Note: This article originally appeared in the June 2003 issue of Charisma magazine. When Hugh Ross looks for an opportunity to share his faith on an airplane, he tells the person in the next seat that he is an astronomer. When he wants to be left alone, he introduces himself as an evangelist. “Chances are …
When filmmaker Chris Yates met with Majed El Shafie, he initially intended to just help make a promotional video for the former Egyptian Muslim’s campaign against religious persecution. But as he followed El Shafie on missions to Pakistan and Afghanistan, he realized that the work needed a wider audience. The result is Freedom Fighter, an 85-minute …
Rick WarrenZondervan Building on his mega-selling book The Purpose-Driven Life, Rick Warren explores how the Christian life is better when Christians are together in 40 Days of Community. The six-session set looks at how God works through people in community, in their churches and other groupings. Episodes include: “What Matters Most;” “Reaching Out Together;” “Belonging Together;” “Growing …
Perhaps best known for playing tough guys on hit TV shows—from Magnum, P.I. to The Sopranos—veteran actor Robert Loggia shows a different side in one of the latest productions from Pure Flix Entertainment. He stars in Apostle Peter and the Last Supper as the elderly disciple, reflecting on his life to two jailers as he awaits execution in Rome, A.D. …
{jcomments on}Jonathan Cahn’s new book, The Harbinger, isn’t just an exciting read; it’s a bold prophetic message and biblical mystery wrapped in one powerful story. But
there’s far more to this timely revelation—and the person delivering it—than what’s on the page.
As he looked across the waters of the Hudson River from the Statue of Liberty, the twin towers of the World Trade center spiking the New York City skyline, Jonathan Cahn had a deep sense of foreboding.
The Messianic rabbi had joined with other prayer and prophetic leaders at the nation’s symbolic gate—Lady Liberty greeting the many immigrants arriving at nearby Ellis Island, where they would take their first steps in their new land—to seek God. They had gathered with a shared burden to pray for the city and a sense of concern about a possible terrorist attack on the United States.
Two years later, the suicide flights that stunned the world would touch Cahn’s, too. His future wife, Renata, was to have been at the World Trade Center for an appointment but changed her plans at the last minute, as did other members of his congregation who worked there. Two who were in the Twin Towers were among those who escaped before the collapse.
The debut inspirational project Saving Winston, by three-time horror filmmaker Shane Hawks, builds on lessons he learned in those previous productions, but it’s a far cry from their dark content. The family-friendly drama revolves around a troubled teen who finds redemption through caring for an abandoned horse and includes a scene featuring the sinner’s prayer. “It’s …
When members of Ecclesia Houston tried to identify more closely with the poor through a season of fasting, they found their hunger for community was satisfied. Their 40-day experience is now shared by their pastor, Chris Seay, in A Place at the Table, a six-session DVD small group study based on his similarly titled book, released …
Rob Bell | HarperOne
Rob Bell trades his to-date
Zondervan home for its parent-company’s broader religion imprint in Love
Wins, a book some will see as similarly taking him from familiar
evangelicalism to more open-ended spirituality.
Though he never uses the word
“universalism,” it is a summary—and judgment—many are likely to make as he
presents what is subtitled, “A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every
Person Who Ever Lived.”
[caption id="attachment_349310" align="alignleft" width="224"]
PICTURED (left to right): Manager Katy Mashburn, Senior Pastor Dan Scott, Church Administrator Linda Hilliard[/caption]A
church bookstore in Nashville is at the center of a legal battle
being viewed as a major test case for religious freedom.
Authorities
have ruled that For His Glory Bookstore at Christ Church is not
eligible for property tax exemption and owes a portion of $350,000 in
dues dating back to 2004.
Leaders
have warned that if the ruling—under appeal—is upheld, it could
set a significant precedent for church bookstores and other church
ministries not only in Tennessee, but also in other parts of the
country.
Ted Dekker | Thomas Nelson
When advance publicity material warns that Ted Dekker’s latest is for everyone, but “not everyone is for this story,” it’s either nervousness or clever marketing.
Certainly in this tale of vampires and seduction set in 18th-century Russia, Christian fiction’s favorite provocateur once more pushes the boundaries as he depicts the lure of sin in a way that may make some frown. But there is a strong redemptive thread woven into the adventure for those who persist beyond any initial discomfort.
As they shoot the follow up to their surprise hit film, the
makers of Christian drama Fireproof know that the pressure is on.
Currently being filmed in Albany, Ga., Courageous is
a bigger effort in every way than the previous church-made movie that was the
most successful independent release of any in 2008, grossing more than $30
million at the box office and credited with saving and strengthening many
marriages.
VeggieTales creator Phil Vischer, owner of Jellyfish Labs, explains his strategies to reach kids today and his current projects, JellyTelly online programming and the new What’s in the Bible? DVD series.
Q: What’s the aim of the new DVD series, What’s in the Bible?
A: To bring Christianity to life for kids by walking them through the entire Bible—from Genesis to Revelation. I think VeggieTales did a good job teaching individual Bible stories and Christian values. What we’re trying to do now, though, is connect all those dots to show kids the big picture. Instead of teaching Christian values, we’re teaching Christianity. Instead of teaching individual Bible stories, we’re teaching the entire Bible. I think it’s the next step after VeggieTales—sort of “VeggieTales v2.”
Q: Are you nervous about how this will be received by VeggieTales fans?
A: I was at first, until we started showing what we’ve done so far to a few Veggie fans for feedback. They loved it. They couldn’t believe how much teaching we packed into half-hour episodes, or how fun it was to learn in this format.
Pure Flix Entertainment | Starring David A.R. White, Eric Roberts, Andrea Logan White, Lonnie Colon, Jessica Magnuson | $19.95
Mix Groundhog Day with the Left Behind series and you might end up with In the Blink of an Eye. The 85-minute end-times drama stars David A.R. White as a detective plunged into a recurring nightmare when his wife and friends disappear during a dream vacation. Unraveling links with the crime underworld, the cop is also forced to investigate his personal beliefs and recognize that earthly paradise is only temporary.
Immersion Digital | $79.99
Glo marries a digital edition of the Bible with thousands of articles, photos, animations, videos and maps. Interactive features allow users to customize reading plans and journal, with access available from any computer and on smart phones.
“Two entire generations have been born in a digital world who favor digital media over any other,” said Nelson Saba, founder and CEO of Glo creator Immersion Digital. “But there’s very little that is good interactive media that connects them with the Bible, that is designed for them.
Andy Serkis, who played Gollum in the Lord of the Rings movies, leads a star cast in the Focus on the Family Radio Theatre (Tyndale House Publishers) audio book adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ 1942 classic The Screwtape Letters. Lewis’ stepson, Douglas Gresham, hosts the production, which was recorded in London with a world-class cast and original music.
We talked with the award-winning adapter/director Paul McCusker (right) about the new project, a four-CD set with a bonus, behind-the-scenes DVD.
Why do The Screwtape Letters remain so popular today?
Paul McCusker: I think because they’re timeless. The “advice” from one demon to the other gets to the heart of our humanity, our rationalizations, our fallen-ness and the spiritual warfare going on around us. No matter what period of history we’re in, the essence of what Lewis has written remains true.
