‘Reuniting Families Who Have Been Torn Apart’

COVER STORY—After five years of traveling the world with the inspiring and ground-breaking book Changing Our Mind, Christian ethicist Dr. David Gushee says this work all comes down to helping parents to love their children. Please, read our inspiring Cover Story interview with Dr. Gushee this week—and share it with friends.

In the interview, Dr. Gushee says, “I have come to realize that this is some of the most important work I have done in my entire career as an ethicist. Nothing I have done before has made this much difference in the lives of real people and in the reuniting of families who have been painfully torn apart.”

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MOVING AS FAST AS THE FIRESTORM

HOW WE CREATED SUCH A FLEXIBLE BOOK—That’s the story our Director of Production Dmitri Barvinok tells this week in his Front Edge Publishing column. Many of the most important stories in our world today are changing faster than traditional publishing technology can adapt. Our specialty is keeping pace with those changes so our authors can be an active part of these vital global conversations.

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TALKING WITH LINCOLN

TELL US WHAT YOU HEAR! Last week, we launched another global conversation with  the release of 30 Days With Abraham Lincoln—Quiet Fire. Based on a popular radio series from Lincoln scholar Duncan Newcomer, this book is designed with a month’s day-by-day readings, as well as easy links to listen to the original broadcast of each day’s story as well. Historians, teachers and inspirational writers already are encouraging Americans to help with this unique, interactive project. Here is that launch story, which has news, plus links to get involved in many ways.

Now, we are inviting readers to tell us what you hear nationwide as the conversation surfaces in communities large and small. The first media mention we spotted was this news report that showed up on Sunday in a Maine-based online news magazine.

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Holidays & Festivals:
MANY WAYS TO MARK AUTUMN—

Allhallowtide
Samhain
Dia de los Muertos
& Halloween!

HOLIDAY COLUMNIST STEPHANIE FENTON has the whole story! Whatever name or practice you follow in these late-October observances, Stephanie has something for you this week. “Don’t get scared!” she writes. “Rooted in a centuries-old Gaelic and Irish seasonal festival known as Samhain, Halloween is considered by many to be the only time of year that spirits can roam the earth: From Samhain to Mexico’s Day of the Dead, world cultures celebrate the belief that at this time of year, the veil between this world and the next is particularly thin.”

October column explores the spiritual side of football, which may seem like quite a creative leap to many of our readers. In fact, Pew and Gallup tell us that football remains American’s favorite sport, a true autumnal festival—and Martin tells a dramatic, personal story of how this sport has shaped his own family.

Care to see all the holidays? It’s easy to find our annual calendar of global observances—just remember the address InterfaithHolidays.com

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Faith & Film

ED McNULTY, for decades, has published reviews, magazine articles and books exploring connections between faith and film. Most of his work is freely published. Ed supports his work by selling the Visual Parables Journal, a monthly magazine packed with discussion guides to films. This resource is used coast-to-coast by individuals who love the movies and by educators, clergy and small-group leaders.

Among Ed’s free reviews and columns are:

• RAISING HELL—Ed writes: “Director Janice Engel’s documentary elicits lots of laughter, but this is not the story of a comedian, but rather that of a journalist who was sort of a combination of Mark Twain, Bernstein and Woodward, and an Old Testament prophet.” (5 out of 5 stars)
• BLACK AND BLUE—Ed gives this action-packed thriller about a black, female cop 4 stars.
• THE GREAT ALASKAN RACE—Ed writes: “Brian Presley both directs and plays the lead role in this family film that pays tribute to the heroic feats of Alaskan mushers and their dogs in 1925.” (4 stars)
• MONOS—Ed gives 4.5 stars to this film from Argentina about a guerrilla group.
• THE JOKER—Ed writes: “Of all the super villains, in the D.C. or any universe for that matter, the Joker is the most interesting. Definitely worthy of his own origin movie.” (4.5 stars)
• AD ASTRA—Ed describes the film and its faith connection this way: “The Psalmist might see the hand of God in the stars, but to the analytical Major Roy McBride (Brad Pitt), son of famed pioneering astronaut H. Clifford McBride (Tommy Lee Jones), they are merely distant destinations.” (4 stars)
• DOWNTON ABBEY—Ed gives the hit movie 5 stars and writes, “Julian Fellowes’ beloved characters are back, and thanks to the giant screen, bigger and bolder than ever. Judging by the enthusiastic audience at the advance screening I attended, the film should be a big hit.”

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