Gospel.com Blog

How important is it to read the Bible regularly? You might be tempted to respond “very important,” but consider that for many centuries, few Christians owned or could read the Bible for themselves. Add to that the challenge we face when trying to understand a book that scholars and theologians have bickered over for hundreds of years, and it’s sometimes tempting to wonder if it’s really all that helpful to regularly read the Bible. In his most recent Been Thinking About column, Mart De Haan talks about these issues–and about why it really is important to read the Bible.

At InterVarsity Press’ Behind the Books blog, Dave Zimmerman has an interesting post about one of the unexpected challenges of being an editor in the Christian publishing industry: reading the books you’re editing in the right spirit. He describes the struggle to actually read a book without letting one’s ego and editorial habits get in the way of appreciating the book for what it is:

now my small group wants to read the latest trendy, manufactured, prefab, one-size-fits-all presentation of the mega-gospel. I commence re/adding the book, systematically mocking the trail of alliteration and acronyms that litter its pages, marvelling at the depth of Christian mystery that has been so effectively sterilized and commodified by this larger-than-life Christian celebrity with a word-processor and a PR department. Meanwhile, my friends and neighbors are reading the book, wide-eyed and mouth agape at this fresh look at the Savior they’ve been singing to half-awake every Sunday of their lives. Some of them wonder why nobody’s ever talked about Jesus this way before. And I am left silent.

Answers in Genesis has been working for years to build its Creation Museum–and the grand opening is finally here! There’s been a flurry of media attention centered around the Museum (it was recently featured on Good Morning America and the New York Times); and Answers in Genesis has responded to recent criticism of the Museum on its website. Now that the Creation Museum is open, stop by the website to see what’s in store, or to plan a trip out to Kentucky to visit it yourself.

Are you or a loved one serving in the military? Is your family struggling to deal with the long separation of an overseas deployment? If so, the Officers’ Christian Fellowship can help. They’ve got a very large collection of articles dealing with different aspects of Christianity and the military life; and you can use the site to connect to OCF small groups and other spiritual support networks, wherever your duty takes you. This Memorial Day, take a few minutes to see how OCF can support you and your family during a period of military service.

Today’s film roundup from Past the Popcorn:

Who in their right mind would want to tangle with Captain Jack Sparrow, anyway? We know that Lord Beckett, Captain Barbossa, and Davey Jones are all a bit loony… But what about director Gore Verbinski and the execs at Disney? They’ve taken enormous liberties with At World’s End, and Greg Wright says it’s “bold, bold filmmaking”–almost what you might expect from an independent filmmaker with a corporate master and a $250 million budget, if such a thing were possible.” Reading the film as a metaphor for cinematic artists struggling against Big Business, Wright is struck at Disney’s flagship franchise defiantly flaunting summer-blockbuster audience expectations.” There are surprises galore for audiences, and Wright found watching the film “rather like spending nearly three hours studying a riveted and armored butterfly as it emerges from its softer, kinder chrysalis.” In the end, Wright observes, “The Curse of the Black Pearl and Dead Man’s Chest, less accomplished films though they may have been, were more fun to watch”–and more fun to think about having watched.”

Now, by wild contrast, compare Pirates’ $250 million budget to the $300K or so that Brian Jun spent filming Steel City. Jenn Wright calls this domestic drama of broken fatherhood and alcohol abuse “stunningly believable” and a great R-rated opportunity to discuss “substitutionary atonement and paying penance for one’s own sins as well as the sins of others.” John Heard turns in a great supporting performance as Carl Lee, an alcoholic imprisoned after a fatal accident.

Also new on the arthouse circuit is Hal Hartley’s Fay Grim, a somewhat surreal gloss on international intrigue. But Greg Wright’s not taking the obvious Homeland Security bait. He thinks Hartley’s trying to draw parallels between artists and politicians by making the observation that “politicians and artists all merely masquerade or temporize as garbagemen, and that international intrigue is as much poetry as is film.” Then again, Wright isn’t entirely sure; this R-rated romp is just that kind of film.

Has life ever hit you with an unwanted interruption–or disruption–that messed up your plans and sent you back to Square One?

For author Blaine Smith, that disruption came in the form of a computer crash that wiped out much of the book he was writing, forcing him to start over from scratch. But once he’d gotten over his initial frustration, Blaine made a surprising realization: what he considered a terrible setback turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

How so? Read Blaine’s latest Nehemiah Notes column, in which he talks about the ways that God sometimes uses unwanted “interruptions” to benefit our lives, and how to distinguish these blessings in disguise from genuine disruptions.

Looking for an extra bit of daily inspiration? Take a look at Dare to Believe, a daily devotional by Literature Ministries International. It’s written by Ed Powell, a World War II veteran with an amazing testimony and a unique perspective on the spiritual life. Dare to Believe is available both online and via email.

While you’re looking around the Literature Ministries International website, be sure to check out Insight for Leaders, a long-running daily devotional message excerpted from the writings of the famous pastor and evangelist A.W. Tozer.

Today’s film roundup from Past the Popcorn:

Yes, Shrek the Third is funny enough, says Jeff Walls, and it’s even more family-friendly than its predecessors–but the series has definitely run out of gas. The big problem? “The lack of an interesting new character,” says Walls. When the script resorts to body-switching for laughs–and they’re the best laughs here–you know that “the writers were truly grasping at straws to find another adventure for their characters to take.”

For an interesting R-rated look at misguided finger-pointing, Mike Smith suggests the Outback-inspired adaptation of a Raymond Carver tale, Jindabyne. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea by a long shot–but once you get past the gruesome opening murder, it’s a revealing and thought-provoking tale of “human frailty and prejudice.”

While you’re prowling the arthouse circuit, though, Kathy Bledsoe can find little to praise about The Page Turner. While the lead actresses “are beautiful and commanding presences,” and the film’s piano music is “absolutely superb,” Kathy finds the storytelling itself obscure and “clumsy.”

Better luck next week — aye, matey?

“Seriously, how should we pray? And since God already knows what we need, why does He insist that we pray? What’s the point?” So asks Preston Gillham in a recent article at Lifetime Guarantee Ministries. What’s the point of praying to an all-knowing God? To find the answer, Gillham walks us through what the Bible teaches us about the purpose and meaning of prayer. If your prayer life is lagging a bit lately, this short essay might help you get it back on track.

If you’re the leader of a small Bible study group, do you sometimes struggle to keep discussion focused and on-track? There’s a great article at the Officers’ Christian Fellowship about understanding the different personalities in your small group. The article gives some tips for recognizing different personality types, understanding what makes them tick, and helping everyone to contribute productively to group discussions without dominating or derailing the group.