Gospel.com Blog

In an effort to get some feedback on an upcoming book he’s written, ysmarko of Youth Specialties has been publishing some passages on his blog and asking for feedback. If you’re currently involved in youth ministry in any way you might want to jump on over to his blog and read through his thoughts.

The first of the series.

The most recent post: part 10.

Find links to all the posts here.

With The Golden Compass set to hit theaters this weekend, there’s much chatter online this week about the controversial children’s fantasy series and its alleged anti-religion themes. Philip Pullman, the author, has made no few controversial statements of his own, ranging from criticisms of CS Lewis to a declaration that his books are “about killing God.” In the aftermath of the Harry Potter and The Da Vinci Code controversies, how should we approach this film and the book series on which it’s based?

(more…)

Stephen Lawhead’s novels have explored settings and themes ranging from science fiction to Celtic mythology. With the publication of his new novel Scarlet (second in a trilogy of books exploring the Robin Hood legend), Lawhead spoke at length with Hollywood Jesus about his writing and his Christian faith.

(more…)

What evangelical authors are being read by the most people? The Beyond the Books blog has posted a list of the top 50 evangelical authors. It’s an interesting list, with a few surprises and more than a few controversial names on it. For comparison, the blog has also posted the ten bestselling authors published by InterVarsity Press.

Ever noticed that an awful lot of Christian books, websites, and music is targeted… at Christians?

Obviously, there’s nothing wrong with writing material meant for Christians to read or use — but if you glance around the Christian internet or the local Christian bookstore, it’s clear that there’s an imbalance. If Christians are supposed to be sharing the Good News with the entire world, shouldn’t more of our energy be spent talking to people who aren’t already Christians?

In a thorough article about this phenomenon, the Internet Evangelism Guide calls this the “99% Problem” — as in, 99% of Christian material seems to be written for Christians, and only 1% of it is of much use to non-Christians. If you do any sort of Christian writing, online or offline, ask yourself who you’re writing for, and if there’s a way to make your writing more meaningful to non-Christian readers!

A few weeks ago, just prior to the theatrical release of The Treatment, Past the Popcorn Managing Editor Greg Wright talked over the phone with Daniel Housman, the film’s screenwriter. Seattle publicists were eager to promote Housman’s local connection: Housman worked for several years as a journalist with The Stranger, one of the city’s primary alternative weeklies.

Housman’s film is an adaptation from a novel, and tells the very direct story of a New York City school teacher’s struggle to find a meaningful adult relationship. His therapist has tried for years to help him get past his arrested development — and abruptly decides to “end the treatment.” But Jake Singer’s treatment really isn’t over.

The film is being released on DVD October 9.

Wright talked with Housman about the differences between Seattle and New York, and about how the screenwriter played middle-man between a book author and director with very different ideas about the world.

Want to read more, but have trouble finding time in your schedule to tackle the latest book? Christian Book Summaries is a unique ministry that might be just what you need–it provides detailed overviews and summaries of new Christian books.

The latest summary recaps When Bad Christians Happen to Good People by Dave Burchett [PDF]. When Bad Christians Happen describes some of the ways that Christians fail to live up to the ideals of their faith, and encourages us to be more Christlike in our everyday lives. The summary goes through the book’s major themes and lessons in just eight pages. Don’t let your tight schedule keep you from reading important new books–visit Christian Book Summaries for help!

Whether or not you’re a Harry Potter fan, every youth worker knows that this series of books and movies is white-hot in today’s culture. This week, Youth Ministry Exchange is hooking you up with two Christ-centered discussion guides based on the most recent two Potter artifacts to hit bookstores and theaters: one discussion guide based on Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (the latest movie) and another based on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (the latest book). Chances are, lots of your students are busy reading the new book and have just seen the latest movie, so don’t miss out on a chance to talk through the stories with your students!

What do a spikey-haired street rapper from Cuba, a cranky cactus from Australia, and a Goliath-powered housewife from Japan have in common? They’re all part of an Internet-based comics exhibition showcasing selected entries to COMIX35’s second International Christian Comics Competition. The virtual exhibit, which runs from July 5th to September 5th, currently has approximately 200 pages of selected competition entries from 24 countries on display.

COMIX35’s contest challenges entrants to prove they can produce top-quality work that will reach the world with a Christian message. Two entrants will be selected as prize winners by judges from Japan, Australia, England, France, Malaysia and the US, but all exhibition visitors will be able to participate in designating the “People’s Choice Award.” If you’re an aspiring comics artist or want to see what participants from around the world are coming up with, stop by the Christian Comics Competition site and have a look around!

Does the long and complex story arc of the Harry Potter novels–now drawn to a close in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows–present Harry as a Christ-figure? Is JK Rowling tapping into the same Christian ideas and symbols that CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien did? In a speculative essay at Hollywood Jesus, Lisa Baker wonders what the final Harry Potter novel reveals about the spiritual underpinnings of the series. If you’ve not yet read the final Potter novel, stop by and read Baker’s predictions. If you’re a rabid Potter fan who’s already finished reading it, take a look and see if Baker was on target or not!

(Note: the essay features spoilers for the first six Potter novels, so read with caution if you don’t want plot elements revealed to you.)