The independent source for news, features and commentary about the United Methodist Church
I have never met the author, but after reading Torn I feel as though I know him, and can’t help but like him. He’s funny, for starters. How he manages to keep a sense of humor in the midst of such difficult and painful struggles is pretty amazing. He also obviously has a strong desire to live his life as a faithful Christian and to take the Bible very seriously
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By Kenny Dickson, Special Contributor… Les Misérables Rated PG-13 for suggestive and sexual material, violence and thematic elements Given that Les Misérables is perhaps the most successful and popular stage [...]
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By Bishop Larry Goodpaster, Special Contributor… Editor’s note: Bishop Goodpaster shares brief reflections on the books he read in the second half of 2012. The Faith of Leap by Michael [...]
Read More...You may have missed The Odd Life of Timothy Green. It slipped into theaters at the end of the summer just as we were heading back to school. A lovely autumn movie filled with golden leaves and burnished tones, it arrives on DVD as that rare film that works for parents and kids, giving all of us a deeper appreciation of the gift and challenge of family.
Read More...My life would be much less full without the love of my dogs. They pull me out of my introverted self and often serve as a catalyst for me to talk to perfect strangers. Animals can break down the barriers that we put up between ourselves.
Read More...The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Rated PG-13 for extended sequences of intense fantasy action violence, and frightening images The first question on many fans’ minds when director Peter Jackson announced he’d be filming The Hobbit as a follow-up to his nine-hour Lord of the Rings adaptation, was: Will this one be produced on a smaller scale? After all, it’s only one book. Did we really need to ask? At 169 minutes, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey covers fewer than a hundred pages of J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel, his predecessor to the [...]
Read More...And God Spoke to Abraham: Preaching from the Old Testament Fleming Rutledge Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2011 Paperback, 421 pages Fleming Rutledge is the most interesting preacher today working [...]
Read More...By Greg Garrett, Special Contributor… The Saint Who Would Be Santa Claus Adam C. English Baylor University Press, 2012 Hardcover, 246 pages Not many holy people get the bumper sticker treatment. There was St. Francis in the ’60s, oft-presented as a hippie tree-hugger who loved everything and everybody. There was Mother Teresa, improbably quoted and poster-ized. But above all, there is St. Nicholas, a creature of modern pop culture as much as Christian history, known worldwide for decades through the advertising of the CocaCola corporation. As with the case of [...]
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By Sam Hodges, Managing Editor and Mary Jacobs, Staff Writer… Getting pleasantly lost in a bookstore isn’t easy to do anymore. Bookstores have continued to close as readers and publishers embrace online book sales, digital books and e-readers. The recent announcement by the United Methodist Publishing House that all Cokesbury stores will be shuttered by spring is screamingly emphatic evidence of the trend. But, hey, it’s Christmas, and while the book business is changing, plenty of United Methodists and others will still be hoping to get books as a gift, [...]
Read More...The film covers just a segment of Lincoln’s life. In 1865, the war rages on and Lincoln’s desperate battle to save the Union is still in doubt. The Battle of Gettysburg, and the inspirational speech given there, is a raw memory. Lincoln has won and begun a second term as President. His Emancipation Proclamation, a wartime edict freeing slaves, has been in effect for two years.
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