Arts
Reviews
Help, Thanks, Wow
Rise
Forgive US
Anne Lamott
Skillet
TV Mini series
Film
Book
Album
Channel 5
Delacroix Pictures
ISBN: 978-1444750348
Hodder & Stoughton, £12.99 (Hardcover)
Rating: Help Thanks Wow explores what prayer looks like in a post Christian-world: “reaching out to be heard” by “the force that is beyond our comprehension”. Anne Lamott’s main contention is that prayer should be kept simple (fair enough, but hardly revolutionary stuff), and that this simple routine helps us get through the day and see new beginnings – the ultimate in self-help banality. The word God is used, but as a mere cypher for a mysterious, unknowable other – certainly, she decries Christian certainty about a personal God. Fundamentally, this book is a far cry from a Christian trinitarian understanding of prayer – prayer through the interceding ministry Spirit, in union with the Son who pleads for us, to the Father. Prayer isn’t primarily something we do in order to change us, but Jesus praying for us in our place and on our behalf – we are simply invited to join in with the movement of grace. In contrast, Lamott’s book is the very tinniest of echoes. That said: it is worth asking how many Christians in our churches have a functional understanding of prayer similar to the one that Lamott outlines… Review by David Bunce, a German and Theological Studies student at the University of St Andrews
Warner Bros Records
bmsworldmission.org
(Broadcast date December 2013)
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Another almost-made-it entry in the annals of Christian bands, Skillet have been around for a while, peddling pretty much the same formula of catchy hooks, nice (but not monster) riffs, garglingon-sand vocals and weak lyrics. There’s a sense here of a concept album, although figuring out what the actual concept is, is pretty difficult. It’s certainly not one that grabs you, and seems to be centred mostly around a sense of teenage-American isolation. That’s been done to death, and done better, by others. It’s really not a bad album, though – it’s great for an hour’s drive. Freak Show and Circus for a Psycho are amongst the better tunes, but their claimed ‘symphonic’ elements really don’t deserve that description – a couple of string section instruments does not ‘symphonic’ make. New guitarist Seth Morrison’s pretty impressive (not sure about main man John Cooper’s description of ‘absolute shredding’ though). Drummer Jen Ledger’s vocals are a continuing source of grievance for me though. They’re the singing of a playground moppet, over-produced and at odds with what the rest of the album’s sound is about - try What I Believe for proof of that. This is Skillet doing what Skillet does. If that does it for you, you’ve probably already got this; if not, it’s unlikely to win you over to joining the Panheads.
Riveting and dramatic, The Bible, highlights the human struggles from Abraham (William Houston) to Jesus (Diogo Morgado) and the Apostles as they fight to stay true to their faith and complete their missions. The emotional rawness that this dramatic recreation brings through its multicultural cast has captivated viewers, both Christian and non-Christian alike. Faith is a running theme throughout the series as the various characters are asked to do difficult and sometimes painful tasks by God through dreams, a whisper on the wind or through angels. Watching Abraham’s sadness and resolution as he leads Isaac up the mountain for a sacrifice, Sarah’s (Josephine Butler) terror once she realizes what is happening, and the subtle end of Isaac and Abraham’s relationship as father and son is gut-wrenching, even for a viewer who knows the story. Grace and forgiveness are two key themes found throughout The Bible. David (Langley Kirkwood) is forgiven for disobeying God’s laws just as Paul (Con O’Neil) is forgiven for persecuting Christians and sent to preach the gospel. These moments provide a nice contrast of compassion and understanding to an often severe image of God. Visually stunning and creative, The Bible is a landscape of human struggle and triumph. It is definitely worth watching.
Review by Mark Craig,
Writing Intern at BMS World Mission
Communications Director at BMS World Mission
28
The Bible
Review by Vickey Casey,
Rating: Anthony Haden West was working on Wall Street on 9/11, losing many of his colleagues in the attacks on the Twin Towers. He quit his job soon after, turning his hand to film-making as a way of processing his confusion over the divisions between Christians and Muslims. His journey has resulted in a moving documentary about the lives of four American missionaries and the effect that evangelism in Muslim cultures in Africa had on their lives. Haden West spent four years following members of US-based Global Teams, intrigued to see how and why the number of US missionaries has tripled since 2001. It’s the personal impact of their exposure to those foreign cultures, often with only two weeks training, which makes it so compelling. Any UK mission agency could benefit from watching this, even if only as a cautionary tale. That said, Haden West is not a professional documentary-maker and while it is filmed and edited well, a better film-maker would have dug deeper and found better stories about the lives of modern missionaries. Review by Alex Baker, a photographer for alexbakerphotography.com