Catholic Church Will Probably Honor the Other Martin Luther

Martin Luther King, Jr. is at the top of the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ list of twentieth-century martyrs to be recognized by the Pope in a ceremony May 7. The Boston Globe notes that it’s a fascinating choice: “He was not Catholic [he was a Baptist minister], he was killed not while preaching but while advocating for labor rights, and his personal life has been the subject of some debate in recent years.” The full list of nominees was not released (see related stories in the Associated Press and Los Angeles Times).

Barna says teens aren’t really committed to their faith

For all the talk about the ” I Believe generation” and ” Generation WWJD,” Barna Research found that “Teen-agers are even less committed to Christianity” than their parents’ generation. “American teenagers are widely described as deeply religious individuals who have integrated their religious beliefs into their lifestyle and their thinking,” says the report. “This latest study among teens, however, suggests that faith is a passing fancy of young people – just one of many dimensions that they blend into a potpourri of perspectives, experiences, skills, and contexts toward arriving at their worldview and lifestyle.”

Christian Coalition Dealt Another Blow

An effort by the Christian Coalition to put the Miami-Dade County’s human rights ordinance to referendum has lost the support of municipalities that once backed the campaign, reports the Miami Herald.

Clergy need governing board, says victims group

As storm clouds continue to surround Australian Anglican bishop George Browning, who resigned his post after allegations of sexual misconduct emerged, an organization called Broken Rites is calling for clergy to be held accountable in the same manners as psychiatrists and doctors, reports The Australian.

Catholics are lying about beliefs, head of Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod says in ads

The denomination spent $200,000 on nationwide newspaper ads, which even the denomination’s former president, Ralph Bohlman, says are misleading about Catholic doctrine.

Pope actually may retire, says Italian paper

“A few years ago, the Pope had asked Vatican experts for a feasibility study concerning his possible resignation,” says a report in Australia’s The Age summarizing an earlier story in Italy’s La Repubblica. “Their response was that the church would be ‘unable to cope with two popes” – one reigning, the other in retirement.’ ” Still, the pope will strongly consider retiring next year, after the Jubilee, says the report. The story comes in the middle of speculation about whether or not a German bishop called for the pope’s retirement.

Frederica Mathewes-Green attacks ‘insider art’

“The art of the shocking has run out of things to say—all it ever could say, anyway, is “Boo!”—and is circling the drain, repeating itself,” the CT columnist says in another of her gigs, as columnist for Beliefnet. Last summer’s South Park movie, the Brooklyn Museum of Art’s “Sensation” exhibit, and the performance art of Andy Kaufman are all cut from the same cloth, she says.

Related Elsewhere

See our Weblogs from this week, ( Thursday, Wednesday, Tuesday, Monday), last week ( January 7, 6, 5, 4, and 3), and December 30 and 29.

Copyright © 2000 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

In the year 390, after the murder of one of his generals in Thessalonica, the Christian emperor of Rome Theodosius I (born January 11, 347; died January 17, 395) ordered a brutal retaliation. A chariot race was announced, but after townspeople arrived to watch, they were locked in the stadium and attacked by imperial soldiers. Within three hours, 7,000 citizens were dead.Ambrose, bishop of Milan, felt constrained to protest, and in so doing initiated a way of looking at Christianity and politics that would influence the Roman Empire into the Middle Ages. He wrote a letter to Theodosius, which reads in part: “What, then, could I do? Should I not hear? But I could not close my ears. … Should I keep silence? But then my conscience would be bound, my speech taken away, which would be the most wretched condition of all. And where would be that text? If the priest does not speak to someone who errs, he who errs will die in his sin, and the priest will be liable because he failed to warn the errant man.” Ambrose then recalls the story of Nathan confronting David, as well as other biblical passages on repentance.The bishop had good reason to believe his letter would find its mark in the emperor’s heart. Theodosius had been raised in a Christian family, was the first emperor to decline the title pontifex maximus (supreme guardian of the Roman cults), and believed the Nicene Creed. He went so far in his support of the creed, as well as in his opposition to paganism and Arianism, to make its tenets binding: all the empire’s subjects were mandated to recognize the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of one substance, and practice “that religion that Peter the Apostle transmitted to the Romans.” And Theodosius had accepted Ambrose’s authority before, when the bishop criticized his punishment of orthodox fanatics who had burned a synagogue and a pagan shrine. Still, rebuking an emperor was not without peril.Toward the end of his letter, Ambrose makes his impassioned plea: “I exhort, I beg, I entreat, I admonish you, because it is grief to me that the perishing of so many innocent people is no grief to you. And now I call on you to repent.” Theodosius hesitated, but he eventually performed the prescribed public penance and was readmitted to the church at Christmas 390. Modern observers point out that the emperor’s repentance was not an example of the church ruling the state, nor was it purely a political move. Ambrose introduced the medieval concept of a Christian emperor as dutiful “son of the church serving under orders from Christ,” but for the rest of his reign, Theodosius pursued a legislative agenda that kept the state free from control by clergy. He did this while maintaining a good relationship with both the church and Ambrose, in whose arms he died. It was that relationship, more than any church/state struggle, that led Theodosius to publicly repent. Even Britannica.com discounts an ulterior motive, calling the event “a demonstration of the power of atonement over the penitent sinner.”The concept of a political official demonstrating genuine religious conviction seems almost unthinkable today. Marxist thought has us looking for a power play behind every act, and leaders (such as President Clinton) whose spiritual sincerity is questionable at best fuel our cynicism. In the current issue of Christianity Today, author David P. Gushee wisely advises, “Christians of all political persuasions need to become much more shrewd in noting and discounting hypocritical shows of public Christianity.” But unless we’re willing to posit that fourth-century Rome has no relation whatsoever to the current political realm, we have to leave room for piety in public office. Theodosius could yet have another heir.

Related Elsewhere

More Christian History, including a listing of events that occurred this week in the church’s past, is available at ChristianHistory.netA translation of Ambrose’s full letter can be found in the Internet Medieval Sourcebook.See more on Ambrose and Theodosius at Britannica.com, the Catholic Encyclopedia.

Copyright © 2000 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Washington Post holds Christian Y2K freak show The search was on at every major media outlet for religious fanatics who believed January 1 would bring in Christ’s millennial kingdom. The Washington Post found some in Huntsville, Arkansas, and writes a surprisingly unsurprising story.

Will the next era be post-Christian? So asks David Martin in the January 1 issue of Canada’s National Post. The author of Tongues of Fire: The Explosion of Protestantism in Latin America argues that Christianity will survive just fine, but it won’t be the European version of the last 1,000 years. Those states least involved in Christianity—suppressing it or promoting it, he argues—will be the ones to shape Christian trends in the future. “The Christian religion is on the wrong foot in those old heartlands where it was tied up in established powers and forms. In the U.S., by contrast, it is in alignment with a plural society in motion and well attuned to a messianic nationhood.” Didn’t de Tocqueville say exactly the same thing in his 1831 Democracy in America? (That’s what Books & Culture says in its January 2000 issue, anyway.)

Media continue to beat the candidates’ religion to death The first few articles about how presidential candidates—both Republican and Democrat—are talking about Jesus as never before were pretty interesting. Now, it seems that there’s not a current events publication that hasn’t covered the topic. Fortunately, the article in the current issue of The Economist is actually insightful, though it maintains the cynicism of most magazines’ coverage.

Zambia is a “Christian nation,” but does it matter? While most of the world’s eyes focused on the big number change Saturday, Zambia also noted its eighth anniversary of President Frederick Chiluba’s declaration the country as Christian. The Post of Zambia used the occasion to assess the label, concluding that the nation has a long way to go before earning the moniker.

A not-so-happy new year For five Christians in Beijing, New Year’s Eve meant a night in jail simply for holding a discussion group on God and faith, reports the Reuters news service. They were released a day later.

Graham weighs in on targeted evangelism—again “I normally defend my denomination. I’m loyal to it,” Graham told Fox News Sunday. “But I have never targeted Muslims. I have never targeted Jews. I believe that we should declare the fact that God loves you, God’s willing to forgive you, God can change you, and Christ and his kingdom is open to anybody who repents and by faith receives him as Lord and Savior.” See our earlier coverage of Graham and targeted evangelism here.

Clinton Press Secretary Apologizes for Remarks (Dec. 30) I’m not sure Lockhart should resign after he apologized. Maybe reprimanded and heavily fined. I am glad that Christians are standing up to be heard, especially in government. For that matter, there needs to be more of Jesus “in” government all around. I do believe the one that needs to step down, and should have a while back is Clinton. As far as I’m concerned, Clinton and all of his followers should be publicly stoned to death, to remove some of the evil from this government.

This America needs to repent and start serving Jesus before it’s too late. You know the time is at hand, and this country is on its way out without Jesus. The whole of USA government needs to be disband and reworked into something that is as it should be: “By the people and for the people, so help us God!” Mark Lathrop

Is Christmas Pagan? (Dec. 21) I enjoyed your article very much. I do have one question though. I find it hard that Mary would not have known the date of the birth of her first child. Also, since Mary was very much a part of that “inner circle” of the Apostles and disciples, why wouldn’t they know that date? Perhaps there is no answer to this question, but it does seem peculiar to me as a mother myself. I recall the minutest details of the day my son was born almost 24 years later, and I’m sure I always will. He has often asked me questions about the events surrounding his birth. I have shared many of those details with him. Pat Esposito-Heim

I believe the most important thing is what Christmas has become in today’s society. Many churches have signs that read, “The reason for the season.” What is the reason for the season? I don’t find any scriptures that give the date of Christ’s birth, and I don’t think that Christians should claim to celebrate the birth of Jesus when they don’t know what day He was even born on. But that’s not the only problem. More importantly, there is no scriptural authorization to celebrate Christmas. Without scriptural authorization, we are adding to the word of God, which is strictly prohibited. Jesus told us to celebrate an event, and that event was His death, burial, and resurrection. Every first day of the week Christians should partake of the Lord’s supper, as your article pointed out, in remembrance of Jesus. Mark Hinely

Where Would Civilization Be Without Christianity? (Dec. 13-17) Thank you very much for this series of articles on Christianity’s gift to civilization! I chair two symposiums a year in Crimea that bring together academics and professionals to examine issues of critical concern in light of one’s worldview. Most of our participants are not Christians; our purposes are evangelistic but using the tools of the trade of the intelligentsia of Ukraine and Russia. The five articles fit well with our overall theme the last five years, “Man and the Christian Worldview,” and our subtheme for 2000, “Worldview and Lifestyle: What are we bequeathing our children?” Through the seventy-some years of Marxist-Leninist philosophy, the people of the former Soviet Union have a very biased and negative view of Christianity’s contributions to the world. That you for your contribution to presenting “the other side of the coin.” Georges Carillet Executive Vice President, Crimean-American College Simferopol, Ukraine

Witnessing vs. Proselytizing (Dec. 3) I have just read all of the articles on line and I found them very interesting. I am employed by a man who is Jewish. He is very fair and kind and the only thing I have ever said to him or his children is that they have a wonderful spiritual heritage. I decided several years ago that the best way to witness to him and his family was to be a good employee and a good person. Everyone needs the Lord. I work with Jews, Mormons and athiests and I pray for them all. Margaret Brown Magna, Utah

Ned Graham’s Woes Shake East Gates Ministries (Nov. 24) I am puzzled why divorce remains a taboo topic in the CBA marketplace—and why we would rather pretend it doesn’t happen “to us” than admit that not only do we sin like the rest of the world but we live in the same fallen world. What prompted my response to you is the “lack of” coverage of Ned Graham’s divorce and Billy Graham’s recent “pale” response. Why is it necessary for the Church of Jesus Christ “to divorce” itself from divorcing parties time and again? Are we so embarrassed that we can’t bring it into the light and allow our own transparency and vulnerable to offer hope and healing to others who find themselves in the same situation? Why must the Church of Jesus Christ heap more abandonment and rejection on top of the load that these hurting men and women already are carrying? Like John Stossel at ABC says: Give me a break! No one wants a divorce, but it is something that millions of us live with. In fact, with 2.5 million divorces each year, there’s not a man or woman not affected by the breakup of a marriage. I know this subject well. I am intimately acquainted with its devastation. Twelve years ago I went through an unwanted divorce after 22 years of marriage. When I stood at the altar as a young bride with my Christian husband, believe me, divorce was the last thing on our minds. I doubt if it was on Ned’s mind or Carol’s mind either. But it happened. Divorce is not an unspeakable dirty 7-letter word. It is just one more evidence of our fallen world. Life is hard; people are hurting. Let’s get to the heart of these taboo topics and allow them to become life-giving instead of a death sentence. Kari West Author, When He Leaves

Spirituality Without Religion (Nov. 23) Although any organization should be applauded for nonviolence, etc., there are several things lacking in Christians if they cannot tell or know the difference between Buddhism and Christianity. The similarities are not as important as the differences. That is, you may have two pills sitting on a table. They look alike but one pill is aspirin and the other arsenic. Although they are both pills its the differences that really count. Buddha never claimed deity; Christ did. Now it is only a matter of seeing if there is reliable information to lead us to believe in Jesus’ claims. I believe there is overwhelming evidence to support Jesus’ claim without having to believe in it on faith alone. Steve Appel Westlake Village, California

Cassie Said Yes, They Said No (Nov. 1) I am writing just to say that it really does not matter whether Cassie or anyone else said yes. The most important thing is that her soul was right with God at the time of her death. Many people are allowing Satan to do his usual thing, take the minds of the people off the worship and praise of God and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the importance of receiving salvation through faith in Christ Jesus and being born again of the water and of the Spirit of God. “She said yes” (Cassie) long before Columbine and that is the only thing that we as believers should be concerned with and rejoicing that she has gone to that mansion the Lord Jesus went away to prepare for her so that she could be with Him where He is forever. Our focus should not be on whether she made the statement on the day of the death of her mortal body, but, that “she said yes” to God on the day of her rebirth into salvation. I choose to believe that many other children and adults “died” that day; died to sin and became alive in Christ. Not only in Columbine, but, all over the world. Gloria Norwood Upper Marlboro, Maryland

Born-again Christians more likely to divorce than non-Christians, says study And, according to the Barna Research Group, Baptists and Christians attending nondenominational churches are the most likely Christians to divorce. “While it may be alarming to discover that born again Christians are more likely than others to experience a divorce, that pattern has been in place for quite some time,” says George Barna, “The high incidence of divorce within the Christian community challenges the idea that churches provide truly practical and life-changing support for marriages.” Expect a flurry of commentary written about this study.

Did fanatics ruin Israel for other Christians? Yesterday’s USA Today suggests it’s the case, but fails to note that tensions between Christians and Jews have some history in Jerusalem. “While most Christian pilgrims said they were treated well by ultra-Orthodox Jews, others complained that religious Jews mimicked their prayers, called them ‘fanatics’ and even cursed at them as they retraced the traditional steps of Jesus along Jerusalem’s Via Delarosa [sic], or The Way of the Cross,” the article states.

You can’t step into the same stream twice So goes an old saying. Nevertheless, Christians are arguing over no fewer than three sites claiming to be the place in the Jordan River where Jesus was baptized. “”We have no historical claim but still, we have the market for now,” one site manager tells Canada’s National Post.

Send back Cuban boy, says former NCC general secretary Joan Brown-Campbell arrived in Cuba yesterday to meet with the father of the 6-year-old Cuban boy in the middle of a political tug-of-war. The NCC and Cuban Council of Churches are pushing for the child’s return to Cuba. (See a related AP story)

Shakespeare’s spiritual schizophrenia at Christmas Two weeks ago, ChristianityToday.com looked at C.S. Lewis and Christmas. The newly launched Beliefnet.com goes further back and, in an article by Harvey Cox, looks at Christmas in Shakespeare’s works.

Speaking of Harvey Cox … The Harvard professor appeared New Year’s Day on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition to discuss the future of religion and spirituality in the United States, what the soul is, belief in good and evil, fundamentalism, his own prayers, and other such topics. (RealAudio player required.)

And speaking of Beliefnet … It’s been getting attention from the Associated Press, which compares its “nonsectarian” mission to “bring order to the chaos” to sites that “transmit one viewpoint” like ours. Gee, it’s nice to be recognized.

Related Elsewhere

See earlier ChristianityToday.com Weblogs from yesterday, December 30, and December 29.

In order to beat the December 31 deadline to qualify for Oscar consideration, dozens of films have been released in limited markets during the past few weeks. In this edition of Film Forum, we’ll look beyond the usual blockbusters to spotlight ten of these low-budget movies that have merited mention from several Christian reviewers.

The End of the Affair

The latest provocative drama from director Neil Jordan has caught the attention of the Christian media for two reasons: First, it’s based on the explicitly spiritual book by Catholic novelist Graham Greene. Second, it’s explicitly sexual—enough to earn the film an NC-17 on its first viewing by the MPAA. (It was reduced to an R on appeal.) The movie follows a jilted lover, Maurice Bendrix (Ralph Fiennes), who tries to discover why his partner left him. The sexual material offended the Christian critics, while the spiritual angle elicited more debate.

Preview ‘s John Adair was highly impressed with the “deep discussions about love and hate—scattered throughout the film. [The lovers] also struggle with issues such as the existence of God and why he allows so much suffering in the world. The discussions are in-depth, emotional, and reflect a tone of reality in the lives of many hurting people.”

ButMovieguide was upset with the movie’s portrayal of God: “God is depicted as one who answers prayer when a character prays for healing, yet when the same character is separated from her adulterous partner, she blames God.” The review adds that “the central character acknowledges God, yet wants nothing to do with Him.” Others see that fact as a criticism of Bendrix, however, not of God.

Mainstream critic Michael Sragow of Salon.com says the director “makes it clear that Bendrix is a prisoner of a worldly worldview—and that he wants to jail [his lover], too, within his perceptions of her.” He contends that the movie’s lack of pat conclusions makes faith seem realistically complex: “Audiences of all kinds may find it easier to recognize in this tale not just the force of belief and the wonder of transcendence, but also the humbling difficulty of absorbing it.”

The Third Miracle

Receiving far more enthusiastic notices is another Catholic-centered film, The Third Miracle, which finds a disillusioned priest (Ed Harris) rediscovering his faith in God when he investigates a series of miracles connected with a request for sainthood for a Chicago laywoman.

Movieguide , not usually known for gushing reviews, offers compliment after compliment for this film: “Rarely has the tension between faith and reason, miracles and reality, sinfulness and redemption been treated with more sense of reverence and skillfulness.” And The Third Miracle is more than just well-intentioned; the film “successfully draws viewers into experiencing the anguish and joy of Father Frank’s journey, leaving them with a sense of mystery and hope.”

Mary Nella Bruce of Hollywood Jesus praised the film for highlighting the role of doubt in a life of faith. “Doubt has its work in all of our lives. It forces us to deal with our own inner struggles and face the brutal truths that lead us into a life of faith and hope beyond ourselves.”

Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr.

A review on Christian Spotlight by guest reviewer Matthew Prins called attention to Mr. Death, the latest from famed documentarian Errol Morris. Leuchter was an esteemed expert on death who worked to make more humane the available methods of capital punishment, whether by electric chair, gas chamber, or lethal injection. But after inspecting the gas chambers of Auschwitz and essentially declaring that the Holocaust never happened, he lost his career, his wife, and his respect. For Prins, this movie highlighted a human fault rarely discussed: “Hubris is a sin not often discussed in media—sexual promiscuity and violence are more fashionable—but Morris shows how easily arrogance can get in the way of a man’s relationship with the world.” Leuchter’s relationship with the world is an analytic, not compassionate, viewing death as “a clinical problem to be solved by creating comfort for the dying and systems to help clean up the mess.”

The Legend of 1900

Also in favor with Christian critics is The Legend of 1900. The movie tells of a piano player (Tim Roth)—named 1900 because he was born on January 1, 1900—who grows up never leaving the ship he was born on.

“The entire premise of the movie forces the audience to consider conflicting worlds of finite versus infinite,” writes John Adair of Preview . The limited but knowable resources on the boat are more attractive to 1900 than a world of possibilities, just as we on earth are more comfortable with what we can see and hear.

Movie Parables ‘ Michael Elliott was impressed with the attention given to the stories of those who traveled on the boat. “As 1900 surmised, each passenger does have a story and each story is worth the telling.” He adds that the film’s score, from Ennio Morricone and Roger Waters, contributed to the telling of these travelers’ stories: “Ranging from wistful and yearning ballads to jazz that bubbles over with enthusiastic optimism, the music represents the hopes, dreams, and desires of the various passengers traveling for the first time to the promise of America.”

Fantasia 2000

Speaking of musical achievements, Fantasia 2000 picks up where the 1940 original left off in celebrating the best of classical music, providing animated sequences to enrich the aural poetry.

Michael Elliott ofMovie Parables praises the music for lifting the listener to “inspirational highs simply not attainable through other mediums,” adding that “it is no wonder that the Levites, as the priestly tribe of the Old Testament, were also the appointed musicians.”

But for Preview ‘s Mary Draughon, the accompanying visuals spoiled the musical feast; she cites “disturbing elements of the New Age concept of earth worship,” “sorcery as entertainment,” and frightening images as reasons parents should be wary of taking children to this G-rated film. (Elliott notes these elements as well, but maintains that “the emotions evoked from Fantasia 2000 are positive ones, being full of hope and promise.”)

Mansfield Park

Also receiving mixed reviews despite a wholesome pedigree was Mansfield Park, the latest adaptation of a Jane Austen novel. Christian critics, like Mary Draughon ofPreview , were surprised at “its graphic sex scene, light treatment of a drug addict, and strong sensual undercurrent that is out of character for Jane Austen.”

Mainstream critics, such as Salon.com‘s Michael Sragow, were more upset with the transformation of the story into a “toothless underdog fable” as the reserved yet resolute heroine Fanny Price was transformed into a “spunky poverty-stricken gal [who] proves herself the better of rich relatives.” Yet not every critic was put off by the alterations.

Michael Elliott of Movie Parables says that “from a purely dramatic perspective, the revision makes perfect sense and improves the film’s audience appeal.” For him, the movie’s idea that “love and logic can be combined” in choosing a marriage partner makes it noteworthy.

Movieguide was likewise complimentary, praising the depiction of “a young woman who refuses to compromise her heart,” not minding the rougher added material since it only highlights her successful “struggle to maintain her character in a den of sinful characters.”

Holy Smoke

Movieguide was less forgiving of Jane Campion’s Holy Smoke, in which a veteran cult deprogrammer (Harvey Keitel) finds himself tempted to drop his rational beliefs after meeting an Australian woman (Kate Winslet) who has fallen under the influence of a Hindu guru. In addition to the explicit sex and nudity, Movieguide took offense at the film’s “New Age pagan and feminist worldview that supports the false religion of Hinduism with ecstatic visions, and briefly mocks Christian belief.”

Mainstream reviews disagreed with that assessment—Entertainment Weekly says that “her devotion to Eastern transcendentalism [is only] skin-deep”—but nevertheless found the movie’s take on religion and belief lacking in depth.

Matt Reichl of Reel.com says Campion “goes for laughs and insight at the same time (a worthy tactic), but fails miserably at both.—[The film’s] inconsistent tone makes it easy to ignore its questions.”

Liberty Heights

Belief and identity also play a big part in Liberty Heights, a semi-autobiographical film from writer/director Barry Levinson, which follows two Jewish brothers who break taboos in 1950s Baltimore by dating gentile girls—including one who’s black.

The U.S. Catholic Conference was enthusiastic about the story, saying the “gentle but telling humor examines religious and racial prejudices in a warm-hearted portrait of a family and a class-conscious community.”

Movieguide fell on the opposite end of the spectrum, criticizing the “black characters in the movie [who] are offensive stereotypes meant to get cheap laughs,” the “crude language about sex and body parts,” and the “nonexistent” religious faith of the brothers. The review adds that the characters never “seem to learn anything from the experiences they undergo in the movie. Hence, neither does the audience.”

Felicia’s Journey

Polar reactions could also be found in the Christian reviews for Felicia’s Journey, the story of a pregnant teenage girl (Elaine Cassidy) befriended by a kindly catering manager (Bob Hoskins) who turns abusive.

John Adair of Preview calls it “a complex tale that methodically draws viewers in, especially with the brilliant depiction of the disturbed Joseph.” He compliments the film for focusing “more on character development rather than showing as much gory and graphic violence as possible,” and gives the film a high acceptability rating.

Movieguide acknowledges the movie’s “marvelous achievement” on an artistic level, but harshly criticizes the “troubling moral content” such as abortion, attempted murder, and an attack on Christianity “by making prayer ineffective, and by depicting a strange Christian sect that runs away when true communication with nonbelievers occurs.”

Sweet and Lowdown

Woody Allen’s jaded comedies have never received much praise from Christian critics, and his latest, about a self-destructive jazz musician (Sean Penn), is no exception.

Movieguide dislikes “Allen’s pseudo-intellectual, humanist worldview, [which] doesn’t allow him to really explore the moral or spiritual dimensions of the situation he sets up in his movie.”

Jeffrey Overstreet of GreenLake Reflections echoes some of those same sentiments: “As Allen gets older, the obsessions and selfishness that he made so funny in the central characters of his early films seem downright loathsome and sad in these newer works.—The cheer has gone out of his tone, and he’s developed a mean-spirited voice, making his last few releases different variations on the same themes of hopelessness, self-loathing, and regret.” Nevertheless, Overstreet recommends the film to Christian audiences because “this character sketch has more worthwhile to consider than Allen’s other recent works,” primarily because of a relationship between the musician and a mute woman (Samantha Morton) that is “fascinating, touching, even funny.”

Steve Lansingh is editor of thefilmforum.com , a weekly Internet magazine devoted to Christianity and the cinema.

Copyright © 2000 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Beyond the Blockbusters

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Chicago Tribune tells Chicago to relax about Baptists “To judge by the reactions it has provoked, you would think the Southern Baptist Convention had announced a program of forced conversion,” it said in an unsigned editorial yesterday.

Six-foot high Ten Commandments can stay in front of Indiana courthouse “Although the text of the Ten Commandments dominates the monument, it cannot be said that the message of the monument is exclusively religious,” says U.S. district judge, while lawyer credits “God’s will” for victory.

Christian Y2K hypemeister not ‘letting down my guard’ “While their [sic] is certainly cause celebrate, the ‘fat lady’ has not yet sung,” says Michael Hyatt, Senior Vice President and Associate Publisher of Thomas Nelson Publishers. “While I hope that she is truly a ‘no-show’ and nothing significant happens, I am not yet willing to make my plans based on that assumption. I am certainly not at the point of wanting to dispose of my preps or let down my guard.”

Bush parodist seeks Rutherford Institute help Zack Exley’s gwbush.com is one of the Web’s most famous political parodies, but has (naturally) been attacked by the Bush campaign. Exley has now turned to John Whitehead’s Rutherford Institute, a religious liberty organization that has recently branched out into more civil liberty cases—notably backing Paula Jones against President Clinton—for legal help. (See our December 7, 1998 issue for more on the enigmatic Whitehead and the Rutherford Institute.)

Time Magazine, Los Angeles Times, CNN gang up on Catholic hospital Monday’s Los Angeles Times ran an article on how Catholic hospitals often refuse to perform medical procedures, such as tubal ligations and abortion, that contradict their religious beliefs. As a case study, they looked at Gilroy, California, and a woman named Zina Campos, who can’t get a tubal ligation because a Catholic Healthcare West bought out the town’s South Valley Hospital, renaming it St. Louise Regional Health Center. It’s exactly the same case covered by Time in its November 15, 1999 issue, and the same town CNN covered in October. Apparently, Catholic hospitals’ biggest problem is that they only have that one patient.

Peter Jennings to search for Jesus The ABC anchor tells Larry King that “he’s fascinated by religion … [and] about the real historic life of Jesus.” So he will host a two-hour ABC special on Christ’s life some time in the next few months, tentatively titled “Peter Jennings in Search of Jesus.” Jennings’s research? “We looked first of all, of course, at the New Testament, the Gospels. Then we went to look at the archaeology and listen to the historians on the side. And we put together a two- hour prime-time special which I think is very exciting.” The show, he says, is “a bit controversial,” but doesn’t say why.

Gay unions likely to be top religion story of 2000, says Associated Press

The United Methodist Church, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and Episcopal Church all face major votes or decisions at upcoming meetings. In the article, Lyle Shaller suggests a solution to the schism: “let the local pastor decide.”

Stop misquoting the Bible, says Boston Globe

Globe staffer Jan Freeman rants about “suffer the little children,” “money is the root of all evil,” the Golden Rule, and other phrases that simply don’t appear in the Bible—even though many of us think they do.

Duke University tries to build a better pastor

A three-year, $3.5 million project will try to define “good” ministry and determine how best to support clergy. “Remaining a pastor has become even more difficult,” says Raleigh News and Observer.

After Y2K no-show, Armageddon in news after all

But it’s not because of the Apocalypse. Instead, reports the New York Times, recent archaeological excavations at Meggido (the suggested final battleground) may “cast doubt on the Bible as a reliable document of the history of early Israel.” But, notes the article, “The jury’s still out.”

Canada’s Trinity Western University wants accreditation, but not homosexuals

The British Columbia College of Teachers won’t endorse the evangelical university’s application because of its conduct code prohibiting extramarital sex. In response, Trinity Western is launching a $125,000 (US$86,200) publicity campaign.

Aid organizations push for change in U.S. Sudan policy

Even organizations that usually avoid political activity are now lobbying for “a new policy” that’s more moderate. “When hundreds of thousands die year in and year out because of politics, we are forced to become involved,” Save the Children President Charles F. MacCormack told the Washington Post. Also involved are World Vision, Lutheran World Relief, CARE, Oxfam America, and the U.S. Committee for Refugees. But Clinton administration is resisting.

Catholic Bishops clash on Australian job programThe head of the Australian Bishops’ Committee for Social Welfare criticizes bishop of Wagga Wagga for suggesting that the church should stay out of Australia’s job-placement program.

Are Roman Catholics plotting to oust Kenyan president?

That’s the claim by a former Kenyan MP, according to Nairobi paper The Nation. He says Catholics and Anglicans are joining together to hijacking the Constitutional review process and “force their agenda on Kenyans.”

Related Elsewhere

See our Weblogs earlier this week, from January 4 and 3, and from December 30 and 29.

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