REDISCOVER THE ENERGY OF THE EARLY CHURCH
Click the image to read this story about Bart Ehrman.
SOCIAL NETWORKS MATTER—Best-selling Bible scholar Bart Ehrman regularly appears in national media, talking about scholarly conclusions that seem threatening to some Christian traditionalists. He questions the accuracy of some Bible stories, for example. So, it’s headline news when he publishes a new book that is likely to be welcomed by leaders of church groups who like to discuss new books. In The Triumph of Christianity, Bart’s major conclusions could help Christians today to rediscover the energy of the early church. Enjoy David Crumm’s interview with Bart and please share it with friends this week.
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Click the photo to read Suzy’s column.
Envisioning Better Foster Care
GOD SIGNS—This week, Suzy Farbman introduces us to the remarkable Graci McGillicuddy who dreams of a new kind of center for foster kids, especially those who have experienced trauma. Working with professionals from Johns Hopkins, Graci and her husband Dennis hope to transform many lives. Suzy tells the story of Graci’s life-long passion for education.
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Holidays & Festivals
Want to see all the holidays? www.InterfaithHolidays.com
Click to learn more about Our Lent.
LENT for 2 BILLION—As Holidays columnist Stephanie Fenton reports, 2 billion Christians around the world are now in the midst of the reflective period that leads to Easter. Western Christians began with Ash Wednesday; Eastern Christians with Clean Monday. Eastern and Western Christians will travel through most of Lent together, but will diverge as the calendar turns to April. Western Christians celebrate Easter on April Fools Day (no kidding). The Orthodox wait for their Pascha until April 8.
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Click to read more.
NATIONAL DAY OF UNPLUGGING—Plan ahead to take part in two national campaigns to reduce our “screen time,” especially among children. ReadTheSpirit fully supports such efforts, as you will read in our column about these two observances. One of these campaigns even has a direct religious connection, drawing on ancient wisdom. Plus, we provide links to the two websites that can connect you to other folks joining these efforts.
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Our Role in the Immigration ‘Crisis’
Click the image to read the column on immigration.
CALMING FEARS—This week, the Berlin-based journalist María-Paz López reports for the International Association of Religion Journalists (IARJ) on efforts spearheaded by European journalists to clarify the global challenge of displaced persons. In Europe for several years, waves of migrants and refugees have sparked outrage among extremists and a wide range of news stories—from balanced and helpful reporting to extreme voices sparking fear. María-Paz advises media professionals on helpful roles we can play—and she links to some helpful research on journalist trends in covering immigration.
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Front Edge Publishing
Click this image of Front Edge’s new front page to read this week’s column on publishing.
WHERE ARE PEOPLE GATHERING in 2018? This week’s new Front Edge column reports on the first 2018 snapshot of trends in social media. Are there surprises? Yes, we think so—including a cautionary note about the role Twitter plays in American life. Care to learn about the wide range of publishing options today? Perhaps you’re an author—or know an author. Please, share this home address with friends: www.FrontEdgePublishing.com
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What has Rodney Curtis written now?
YES, IT’S … Rodney’s annual “Best Movies” column and, based on many years of this annual tradition, our readers are likely to change their moviegoing plans as a result. Can you guess Rodney’s favorite film of 2017? Find out here.
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FAITH & FILM:
Let’s Talk about CBS’s ‘Year of Living Biblically’
Click to read Ed’s review of the 1964 Parable.
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:
- PARABLE—Ed reaches back this week to 1964 to recommend a short film that caused a stir in 1964 when it debuted at the New York World’s Fair. Parable was the creation of filmmaker Rolf Forsberg—and it’s back for free streaming on Amazon Prime currently.
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Click the image to read about Black Panther.
BLACK PANTHER—The film is spectacular, says Ed.
- LIVING BIBLICALLY—Want to talk with friends about the new CBS series? Ed has this discussion guide for The Year of Living Biblically. Also, Ed offers this review of the series. Plus, Ed interviewed the series creator Patrick Walsh.
- FERDINAND—Did the decision to turn a brief children’s book and an 8-minute animated short into a feature-length film result in a bloated mess? Thankfully, no! That’s Ed McNulty’s verdict, urging families to enjoy this movie. (4.5 stars)
- MOLLY’S GAME—Ed writes, “As a story about trying to preserve one’s integrity amidst sordid circumstances, this is a film worthy of your time and money, especially because Aaron Sorkin deals with a female protagonist this time. There is also a heart-warming scene of reconciliation, making this a good addition to my list of father-daughter films.” (4 stars)
- PHANTOM THREAD—”The film is a delightful mixture of the serious and the comic … As a study of characters engaged in a power struggle, this is a film well worth seeing,” writes Ed. (4.5 stars)
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