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Pentecostal Church
Reviews
Book Review, The Shack by William P Young
Nov 25th
Mac and his family are on holiday in the American wilderness when their young daughter is kidnapped. They eventually find evidence that she has been brutally murdered in a run down shack in the woods. Many years pass but Mac and his wife are still very much under the cloud of the “great sadness”. Then Mac receives a letter apparently from God. In the letter, God invites him back to the shack. Mac returns to the The Shack and spends two days with God.
William Paul Young, author of The Shack, and I got off on the wrong foot. In an interview Young said this: “The Institutional church doesn’t work for those of us who are hurt and those of us who are damaged. . . . If God is a loving God and there’s grace in this world and it doesn’t work for those of us who didn’t get dealt a very good hand in the deck, then why are we doing this? . . . Legalism within Christian or religious circles doesn’t work very well for people who are good at it. And I wasn’t very good at it.” Young and his two publishing partners (ex pastors) no longer attend More >
Book Review, Perelandra by C.S.Lewis
Sep 11th
Synopsis
It’s been several years since Professor Ransom visited Mars and he’s still in contact with the spiritual forces he encountered there. By some supernatural means, not made entirely clear to us, he learns that his next mission will be to Perelandra (Venus) and he is promptly transported there in an alien vehicle. On arrival, he finds Perelandra consists entirely of sea and moving islands. The islands are made mostly of vegetation and trees that is except for one small island the “Fixed Land”. Ransom is alone for two Perelandra days (46 earth hours) until he eventually encounters a beautiful women, Tinidril, who is naked. Incidentally, Ransom is also naked (a strange requirement of traveling in the alien vehicle) but despite these circumstances he feels no lust or sexual desires for Tinidril, nor she for him. Ransom realises that Tinidril is a new a kind of Eve and Perelandra a new kind of Eden. The purpose of his mission is to stop Weston (evil scientist from the first book), who arrives on the planet a little later, from tempting Tinidril to sleep on the “Fixed Land” something she has been forbidden to do by Maledil (God basically). Ransom soon finds himself More >
Book Review, Out of The Silent Planet by C.S.Lewis
Aug 12th
Out of the Silent Planet
Synopsis
While walking in the English countryside, Professor Ransom loses his way and stumbles across two scientists attempting to force a small boy into a space craft. Ransom tries to intervene and finds himself being apprehended in the boy’s place. While in the spaceship, Ransom overhears that he is to be offered to something or someone as a kind of sacrifice. When the two scientists (Weston and Devine) and Ransom land on their destination (the planet Mars) Ransom makes his escape. Ransom is left to run through the strange wildernesses of Mars while the two scientists hunt him, prepared to kill anyone or anything that gets in their way.
Comment
I was delighted to learn that Lewis had written a science fiction trilogy and wasted no time in tracking them down since I’m such a fan of a lot of his other books: The Narnia series, The Screwtape Letters, Mere Christianity and The Great Divorce. Out of the Silent Planet is the first in his Cosmic Trilogy being followed by Perelandra and That Hideous Strength (reveiws on both to follow soon). I will start by saying that this was an enjoyable book to read. Particularly Lewis’ descriptions of space travel being written 20 More >
The Passion
Mar 22nd
Have you been watching the BBC’s series, ‘The Passion’?
Go to TheMorningFlight and see what Graham says.
England’s Messiah by Martin Saunders – Book Review
Feb 1st
England’s Messiah by Martin Saunders – A Book Review
“Some people believe football is a matter of life and death. I’m very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.”
(Bill Shankly, Liverpool Manager 1959-1974)
This is a Christian novel for anyone who loves football, although it is probably best suited for 15-18 year olds. Having said that it was a book I really enjoyed. It’s a fairly easy read and follows the progress of the two main characters in a way that draws you in. By the end of the book you really feel that you are sharing in their lives. Harry Foster is a bitter and cynical football reporter whose own career as a player was cut short by injury. He has all but lost faith in football until he sees a young man, John Christie, playing football at the local park. Thanks to his intervention John’s life changes forever. The rest of the book follows his rise to prominence and the trials and tribulations that come with that rise. This book is designed simply to entertain, however the behaviour of John Christie, a devout Christian, draws parallels with the life of Jesus and More >
“Atonement” Film Review
Sep 29th
I went to see “Atonement” at City Screen.
I left the cinema wondering why I liked it so much. I thought the acting and action was good, I loved the scenery and sets. I liked seeing Keira Knightley looking elegant in her green dress. These things all engaged me in the story and, looking back, pulled me along through the adventures. But as I left City Screen I knew I felt there was more to it than that. It had connected with me deeply. Why should that be?
See TheMorningFlight to find out my thoughts about it.
Graham
Miyazaki: Metaphors and Magic (Film review of “Spirited Away”)
Jun 13th
Chihiro and her family are on their way to their new home when they stumble across an abandoned theme park. On further inspection the theme park turns out to be a magical bath house for “the spiritsâ€. Chihiro is trapped there and forced to work in the bath house while her Mother and Father are turned into pigs. To save her parents and get back to her own world she must defeat the evil witch Yubaba. Spirited Away is a tale of trial, longing, friendship, love and magic. An utterly spell binding masterpiece of animation from Hayao Miyazaki’s Ghibli (Jiblee) Studios.
I love this film for its storyline, beautiful animation and music not because of its shinto overtones or demonology. As a christian I am instinctively drawn to the Kingdom values in things I see and read.
Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi) is a typical Miyazaki creation. It stars a brave and sensible young female protagonist. This is unusual for Japan which is one of the last great bastions of chauvinism among developed countries. Japan’s birth rate has been below replacement level for 26 years straight. This is partly because Japanese women now have the same educational opportunities as men. They quite More >
