You absolutely must read Jill's recent article about her mother's death to cancer (today is the 14 year anniversary of her death). Our family found solidarity in our mission to fight the beast that was waging a war in our midst. The surprising intensity of sorrow made it difficult to just be; we had to act, or heartache would simply overtake us. But at some point, a certain reality sunk in; we had run out of options, and the days of searching for different treatments were coming to a … [Read more...]
Should a Christian Read Fairy Tales? (Part 4)
January 17, 2012 By 1 Comment
The Christian Should Become and Active Reader and Movie Watcher (This is Part 4 of a series, you can find Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 in earlier posts.) The Christian is a resident alien. His/her citizenship is in heaven (Col 3:1, Eph 2:19). But, they have been sent into the world to engage the world (in the world...not of the world...but for the world). Therefore, the Christian needs to understand the world and its thinking. Since story is such a powerful (and subversive) tool of … [Read more...]
The Christian and Movies: We are the Real Problem
January 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Rebecca Cusey is a movie critic who writes for World Magazine, the Washington Post, and The Daily Caller (among others). She has a post titled "Christians and Movies: Recognizing the Danger Within, Not Without," on her blog Tinsel. She writes: When I’m at church or other Christian gatherings, however, I get two specific and unique questions: What do I think of Harry Potter? (love him) and How do you deal with swearing/nudity/violence/crude humor…how can you stand all that depravity and … [Read more...]
There is No Ideal Spouse for You
January 11, 2012 By 4 Comments
For the first decade out of seminary, I was a campus minister with Reformed University Fellowship. College students are a vibrant group, but you could always count on the Christian students believing a subtle lie - that God has the ideal spouse for me, and that if I find them, my life will be largely ideal. They believed that if they could find the ideal spouse, then they would not have the marriage struggles their parents had, never feel isolated and lonely again, and/or be content for the … [Read more...]
Should a Christian Read Fairy Tales? (Part 3)
January 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Our Identity in Christ Must Drive Our Answer to This Question (This is Part 3 of the series, you can find Part 1 and Part 2 in my previous posts) In my previous posts, I argued that the Christian is to be in the world – not of the world – but, for the world. For the Apostle Paul, this meant that he would become deeply aware of the “language and literature” of each particular culture. “I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for … [Read more...]
Should a Christian Read Fairy Tales? (Part 2)
January 5, 2012 By 2 Comments
The Christian Should Be Reading and Watching the Stories of the World. (This is Part 2 in a series. You can read Part 1 in this previous post). Should a Christian read literature that contains elements that the bible outlaws, e.g. sorcery, witchcraft, coveting, anger, jealousy, or self-righteousness? This isn’t an easy question to answer. We need to dig deep into the bible and apply its theology to this question. In order to answer this complex question, let's consider the … [Read more...]
Should a Christian Read Fairy-tales? (Part 1)
January 4, 2012 By 1 Comment
The Importance of Story: Why Read Literature, Watch Movies, Listen to Music, or See Plays As a pastor in the South, I frequently get asked whether it is morally permissible for a Christian to read the Harry Potter series. The reasoning is that because they make something the Bible considers evil (magic) look good, a Christian should stand opposed to them (see my previous post here). It appears to me that at the heart of the argument is a foundational misunderstanding about the nature of … [Read more...]
The Stories of Christmas: Dickens vs. Handel
December 13, 2011 By 2 Comments
There are two stories that are perennial favorites this time of year, Charles Dickens The Christmas Carol and Handel's Messiah. Tony Reinke compares and contrasts their two different approaches to the meaning of Christmas. Dickens. "For Dickens, Christmas is about getting unshackled from materialism to appreciate all the blessed relationships we’ve been given." Ultimately, he argues, Dickens end goal is to effect our horizontal gaze. Moral reform is the ultimate goal. "Remember! — … [Read more...]
The Deeper Story of Jesus: A New Identity and Hope for Our Trials
December 12, 2011 By 1 Comment
Several years ago, I had two friends die on two successive days. One succumbed to a head injury he had sustained the previous November. He left behind three young children and one of the best marriages I have had the privilege of witnessing. One killed himself. He left behind a grieving wife who had more questions than any pastor had answers. Both loved Christ (though, one loved him better than the other). More importantly, both were loved by Christ. This double confrontation … [Read more...]
Harry Potter and Cross-Like Love
December 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment
The premise of our blog is that there are echoes of the cross of Jesus Christ all around us - in our movies, novels, music, and poetry. An echo isn't the real thing, but when it hits your ears it sounds enough like the real thing to be noticeable. If you train your ears to hear, you will hear the cross echoing back from all around you. Some of those echoes are more purposeful (like C.S. Lewis' Narnia novels) and some of those are echoes are less purposeful (like Cormac McCarthy's … [Read more...]
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