars. A friendship develops, and the young woman and a friend bring the old gentleman a few moments of happiness in his last days. It’s the kind of quiet story [...]
Read More...Book Review: Writer’s journey in faith enlightens and entertains
February 12, 2013 Posted by Leave a Comment
Despite his distinguished career as a writer and United Methodist leader, the Rev. James C. Howell recognizes the awkwardness of writing a memoir. The genre, he notes in his introduction, easily slides into self-obsession and personal analysis
Read More...Film Review: Pi offers visual beauty—and theological confusion
February 1, 2013 Posted by Leave a Comment
By Ben Witherington III, Special Contributor… Life of Pi Rated PG for emotional thematic content throughout, and some scary action sequences and peril Films involving India and Indians have been all the rage of late, since at least Slumdog Millionaire. In the Oscar-nominated Life of Pi, we have another such film, which has a profoundly religious subtext and subtexture. Pi Patel (short for Piscine—a boy named after a French swimming pool) grows up in a zoo and botanical garden in India. Pi is bright and deeply religious, and he samples [...]
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