Rising Victorious
Christ’s Death: A Rescue Mission, Not a Payment for Sins
[Beliefnet, January 10, 2005]
An excerpt from “First Fruits of Prayer: A Forty-Day Journey Through the Canon of St. Andrew”
Every day, Christians pray “deliver us from evil,” not knowing that the Greek original reads “the evil,” that is, “the evil one.” The New Testament Scriptures are full of references to the malice of the devil, but we generally overlook them. I think this is because our idea of salvation is that Christ died on the cross to pay His Father the debt for our sins. The whole drama takes place between Him and the Father, and there's no role for the evil one.
Three Kinds of Childhood Innocence
[Unpublished; email to a friend, January 7, 2006]There are three things people mean when they talk of childhood innocence: vulnerability, ignorance, and moral purity. (I touched on this in my First Things piece on “Against Eternal Youth,” but didn’t have room to get into it fully.)
A child's (1) vulnerability ought to stir us; we want to protect them physically and emotionally. That's one of our most urgent drives. But (3) moral purity is a chimera; children are born completely selfish, and slowly and painfully learn to make room for others in their lives.
When a Miracle Doesn’t Happen
[Beliefnet.com, January 4, 2006]
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick” (Proverbs 13:12), and as I write I hear the angry voices drifting in from the television in the next room. There are sick hearts tonight in Upshur County, West Virginia. When miners were trapped a few days ago, initial hope of a rescue gradually waned. Then last night, unbelievable news arrived of a miracle, that 12 of 13 were still alive, was shortly followed by the shattering revelation that the toll was in fact the reverse, and only one had survived. And so what might have been a time simply of grief has gone rocketing from exultant confidence in miracle to resentment and rage.
Narnia: Deeper Magic
[Beliefnet.com, December 9, 2005]‘Deeper Magic.’ No, that’s not the name of a new ecstasy-inducing shampoo. It ‘s the two little words that tradition-minded Christians will be listening for as they watch Disney’s new family blockbuster, ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.’ This dazzling film includes just about everything a child could want for Christmas: evil spells, talking animals, spectacular battles, and four apparently-ordinary siblings who discover that they can be heroes.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
[National Review Online, December 9, 2005]
Any director who attempts to bring a beloved novel to the screen can expect his fair share of slings and arrows. Just ask Peter Jackson, the hardworking genius behind the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, or any of the parade of directors who have delivered “Harry Potter” films. The latest to step up for a smackdown is Andrew Adamson, previously known for “Shrek,” as he offers his fresh and magnificent production of C.S. Lewis' novel, “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.”
Unlike the “Potter” directors, Adamson has not only junior readers to please
C.S. Lewis: The Reluctant Convert
Beliefnet asked me to contribute a short biography of C S Lewis to their “Narnia package”, which just went live today. My contribution is titled “The Relucant Convert”. It looks like a great collection of articles.
Expect Narnia saturation in the next couple of weeks! I will be going to see the movie at an advance screening this afternoon with my daughter Megan. I started recording the Narnia books on tape for the Maryland Radio Reading Network for the Blind a couple of years ago (at one hour per week, it takes awhile) and expect to finish “The Last Battle” before Christmas. The books are extraordinary, and even better when you read them out loud.
CS Lewis, the Reluctant Convert
[Beliefnet, November 29, 2005]
In later life, C. S. Lewis – “Jack” to friends and family – would say that it all began with a toy garden. He was seven years old when his older brother, “Warnie”, brought to their playroom a biscuit tin he had decorated with tiny twigs, moss and flowers. As Jack gazed at the miniature fairyland
Walk the Line
[National Review Online, November 18, 2005]
Someone watching “Walk the Line,” the immensely enjoyable 20th Century Fox movie about Johnny Cash, would gather the impression that Cash had something to do with music. Yes, we see him on stage frequently, and are treated to numerous song fragments. But music isn't what the movie is about. Instead, it's chiefly about his relationships with women - a first marriage troubled by his infidelity and addiction, a descent to the depths, a long yearning for another woman, and her eventual consent.
Stepping Out In Faith
[Kairos Journal, November 17, 2005]
In 1991, my husband I made a difficult decision to leave our denomination for theological reasons. It was, for us, a matter of integrity. Bishops were denying the Resurrection, the Virgin Birth, and other basic tenets of the faith. After twenty years in the Episcopal church, first with both of us in seminary, and then with Gary serving as a pastor, we knew it was time to look for a new church home.
What Gary discovered was the Eastern Orthodox Church. The most striking thing about this church was its determination to adhere to the faith and worship of the early Christians.