December 1, 2009 Searching for the Star of Bethlehem

FOR AS LONG as mankind has existed, we have been fascinated by the spectacle of the starry night sky above our heads. It’s a sight that’s bound to elicit wonder and awe, a panorama of startling beauty that speaks to us of an immense span of time and space. But the artificial illumination of modern cities has blinded us to the stars, substituting dark emptiness for the infinite abundance that once shone as nightly testimony of God’s handiwork. Perhaps there’s a metaphor there for the way we’ve allowed material concerns to obscure the spiritual and separate us from the divine?

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November 1, 2009 Grandson artfully celebrates bishop’s Yukon legacy

In 1914, King George V requested the presence of Rev. Isaac O. Stringer, bishop of the Yukon and his wife, Sadie, at a function he was hosting. The king wanted to meet the Canadian bishop who ate his boots.

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November 1, 2009 Order and Chaos

The human psyche is marked by a constant struggle between order and chaos. That internal conflict figured prominently in many of the 300 films at this September’s 34th annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

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April 1, 2009 The religiosity of unbelief

Comedian Bill Maher’s satirical barbs are renowned for cleverly skewering our social, political, and cultural foibles.  In his documentary film, Religulous, Maher sets his sights on our religious beliefs – beliefs he regards...

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November 1, 2008 Toronto International Film Festival measures love

“Amazing love!  How can it be / That thou, my God, shouldst die for me!”(Charles Wesley, 1738)If God’s ineffable love for us is at once the most sublime and profound expression of love, it is fitting that we should emulate...

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October 1, 2008 Henry Poole too shallow for theological deep diving

The Roman Catholic Church has confirmed a long history of holy apparitions, visions of Jesus or Mary that speak love and peace, usually from the sky. In the comedy Henry Poole Is Here, a middle-aged man with a neck beard is graced with such a blessing. Henry Poole finds Jesus’ face on the stucco wall of his suburban California bungalow. And he is ticked off.

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September 1, 2008 Narnia film long on action, short on faith

“Make me a clean heart, O God: and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence: and take not thy holy Spirit from me. O give me the comfort of thy help again: and stablish me with thy free Spirit.” (Psalm...

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May 20, 2008 Narnia film long on action, short on faith

At the opening of Prince Caspian, the second book in the seven-book Chronicles of Narnia series, the inhabitants of C.S. Lewis’ fantastical world have been bereft of the actual, physical presence of the Lord for a very long time

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March 1, 2008 Having a message need not spoil the medium

“Hail, thou ever-blessed morn! Hail, redemption’s happy dawn!” (From a hymn by Edward Caswall, 1858)The release in recent months of a spate of faith-based films poses a quandary for filmgoers. It is simply this: Can a...

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February 1, 2008 Three words for love

New DVD releases depict unique expressions of love

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