The Spielberg Study Method

My friend Ben Stevens recently published an article over at Christianity Today about how four books on filmmaking helped him in his pursuit to become a better preacher and teacher of God’s Word.  He writes, “if your role requires you to understand great narrative, it may be beneficial to consider what it means to create …

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The Good Fruit of Christian Morality

In a recent editorial on Canada’s Burnaby Now (www.burnabynow.com) website, an editorial by Maurice Harting argues that human rights do not exist without religious belief.  The editorial is written in response to a previous article seeking to abolish references to religion in Canadian schools in order to protect those of the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and …

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Yard Sale

Today, June 30th, for 24 hours only, Shepherd Press is offering a list of 6 titles for $1.99 each. This sale began at 12:00am Eastern on June 30th and will conclude at 11:59pm. There will be a limit of 10 copies of each discounted item per order.  There are a lot of great resources here for the …

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Book Review: C.S. Lewis in a Time of War

Phillips, Justin.  C.S. Lewis in a Time of War.  New York, NY: Harper Collins, 2002.  324pp. $21.95.

 

Introduction

The Radio Broadcasts that would become Mere Chrsitianity were broadcast during World War II through the British Broadcasting Company.  More than fifty years after their first recording, Justin Phillips, a radio journalist with the BBC sat down to write about the time period at the BBC and in the life of C.S. Lewis during which he first spoke to the British peoples about the love of God and the great doctrines of the Christian faith.  Phillips was an elder in his local church and was a frequent preacher and speaker about “Christianity, the media, and the relationship between the two” (from dust jacket).  Phillips died in 2000 prior to his fiftieth birthday and prior to the publication of C.S. Lewis in a Time of War.  His oldest daughter submitted the manuscript.  The forward was added by

Adding literary weight to this volume is the forward by Walter Hooper.  Hooper was a personal secretary to Lewis late in his life and currently serves as a trustee and literary advisor to the C. S. Lewis estate.  The fact that Hooper would lend his pen to compose a forward for a book about Lewis should serve as an encouragement for any fan of C.S. Lewis.  Hooper points out that Lewis had to be groomed for broadcasting, but that he was pliable, primarily because he was such a natural writer, “As unfamiliar as he was with the microphone, writing was for Lewis as natural as breathing.  ‘I don’t know what I mean,’ he once said, ‘till I see what I’ve said(v).’”

 

Overview

 

C.S. Lewis is arguably the most influential apologist of the Twentieth Century, and one of its most important Christians overall.  Few people in the history of the Christian faith have been able to impact as many people at such a distinct level as has C.S. Lewis.  Known to those close to him as “Jack” (because he announced as a child that it was his desire to be known as such), Lewis converted from atheism to become of one of Chrsitianity’s most ardent defenders and icons.  Lewis most significant work is Mere Christianity serves as both a small theology book and an apologetic for the Christian faith.

In C.S. Lewis in a Time of War, Justin Phillips describes the time period and the eventS surrounding the writing and radio broadcasts of Mere Christianity.  As many lovers of Lewis are no doubt aware, Mere Christianity was first written for broadcast on the Britich Broadcasting Company (BBC) by Lewis during World War II.  What many do not know is chronicled by Phillips.

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Fantastic 4

Southern Baptist Convention falls prey to elaborate gay marriage hoax. Officials with the Southern Baptist Convention said they have been the victim of an elaborate online hoax that included a phony news release announcing that the nation’s largest Protestant denomination had changed its position on homosexuality. Rob Tims and Sir Ken Robinson on ADHD (An …

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The Shepherd In The Wilderness

Spiritual warfare is a reality of the Christian life.  If you are a child of God through the shed blood of Christ, you will face spiritual attack, you will go through the wilderness.  The wilderness of your life may be depression or family problems or church problems or spiritual attacks, it may even be many …

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Monday Musings

Thank you Tim Challies for the following post which I copied entirely from his blog for today’s Monday Musings and to Charles Spurgeon for the quotes that continue to inspire and challenge us all.   I am a lover of quotes and, though I’ve never gotten too organized in managing them, I do like to …

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Book Review: Ten Myths About Calvinism

The New Calvinism is a hot issue in the world today, and especially in evangelicalism.  It’s big for those who are Calvinists and it’s galvanizing for many who aren’t. Many opponents view Calvinism as anti-evangelism and ant-missions and many proponents view those on the the other side of the debate with something akin to disdain.  …

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Future Men

My Friend, David, recently mailed me several books (he does that occasionally, just because that’s the kind of guy he is).  One of the books he sent me is Future Men by Douglas Wilson.  I haven’t had time to read it, but I have been anxious to dive into it. In preparation for my Father’s …

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Revelation, not Experience Should Drive Our Apologetics

Don Piper’s book, 90 Minutes in Heaven has been on the New York Times’ bestseller list since it was released in 2004.  Though I have not read the book, Michael Patton argues that this form of apologetical argument is insufficient and dangerous. One of his strongest arguments against this form of apologetics is that Piper’s …

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