Where Wonka’s gospel fails is that it is rooted in moralism. Charlie is acceptable because he is too poor to be spoiled, too hungry to let his stomach guide him, too weak to be obsessed over chewing gum and too impoverished to watch television all day. I know from my research on the story that... Continue Reading

Why is Peanuts so popular?  It’s simple, lovable characters portray dilemmas, emotions and dreams most of us have experienced…or want to…or hope we never will.  Who hasn’t felt uncertain or insecure about love, friendship, or personal shortcomings?  We all know bossy know-it-alls (Lucy), loyal companions (Snoopy), “A-Dork-Able” nerds (Marcie), and soft-spoken sages (Linus).  We see... Continue Reading

With the exception of opening with a Bible verse and ending with a hymn, the Christian references are subtle. Regular churchgoers will recognize small things, like Ashley’s meeting at Celebrate Recovery, a Bible-based 12-step ministry that many churches offer. This isn’t to suggest that the story should have gone fake, only that it could have... Continue Reading

“If the church is the American institution that has the power to save marriages, why isn’t the black community in better shape? Why, given that members of black churches have the highest rates of church attendance and proclaim some of the highest levels of belief, are the marriage rates among the lowest?”   How did... Continue Reading

“At first I wasn’t sure about this movie. In the first 45 minutes there was no specific mention of Jesus or even anything that could be considered exclusively Christian. Up to that point if the Christian elements were removed the movie would still have made sense, and still have been interesting, to the non-Christian.”  ... Continue Reading

Worse, as ordained ministers formerly operating under the oversight of their home church, (but no longer) listen to how the brothers decide to move forward with the themes for each of their movies. It isn’t from the Bible. God tells them: We go through the better part of a year, saying, ‘Lord what do you want... Continue Reading

I’m not intending to bash movies altogether. Some, including some romances and romantic comedies, are quite charming and innocuous. But it’s time we stop taking our dating cues from Hollywood. It’s time to instead get a biblical view of dating, relationships and marriage. How do we do this? For starters, we read the Bible and... Continue Reading

The best part of Bella, for me, is all the emails and letters and phone calls that I receive every day from young women who were pregnant. They are scheduled to have an abortion, and after seeing the movie, by the grace of God, they changed their mind and kept their babies. More than 2,000 babies have... Continue Reading

“This film was recently debuted at the Gospel Coalition conference in Orlando where many of the guests featured on the DVD documentary were speaking, preaching, and lecturing. I have to say, there was a great amount of excitement about the release of Logic on Fire.”   I had an opportunity to review the brand new full-length... Continue Reading

As I’ve said many times before, the Sexual Revolution can’t keep its promises. The breakdown of families doesn’t bring the liberation some think. Those of us who believe in the old ways need to nourish these habits and practices, not only in obedience to God and not only for our own flourishing, but for the... Continue Reading