I am writing from Hawaii. Oahu, to be exact, and so it seems timely to write about The Descendants. I know it came out last December and was released to DVD a month or more ago, but I can’t stop thinking about it, even when I’m not in Hawaii. Why? Because this film, as much as any that has...
Abundant Life: Behin...
posted by DJL
This week I wrote a column on preaching that I don’t think should be particularly risky but that I know is. It’s about when Jesus says that he comes that we might have not just life, but abundant life. Why should it not be risky? Because it’s about God’s love. So how controversial can...
Response: A Poem for...
posted by DJL
I can’t honestly say why I like New Zealand poet Mary Ursula Bethell’s poem “Response” so much. I think it just feels like a post-Easter, spring-is-in-the air kind of poem. Except it’s more than that, too. Because it’s not just that spring is in the air...
And the Oscar Goes To…
posted by DJL
I realize that there is no category at tonight’s Academy Awards for “Best Film Dealing with Theology ,” but I can’t help wonder who the winner would be if there were. Now, I should be clear: by “theological” I don’t mean “religious.” We all have our favorite religious movie, I’m sure. But what I’m interested in here are the movies that delve into questions of life, death, destiny, meaning, and faith in an interesting and engaging way. Would it be The Descendants with its description of the broken and poignant relationships that are part and parcel of the human condition? Or perhaps The Help with its portrayal of the...