April (Web-only) 2004

Taking the NY Times to Task
A Passion-ate rebuke of The New York Times. Revenge and style quench Man on Fire. Life lessons elevate 13 Going on 30. Excessive sex and despair cause Young Adam to fall. Plus more on The Alamo.
A Week of Bloody Revenge
Kill Bill Vol. 2 and The Punisher indulge audience appetites for violence, while Connie and Carla "validate" homosexual behavior. Plus more reviews of Hellboy, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the Matrix trilogy, and The Gospel of John.
Passion, a Teen Porn Star, and a Period Piece
Critics punish The Girl Next Door, but some will remember The Alamo. Ella Enchanted fails to enchant, The Whole Ten Yards doesn't measure up, and Johnson Family Vacation gets lost. Plus: Good Bye Lenin! And more reviews of Dogville and Home on the Range.
Coens Go Crass, Smith Goes Soft
How Christian critics saw The Ladykillers, Jersey Girl, Dogville, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Dawn of the Dead, and Taking Lives.
Film Forum Bonus
Flickerings 2004: An ambitious dialogue about provocative film
"A Demon, A Princess, and Some Cows Walk into a Theatre ..."
Critics review Hellboy, The Prince & Me, Home on the Range, and Walking Tall—;and can't get excited about any of them. Elsewhere, a movie about Mormons has style but lacks grace. Plus: More on Dogville and The Ladykillers.
Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius
Godsend
Laws of Attraction
Mean Girls
13 Going on 30
Man on Fire
Bonhoeffer
Connie and Carla
Kill Bill Vol. 2
The Alamo
Ella Enchanted
Changed by The Passion
A one-hour TV documentary tells the stories of those dramatically affected by Mel Gibson's movie—including one person who confessed to murder.
Hellboy
Home on the Range
Walking Tall
An Arts Festival in the Heartland
An Arts Festival in the Heartland
Bill Gaither has succeeded in putting together an event that increases Christ through the performers' diminishment.
Crash-Helmet Christianity
Crash-Helmet Christianity
Talking about the real Jesus is a dangerous thing.
What Makes This Week Holy?
What Makes This Week Holy?
Jewish and Christian celebrations this week aren't just springtime rituals.
Holy Weeklies After The Passion
Time does the atonement, Newsweek looks at pastors' porn, and The New Yorker breaks the bone box.
A Curious Contingency
Confessions of a wordsmith.
'Jesus and Paul': Looking at a Journalistic Approach to Christianity's Beginnings
A full review of ABC's Jesus and Paul: The Word and the Witness
'You Shall Not Worship Me This Way'
How even the worship of God can be idolatrous.
Report Says 1,500 Christians Killed in Last Month's Nigeria Attacks
Plus: Remembering Rwanda, Kerry fights back on religion, doctors testify about abortion pain, and many other stories from online sources around the world.
AWOL Again on the Faith-Based Initiative
The Senate has passed on another chance to safeguard equal opportunity.
Sudan Peace Stalled Again by Possible Genocide
Plus: Easter, Australia rejects Christian asylum from Iran, gay marriage in the church, and more articles from online sources around the world.
Why does Easter's date wander?
And why the Eastern Orthodox Easter can differ from the Western by weeks.
Communion Watch Continues
Why John Kerry probably won't be denied any time soon.
The Naked City
The story of the 1977 blackout in New York—the occasion of widespread looting and destruction—has some surprisingly timely lessons for America in 2004.
Survey Gets Specific on Evangelical Attitudes—and Finds We Like the Pope Better than Robertson or Falwell
Plus: An after-Easter deluge of religion articles, including coverage of attacks on an Indonesia church, Iraq hostages, the Shroud of Turin, and the hope of Easter.
Craig Barnes Is Getting Restless
The author of Sacred Thirst says modern life is nomadic, and we are all searching for a home we can't find on earth.
Judge Orders Scientology Critic to Pay Church $500,000
Plus: Remembering the sack of Constantinople, criminal evangelistic strategies, Heather Mercer heads to Iraq, The Passion soundtrack goes gold, and other stories from online sources around the world.
Nigeria Bans TV Miracles, Considers Taxing Churches
Plus: Three more Lutheran congregations appoint homosexual clergy, world's oldest worker retires, and other stories from online sources around the world.
Christian University Under Fire for Firing Gay Professors
Plus: African Anglicans reject U.S. funds, no news is much news for Kerry's meeting with the cardinal, American missionaries shot in Guatemala and other stories (not all of them about homosexuality, we promise) from online sources around the world.
Let Us Not Set Asunder
The threat of gay marriage challenges Christians to defend older, better definitions of marriage. But what are those definitions, and how did they develop?
IRS Raids Home and Business of Creationist
Plus: Terror at a Pittsburgh church, England's gay priest gets a top position, and other stories from online sources around the world
Shabbos, Sheitels, and Yarmulkes
A novel set in the world of Orthodox Judaism.
Finding God in the Heavens
Recent discoveries in space can be cause for praise.
Exegeting U2
Get Up Off Your Knees preaches U2 from Boy to All that You Can't Leave Behind.
Gay Marriage Ends (For Now)
Plus: Archbishop of Canterbury calls for politicians to admit error or miscalculation on Iraq.
Mich., Wisc. to Give Doctors Freedom of Conscience
Plus: The new Gospel Music Channel, Iraq military chaplains, 11 suspects go to trial in Indonesia for attacks on Christians, and more articles from online sources around the world.
Lutheran Church Abuse Victims Receive $69 Million Settlement
Plus: Former Archbishop of Canterbury says Anglican Communion in danger, Pope says to ban pro-abortion politicians from communion, mouse gives virgin birth, and other stories from online sources around the world.
St. Mugg's Wrestling Prophets, Part II: The Weird Little Dane
How a struggling soul built a bridge to Christ for those caught in the world's snares.
A Call to Respect Evangelicals Rises from U.S. News and The New York Times
Jeff Sheler returns to his old magazine, and Nicholas Kristof returns to old subject matter.
Death Toll Rises Above 30 As Unholy War Continues in Indonesia
Plus: Toledo priest accused of killing nun, Britain's new religious education guidelines, looking for Noah's ark, and other stories from online sources around the world.
Dick Staub Interview: Jerry Bridges Is Still Pursuing Holiness
After 25 years, The Pursuit of Holiness is a classic.
Day of Prayer Breakfast Canceled Over Inclusiveness Debate
Plus: Students suspended for T-shirts opposing homosexuality, the Supreme Court's controversial rejection of the VMI prayer case, debunking The DaVinci Code and Hitler's Pope, and other stories from online sources around the world.
The Bible as Canadian Hate Literature
Plus: Attacks on churches in Indonesia, Muslim violence in Thailand, more Sharia in Nigeria, PBS investigates Bush's faith, and more articles from online sources around the world.
Couple Charged with $5 Million Fraud Appealing to Christian Investors
Plus: Combating anti-Semitism in Europe, sharia law in Canada
Mel Gibson's Next Act: The Man of the Passion?
Thousands want Mel to make his next movie about a famous medieval friar.
Celebrating Faith in Writing
A dispatch from Calvin College's biennial event.
There's Just Something About This Man
There's Just Something About This Man
Bill Gaither insists it's not about him. And nobody seems to disagree.

Top Story April 23, 2024

Passover’s Promises for My Children
Passover’s Promises for My Children
When I married into a Jewish family, antisemitism hit home. Now, the holy day reminds me of our future hope.

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