Reflections on God … Man … Life
I love delving into C. S. Lewis’s many essays—mostly unknown even to those who appreciate his books—and finding pearls. This morning I came across one in God in the Dock that I had read long ago (I know that only because it is marked up) and had forgotten. It’s called “The Sermon and the Lunch.” Lewis relates what appears to be a true story about listening to a certain vicar give a sermon on the home, a talk filled with… Read more »
We have just completed a week filled with anguish. The Charlottesville protests and anger that they have stirred has brought our nation to a low point indeed. In the midst of this anguish, people say things about changing the rhetoric and promoting understanding—all very nice, but never getting to the core of the problem, which is sin. C. S. Lewis, in his Mere Christianity, delivers the truth about niceness vs. redemption. We must not suppose that even if we succeeded… Read more »
On this day after the horrendous tornado that hit Moore, Oklahoma, we feel for the families who lost children or other loved ones. By all accounts, this had to be one of the worst tornadoes in American history. Normally, they don’t stay on the ground as long as this one did, and the winds may have approached 200 miles per hour. No sin caused this; it was what is usually termed a “natural” disaster. Some people promote a theology that… Read more »
As I left the theater on Saturday, the words that came to my mind most readily were “beautifully done.” I had just experienced a movie that was the rare combination of high-quality acting and production values and a solidly redemptive message based on God’s unconditional love. The film, Unconditional, is the best Christian-themed product I’ve ever seen. It doesn’t preach at all, yet the message is crystal clear: bitterness and revenge destroy; the reach of God’s love extends into the… Read more »
Frank Peretti is back. Nearly twenty years ago, I picked up my first Peretti book, This Present Darkness, and marveled at his storytelling prowess. After that, I grabbed every Peretti book that came out. Some were more graphic than others in their depiction of sin, death, and the misery men bring upon themselves, but they all were faithful to the message that sin kills, both physically and spiritually. But Peretti didn’t stop there—he always contrasted the consequences of sin with… Read more »
Christians don’t need to be embarrassed anymore by the quality of films depicting a Biblical worldview. The Narnia movies have made that clear, and there have been others lately with explicit Biblical themes such as Robert Duvall’s Seven Days in Utopia. The most recent entry into this genre is October Baby. I saw it last night; it was superb How would you feel and what would you do if you discovered at age nineteen that you were adopted and that… Read more »