REEL FAITH IN POP CULTURE
A roundup of pop culture news from a Christian Worldview
Compiled by Leo Partible
(The week of May 18, 2005)
Reel Faith in Pop Culture is newsletter from FilmPR.com that compiles headlines and resources to inform the Christian community of the growing impact of Christians in pop culture. To get the full story click on the link.
For questions or comments about this bi-weekly newsletter please contact Leo Partible at leo@filmpr.com
Also visit his website at www.dpgvisions.com
QUOTES
*James Brown talks singing Gospel with Elvis
*Abraham Herschel on the importance of God
*Dick Staub on faith and Star Wars
*Elvis on comic books
*Elvis’ desire to preach
HEADLINES
*Narnia is Nirvana for Zondervan
*The films of Philip Anshutz
*Heroes vs. Stars -- Revenge of the Nerds
*NASCAR Takes Religion to the Raceway
*ABC Casts The Ten Commandments
*Christian Rock for Muslims
*Dave Mustaine Vs. Satanic Bands
*Jane Fonda on faith and politics
*The superhero gets serious
*Ann Rice writes a novel about Jesus
*The real history of the Crusades
*Oddly, Hillary and, Yes, Newt Agree to Agree
*Same Old Hillary
*The gospel of Billy Graham – Inclusion
*MTV greenlights Reverend Run reality show
*The Fashion of the Christ
*Movie marketers target Christian consumers
* Last Star Wars and Trek signal end of era
* Attacks on Rap music now come from within
RISING NEW ARTIST TO WATCH: Daize Shayne
RECOMMENDED MUSIC: Day By Day
RECOMMENDED BOOKS:
*The Gospel According to Disney: Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust by Mark Pinsky (Westminster John Knox)
*The Wonder of His Love: A Journey Into the Heart of God by Nancy Stafford (Multnomah Books)
*Who Needs a Superhero? by H. Michael Brewer (with a Forward by Leo Partible) (Baker Books)
RECOMMENDED COMIC BOOK: Killer Stunts, Inc.
QUOTES:
James Brown talks singing Gospel with Elvis
Elvis was hard worker, dedicated, and God loved him. Last time I saw him I was at Graceland. We sang “Old Blind Barnabus” together, a Gospel song. I loved him and hope to see him in heaven. There’ll never be another like that soul brother. James Brown, Elvis: Forever in the Groove
Abraham Herschel on the importance of God
God is of no importance unless he is of supreme intelligence. Abraham Herschel, Jewish philosopher and theologian
Dick Staub on faith and Star Wars
At Mars Hill, [the apostle] Paul quoted pagan poets and used the cultural icons of Greek culture to build a bridge to Christian truth. I came to faith in the '60s in San Francisco. Since that time, I've been trying to understand faith and culture and interpret each to the other. In preparation for this book, I reread each Star Wars script as well as a number of Star Wars resource books. I think correlation of faith with a popular cultural icon requires appreciating and respecting both. Because Star Wars is the prevailing epic filmic myth of our era, and Christianity is the prevailing faith tradition in the West, I think relating them to each other can help us understand both more fully. Sometimes in our important quest for propositional truth, we lose sight of the importance of imagination and metaphor. C.S. Lewis believed that "reason is the organ of truth and imagination is the organ of meaning." Metaphor helps us understand underlying truth, and my book explores the analogous metaphors of Star Wars and biblical truth. Dick Staub, interviewed on Christianity Today
Elvis on comic books
Patsy Presley Geranen: Elvis had grown up on comic books where super-heroes arrived just in time to beat up the bad guys and save the day. He liked the idea and he liked protecting those people he could protect. Karate came about in the service. He enjoyed the art and the discipline. (p. 185)
Elvis’ desire to preach
Priscilla: He’d (Elvis) stand before the roaring fireplace and preach. He’d get up on the table and preach. He’d gather us all around – at Graceland or in Bel Air, in Hawaii or even Las Vegas – and he was Moses with a cane coming down the mountain or John the Baptist greeting the Savior. He was absolutely mesmerizing when he read scripture and acted out the stories. Of course he’d give them his own twist, but that made it even better. It was the gospel according to Elvis, and you couldn’t help but hang on every word.
Patsy: One thing about Elvis, he knew his Bible. He also had the gift of making the Bible come alive. That’s why he couldn’t resist putting on those performances for those of us lucky enough to be living with him. It was always a treat. (From Elvis by the Presleys)
HEADLINES:
Narnia is Nirvana for Zondervan
Zondervan employees won't be late for the Thursday's opening of "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith." They will be there to watch the previews. The movie trailers kick off a major media blitz for The Walt Disney film "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." It is one of the year's most anticipated movies and will be one of the most important ever for the Cascade Township-based publisher. Zondervan and its parent company, HarperCollins, own the publishing rights to the seven-book Narnia series by C.S. Lewis. And the companies will provide the one-two publishing punch for a host of auxiliary books, study guides and toys to go along with the movie. The movie, which is being funded by Disney and Walden Media, comes out Dec. 9 -- one of the most competitive movie-release slots. HarperCollins will publish the books and add-ons for general merchandising. Zondervan will publish the books and promote the toys through Christian outlets. The potential is huge, said Lynn Garrett, religion editor for Publishers Weekly.
http://www.mlive.com/
The films of Philip Anshutz
If you happened to stumble across a devout Christian in Hollywood, you’d likely assume he was one of two things: He must be Mel Gibson, or he must be lost.
But, in fact, you just might have run into a Christian businessman named Philip Anschutz. Philip has just spent $150 million to film The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the first of the Narnia books by C. S. Lewis. Anschutz is showing us what we’d find at the box office if Hollywood gave Americans the kind of films we really want to see.
When he first considered bankrolling films, Anschutz—a billionaire from Colorado—asked the first question any smart businessman asks: What do the people want? After all, with filmmaking, as with all business ventures, the idea is—or should be—to make money.
The answer was not difficult to find. Of the twenty top-grossing films of all time, not a single one is rated R. Of the top fifty films, only five are rated R. Clearly, Americans want family fare they can take the kids to.
http://www.pfm.org/
Heroes vs. Stars -- Revenge of the Nerds
And in their battle for world domination, notwithstanding Mr. Rock's mockery (though implicitly reflected in it), the superheroes are winning. Their ascendancy in Hollywood is a triumphal chapter in a 70-year epic during which comic books have moved from the disreputable, juvenile margins of pop culture to its center. And not only pop culture, but upper-middlebrow literature, too, as young middle-aged novelists like Michael Chabon and Jonathan Lethem have found in the realm of boyhood fandom a rich store of ready-made myths, mysteries and moods. The cachet of comics - and I mean the old, cheap, pulpy kind, not "comix" or "graphic novels" - is all the more remarkable given that for most of their history, they could count on provoking the disdain of literary intellectuals, the panic of moralists and the condescension of mainstream show business, which saw them as fodder for cartoons and campy kid shows. The days when a film critic could wish that comic books would just go away - as Robert Warshow did in a brilliantly ambivalent 1954 essay on his young son's fandom - are long gone. The superheroes demand to be taken as seriously as they have always taken themselves.
http://www.nytimes.com/
NASCAR Takes Religion to the Raceway
Amid the torso-rattling, ear-shattering action of NASCAR thrives a rich vein of religion. Auto racing is the only major sport with a pregame invocation, and some drivers are making a point to actively promote their faith. Driver Bobby Labonte's car featured advertisements for the movie "The Passion of the Christ," and Morgan Shepherd's car simply bears Jesus' name by way of a large decal. "When I display it on the hood of my car and these people see it, maybe somebody's life will be changed," Shepherd said.
Evangelical pastor Dale Beaver is the assistant director of "Motor Racing Outreach," a ministry for drivers and their families who spend time away from home on the racing circuit. Beaver ministers to drivers and pit crews and runs a mobile Sunday school for their children. He also holds pre-race prayer services, which are attended by such high-profile drivers as Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson.
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=727941&page=1
ABC Casts The Ten Commandments
ABC and producer Robert Halmi Sr. have cast Dougray Scott, Omar Sharif, Naveen Andrews, Mia Maestro and Linus Roache in The Ten Commandments, a big-budget four-hour miniseries that retells the classic biblical tale of Moses, says The Hollywood Reporter. Production on the Hallmark Entertainment special effects extravaganza, whose budget is estimated at more than $20 million, is slated to begin May 23 in Ouarzazate, Morocco. The premiere of the two-part epic, written by Ron Hutchinson after months of biblical and historical research, is targeted for next season. Robert Dornhelm is directing the project, which will present the story of Moses and the Israelites' exodus from Egypt in 13th century B.C.
http://www.comingsoon.net/news/topnews.php?id=9531
Christian Rock for Muslims
Last weekend's concert, organized by several American evangelical groups and the Moroccan government and called the Friendship Fest, was staged despite criticism from Moroccan Islamic groups and opposition political parties. Seven American Christian bands alternated with Moroccan groups. The event drew more than 15,000 Moroccans a day, police officials estimated, as well as dozens of evangelical Christians from around the United States. The concert was about more than power chords for Jesus. From the evangelists' perspective, it was an opportunity to gain a foothold in a relatively liberal Muslim country and give religious priorities a more central role into American foreign policy. "We see ourselves as doing important foreign policy work that the Bush Administration is not doing," said the Rev. Richard Cizik of the National Association of Evangelicals, a Christian-values lobbying group in Washington and one of the organizers of the festival.
(Free registration required)
http://www.nytimes.com/
Dave Mustaine Vs. Satanic Bands
Lately, Megadeth mainman Dave Mustaine posted the following message in the "Forums" section of the band's official web site: "It has come to my attention that there was a show in Greece where an allegedly 'full-on' Satanic band [Rotting Christ] was going to be playing, as well as one in Israel too [Dissection]. No one knows for sure what their intent or content is, so I am not going to say they are. "Yes, I said that I was not really interested in playing with Satanic [bands], and that is because I changed my outlook on life and my spritual beliefs over three years ago. I became a Christian, yes, and I have made even more mistakes now that I have, because there are things I do that I know I should not do, and things I do not do that I know I should. "Plus I have helpful people like the guy in this thread who is quick to point out my failings, and volunteering as my self-appointed judge to remind me of everything that I am doing wrong.
http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/
Jane Fonda on faith and politics
I don't want to offend anyone. But I believe people have different ways of approaching The Word. For me, it's metaphor, written by people a long time after Christ died. And interpreted by specific groups. I read the gospels that aren't included in the Bible. These make me feel good about calling myself a Christian. What we are seeing today are policymakers who say they're Christians. Budgets are a religious matter. War is. Poverty is. Health care is. Jesus said, "Look after the least of us." But there is a separation between professed faith and the practice, and I'm not seeing too many policies coming out of Washington that are, in my opinion, informed by the teachings of Jesus."
http://www.nypost.com/gossip/liz.htm
The superhero gets serious
Comics now feature in Granta and The Guardian, and august US publications such as The New York Review of Books and The New York Times have turned their critical attention to the form. The London Review of Books was among the first publications to carry strips from In The Shadow of No Towers, Spiegelman’s reaction to the events of September 11 2001 and his take on the “war on terror”. It was a brave subject for Spiegelman, a Manhattanite, to take on at a time when many conventional writers seemed paralysed. The work was provocative enough for it to fail initially to find an outlet in the US… As well as the debut of Maus - a minority interest as comics go - the era saw new, darker takes on classic superhero myths aimed at adults, notably Frank Miller’s disturbing Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen, by the British writer Alan Moore. Some of the new wave of adult-oriented material was original and good, but much of it was not. Previously published monthly-issue comics would often be bundled together and sold as a graphic novel, even if the parts made a discordant whole. But whatever the merits of the term - and many authors still prefer comics - the changes of the 1980s allowed the emergence of a new kind of comic: longer, more ambitious, and created by writers and artists who were treated like auteurs.
http://news.ft.com/
Ann Rice writes a novel about Jesus
The topic is Anne Rice. Anne Rice is always good for a laugh, whether writing turgid prose about lusty supernatural beings, verbally assaulting readers or rhapsodizing over the sanctity of her texts. This time, though! This time she's outdone herself. Thanks to Ms. Rice, come November the passion of the Christ will take on new meaning. Yes! Having written exhaustively about androgynous metaphysicians and a certain annoying blond vampire, the best-selling author is now aiming her pen at the Bible's headlining martyr. "Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt" (Random House), based in part on "the most respected New Testament scholarship, " will tell the story of a certain savior's childhood in Palestine, a period left enticingly blank in the Gospels. What did that little son-of-a-god get up to on the road to puberty? Rice aims to find out, and, truth be told, I can't wait.
http://sfgate.com/
The real history of the Crusades
Christians in the eleventh century were not paranoid fanatics. Muslims really were gunning for them. While Muslims can be peaceful, Islam was born in war and grew the same way. From the time of Mohammed, the means of Muslim expansion was always the sword. Muslim thought divides the world into two spheres, the Abode of Islam and the Abode of War. Christianity—and for that matter any other non-Muslim religion—has no abode. Christians and Jews can be tolerated within a Muslim state under Muslim rule. But, in traditional Islam, Christian and Jewish states must be destroyed and their lands conquered. When Mohammed was waging war against Mecca in the seventh century, Christianity was the dominant religion of power and wealth. As the faith of the Roman Empire, it spanned the entire Mediterranean, including the Middle East, where it was born. The Christian world, therefore, was a prime target for the earliest caliphs, and it would remain so for Muslim leaders for the next thousand years.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/118/52.0.html
Oddly, Hillary and, Yes, Newt Agree to Agree
For his part, Mr. Gingrich, who helped lead the impeachment fight against President Bill Clinton, called Mrs. Clinton "very practical" and "very smart and very hard working," adding, "I have been very struck working with her." The Clinton-Gingrich connection comes as Mrs. Clinton has increasingly staked out moderate positions in several areas. She has recently promoted a more gradual approach to guaranteeing health care for more Americans, a departure from her efforts in the 1990's, when Republican critics like Mr. Gingrich accused her of advocating a big-government takeover of the health care system.
Her recent views on the subject struck a chord with Mr. Gingrich, she recalled. "Newt Gingrich called and said, 'You're absolutely right,' " Mrs. Clinton said.
http://www.nytimes.com/
Same Old Hillary
In 1992 I spent part of the day with the wife of the putative Democratic candidate for president. We covered the issues, the campaign and her husband's plans for the future. And we talked about faith, about how both of us believed our religion had led us toward a heightened interest in various social-welfare issues.
That's the real Hillary Rodham Clinton. A lifelong Methodist, she's as reticent about her faith as a Sunday-school teacher—and she once did teach an adult class, back in Arkansas. Yet recently when she's mentioned God, knowing snickers have erupted. Ultraconservative pooh-bah Gary Bauer was quoted as saying it was "the ultimate makeover."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7773614/site/newsweek/
The gospel of Billy Graham – Inclusion
Here, Billy Graham, 86 and every day more frail, prays, "Help me, Lord." Here, he practices his voice, a habit of 40 years, "like an opera singer does the scales. Yes. Yes. Yes. No. No. No." He's warming up for his 417th crusade — three nights of Christian testimony and music in New York, culminating in his inimitable call to come forward to God. The event in late June will be his first appearance in the city since he packed Central Park in 1991. Like the late Pope John Paul II, Graham forges on despite years of symptoms of Parkinson's, despite many falls, many surgeries, failing eyesight, failing hearing… He speaks of having personal — if not always political — affection for Hillary and Bill Clinton and both President Bushes. But publicly he steers far from electioneering. Today, as many fundamentalists and traditionalists refuse to share podiums with people who don't share their exact vision of salvation, Graham opens his events to Christians of every stripe. More than 1,300 Protestant and Catholic churches are sponsoring the June 24-26 event in Flushing Meadow.
http://www.usatoday.com/
MTV greenlights Reverend Run reality show
MTV has greenlighted the reality series "Run's House," which centers on the everyday life of Reverend Run, a member of rap group Run-DMC. "House," which the cable network is calling "television's first hip-hop reality sitcom," will focus on Run (aka Joey Simmons) as he juggles family life with his wife, former rapper-singer Justine; five children, who range in age from 9-21; and records his first solo album. The series is set to debut in the fourth quarter. "Literally, MTV grew up on Run-DMC and vice versa, but I was surprised to see what his family life was like," said Brian Graden, president of entertainment at MTV Networks Music Group and president of the new gay-themed channel Logo. "With five kids who have Run for a dad, it's an incredible reality, (but the series also shows) how ordinary their actions are in a beautiful way."
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/
The Fashion of the Christ
And thanks to the phenomenal success of last year's The Passion of the Christ, evangelicals have high hopes for the film The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, based on the first book in the classic Christian children's series The Chronicles of Narnia. Disney will release the movie in December. Ironically, even as Christian books, music, and other media have increased in popularity, specialized Christian bookstores have lost out. Until the mid-90s, they pretty much had the market to themselves. "But these days, from Wal-Mart to grocery stores, retailers of every stripe want a piece of the Christian action," says Bill Anderson, president of the Christian Booksellers Assn., which represents some 2,500 Christian specialty stores. No one has taken a more aggressive approach than Wal-Mart. In the early 1990s, it "carried only two Christian books and two Bibles on a lower shelf in the social stationery department," recalls Ron Land, senior vice-president of mass-market sales for Thomas Nelson, who has been working with Wal-Mart for some 15 years.
http://www.businessweek.com/
Movie marketers target Christian consumers
Titles such as 2004's "The Passion of the Christ" or 2002's "Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie" immediately call to mind a specific target market: the Christian community. But last year's "Raising Helen"? Lions Gate's February release "Diary of a Mad Black Woman"? Perhaps surprisingly, those films also can be included in what's known as "faith-based marketing." In the wake of "Passion's" $370 million domestic payday last year, studios have found religion, and movie-marketing executives are scouring scripts to find a "faith" or "religious" angle to help them sell their project. Buena Vista found its Christian hook in "Helen" with a minister character, played by John Corbett. The studio ran a grass-roots campaign to make ministers across the country aware of the film.
"The Christian community liked the character because it made ministers feel like they were regular guys who had regular feelings," says Dennis Rice, senior vp publicity for the studio. Likewise, Lions Gate promoted "Diary" with outreach to black churches that included street teams handing out promotional fans and flyers. "There's a huge portion of the audience that's only going to come out if the subject matter attracts them," says John Hegeman, Lions Gate president of worldwide marketing. He adds that tracking shows that some people who saw "Diary" only see one movie a year. Rooting out theatergoers who rarely see movies is a coup for studios. According to studio executives, a large portion of the evangelical Christian population refuses to attend secular movies but will go if there is a religious viewpoint. With evangelical Christians making up approximately 25% of the U.S. population, that's a lot of potential eyeballs.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/
Last Star Wars and Trek signal end of era
We are witnessing the end of an era in popular culture. On May 13, the latest Star Trek series, Enterprise, will end; 7 days later the last Star Wars film, Revenge of the Sith bows. These two super franchises which together have earned billions in revenue from films, spin-off series, books, toys, videogames and other merchandise will continue to occupy distinctive niches in the media marketplace, but it’s clear their respective stories have been told. For millions of fans these galaxy-spanning “space operas” offered meaning-defining myths in an era that had seemed to forget where it had come from and where hope for the future lay. As Star Trek and Star Wars gradually recede from public attention, two new television series offer their candidacy for a fresh approach in storytelling that searches for answers to big questions.
http://www.pfm.org/
Attacks on Rap music now come from within
This global twist is new. A decade ago, critics worried that "gangsta" rap was portraying African-Americans as drug dealers, killers, "bitches" and "ho's." Today the worry is international. Essence magazine recently launched an online debate about the image of black women in rap, and according to former editor Diane Weathers, that debate now includes Africans. "They are disgusted by what their African-American brothers and sisters are doing in entertainment," she says. "They wonder if we've lost our minds."
Significantly, these new protests come not as attacks from the outside but as self-examination from within. "Nobody is happy in hip hop anymore," comments Alison Duke, a Canadian filmmaker whose scathing documentary, "Booty Nation," was screened earlier this month at a conference at the Center for Race, Politics, and Culture at the University of Chicago. "We've allowed the system of slavery to come back into our communities."
http://www.opinionjournal.com/la/?id=110006615
RISING NEW ARTIST TO WATCH: DAIZE SHAYNE
Daize Shayne brings the California dream to the world. She's a champion athlete, hot model and talented musician who has it all-in a natural, wholesome way. Surfing star, recording artist and model, Daize is one of the hottest new rising stars to hit the entertainment scene.
The two time world champion longboard surfer was recently featured in Maxim and two issues of ReadyGo Magazine Japan in which she had 16 full-page color photos of her modeling along side Britney Spears and others. She has also been featured in numerous other international magazines as well as a spokesmodel in commercials for major corporations such as MasterCard, Dr. Pepper, Gap, Bugle Boy, Vans Shoes, Jack In The Box, Festpa, and Union Bay. As a high-energy singer/performer with a scorching new CD on the way, Daize’s new rock CD features wailing vocals and slammin' tracks that are sure to make big waves in music entertainment.
For a preview of her new album go to www.daize.com
Daize's Management:
Ken Tamplin
NEW GAME MEDIA
332 N. La Brea Ave.
Los Angeles, Ca 90036
(323) 936-0868
fax 936-6836
Studio (949) 650-6229
Ken@KenTamplin.com
RECOMMENDED MUSIC:
Day By Day
"Just Seem To Keep On Walkin!"
The Husband and Wife Duo of Darrell and Enora Day also known as Day By Day have spent many years in ministry and have weathered many storms. Their ministry has grown tremendously since their union on May 5th, 1995. It is their love for the Lord, as well as, their love for each other that is the driving force behind their music.
On August 20th, 2000, Day By Day was voted as one of the DFW Metro Areas "Top Ten Christian Artist" by 91.7 KVTT and Mastermedia Ministries, and recognized by Tom Dooley's syndicated show "The Journey". Since then, they have had the opportunity to minister with a host of Gospel Recording Artists such as, Donnie McClurkin, & Fred Hammond, at the Six Flags Gospelfest 2000 and Lashun Pace in 2001. They have also ministered at Cedric Bailey's "Praise In The Park" 2001-2003, The Dallas Harambe Festival, Kwanzafest, and 2 years in a row at The National Day Of Prayer Breakfast" at the American Airlines Corporate Center. Their debut CD entitled "Keep On Walkin" will be released to stores on April 29th and is currently available online at www.cdbaby.com and www.holyhiphop.com. This anointed CD contains 16 blistering and soul-stirring tracks that will definitely encourage your walk with God and edify your spirit. As you listen to their music, you will see their genuine relationship with the Lord unfold right before your eyes and with songs like "Reconnect Me, Udon'thave2go, and Joy Comes (In The Morning), you will truly be blessed and inspired to "Keep On Walkin".
To pre-order a CD go to http://cdbaby.com/cd/daybyday
RECOMMENDED BOOKS:
The Gospel According to Disney: Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust by Mark Pinsky (Westminster John Knox Press)
From Publishers Weekly:
Pinsky, Orlando journalist and author of The Gospel According to the Simpsons, sets his sights on a larger, yet more elusive target: the Magic Kingdom. As Pinsky argues, Disney's cultural influence is enormous: "millions of children around the world know much of what they do about the practical application of right and wrong from Disney." The "Disney gospel" is simple enough in outline: believe in yourself, never give up, good will be rewarded and evil punished. Unfortunately, the book bogs down amidst the massive Disney canon; and organizing it in "episode guide" format, rather than thematically, does not help. There are sparkles of marvelous, irreverent wit: "Tinker Bell, it is immediately apparent, has undergone some alterations over the decades, including breast reduction surgery and liposuction on her derriere." But for long stretches, the critical tone turns sober, even snarky, as Pinsky picks off obvious targets such as Snow White's passivity or Mowgli's haircut rather than surfacing the hidden spiritual gems he found so often in The Simpsons. Even considering the variety of Disney creations, he seems torn between admiring "Walt's dream, to communicate lessons to children across cultures," and debunking its "uplifting, family-friendly fare" as "a sentimental notion—naïve at best and disingenuous at worst." Still, readers will be struck by Pinsky's cogent observations about Disney classics.
Order from Amazon (ISBN: 0664225918):
http://www.amazon.com/
The Wonder of His Love: A Journey Into the Heart of God by Nancy Stafford (Multnomah Books)
Imagine what life would be like if you began to grasp the depth of God’s passionate love for you. It would change you. It would calm your fears, transform how you see yourself, and ignite you with love for Him and others. In thirty-one stirring reflections, Nancy offers a fresh glimpse into the many facets of God’s love, then invites you to venture deeper into the mystery and majesty of His love, to embark on a never-ending journey into the heart of God. “I want you to know”, says Stafford, “that the God of the universe is wild about you, enthralled with you, completely consumed with love for you. So come...experience the wonder of His love.”
From Publishers Weekly:
"What difference would it make in your life if you spent the next month or so thinking about the love of God?" asks Stafford, host of a television beauty show and former star of such programs as "Matlock" and "St. Elsewhere." In 31 daily meditations, Stafford calls upon the beauty of nature as well as the sacrifice of Christ to persuade readers of God’s inexhaustible love for them. Drawing upon various writers, but especially Inklings such as C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton and Charles Williams, Stafford makes her way through the glory and the transformative power of God’s love. Her writing style is dramatic and showy, yet conversational. Readers will appreciate her patient meditation on Christian freedom, and her perceptive understanding of the gap that exists between knowing one’s sins are forgiven and being able to feel forgiven.
Order from Amazon (ISBN: 1590523253):
http://www.amazon.com/
WHO NEEDS A SUPERHERO? by H. Michael Brewer (with a Forward by Leo Partible) (Baker Books)
Christian audiences need a resource that will help them understand the Biblical themes presented in the comic book inspired films and television shows such as The Incredibles, The Matrix, Spider-Man, The X-Men, Smallville, Buffy The Slayer, Blade, The Hulk, Daredevil, Unbreakable, Hellboy, The Punisher, The Road to Perdition, Ghost World, From Hell, American Splendor, Elektra, Sin City and the upcoming Batman Begins, The Fantastic Four, Star Wars Episode 3: The Revenge of the Sith, and the new Superman film.
Order from Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/
RECOMMENDED COMIC BOOK:
Killer Stunts, Inc.
Created and Written by Scott Alan Kinney
Based on a Film Treatment Written by Scott Alan Kinney & Leo Partible
Pencils by Scott Cohn - Inks by Mike Manley
The first issue of Killer Stunts, Inc., the four-issue, full color mini-series created and written by Scott Kinney, penciled by Scott Cohn, and inked by industry vet Mike Manley, hits the stands this April courtesy of publisher Alias Enterprises. The book is listed on pg. 219 of the current Diamond Previews with a “20 Year Roll Back” cover price of only 75 cents.
Alias is aggressively marketing Killer Stunts, Inc. with a low introductory price, advertising in Previews, the cover and a b&w interior multi-preview preview in the April edition of Comic Book Digest, and more. Series creator Scott Kinney has already booked a nationwide television appearance in order to promote release of the initial release.
For a preview go to: http://www.killerstunts.com/issuetwo/cover.htm
See the trailer at: http://www.killerstunts.com/trailer/
RESOURCES:
The following is a list of resources to keep you informed of the latest news regarding Christians involved in the mainstream culture.
Mainstream Entertainment News
Ain’t It Cool News
www.aintitcoolnews.com
Black Film
www.blackfilm.com
Cinescape
www.cinescape.com
Coming Soon
www.comingsoon.net
Dark Horizons
www.darkhorizons.com
Empire Magazine
www.empireonline.co.uk
IESB
www.iesb.com
Latino Review
www.latinoreview.com
Media Sharx
www.mediasharx.com
Movie City News
www.moviecitynews.com
Moviehole
www.moviehole.net
Movie Poop Shoot
www.moviepoopshoot.com
Newsarama
www.newsarama.com
Pop Matters
www.popmatters.com
Superhero Hype
www.superherohype.com
Box Office Grosses
Box Office Mojo
www.boxofficemojo.com
Box Office Report
www.boxofficereport.com
Mainstream Blogs
Matt Drudge
www.drudgereport.com
Movie Reviews (national roundup)
Rotten Tomatoes
www.rottentomatoes.com
Trailers
Apple
http://www.apple.com/trailers/
The Movie Box
www.themoviebox.net
TV Ratings
The Futon Critic
www.thefutoncritic.com
Media Week
www.mediaweek.com
Zap2It
www.zap2it.com
Christian perspective
Christian Online Magazines (Pop culture, entertainment & politics)
CBN
www.cbn.org
Christian Post
http://www.christianpost.com
Christianity Today
www.christianitytoday.com
Cornerstone
http://www.cornerstonemag.com/
Faith N’ Film
www.faithnfilm.com
Godspy
www.godspy.com
Infuze Magazine
www.infuzemag.com
Relevant Magazine
www.relevantmagazine.com
Sojourners
www.sojo.net
Movie Reviews
Hollywood Jesus
www.hollywoodjesus.com
Movieguide
www.movieguide.org
Crosswalk
www.crosswalk.com
Christians in Mainstream Music
Rock Rebel
www.rockrebel.com
Comic Books
Comix 35
http://roxmedia.gospelcom.net/
Hollywood Jesus/ Graphic novels
http://www.hollywoodjesus.com/comix_index.htm
The Emerging Church and pop culture
The Ooze
www.theooze.com
Vintage Faith
www.vintagefaith.com
The Voice Behind
www.brewingculture.com
National Columns
Terry Mattingly
http://tmatt.gospelcom.net
Chuck Colson
www.breakpoint.org
Christian Blogs (pop culture, politics, and faith)
Terry Mattingly, Douglas LeBlanc, and Jeremy Lott
http://www.getreligion.org
Steve Beard
www.thunderstruck.org
Matt Bronleewe
http://www.infuzemag.com/staff/matt/
Barbara Nicolosi
www.churchofthemasses.blogspot.com
Evangelical Outpost
http://www.evangelicaloutpost.com/
Intersectionz
www.intersectionz.blogspot.com
Mark Knoles
http://www.infuzemag.com/staff/matt/
Doug TeNapel
http://www.tennapel.com/
Unfit News
www.unfitnews.com
Urban Legends
Truth Miners
http://www.truthminers.com
Christians in the Hollywood Mainstream (Organizations)
Act One Program
www.actoneprogram.com
The Bridge Entertainment Fellowship
http://www.lakeavefamily.org/article.asp?id=la_worshiparts_bridge
Damah Film Festival
www.damah.com
Feminists for Life
http://www.feministsforlife.org/
Hollywood Connect
www.hollywoodconnect.com
Intermission
http://www.inter-mission.net
MasterMedia
http://www.mastermediaintl.org
168 Film Project
www.168project.com
