No one could ever say the Religion Newswriters are single-minded. We've talked about a little bit of everything in today's sessions. Some of them will make great stories for when I return. Others will make good blog items. And still others are just short observations that I share now.
* Many people believe in or claim to have experiences with ghosts or the paranormal. But many of those same people are church goers with beliefs in heaven and hell. How are the two things reconciled?
* In a panel on the end times, Darrell Bock of the Dallas Theological Seminary argued that the strange images in the book of Revelation is not the first century author trying to make sense of 21st century life. Instead he said the book uses standard images and symbols of the time. Of course, Jesus could return at any time so we should be ready. More on the eschatology panel later - fascinating stuff....
* A counselor who specializes in forgiveness said forgiveness can only be achieved after someone has grieved - it is rarely an automatic response. It comes from a place where we realize we no longer want to be part of the hurt.
* And I'm coming home with a stack of books. All of them look fascinating if you're interested: "Mormon America" by Dick and Joan Ostling; "Faith in the Halls of Power" by Michael Lindsay; "Jesus Freaks" by Don Lattin and "Not in Kansas Anymore" by Christine Wicker
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Friday, September 28, 2007
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Religion on the campaign trail
State races don't necessarily attract all of the religious values talk of national races. But you will hear occasional comments that actually seem to reflect what the candidates really believe because it's part of their language. The only candidates I can speak for are those I've written about and covered: House of Representatives in districts 8 and 9 and gubernatorial candidate Walter Boasso.
In House 9, both candidates are Catholic - a pretty rare thing for the district which includes much of rural Bossier Parish. Richey Jackson told me that he feels God is leading him to run for office and that every night he prays for the gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, knowledge, piety, fear of the Lord, and fortitude. His opponent, Henry Burns carries God with him in his personal motto: "Give God the credit and put feet to your prayers."
The House 8 candidates mentioned their churches, but not really anything substantial.
When I do these sort of stories, I like to ask people what they're reading. Candidate Walter Boasso took a minute - he said he doesn't have much time to read now. But the last book he read was the ever popular: Purpose Driven Life and he also mentioned enjoying a book I had not heard of, "Deer Hunting with Jesus," which is really about class struggles in rural America.
In House 9, both candidates are Catholic - a pretty rare thing for the district which includes much of rural Bossier Parish. Richey Jackson told me that he feels God is leading him to run for office and that every night he prays for the gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, knowledge, piety, fear of the Lord, and fortitude. His opponent, Henry Burns carries God with him in his personal motto: "Give God the credit and put feet to your prayers."
The House 8 candidates mentioned their churches, but not really anything substantial.
When I do these sort of stories, I like to ask people what they're reading. Candidate Walter Boasso took a minute - he said he doesn't have much time to read now. But the last book he read was the ever popular: Purpose Driven Life and he also mentioned enjoying a book I had not heard of, "Deer Hunting with Jesus," which is really about class struggles in rural America.
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Demon fiction
I finally had a chance to read Dr. Bruce Hennigan's novel, "The 13th Demon," and I was at once creeped out and impressed by the story.
It's not a book I would have normally picked up on my own, since its more in the horror/suspense realm, but since I had written about Hennigan and the novel, I wanted to see what it was all about. The book traces a man Jonathan Steel, who has severe amnesia but a great sense of faith. He goes on a quest to fight a particular demon.
When we talked, Hennigan said he had a hard time getting the book published because it was too Christian for secular publishers and too dark for Christian publishers. I can certainly see the dilemma. The story is not always pretty and simple, like you might think of Christian fiction. Hennigan's descriptions of the demonic are frighteningly graphic, but appropriate to the story. He also deals with the many ways we are tempted. One of his goals was to convince people of the real, physical presence of demons and angels in the world, and I think he made a very good case.
It's a great story and well written, so I would encourage any adult to read it. Hennigan promises a whole series around the character of Jonathan Steel, and I look forward to the next one. If you have read the book, please share your thoughts...
It's not a book I would have normally picked up on my own, since its more in the horror/suspense realm, but since I had written about Hennigan and the novel, I wanted to see what it was all about. The book traces a man Jonathan Steel, who has severe amnesia but a great sense of faith. He goes on a quest to fight a particular demon.
When we talked, Hennigan said he had a hard time getting the book published because it was too Christian for secular publishers and too dark for Christian publishers. I can certainly see the dilemma. The story is not always pretty and simple, like you might think of Christian fiction. Hennigan's descriptions of the demonic are frighteningly graphic, but appropriate to the story. He also deals with the many ways we are tempted. One of his goals was to convince people of the real, physical presence of demons and angels in the world, and I think he made a very good case.
It's a great story and well written, so I would encourage any adult to read it. Hennigan promises a whole series around the character of Jonathan Steel, and I look forward to the next one. If you have read the book, please share your thoughts...
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Harry haze
Sorry, I've been slacking on the blog posts. It's been a busy couple of days in the office, and I've been staying up way too late to finish the Harry Potter saga. Storywise, "Deathly Hallows" was the darkest and most action-packed of the seven books. (And for those of you that haven't finished, no worries, there are no spoilers here)
From a faith/religion aspect, it's chock full of morals and values upheld by most religions. Love, community, commitment, mercy, and a willingness to stand up for what you believe are all critical components of our hero. A Christian idea of self-sacrifice takes center stage toward the end as Harry and his friends fight the dark wizards.
On a deeper level, Harry and friends spend a lot of time considering death and what it means to conquer death. There's also a spiritually fascinating thematic line about the connection between body and soul. As you may know from the sixth book, when a mind/body commits grave evil, the author suggests it has dire consequences for the soul. In this book, the possibility of redemption and justice is explained.
For those of you who have read it, what religious themes do you see? And for those that haven't, I highly recommend it for anyone say 11 or 12 and over.
From a faith/religion aspect, it's chock full of morals and values upheld by most religions. Love, community, commitment, mercy, and a willingness to stand up for what you believe are all critical components of our hero. A Christian idea of self-sacrifice takes center stage toward the end as Harry and his friends fight the dark wizards.
On a deeper level, Harry and friends spend a lot of time considering death and what it means to conquer death. There's also a spiritually fascinating thematic line about the connection between body and soul. As you may know from the sixth book, when a mind/body commits grave evil, the author suggests it has dire consequences for the soul. In this book, the possibility of redemption and justice is explained.
For those of you who have read it, what religious themes do you see? And for those that haven't, I highly recommend it for anyone say 11 or 12 and over.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Lessons from Hogwarts
Faith and the religious community has been part of the Harry Potter series since it became wildly popular about 10 years ago. Early on, many churches protested since it centers around a boy wizard. That uproar died down as folks started to examine it as a parable or fairy tale centered around the battle between good and evil, or pure love and selfishness.
As I watched the latest movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, some other subtle themes seemed to rise to the surface.
* Truth - The story is set around the conflict between Harry and others who believe the evil wizard Voldemort has returned and those who are still in denial. Despite some amount of physical and emotional pain because of his knowledge, Harry doesn't give up on the truth.
* Community - I love this particular story because it so parallels teenage development. Harry is now about 16 and like many teenagers, he is convinced the world revolves around him. And of course, no one else understands what he's going through. But he has to realize that he can't do it alone. Friends and mentors -- community -- are necessary to become the person he is supposed to be.
If you're looking for some other faith angles, try Beliefnet or the Dallas Morning News blogs.
I have a feeling the conclusion of the series, to be released in book form on Saturday, will have even more religious overtones. I'll let you know when I finish it...
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