Review: The Prodigal God

Have you ever been punched in the stomach? About half way through reading The Prodigal God by Tim Keller, I felt as though someone ran up behind me and smacked me upside the head. I’ve always read the parable of the prodigal son and thought the lesson from the older brother was something along the lines of: “Make sure you extend grace to those who repent” or “Don’t be angry when prodigals turn to Christ.” I had never stopped to think that perhaps the older brother committed an error just as grievous as the younger brother’s. Read more >>

Review: Surprised by Grace

Surprised by Grace

I received a copy of Surprised by Grace a few weeks back from Crossway, and I was intrigued.  To begin with, I’ve never heard of Tullian Tchividjian.  Second, I had no clue how to pronounce his name.  And third, who is that man walking down the middle of a road–doesn’t he know that’s dangerous?  Is he the rebel?

In any case, Tullian Tchividjian is the pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida (and a grandson of Billy Graham), his name is pronounced cha-vi-jin and that man risking death on the road is probably just a back model.  The rebel in the sub-title is Jonah. Read more >>

Review: Meaning at the Movies, Part 3

I saw half of "The Burbs" at a drive-in like this, in Broomfield, Colorado

So, it’s been some time since I left off part 2 of this review of Meaning at the Movies, and I’ve decided I might as well sit down and make myself finish this review.  Part 1 and Part 2 dealt with Professor Horner’s aesthetic philosophy (why movies exist, and how we should respond to them) as well as his argument for the practice of discernment (as opposed to the mere possession of such.)  I believe Horner did a fairly good job of laying out his case, and I believe Christians would do well to put his recommendations into practice.

The remainder of the book focuses on an analysis of various genres (including comedy, horror, and film noir) and an application of Horner’s general thesis to films within these categories.  Given the nature of the content, I can do little to provide a helpful review on this section.  I think he does an excellent job, and I think he makes some compelling points, and I am more than happy to see that he recommends that we view and evaluate dark comedy and film noir.  Still, I’d like to briefly mention the last chapter in the book. Read more >>

Review: Meaning at the Movies, Part 2

Meaning at the Movies: Becoming a Discerning Viewer

In last week’s post, I began reviewing Grant Horner’s Meaning at the Movies, which proposes to train Christian minds towards the development of discernment, and which seeks to do so specifically in light of cinema.  In today’s review, I will address Horner’s “Practical Considerations.”  He opens this section succinctly:

Discernment means thinking as God thinks….It may be the thing most lacking among contemporary evangelicals. (p. 55)

The question, then, is how does one develop discernment?  How does one practice discernment?  Horner seems to be arguing that movies are a necessary and helpful arena in which to do just this.  But how can we practice discernment when the movies are themselves so lacking in discernment?  How can we grow in the ability to think as God thinks if we watch movies that present world views completely contrary to that of Scripture?

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Review: Meaning at the Movies, Part 1

Roundhay Garden Scene directed by one of the world's first filmmakers, Louis Le Prince, in 1888. (Wikipedia; Public Domain)

I recently mentioned Grant Horner’s new book, Meaning at the Movies, and I mentioned that I was looking forward to reading & reviewing it for this site.  This is the first of three planned reviews.  In this review, I will very briefly discuss his preface and introduction, in which he lays out his plan and his assumptions, and I will focus on what I consider to be an unnecessary restriction of thought on his part.  I feel that Horner manages to capture and explain one critical aspect of the value of film, but that he leaves another on the table.

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