Our People DVD - Review

Review by Ryan O’Connell (’On Fire’ magazine)

Our People opens with William Booth’s granddaughter regaling BBC’s Michael Parksinson with a tale of her grandfather berating her claim to have ‘tried her best’. The Founder calmly explains; ‘When God helps us, we can do better than our best.’

The documentary that follows cements his words. Our People chronicles the tale of an orphaned pawn shop worker and bookish young girl meeting, marrying and relentlessly pursuing the souls of the forgotten.

At its conclusion, this reviewer found himself viewing today’s Army’s mission, culture and reputation in much greater perspective.

While bereft of footage, Our People gleans great narrative mileage from photographs and vivid sketches of 19^thcentury London.

A neat and engaging narrative, the film avoids the usual pitfall of cramming in too many voices, opting rather for a handful of extremely well-versed historians and descendants of early Salvationists. Excerpts from the diaries of William and Catherine are particularly tasty.

Even handled poorly, a story this good would stand on its own two feet; two idealists catapulting their efforts into an international ‘religion of action’.  And it’s handled well.

Our people is available via the website - www.ourpeoplefilm.com

Review - Christianity in Action

Maxwell Ryan recommends “a good read”

There is an enduring and worldwide interest in The Salvation Army, interest that is evidenced by the number of histories that have been and still are written in an attempt to capture the essence of this international Christian Movement.

The latest volume to enter the lists is Christianity in Action, subtitled “The international history of The Salvation Army”.  This 286-page hardback publication has been written by retired Salvation Army Colonel Henry Gariepy, an American officer who has been described as “The Salvation Army’s foremost writer today”.

This book is primarily for people who have a casual acquaintance with the Army and who would like to know more about what has been called a modern ecclesiastical miracle.

The writing is easy to read and understand, and the contents are wide enough to satisfy budding Army historians. In short, it is a very good read that deserves a place on any bookshelf.

Christianity in Action was published in 2009 by noted evangelical publisher Wm. B. Eerdmans and should be available from general booksellers and from Army stores.

Theological Puberty

Jonathan Gainey finds a little gem

Review: A Little Exercise for Young Theologians by Helmut Thielicke

Every once in awhile, a book comes along that literally changes a person’s life. Recently that book for me was A Little Exercise for Young Theologians by Helmut Thielicke.

This very small, 41-page book should be read by everyone who goes about the task of theological study. The sins of young students of the Word are brought out so simply and powerfully that one cannot read this book without reflecting on his or her own arrogance as an adventurer of holy writ.

So much of what Theilicke had to say was powerfully accurate. His insights should be considered by everyone who attempts the task of theological education, formally or otherwise. Just about every page of the book has an amount of highlighting, because I could not resist the urge to be able to go back to his thoughts with ease.

The arrogance or “theological puberty” that Thielicke speaks about is deadon with most of us, and few can resist the urge to “wallow in our ownership” of new findings. These are shared with passionate urgency as if all the secrets of the universe have been discovered by the young theologian, and others have been left in the dark.

The temptation to speak down to the congregation rather than speak with them is also a temptation that is sometimes heightened by theological studies.  Pouring out our defense for hymns of old as more theologically stirring and rich as opposed to the simple and shallow words of newer worship music becomes a constant agenda of the learned master of all things God.

As a Salvation Army officer and pastor, I have found myself with the same urges, especially in Sunday school settings, Bible studies and small groups, to correct all those who have not been privy to my level of discovery. I say that with sarcasm. I can go back and almost hear my words sending the message, “Oh ye of simple faith.”

Even the introduction of Thielicke’s book is full of informational wealth. As Martin E. Marty points out, those who study deeply do change their minds about what they believe quite often. This is a healthy sign of a growing Christian, but the one experiencing such a crisis must be patient with those who rarely question anything spiritual. I find myself in this predicament of philosophical transitioning so often that I have wondered if there are any definite truths to be discovered from the biblical text. And then, I realize that I am also guilty of the tendency to read the Scriptures only to discover what can become a sermon.

This book has truly opened my eyes to the dangers of theological adolescence, and I am determined to get this book into more hands, especially those who are called to the task of teaching.

As for my own ministry, I have been made more aware of my task to learn as much from my pastor - the church, as I teach. Although the need for life-long learning is a given, I realize that there will be times when the learning that I am able to glean from the most humble of theologians may very well contain the richest, life-giving instructions of my life.

As Thielicke so wisely states, “Even an orthodox theologian can be spiritually dead, while perhaps a heretic crawls on forbidden bypaths to the sources of life” (Thielicke, 37).

Writer: Capt. Jonathan Gainey was born in Jacksonville, FL in June, 1969. He has been married to Staci, the daughter of retired Salvation Army officers, for twenty years and they have four children ages 18, 16, 12, and 4. Jonathan was commissioned as an officer in June of 2002, and is currently serving in his third appointment in New Bern, NC, USA. He is working on a Masters of Divinity from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and is the creator and manager of the Flocks Diner website, where his passion for learning and teaching is expressed and shared through writing and a weekly podcast.

Hold Fast Hope | Album review

reviewed by Jon Bukiewicz

H

old Fast Hope, an up-and-coming band out of Toronto, Canada, brings us a four song EP entitled Acoustic Ep. The songs on this release The Last, The Lost, The Least, A World That Bleeds, Until Love Comes Through and Never Let Go combine to create an engaging debut that is full of acoustic-based arrangements and challenging lyrics.

Listen to all the tracks on MySpace

With influences ranging from pop/rock bands like Coldplay to Dashboard Confessional and the emotional drive of worship teams like Hillsong United, Hold Fast Hope fill these songs with layers of acoustic guitars, upbeat drums and accents of rock-influenced piano.

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The Twenty-Piece Shuffle

Book review | The Twenty-Piece Shuffle
Author: Greg Paul | Reviewed by Stephanie Hung

“Because when you’re out in the big bad world and things go terribly wrong, or wonderfully right, you want to go home. To mourn or to celebrate. To not have to be strong or reserved anymore - to give in to the need to tremble with fear, or be giddy with joy. To be able to do all of that without being humiliated or alone.”

The first time I saw the movie Amazing Grace on a flight from LA to Sydney it seemed one of the most boring, drawn out movies I could remember seeing, and so I stopped watching half way through. I must have been dead-tired at the time because when I re-watched it a few weeks ago, it struck me as one of the most amazing stories I’ve seen in a long time.

I’m wondering if this might be the case with Greg Paul’s work. When I read his first book, God in the Alley, I thought it was reasonable, but nothing to rave about (like many were doing). So, when I read his newest book, The Twenty-Piece Shuffle, admittedly I wasn’t expecting very much. I may now have to eat my words and borrow another copy of God in the Alley, because if it’s anything like The Twenty-Piece Shuffle, then it’s definitely worth a second look.

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Music review: Bruce Peninsula

A Mountain is a Mouth

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ately , I find myself shying away from the swarm of new music that is increasingly readily available. The energy required to sift through the constant stream of new artists and next-best-things is beyond my capabilities or available time. Maybe it’s just easier for working dads like myself to stick with the artists we already like or already know.  As musical tastes shift so quickly and constantly, maybe it’s simply easier to focus more on those who have been making music over the long haul. These are the kinds of songwriters you can grow old with, whose music and artistic merit goes deeper than hyped-up marketing or incessant cross-promotions.

It is for all these reasons that the Ontario-based band, Bruce Peninsula came to my attention as a pleasant surprise. Their first full length album, A Mountain is a Mouth was released on February 3rd to a small fan base and through the band’s own record label. With only minimal publicity, and no formal distribution, the album that these musicians put together runs little risk of being swept under the “well-known” or “who’s next?” line of new artists. Yet, it is an album worth getting one’s hands on.

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Film Review: Milk

I struggled to find my voice as I sat down to write this review…
Reviewed by Lesley Carter

“You can’t live on hope alone, but without hope, life is not worth living.”

T

hirty years after Harvey Milk was gunned down in office, his story has made it to the big screen, and at a time when the main cause driving Milk’s political career once again finds itself publicly embattled. Directed by Gus Van Sant and starring Sean Penn, Milk provides a sensitive, discerning portrait of Harvey Milk’s life and work.

To those unfamiliar with the history, Harvey Milk (Penn) was the first openly gay man elected to public office in the United States. A half-closeted investment banker in Manhattan, Milk moved in the early 1970’s to San Francisco, where he opened a camera shop. Moved to action by the city’s hostility toward its gay community, Milk decided to run for public office. After three failed campaigns, he was elected City Supervisor in 1977.

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Tags: homosexuality

Film review: Song of a slumdog

The surprising revelations of Slumdog Millionaire
Reviewed by Lesley Carter

J

amal Malik is one question away from winning 20 million rupees. How did he do it?

A. He cheated.
B. He’s lucky.
C. He’s a genius.
D. It is written.

What chain reactions can put you in the right place at the right time? And how do you come to know what you need to know once you get there?

Slumdog Millionaire, directed by Danny Boyle and starring Dev Patel, sets about exploring that question via one boy’s meandering life story.

As Slumdog opens, Jamal (Patel) has reached the final question on India’s version of the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? A slum kid with hardly any formal education, he has nevertheless managed to answer every question correctly. Not convinced that a “slumdog” could possibly reach that level without cheating, the police haul him in for interrogation - because, as the inspector says, “What could a slumdog possibly know?”

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Music review: Mark Kozelek | The Finally LP

On his latest album The Finally LP, Mark Kozelek compiles a collection of material written by other artists, bookended by two previously unreleased instrumentals. Included here are delicate renditions of songs by bands like AC/DC, Low, Husker Du and Dom Leone, among others. Kozelek’s relaxed finger picking interspersed throughout, he offers stripped down acoustic-folk meanderings as foundations for his haunting baritone - a drawl of a voice that cuts delicately across the intimate settings provided in this, and each of his other albums as the frontman for Red House Painters and Sun Kil Moon.

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Send in the clowns - a track from The Finally LP

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Throughout these particular tracks, it is easy to detect their raw production - creaking chairs and unpolished vocal tunings dot the diverse, intentionally sparse landscape. Many of the songs end abruptly, as though part of a mix-tape put together by Kozelek himself. And in a sense, this album quickly reveals itself as a novelty compilation for those fans who would be willing to listen to Mark Kozelek sing nearly anything.

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Tags: music, Reviews

Joyful Noise

Book review | The New Testament Revisited

In a generation where anything goes, where universals have become rare in the name of permissive tolerance, what do people really think of the Bible? For many, the view of cosmic law enforcement holds, simply because: “When liberals avoid a debate, they cede the terms… to more conservative voices“, and frequently these voices show up as rigidly fundamentalist - “long on the oppressive, the intolerant and the punitive“.

When the text in question is part of the Bible - written over thousands of years by dozens of authors; and when even today its rightful contents continue to be debated, can its true interpretation really be so static?

Joyful Noise, as edited by Rick Moody and Darcey Steinke is a collection of essays on the New Testament submitted by 21 published authors - “Jews and Buddhists and African Americans and Hispanic Americans and gay people, even a few mainline white Christians“. The main focus was not to be on doctrine; but it was suggested that each writer deal in some way with the text of the New Testament - whether directly or intuitively.

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