This Academy Award winning film (Best Foreign Language, 2004) is quirky, surprising, well-crafted, and designed to prompt discussion, if not sharp debate. The story…
Denis Haack
Denis is the author of The Rest of Success: What the World Didn’t Tell You About Having It All and has written articles for such journals as Reformation & Revival Journal, Eternity, Covenant, and World. He holds a Master of Arts in Theological Studies degree from Covenant Seminary in St. Louis.
Is Belief in God Good, Bad or Irrelevant? (Preston Jones, 2006)
In 2006 Preston Jones, a contributing editor to Critique, published a book with Greg Graffin called Is Belief in God Good, Bad or Irrelevant?…
Rickie Lee Jones, The Sermon on Exposition Boulevard (2007)
Back in the Eighties, film writer, director, and producer Robert Lee Cantalon decided to “write the words of Jesus in modern language, and publish…
At Peace, Always Troubled
The greatest goodness is a peaceful mind. - Atiśa Dipankara Shrijnana (982-1054 AD, Tibetan Buddhist teacher) A sense of deep inner peace is a…
Impatience in Prayer
“Pray, v. To ask that the laws of the universe be annulled in behalf of a single petitioner confessedly unworthy.” [Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's…
Discernment Exercise: Beatitudes on the Dark Side
One of the great classics of 20th century Christian writing is The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis. It’s one of those rare books…
Discernment Exercise: Your God Does Intolerable Things
Often the questions we face in a pluralistic culture require Christians to develop an apologetic for their faith. A reasonable, winsome defense of what…
Discernment Exercise: Should We Attend This Party?
Here is a case study for discernment, based on a true story (though I’ve taken liberties with many of the details). Your small group…
Discernment Exercise: Love It or Leave It
Though America is obviously a country of immigrants—after all, very few of us are Native Americans—over the years each major wave of immigration has…
Discernment Exercise: Can We Make Our Faith Attractive?
In the opening scenes of the movie Chocolat, Vianne, played by Juliette Binoche, moves into a new town and rents a dingy, dirty storefront.…