As a boy I loved superhero comicbooks. I loved the flamboyant graph-ics, the constantly shifting perspective,the stylized violence, the stories ofadventure. I even loved the ads.

The ads look crude by today�sstandards. Usually there would be onefor Charles Atlas, showing some poorkid being harassed by bullies. The adpromised to change any boy fromskinny to muscled, which interestedme for obvious reasons. You couldorder a �Genuine Two-way Dick TracyWrist Radio� which, in the days beforec e l lp h o n e s ,seemed ar e a l l ygreat dealat �only$ 3 . 9 8( p l u ss & h ) . ��Amazing Live Sea Mon-keys� always made me won-der exactly what wouldhatch from the eggs youdropped in a bowl ofwater. (The small print saidthe �creatures shown in the ad are notintended to depict Artemia�--which Inow know are brine shrimp.) And thenthere was the ad for �X-Ray Glasses.�Some guy would be depicted lookingat the bones in his hand or the under-wear of a girl. Seeing the bones of myhand didn�t interest me all that much.

I had a secret hiding place, a shel-ter under the thick drooping branchesof a pine tree. Life felt small, with somuch (like comic books) identified asunimportant and dangerous. As oftenas I could I would push under the

boughs and sit, lost in a world of myown imagination. I wondered what Iwould see if I wore the X-Ray Glassesin my hideout. Life would look differ-ent.

I remember that now and see theads for the cheap scams they were. ButI also know that my desire wasn�twrong. Not my desire for the X-RayGlasses, but the desire that my worldbe significant, full of life-affirmingwonder. That is how God created theworld. Only later I understood that ifyou look at the world from within theperspective of the biblical story, youwill see more richly layered wonderthan you can possibly imagine.

I was reminded of that when Icame upon an entry in my journal that

I had long for-gotten; aquote fromWho is Man, abook by RabbiA b r a h a mH e s c h e l(1907-1972):Praise is mean-

ingful only as an act of joining in the endlesssong. We praise with the pebbles on the roadwhich are like petrified amazement, with allthe flowers and trees which look as if hyp-notized in silent devotion.Pebbles like petrified amazement;flowers and trees hypnotized in silentdevotion; praise as joining in the end-less song. This is seeing beyond thesurface of things into the rich wonderof God's glory which is in the deepermeaning of creation and life. It's thesort of seeing I still desire.

critique 4 & 5 2007

critiqueIssues 4 & 5 2007

EditorDenis Haac k

Managing EditorMatthew Hundley

Contr ibut ing Editor sJenn i fe r D isney, Steven Garber , R . Greg Grooms,

Dona ld Guthr ie , John Mason Hodges , Mar senaKonk le , P res ton Jones , Da v id John See l , J r . ,

Trav i s Scot t , Andrew H . Trot te r, J r.

Board of Director sSteven Garber

D i rec to r, The Wash ington Ins t i tu te fo r Fa i th ,Vocat ion & Cu l tu re , Wash ington , DC

Donald Guthr ieAssoc ia te Pro fessor & Assoc ia te Dean o f

Educat iona l Min is t r ies ; Sen io r D i rec to r, Franc isA . Schaef fe r Ins t i tu te , Covenant Seminar y,

S t Lou is , MO

Denis and Marg ie Haac k co - founders o f Ransom Fe l lowsh ip

Rev. Ed HaguePastor of Adult Discipleship

Wildwood Presbyterian Church

Bonn ie L ie ferV ice Pres ident fo r Market ing &

Communicat ions , Coa l i t ion fo r Chr i s t ianOut reach , P i t t sburgh , PA

Henr y Taze laarPro fessor o f Patho logy, Mayo C l in i c

Co l lege o f Med ic ine

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Copyr igh t © 2007 Ransom Fe l lowship

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Seeing Beyond the Surface of Things

editors note | denis haack

All books mentioned in c r i t i q u e may be ordereddirectly from Hearts and Minds. A portion of theproceeds will be donated to Ransom Fellowship.

c o n t e n t s

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editors noteseeing beyond the surface.

dialogue"best baby shower" revisited.

out of their mindson cynicism and god.

the world around usrap, reggae and ragas.

tuned inthe latest cds in travis' changer.

the darkened roomthe lives of others.

resourceshidden pictures of glory.

the world around uswhere have i heard that before?

discerning lifemissions in a risk averse age.

reading the wordcocoa krispies christianity.

resourceshonest answers, africa, artisticexpressions and eyes wide open.

the back pagechristian thought, tom waits, thequr'an and more

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Critique Mailing List: Critique is not available by subscription. Rather, interested readers can requestto be added to Ransom's mailing list, which is updated frequently. Donors to Ransom Fellowship, a501(c)(3) nonprofit, tax-deductible ministry, are added to the mailing list automatically unless request-ing otherwise. To receive Critique, send your mailing address to: Ransom Fellowship, 1150 West Center,Rochester, MN, 55902. Everyone on Ransom's mailing list also receives Notes from Toad Hall, a newslet-ter written by Margie Haack in which she reflects on what it means to be faithful in the ordinary androutine of daily life, and gives news about Ransom's ministry. Critique is a newsletter (published ninetimes each year, funds permitting) designed to, by God's grace, call attention to resources of interest tothinking Christians; model Christian discernment; & stimulate believers to think biblically about all oflife. The articles and resources reproduced or recommended in Critique do not necessarily reflect thethinking of Ransom Fellowship. The purpose of this newsletter is to encourage thought, not dictatepoints of view. Copying policy: Feel free to make up to 50 copies of any article that appears in Critiquefor use with a small group. We only ask that you copy the entire article, note the source, and distributethe copies free of charge. On the web: www.ransomfellowship.org

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To the editor:Last night you mentioned the

possibility of a church holding �thebest baby shower ever� for a lesbiancouple. [Editor�s note: In my lecture Imentioned an opportunity which hadappeared in Critique #8-2003 as an exer-cise in Christian discernment. It involved achurch providing help to a pregnant couplewho lived hear the church who happened to belesbians. Estranged from their families, theyhad no one to give them a baby shower, toprovide meals, or to be with them during thebirth of their child. The church decided tooffer them these practical expressions of careand love.] How can we as a church dothis sort of thing--open our arms insituations like this so that we do notappear to be embracing their sin? Howdo we keep the integrity of God�scharacter in this? How do we be faith-ful without driving current membersaway who might be offended by thechurch�s choice? -- S. DrewsDenis Haack responds:

Thank you for these thoughtfulquestions; I appreciate the chance torespond to them.

Whenever we offer help to anyonewe are offering help to sinners. Thereis no other type of person around in afallen world. If we are to think aboutthis issue faithfully as Christians, wemust first be sure that we think in bib-lical categories. The Bible does not

divide people into us and sinners.There�s only one category of person:all have sinned. The Bible also tells usthat every person is made in God'slikeness. So, whenever we offer help toanyone we are responding to theirneed as sinful image bearers of God.

If some person�s sin(s) is some-thing we are too weak to be around,we should arrange for someone who ismore mature spiritually to offer thehelp they need. Or we can arrange tobe in a meaningfully accountable rela-tionship with spiritually mature men-tors so we're not on our own as weoffer the help that's needed.

The Bible never teaches that help-ing sinners involves embracing theirsin. Christ helped all sorts of sinnersin all sorts of practical ways withoutever endorsing or embracing their sin.If helping a fallen person means thatwe are endorsing or embracing theirsin then we could help no one.

Since this is not understood bymany Christians, as we seek to befaithful some of God�s people mightobject or be offended by our choicesand actions. When Jesus ate with peo-ple many believers found undesirable,the Pharisees criticized him for it. ThePharisees are usually looked down onby Christians today but we shouldremember that they took Scriptureseriously, wanted to obey God's law,and aimed for personal holiness. But

Jesus was unmoved by their criticism,told them to study their Bibles morecarefully, and said he had come intothe world �not to call the righteous,but sinners� (Matthew 9:13; see alsoMark 2:13-17; Luke 5:29-32). Formany Bible believers of his day, Jesus�reputation was less than stellar. �Lookat him,� Jesus quotes them saying, �Aglutton and a drunkard, a friend of taxcollectors and sinners!� (Luke 7:34).What's worth noticing is that not onlydid Jesus not change his behavior, heexpressed sharp, strong disapproval ofthe critical believers, not the unbeliev-ers with whom he was associating. Itake this to mean that attempting tofaithfully follow Jesus might offendsome Christians who like the Phariseesthink holiness means staying awayfrom sinners. If so, then so be it. Thatwould certainly be better than failingto be like Christ. We should not, ofcourse, be callous about such things.We are called to love, not dismiss, eas-ily offended brothers and sisters. Theirdesire for moral purity is admirableeven though their understanding ofholiness is far more pagan and Gnosticthan it is biblical. The church needs tobe faithful to teach the people of Godwhat it means to truly follow Christ.Just as he was never aloof from fallenpeople in a broken, messy world, so wetoo must live in a way that incarnatesgrace.

Photo: stock.xchng sxc.hu

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When Jesus was talking with Nicodemus, who happened tobe a Pharisee who later came to faith, he said somethingquite remarkable. The Father had not sent him into theworld, Jesus said, to condemn people (John 3:17). Surely ifanyone had the right to condemn the world it was Christ.But he didn�t. �If anyone hears my words and does notkeep them,� Christ said another time, �I do not judge him;for I did not come to judge the world but to save theworld� (John 12:47). And Christ instructs his followers notto judge (Matthew 7:1). And in case we don�t get the point,Paul spells it out in explicit detail:

I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people, not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. (1 Cor 5:9-13)This is not a text that is difficult to understand,

although one would not guess that by the attitude andchoices of many Christians. Many live totally opposite towhat the apostle instructs us here: they judge outsiders andrefuse to associate with sinners. Should we hesitate to obeythis clear instruction of Scripture because some biblicallydisobedient Christians might criticize us for it?

Sadly, some believers seem closed to this biblical under-standing of holy faithfulness. In a way that is similar to theerror of the Pharisees in Jesus�s day, they prefer their owntradition to the truth of God�s word. We must try our bestto explain and teach, but my experience tells me that somein the end find following Christ to be too costly, too risky,too opposed to their pursuit of societal standards of repu-tation. Engaging the world with the gospel pushes them outof their comfort zone, and that is something they won�tallow. We should never try to push them away, but if theychoose a parting of the way, we must remain faithful toChrist. There is a story I have never been able to authenti-cate, but it�s worth telling anyway. When John Wesleyreturned home from preaching his brother Charles askedhim if there had been any �blessed additions� to thechurch. �No,� John Wesley replied, �but there were a hostof blessed subtractions.�

God�s character is not in any way contrary to the incar-nation. When Jesus had dinner with disreputable people hisholiness was not compromised. It was revealed; God hadentered space and time with redemption. His sharpest crit-icism and most scathing rhetoric was leveled against thosewho imagined they would be contaminated by associatingwith fallen people. Jesus warned his disciples not to be cor-rupted by the ideas of the Pharisees (Matthew 16:5-12).The reason is that in a perverse way those ideas alwaysseem to make sense. After all, what could possibly bewrong with having a good reputation, with not offending

fellow believers, with not hanging out with bad people?According to the example of Christ and the teaching ofScripture, everything.For further discussion: A copy of the discernment exercise referenced in this ar ti-cle is posted on the Ransom Fellowship web site:http://ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=369&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8

More MailTo the editor:

Wowie, I've recently been reading your articles onBabylon and Winsomeness [posted on Ransom's web site].The evening after I started, I went out to dinner with anagnostic colleague. Rather than searching for a way to steerthe conversation towards faith, which is my usual practice,I took your advice, shut up, and listened as he explained hisbeliefs. I shared mine in the flow of the conversation in amuch more natural way. This friend told a colleague thenext day that this was one of the best conversations he'dhad in a long time! So God gave me a chance to practicewhat you were writing about! Thanks for all you do!In Christ,Steve BakerVia e-mailTo the editor:

Received the new issue of Critique and it looks fantas-tic! I like the use of color, the glossy cover...really drawsthe eye to the piece and compels one to instantly lookinside. I'm so glad that you've had the opportunity to moveto this, and so glad for your work.God's peace to you,Linda LeonCoalition for Christian OutreachMalone CollegeTo the editor:

I always look forward to Critique and usually read arti-cles the day it arrives. We appreciate the topics and issuesraised in regards to our Christian community and the cul-ture that we live in. There are many theaters of life and per-sonal relationships which your ministry addresses that weseek to influence, as we journey with Christ.BlessingsDavid P HolmesShoreline, WA Via e-mail

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The Nature of MoralityThe basic moral axioms held by all people are not as

different as we might think. I would suggest that there isagreement over basic moral axioms like the value of humanlife, love of neighbor, fairness and truth telling... the dif-ferences between culturesturn out to be enormousin practice, but thesemoral differences do notcome from differences inthe most basic moral con-victions. They come inlarge part from the wayeach culture filters thosemoral axioms through itsown worldview and prac-tices. For example, one ofthe most important differ-ences is in the way eachsociety defines neighbor.How much of the humanrace is "my neighbor" andtherefore within my circleof obligation to value andlove? How much of it isnot "my neighbor" andtherefore outside my circleof obligation and whomight therefore even beexpendable?

Even cannibals do notkill and eat their familymembers. The over-the-top barbarity of the twen-tieth century did not comefrom a rejection of theethic of "love your neigh-bor" or from a celebrationof amorality. It came fromdifferent worldviewsmaintaining the "love yourneighbor" axiom butreducing (from the biblical norm) who was defined as theneighbor I am obliged to love. Nazism restricted neighborto race; Marxism restricts neighbor to class; nationalismrestricts neighbor to ethnicity. The different moral prac-tices still point to a single transcendent source. It was thesame moral axioms that were there before they were fil-tered, distorted and radically limited by diverse worldviewsand cultural applications.[Excerpted from: Seeing Through Cynicism: A Reconsideration ofthe Power of Suspicion by Dick Keyes (Downers Grove, IL:InterVarsity Press; 2006) p. 104-105.]

The Nature of LibertySome acts are unenforceable because they depend, by

their very nature, on the motive animating them. Charityis an example. An act of charity is in essence an act doneout of a charitable spirit. It is indefinable in terms merely

of outward form. Were agovernment to compeleveryone to help the poor,then helping the poor wouldlargely cease to be a charita-ble activity. It would lose itsinner spirit and becomemerely enforced public serv-ice. Someone may of coursecarry out, in a spirit of char-ity, a compulsory act thathelps others; for example,one might pay taxes in a wel-fare state in such a spirit.But if an act is compulsory,few will perform it as theywould were it purely volun-tary. Compulsion will nor-mally change fundamentallythe character of the act.This may seem a ratherobvious and colorless point.It pertains, however, to thedeepest grounds of liberty.To say "unenforceable" is tosay "essentially free." Theideal of liberty is based onthe conviction that freedom,the ability to choose,belongs to the core of ourhumanity, and that an indis-pensable feature of a goodsociety is the allowance, toevery human being, of asmuch room as possible inwhich to choose. It followsthat only those acts can be

justifiably coerced that both are necessary to liberty andfulfill this function regardless of the motive from whichthey are done. In other words, coercion must be limited toacts that retain their value-in this case their contributionto the maintenance of liberty-even though they are doneunder threat. Acts that lose their value when coerced mustbe left in the area of personal choice. Thus the protectionof private property is essential to liberty. That end isserved so long as people refrain from theft and burglary,even if from fear of punishment rather than out ofrespect for persons. In short, observance of propertyrights is enforceable. An example on the other side iscivility. Liberty may depend on courtesy and mutual con-sideration in personal relations. These qualities, however,

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do depend on respect for persons. They are too complexand nuanced, and too variable in varying circumstances, tobe enforceable. To be civil because you might otherwisefind yourself in trouble with the police is not to be civil.The rule, then, is that coercion can be justified only so faras it is heedful of the essential unenforceability of someacts.

Further examples ofacts that are unenforce-able, or essentially free,come readily to mind�One of my main argu-ments in behalf of liber-ty, stated in various ways,is that the act of faith isessentially free. A com-pulsory faith is a contra-diction in terms.Christians have been par-tially aware of this truth,with Augustine a dramat-ic case in point, althoughit was well along in mod-ern times before theyawakened to it fully.Another example ofthings essentially free,one of particular interestto the humanist mind, ispolitical activity.Participation in publiclife depends on a spirit ofpublic responsibility andthus is unenforceable. Acivic spirit and an intelli-gent assessment of com-mon problems cannot beexacted through force. Itis true that some nationscompel people to vote.But mere voting does notconstitute participation inpolitics, and even thatbare requirement is dubious. If voting is compulsory, itwill not ordinarily be done with the kind of care thatcharacterizes the acts of a conscientious citizen�

The rule of enforceability thus is centered on the factthat some acts are done either voluntarily or not at all.Charity and religious worship are perfect examples. Therule lends itself, however, to being broadened. There areacts that can be enforced, yet enforcing them involvesconsequences so destructive, perhaps of liberty itself, thatit is prudent to leave them free. The best examples areacts of abstinence. It is possible, for example, to outlawpornography. Indeed, it is no doubt normal for societiesto do so. And there are good reasons for this�Pornography is always evil, for it reduces persons to

objects of lust, thus violating human dignity. Where it isoutlawed, however, the liberty in which literature flourish-es is seriously narrowed. This at least can be argued.Writers of exceptional merit have made it obvious thatsexual candor is not necessarily pornographic. Yet to dis-tinguish between sexual candor with an artistic purposeand that designed to appeal to prurient interests is almost

always beyond the abilities ofpeople of the sort who arewilling to serve as censors. Itis better to leave pornogra-phy for the most part free inorder that literary creativitymay also be free.A like example concerns

that tormented issue of thelate twentieth century, abor-tion. It is possible to have avisceral distaste for abortionand to feel that abortion inmost circumstances is akin tomurder, hence profoundlywrong, yet to feel that itought to be allowed, at leastwithin limits. Laws prohibit-ing abortion are highly intru-sive into private life, and inthat way offensive to the lib-eral spirit. Also there arethose cases of fetuses knownto be severely malformed, orpregnancies endangering thehealth and lives of mothers.It can be argued that fetusesare persons and thus shouldbe protected in all circum-stances whatever. But tocompel a woman to have aseverely malformed child orto die in childbirth is com-pelling an act of heroismthat should surely be left topersonal choice. But even in

the case of a normal pregnancy the sentinel of personalchoice may issue a challenge. If only a free act can be amoral act, then perhaps abortions in many circumstancesshould be allowed simply in order that not having anabortion can remain a moral act.Excerpted from: Liberty: Rethinking an Imperiled Ideal byGlenn Tinder (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans; 2007) pp.331-332, 334-335

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To limit ourselves in the realm of worship music to asafe repertoire of familiar hymns and choruses is to restrictthe access of Christian worshippers to the rich palettes ofmusic which have emerged for the glory of serving God.In this article we�ll examine three musical forms that seekto expand our worship palette. I hope to show: howChristian rap can serve as an ideal conduit for preachingand teaching; how Gospel Reggae can help celebrate andglorify God; and, how Indian ragas, more specifically YeshuBhajan style music, can provide worshipful melodies forcontemplation, meditation and prayer.

Serving as the backdrop for this discussion are conver-sations I've had with St. Louis Christian Rapper DishonKnox, who performs under the name Born 2 Di; LosAngeles Reggae Musician Mark Mohr, best known for hiswork with the band Christafari; and lastly, Chris Hale ofthe group Aradhna, who has toured the globe performingYeshu Bhajan style music.Christian Rap and Holy Hip Hop

Christian rap and hip-hop styles have been around forquite some time. In CCM (Christian Contemporary Music)circles people might think of artists like DC Talk, TheGrits and Toby Mac along with other artists on labels likeGotee Records. There has also been a major undergroundmovement of Christian rap with flavors which vary basedon geography. Thus the West Coast has Christian rapwhich sounds very different from the East. Some hotpockets where individuals are forging new ground withHoly Hip Hop include Detroit, Chicago and Saint Louis.

I have been blessed to get to know and work with oneof the individuals using Christian rap as a ministry tool.Dishon Knox, a Covenant Seminary student, performsChristian rap under the name Born 2 Di. He is now wind-ing up the recording and mixing of his first studio album,Apologia.

Not every Christian rap artist has seminary training,however there are several who do. Many in Christian raprecognize the importance of the theology behind theirmusic. I asked Di about his approach to writing songs, "Imake it a point to study the scriptures concerning that par-ticular topic, making sure that I consider the full context ofthose scriptures to keep from giving them an isolated arbi-trary meaning. Sometimes I will research certain Christianarticles or books to dig deeper into the topic, usually thesearticles are from the Reformed perspective. Once all ofthat is said and done, my lyrics are always evaluated by mybrothers in the faith as the final step of the process."

There has been some controversy in the Hip Hop com-munity on the role of faith and how this extends into themusical sphere. When I spoke with Dishon about this hetold me, "there is no place for Christianity within Hip-Hop,but there is room for Hip-Hop in Christianity. So long as

the elements of a culture can be submitted to the lordshipof Christ, there is room for it within Christianity"

Di explained to me that while all of us share the fallencondition, he sees that "the goodness of the Lord, just Hischaracter in general makes me desire to better understandHim and how our lives should relate, in light of knowingHim. So from my desire I want to help others to under-stand the character and goodness of God so that they toomay be drawn to Him"

The music of Born 2 Di speaks to its intended audiencelike a sermon:

In another song he talks about how being a Christian isnot about being cool. Probably the only rap song I knowto speak of recidivism, Yeshua and "handlin' heat":

The music of Born 2 Di and others recording in thisvein (see holycultureradio.com for more samples) is notmusic I would take to the congregation for the sake ofpraising God. This music is message music. Its aim is tobe the sermon. As we approach Christian rap as a legiti-mate worship style, we need to understand it in its ripestcontext.

Rap, Reggae and RagasHow Global Beats Are Being Used for Praise, Prayer and Preaching

ChroniclesBorn 2 DiThis ain't Narnia or Riddick/But like the twobooks in the Bible, I got a Chronicle to bespecific/ It's bout the LORD of the lords, theKing of the kings/And it comes in three

parts, kinda like the movie "Lord of the Rings"/Immanuelwas unnaturally born/It was GOD and He came down in anatural form/He contradicted the natural norm/Then Hesaid "peace be still" and He stopped the storm/Walkedwater, no skis, just heel and toe/Fed five thousand menwith a snack like a Lunchable.

OutcastsBorn 2 DiSeekin' to be popular Christians is non-sense/Cause sinners shouldn't be feelin' us(l iking us) l ike chaste nuns in aconvent/Cause Christians who love the

world is contradictory symbolism/Like constant progres-sion with concurrent recidivism/ Lemme be honest, Iknow it's a struggle man/Desires to be included will getyou in trouble man/But don't be ashamed/[BaruchAshem]/Bless the name/Yeshua Ha Meshiach, He'll seeus through the pain/ In the era where braggarts boast ofhow they handlin' heat/They gamble and cheat/This thegospel they hand to the streets/So we gotta grow ingrace and truth/Rep' Christ as the Way and Truth/ Fromworkhouse to your workout/So they see Christ when theylook at you/Do all things with excellence/Despise moraldecadence/Live the gospel in every aspect, and if youneed to speak then represent/I ain't suggestin' we at warwith unbelievers/ Show them love/But the truth shouldmake them love us or make them leave us.

m a t t h e w h u n d l e y | t h e w o r l d a r o u n d u s

critique 4 & 5 2007 9Copyright © 2007 Matthew HundleyBackground Images: stock.xchng sxc.hu

Gospel ReggaeFor many the word

Reggae brings about thestereotypical image of adr ead - locked - Jama i can -Rasta smoking "da' 'erb"and talking about "Jah-maica 'mon". What mostpeople don't know is thatReggae's roots are intrinsi-cally linked to EthiopianOrthodox Christianity.Rastafarianism, the reli-gion most associated withReggae music, utilizes theBible as its key source-book of their faith. Themusic by nature is meantfor praising "Jah." It isnot too far of a stretch to

adapt these Caribbean flavored rhythms for the praise of"Jah"-sus Christ.

There are a number of Christian musicians who utilizeReggae as a means of worship and praise of Jesus (manyare on the Lion of Zion record label or can be found onthe website gospelreggae.com); also, a number ofRastafarian converts to Christianity, have recorded criticalalbums featuring very scripturally rooted tracks. Amongthese, Yabby Yoo (aka Jesus Dread) and Judy Mowatt (for-merly a back-up singer for Bob Marley). There is also amovement called �Fulfilled Rastafari� which seeks to min-ister to those who were in the Rastafarian movement whohave found saving faith in Jesus Christ.

An interesting sidebar that's worthy of much moreexploration than I can offer here is that there is much evi-dence to support that Bob Marley himself made a profes-sion of faith to Jesus Christ through the witness of hisfamily's Ethiopian Orthodox Priest shortly before hisdeath--a fact the Rastafarian community would prefer waskept quiet. If you track through the collective recordingsof Bob Marley you can hear firsthand his wrestling withfaith issues and with the place of Christ in his own life.

One of the key bands that has brought reggae to lightin Christian circles is Christafari. The band rose up in themid-1990s to enjoy success in CCM circles before recordlabel problems and personality issues forced a messy breakup upon the band. Later, Christafari's lead singer MarkMohr resurrected the band and started his own label, Lionof Zion, for the purpose of supporting Christian reggae,hip hop and other ethnic music styles.

Mohr is an ordained pastor, a global church planter anda strong mouthpiece for Gospel Reggae, "music is thecommon language. The styles of music are the language.It's like that with all these different genres of music. Thereare so many genres that aren't being used for Christ." Onthe Christafari website (christafari.com) he writes, "There

are many that say that some musical styles are of Satan. ButGod is the Creator of all music, and there is nothing newunder the sun. Satan can't create all that he can do is twistand distort. I believe that music is neutral and that whatcounts is the message, the messenger and their lifestyle. Ibelieve that we should embrace any musical style that isdone for the Messiah regardless of the genre's supposedorigin or its similarities to other's artwork. However, don'tget me wrong, I am not suggesting to imitate the world, butrather to set the standard."

Mark's approach to each concert is to give it up to theLord. He typically terms a show as being "reggae worship"with a portion of each concert "dedicated to preaching theGospel clearly and giving people the opportunity to acceptChrist." The songs of Christafari range from praise...

to prophecy...

to preaching...

Mohr�s record label, Lion of Zion, features music fromAfrica, the Caribbean, and across the globe.

[ Continued on page 16 ]

Can't Stop Christafari (from Valley of Decision)You know I can't stop praising you Lord, Youknow I won't stop praising You Lord What aJoy it is to see; All the things He's done forme; I am singing alleluijah, Giving out

thanks and praises to the Father.

Modern Day PhariseeChristafari (from Valley of Decision)Look the way that you live your righteous-ness worn on your sleeve. You're working sohard to be good to convince that you've doneyour duty. You are a pillar of society. A right-

eous man you claim to be. So well respected in yourchurch, you know it's by grace you've been saved andthat not of your works Modern Day Pharisee.

Warriors Christafari (from Word, Sound, Power)For we no wrestle against flesh and blood,but spiritual wickedness in high and lowplaces (Eph 6:12). You see we have anenemy; his name is Satan, and he will tempt

us with his lies and his deception (1 Pet 5:8 & 1 Cor10:3). But no weapon formed against us shall prosper(Isaiah 54:17). And it is through Jesus Christ that we willconquer (Rom 8:37). So soldiers, take your sword (2 Cor10:4), the living Word of God (Heb 4:12 & Eph 6:17)- readit, memorized it and quote it (Josh 1:8), and use it to bat-tle against the enemy (Matt 4:1-11). For if God is for us,then who can be against? (Rom 8:31) Christians.... Fightthe good fight. Don't give up the faith (1 Tim 4:1-11).

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E m o t i o n a l i s mT h e A v e t t B r o t h e r sI bought this album when it came out last May and haven'tstopped listening to it. Trying to describe the music of TheAvett Brothers is difficult. While they are firmly rooted inbluegrass this trio also demonstrates influences as far frombluegrass as the Violent Femmes. On iTunes their genre islisted as "Unclassifiable," which is probably just how theband wants it. Emotionalism is a bold declaration of theirwillingness to embrace (you guessed it) emotions. A quickglance at track titles such as �Shame,� �Living of Love,�and �I Would Be Sad� make this embrace quite obvious.Many bands would fail miserably with this task by fallinginto sappy sentimentalism, but The Avett Brothers manageto pull it off with near perfection. In �The Ballad of Loveand Hate� they make their final conclusion about emotion-alism clear: Love conquers. The songwriting is superb andwhile their lyrics range between seriously contemplativeand lighthearted, they are always meaningful. Go buy thisCD; in fact, go buy every album these guys have put out.You won't regret it.

G r a d u a t i o n K a n y e W e s tI bought this CD more out of a sense of duty than desire.In the past few years I have found it increasingly hard tolisten to Kanye's music due to his ever-increasing ego.However, as someone who at least attempts to keep up withwhat's happening in music I knew I had to get this album.Kanye continues to lead the Hip-Hop world through mas-terful layering and production; Graduation is a finely tunedand polished piece of craftsmanship. Musically he contin-ues to bend and break hip-hop, reshaping it into somethingbetter. With that said, the lyrical base of the album isextremely disappointing. Where West has ample opportuni-ty to shine he continues to fall into the cliché's and moralpitfalls of his genre. An example is the track "Stronger."With its catchy hooks and stellar sampling this song has themost potential on the album. Unfortunately it suffers fromnon-stop juvenile lyrics like, "Heard they'd do anything fora Klondike / Well, I'll do anything for a blonde dike."Kanye is indisputably a musical genius and my hope is thatwhen he matures a bit as a person he will begin makingmusic that has more depth behind its shine. If you're a stu-dent of culture this album is a must. If you're not, I'd rec-ommend spending your money on something else.

I 'm a b i t o ld schoo l . I prefer l i s t ening to actual CD' s on thed i sc changer in my car ins tead ofhooking up the iPod with my ent iremus ic l ibrary. Maybe i t ' s a variat i on on the nos -talg ia s ome fo lks have for v inylrecords , but I jus t prefer popp ingCD' s in whi le I 'm dr iv ing. At any rate , here are s omethoughts on what ' s been playinglate ly .

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N e o n B i b l eT h e A r c a d e F i r eOne of my former youth group students turned me ontothis album and band and I'm so glad he did. This is one ofthose albums that just grows on you and gets better eachtime you listen to it. By my third time through I was com-pletely hooked and still keep it on regular rotation. NeonBible is Arcade Fire's follow up to the 2004 LP Funeral, andboasts a richly textured sound with a wide range of instru-mentation. Another strong feature of the album is itsthoughtful and often haunting lyrics. On Neon Bible theband wrestles with questions of faith, doubt, fear, longingand loss. In "Windowsill" the band rejects the fragmenta-tion and rampant materialism of Western culture whilesimultaneously lamenting how much of it they haveimbibed. "My Body is a Cage" closes the album with apainful longing for the redemption of body and soul from

an age that calls darkness light, andwhere life is a hollow play on a

stage of fear and self-doubt.From beginning to end

this album is a pro-found piece of

art.

I c k y T h u m pT h e W h i t e S t r i p e sIcky Thump is the sixth full-length studio album by TheWhite Stripes. In ways I can't fully express, this rock duocontinues to prove that sometimes less is more. As usualtheir minimalist, garage rock has a surprisingly full soundquality. This CD is perfect for cranking the volume up to 11and rocking out as you cruise down the highway. Jack Whitehas always brought a blues flavor to his previous works butthat flavor is more fully fleshed out on this album, andunquestionably makes itself known through straightfor-ward, up-tempo, blues-rock songs like "Rag & Bone" and

"Catch Hell Blues." The White Stripes also branch out a bitfrom their usual fare with Celtic and Spanish influences on"Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn" and "Conquest." Thisalbum is able to come out as good ol' rock 'n' roll whileprobing big questions at the same time. Take the followinglyrics from "Little Cream Soda" as an example:

Well every beautiful thing I come across tells me to stop moving and shake this riddle off. Oh Well. And there was a time when all I wanted was my ice cream colder, and a little cream soda. Oh Well, Oh Well. And a wooden box, and an alley full of rocks was all I had to care about. Oh Well, Oh Well, Oh Well.Now my mind is filled with rubber tires, and forest fires, and whether I'm a liar, and lots of other situations where I don't knowwhat to do at which time God screams to me, "There's nothing left for me to tell you." Oh Well, Oh Well, Oh Well.

If this album is any indication of things to come, TheWhite Stripes will be putting out quality musicfor years to come.

Travis is a graduate of Covenant TheologicalSeminary and a Contributing Editor for Critique.He and his wife Brooke are currently raisingsupport to do church planting and theologicaleducation in Auckland New Zealand. In themeantime Travis is serving as lackey forRansom Board member Donald Guthrie.

Copyright © 2007 Travis ScottBackground Photo: stock.xchng sxc.hu

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the darkened room | r. greg grooms denis haack | the darkened room

CreditsStarring:Martina Gedeck (Christa-Maria Sieland)Ulrich Mühe (Hauptmann Gerd Wiesler)Sebastian Koch (Georg Dreyman)Ulrich Tukur (Obersleutnant Anton Grubitz)Thomas Thieme (Minister Bruno Hempf)Hans-Uwe Bauer (Paul Hauser)Volkmar Kleinert (Albert Jerska)Matthias Brenner (Karl Wallner)Charly Hübner (Udo)Herbert Knaup (Gregor Hessenstein)

Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

Writer: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

Producers: Quirin Berg, Claudia Gladziejewski

Delegate producer: Bayerischer Rundfunk, Dirk Hamm, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, Max Wiedemann

Original Music: Stéphane Moucha, Gabriel Yared

Cinematographer: Hagen Bogdanski

Runtime: 137 minutesRelease: USA; 2007 (Germany 2006)Rated R (for some sexuality/ nudity)

How do you feel whenyou see or hear somethingbeautiful? Not a leaf-in-the-

wind kind of beauty, butextraordinary beauty? In The

Architecture of Happiness, Alain deBotton makes an intriguing sug-

gestion:

If he's right, then I am attracted tomy wife not only because I long to bewith her. I think that in so doing I maybecome like her in visible ways. By beingwith someone or owning somethingbeautiful, I may become beautiful.

The transformative power of beautyis at the heart of an urban legend of theold Soviet Union. After a concert Leninremarked to Maxim Gorky thatBeethoven's Appassionata sonata was themost beautiful piece of music he'd everheard, but that he was going to stop lis-tening to it. He said Beethoven:

In The Lives of Others writer/directorFlorian Henckel von Donnersmarckexplores what might have happened ifLenin had kept listening.

The Lives of Others won last year'sOscar for Best Foreign Language Picture.It should have won Best Picture, period.(Compared to it The Departed feels like abad day spent in Boston traffic.) In it,

first time director von Donnersmarck hascrafted the most satisfying and deeplyhuman film I've seen in years.

Set in East Germany before the wallcame down, The Lives of Others is thestory of Gerd Wiesler, a Stasi agent(short for Ministerium für Staatsicherheit,i.e. the East German secret police, whosestated goal was "To know everything")who specializes in and teaches interroga-tion techniques. He wears the same outfiteveryday (gray, of course), lives in a tidybut Spartan apartment, and has only onefriend: ex-classmate Anton Grubitz, whoowes his academic success to Wiesler'stutoring and who ironically is now hisboss. His only other human contact, asfar as we can see, comes in the form of aliaison with a prostitute. (After sex whenhe asks her to stay for awhile, she says:"Next time hire me longer.") Above all,he is a true believer in the state-dominat-ed system. (When one of his studentsquestions the inhumane nature of theinterrogation techniques Wiesler isteaching, he's reminded that the peoplethey're dealing with are "all enemies ofthe state.") All things considered he's notso much an evil little man as a terriblyefficient one.

In the course of the film we observehis transformation from efficient stateservant to human being. It's not a fastchange or a dramatic one. (In a recentinterview Herr von Donnersmarckremarked that no one changes quickly"without divine intervention.") Nor isthe transformation primarily political innature. The Lives of Others is not yetanother tired tale of the triumph of cap-italism. It is instead a story of the powerof beauty and the sacrifices necessary tocreate it.

The catalyst of Wiesler's metamor-phosis at first seems unlikely: he'sassigned the task of spying on playwrightGeorg Dreymann and his girlfriendChrista-Maria S ie land. Their l ives are

BEAUTY AND REDEMPTION

A review of the filmDas Leben Der Anderen The Lives of Others

the antithesis of his. Their apartment is full of people; his is empty.In the evening they read Brecht, listen to music, and discuss theworld with their friends; he watches TV alone. They are trying, qui-etly and subversively, to be human in a horribly inhuman setting,and as Wiesler vicariously participates in their lives, he becomesmore like them. He becomes more human.

I can't describe the details of this process without ruining thefilm for you and that would be a crime, but I will offer one badanalogy. When was the last time you fell in love? Poet ChristianWiman describes the experience like this:

In a way Wiesler's change is like this: his second-hand world ismore beautiful and more significant. But it is more painful, too, asde Botton acknowledges:

Edith Schaeffer used to be fond of saying, "In a fallen worldnothing of beauty is ever created without someone making a sacri-fice." It's certainly true in von Donnersmarck's story. In the endboth Wiesler and Dreymann make sacrifices. Their sacrifices costthem a great deal, produce great beauty, but the world around themgoes on unchanged.

It's true in our story, too. According to the Scriptures Christsacrificed himself to make us beautiful, as in Philippians 2:15:

Ironically often the opposite seems to be true. My friend EllisPotter often asks, "If someone you know becomes a Christian,would you expect him to become more creative or less? More inter-esting or less? More beautiful or less?"

How our lives answer this question may have less to do with oursoteriology than it does with our anthropology. What does it meanto be human? What should it look like? Our lives will either movethe Wieslers of the world to seek to lay permanent claim to theinner qualities we embody or turn them to the lives of others.

While a common reaction to seeing athing of beauty is to want to buy it,our real desire may be not so much toown what we find beautiful as to laypermanent claim to the inner qualitiesit embodies� What we seek, at thedeepest level, is inwardly to resemble,rather than physically to possess, theobjects and places that touch usthrough their beauty.

...makes me want to pat the heads of peo-ple� But now one must not pat anyone'shead� one has to beat their heads, beatmercilessly, although ideally we're againstany sort of force against people. Hmm�it's a devilishly difficult task.

the sense I have is of color slowly aching into things, the world coming bril-liantly, abradingly alive. I remember tiny Albert's Café on Elm Street inChicago where we first met, a pastry case like a Pollock in the corner of myeye, sunlight suddenly more itself on an empty plate, a piece of silver. I thinkof walking together along Lake Michigan a couple of months later talkingabout a particular poem of Dickinson's ("A loss of something ever felt I"),clouds finding and failing to keep one form after another, the lake boomingits blue into everything; of lying in bed in my highrise apartment downtownwatching the little blazes in the distance that were the planes at Midway, sonumerous and endless that all those safe departures and homecomings seemeda kind of secular miracle.

� so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God withoutfault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like starsin the universe.

Greg and Mary Jane Grooms are co-directors of Hil l House, a ministry to students and facul-ty at the University of Texas at Austin. Their work a natural extension of the years they spentworking with Francis and Edith Schaeffer at L'Abri Fellowship. Greg also serves as assistantpastor at All Saints Church (PCA) in Austin. Some of the happiest years of their l ives werespent l iving just around the corner from Toad Hall. To them Minnesota wil l always mean goodwine, good food, good hunting and fishing, and above all good company.

Copyright © 2007 R. Greg Grooms

Q u e s t i o n s f o r r e f l e c t i o n a n d d i s c u s s i o n :1. What was your initial or immediate response to TheLives of Others? Why do you think you reacted that way?2. To the extent that life in Communist East Germany issomething you never experienced, how did the filmdepict it so that as viewers we were drawn into its reali-ty? How would you describe that reality?3. In what ways were the techniques of film-making(casting, direction, lighting, script, music, sets andbackgrounds, action, cinematography, editing, etc.)used to get the film's message(s) across, or to make themessage plausible or compelling? In what ways werethey ineffective or misused?4. Identify and describe, as objectively as possible,each of the main characters in the story. What is theirrole and significance? With whom do you identify? Withwhom are we meant to identify? How do you know?5. Are there any clear heroes in the film? What makesthem heroic?6. Are there any clear villains in the film? What makesthem so? Did you sympathize with any of these charac-ters? If so, how was the director able to arouse yoursympathy?7. Stories are only as captivating as they are plausible.To what extent did you find the film plausible?8. Read aloud and discuss each of the quotationsincluded in the review9. What specific scenes in the film stand out as particu-larly impressive? What makes them so?10. This story unfolds without the presence of explicitlyreligious or Christian characters. Assume you wereasked to write a minor Christian character into thescreenplay without changing the trajectory of the basicplot. What would they be like? Where would theyappear? What might they say?11. What sacrifices were made in the film? By whom?Which sacrifices were worth it? Why?12. If a sympathetic but unobtrusive stranger followedyou around for an entire month, would they concludeyou are living a life characterized by beauty--might theysay you "shine like a star?" Why or why not? How is thatbeauty (or its lack) expressed? What would this strangerpoint to as concrete evidence for their conclusion? Whatplans should you make?Questions written by Denis Haack

A perplexing consequence of fixing our lives on an ideal is that it may makeus sad� Our sadness won't be of the searing kind but more like a blend ofjoy and melancholy: joy at the perfection we see before us, melancholy at anawareness of how seldom we are sufficiently blessed to encounter anything ofits kind. The flawless object throws into perspective the mediocrity that sur-rounds it. We are reminded of the way we would wish things always to beand of how incomplete our lives remain.

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Hidden Picturesof Glory

One evening in the dead of winterwhen our children were young werousted them out of bed and drove toa park 20 miles outside of town.Margie had prepared a thermos of hotchocolate and we sat on a foot bridgespanning a frozen river, in wintercoats and mittens and wrapped inquilts, looking at the stars. The skywas clear, the stars glistened like dia-monds, and we sipped our steamingchocolate, arguing over whether wewere seeing the Little Dipper. Since wecouldn�t agree, but agreed it was in theshape of a dipper, we christened it DipJunior. I don�t how our childrenremember that evening, but I remem-ber it fondly, as a sweet time of beingtogether as family. As a little glimpseof God�s glory in the sky he had madeand sustains to his glory.

One of the things that can be eas-ily lost in our busy lives is the oppor-tunity to simply see something of thewonder of creation. Of the grace thatis expressed in the handiwork of God,and which shines out, if we have eyesto see and the time to look. Since �theheavens declare the glory of God,� wewould be foolish not to be sure we arein on that declaration regularly (Psalm

19:1). The wise man, we are told, tooktime to study a field (Proverbs 24:30-34) and people from all over the worldcame to listen to Solomon speak �ofbeasts, and of birds, and of reptiles,and of fish� (1 Kings 4:33). God�sword is graciously given in both spe-cial revelation (Scripture) and generalrevelation (creation).

One way we can gain a renewedsense of wonder is to take advantageof the technology which makes photo-graphs of nature easily available. Andsometimes that technology evenallows us to see things that would oth-erwise be invisible to the naked eye.Things so far away in space or so smallthat they can only be made visible withtelescope or microscope.

One fine example of this is Heavenand Earth: Unseen by the naked eye, abook of photos and simple captionsthat describe what we are seeing.

We recommend it to you.

BOOK RECOMMENDEDHeaven and Earth: Unseen by the naked eyeedited by David Malin and KatherineRoucoux (New York, NY: Phaidon Press;2002) 371 pp. + glossary + index.1025 pp. + indices.

Moth WingThe wings of the Spanish Moon moth(Graellsia isabellae) bear patternsthat look strikingly like eyes. Thisrare and protected moth, found inSpain and the French Alps, normallyrests with its wings folded. Whenalarmed it spreads them out, reveal-ing a single 5 millimetre wide eyespoton each wing and star tling anyattacker by its apparent transforma-tion from a moth to the head of amuch larger creature. Eyespots are acommon defensive device throughoutthe animal kingdom. [p. 120]

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Richat StructureThe Richat Structure, Mauritania -- oftenreferred to as the Bull's Eye after its shape --is one of the most striking landmarks in theSahara to have been photographed fromspace (in this case from the Space ShuttleColumbia). The 39 kilometre wide structureresembles a meteorite crater but is actuallya dome of rock, probably pushed up frombeneath by volcanic activity, whose top hasbeen eroded. Hard bands of quartzite areleft exposed as upstanding circular ridges100 metres high. In the lower part of the pic-ture, a sea of sand can be seen encroachingon the Bull's Eye. [p. 174]

Olive Leaf Scales The umbrella-like scales on the surface of an olive tree leaf are magnified 560 times inthis coloured scanning electron micrograph. Olive trees flourish in semiarid conditionsthat other trees cannot tolerate, in part because of these scales. They trap still, moist airclose to the leaf's surface, slowing the rate of water loss. The leaf contains pores calledstomata (one can be seen upper left) that allow the leaf to breathe. [p. 74]

Gecko Foot PadsGeckos (family Gekkonidae) are night-hunting lizards found in a wide variety of habitats.This false-coloured scanning electron micrograph, taken at a magnification of 130 times,shows the complex pattern of ridges and minute hairs that covers the gecko's foot. Thesetiny structures give geckos an amazing ability to climb, enabling them to walk up andacross ceilings and even cling to glass, finding footholds in the microscopic imperfectionsof the smoothest surfaces. [p. 90-91]

Deforestation in Brazil Dense vegetation, the remnants of therainforest, show up red in this infraredsatellite image of deforested areas in theAmazon basin of Brazil. The geometricalshapes are areas of cleared land. In 1970,about 99 per cent of the Amazon rainfor-est was still standing; 30 years later, only85 per cent remained, The main cause ofdeforestation here is slash-and-burn clear-ance for agriculture. Rainforest soils areusually poor in nutrients and can only befarmed for a few years before more clear-ance is necessary. [p. 196]

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Raga and Yeshu Bhajan:Worship Music of India

Last on our tour ofmusical styles that arebeing utilized for worshipis that of Yeshu or KristaBhajan which incorporatestraditional musical styles ofIndia into the context ofhigh praise for JesusChrist.

A few years back Istumbled upon the site ofChris Hale, a musician whoattended Berklee Collegeof Music about the sametime that I did. Hale hadgrown up the son of mis-sionaries to India. Whileat Berklee he put togethera band the fused jazz, rock

and Indian rhythms. They released a couple CDs andtoured India. This led him to further study Krista Bhajanwith musicians in India; he used his research and fieldrecordings as part of his doctoral thesis. Today Chrisrecords and performs Yeshu Bhajans around the world withthe band Aradhna.

On the Aradhna website (aradhnamusic.com) it states:"the path (marga) of Bhakti is one of loving devotion andcomplete surrender to God. In this ancient tradition, musicand worship play a fundamental role in the expressions ofthe bhakta (devotee). These devotees might be a few peo-ple gathered around a dholak drum player in a camphor-littemple, professional singers in a concert hall, or simply afamily gathered in the home. Their songs are called Bhajans(songs of devotion). Bhajans can be heard sung late intothe night or in early morning hours all over the world wher-ever there are bhaktas. Over the last few centuries somepoet-singers of the Bhakti tradition in India have becomefollowers of Yeshu. In keeping with their cultural heritage,they began to compose bhajans to Sri Yeshu."

In a conversation we had a few years back Chris statedthat "all over India there are multiple expressions ofChristian faith, from Santa Claus and Christmas Cake, tosaffron robes and shaved heads, from villagers singing in amud hut with no ornaments, to organ playing what a friendwe have in Jesus in Hindi, to a Dolak drummer playing asloud as he can to a rousing song of praise to Christ in afolk rhythm.�

In the lyrics that follow you will get a sense of thepsalm-like craft involved in creating the poetry and beautyof each lyrical form:

Lyrics of the bhajans focus in on the person of Jesusand what he has done for those who believe.

The Yeshu Bhajan leads the listener on a worshipfulpath; the Carribean rhythms of Gospel Reggae fill theheart with joy and praise; and Holy Hip Hop seeks to reachthe heart of a culture that is looking for answers in con-sumerism, sex and violence. There is a hope that througha sharp lyrical sermon hearts and minds will change. All ofthese musical styles seek advancement in the Kingdom ofGod. What we can learn from these musical brethren isthat all this music, when offered up to God, can be wor-shipful, it can change our hearts, and it can teach us criti-cal lessons to get people on the path to Christ.

Rap, Reggae and Ragas (continued from page 9)

He He PrabhuWords and Music by Peter John(appears on Aradhna Satsang CD)You are the incarnation of God, the sac-rifice for sinnersPut your Spirit over me, O Lord of mercyYou are the Lord of all, the Lord of theWorld

If there is anything unpleasing within me Cleanse me from it, all-knowing FatherO Lord, Master of all things, fill me with your loveMold me in your likeness; fill me with your loveO Lord, Master of all things, fill me with your loveYou left your throne in heaven because of your love formeYou became a man; you are the True IncarnationO Lord, Master of all things, fill me with your loveYou healed eyes of the blind; the shadow of the leper youmade whole You even raised the dead; Your ways are too great for meto understandO Lord, Master of all things, fill me with your loveTeach us how to love, teach us to walk in these waysI always pray, O Lord, Master of all things, fill me withyour love.

Naam Leo ReWords and Music by Anil Dev(appears on Aradhna Satsang CD)Take the name of Jesus, Sing the name of JesusThe blessed name of Jesus, Sing the name of JesusYou are my shield from sin,

You have taken my punishmentHoly, attractive, and beautiful is the name of my JesusGrant me peace, give me strengthHoly, attractive, and beautiful is the name of my JesusYou give me a heart of devotion and the gift of salvationHoly, attractive, and beautiful is the name of my Jesus

Matthew Hundley studied recording production and jazz guitar at Berklee College of Music in Boston; he holds degrees in Critical Film Studies andBroadcast Management from the University of Colorado. After college he worked in television stations in Ohio and Iowa. He also taught at WartburgCollege. Hundley is working on his Masters in Theological Studies at Covenant Seminary in St. Louis where he lives with his wife and their four children.

Copyright © 2007 Matthew HundleyBackground Image: stock.xchng sxc.hu

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Bob Marley (1945-1981)

Jamaican Ska & Reggae rhythms which stillresonate in films such as: Club Paradise(1986), Cool Runnings (1993), In the Name ofthe Father (1993), Black and White (1999),Shark Tale (2004), Perfect Stranger (2007).

Rachid Taha Algerian Rai rocker Rachid Taha was thesubject of a recent documentary "Khaledand Rachid Taha." His music is featured infilms like: Lionheart (1990), Alice et Martin(1998), Black Hawk Down (2001), The GoodThief (2002), Something New (2006).

Music is a critical component in our movie-going experi-ence. The next time you watch a film take note of themusic--or lack of it--in each scene. Notice the styles ofmusic. Note the presence of world music. Note whetherthe music adds to or detracts from a scene. If you hearsomething you like, be sure to look for it in the music cred-its at the end. There are certainly many key global voicesthat finding themselves in popular film.

Lisa GerrardThis Australian�s otherworldly voice andstunning compositions have set the tone fornumerous films including: The Insider (1999),Gladiator (2000), Mission Impossible II (2000),Ali (2001), Whale Rider (2002), Black HawkDown (2001).

Youssou N'DourYoussou N'Dour helped develop popularmusic in Senegal. His recordings have beenincluded in the soundtracks such as:Bulworth (1998), The Wild Thornberrys Movie(2002), Alone in the Dark (2005).

Copyright © 2007 Matthew Hundley

You may not be up on the latest world music, but chancesare you have heard a wide selection of global grooves in anunlikely place�the cinema. With the increased emphasison global issues in movies like Children of Men (2006), TheLast King of Scotland (2006), and The Constant Gardener(2005)--world rhythms play an important role in establish-ing the context of a film. Here are some key musiciansfrom around the globe whose talents have been tapped forsoundtracks, scores and appearances.

Where Have I Heard That Before?W o r l d R h y t h m s

A d d S p i c e t o M o v i e s

Astor Piazolla(1921-1992)

Referred to as "The Master of the NuevoTango" his life story reads like a suspensenovel. Piazolla revolutionized tango byblending classical and jazz elements withtraditional tango melodies of Buenos Aires.His music can be heard in films like: Frantic(1988), Sur (1988), 12 Monkeys (1995).

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (1948 - 1997)

Pakistani musician known as the �Emperorof Qawwali�--a devotional music of theSufis, a mystical offshoot of Islam. His soulstirring vocals are featured in: Natural BornKillers (1994), Dead Man Walking (1995), BendIt Like Bekham (2002), Blood Diamond (2006).

Afro Celt Sound SystemThey have worked with Peter Gabriel,Robert Plant and Sinead O'Connor to blendIrish and African rhythms. Their uniquerhythms are featured in: Stigmata (1999),Gangs of New York (2002), Hotel Rwanda(2004), Tristan & Isolde (2006).

At times I've wondered whether the advent of bike-safety helmets for children will mark the beginning of theend of the modern missionary movement. Don't misunder-stand, this is not to suggest that a concern for children�ssafety is misplaced. Rather, I want us to reflect carefully onwhether missions, especially in high-risk situations, canremain robust in an age as risk-averse as ours.

The Scriptures promise that mission in a fallen worldalways involves risk. �If the world hates you,� Jesus told hisdisciples, �know that it has hated me before it hated you�(John 15:18). He reminded them that the prophets of oldwere persecuted, so his followers should expect to be treat-ed similarly. Jesus told them that being reviled and perse-cuted for his sake is reason to know they are �blessed�(Matthew 5:11). And yet his expectation for them was, andfor us is, that regardless of cost his followers bring hismessage of reconciliation to a horribly fragmented world (2 Corinthians 5:18-21).

A series of events in Afghanistan bring this issue intosharp relief. The episode provides our case study whichshould challenge Western Christians to reflect biblically onthe possible cost of obeying Christ's call to engage parts ofthe Muslim world with the gospel.

The Case StudyOn July 19, 2007 Taliban forces in Afghanistan kid-

napped 23 South Korean Christians who were in the coun-try on a short-term mission. The Taliban issued a statementthreatening to kill the hostages unless prisoners held by theAfghan government were released. The Afghan govern-ment refused. One week later a male hostage was killed, hisbullet-riddled body dumped by the side of a road. A fewdays later, a second male hostage was shot and killed. On

August 1 appeals were made to the international communi-ty to work for the safe release of the remaining hostages.�We appeal for support from the people of the UnitedStates and around the world,� Kim Jung-ja, the mother ofone of the hostages said. �Especially the families want theUnited States to disregard political interests and give moreactive support to save the 21 innocent lives.� Soon after theappeal the UN began to provide security for negotiationsbetween Taliban and South Korean officials. On August 13the Taliban released two female hostages to the Red Cross.Negotiations continued until on August 29 the Talibanbegan handing over the remaining hostages. Finally, onSeptember 1, all remaining 19 South Koreans arrived backin their homeland. �We apologize to the people for causingtrouble and thank everyone who helped us return homesafely,� former hostage Yu Kyeong�Sik, said. �We owe thecountry and the people a great debt.�

Christians should be grateful for their safe release; it isa good gift of God. We should also pray for the families ofthe hostages that were killed. And though we need to besensitive to all those involved in this drama, the deal nego-tiated between the Taliban and the South Korean govern-ment raises serious questions for Christians. Early reportsclaimed that South Korea agreed to pay a $20 million ran-som for the hostages, but this has been denied by both theTaliban and South Korea. An �official� in South Korea�spresidential office is quoted as saying that the �two condi-tions for the release are that we pull out our troops andstop Korean missionary work in Afghanistan by the end ofthe year.� South Korean troops were already scheduled toleave Afghanistan by the end of 2007, so that part of theagreement simply confirms a decision already made. Thepromise by the South Korean government to stop itsChristian citizens from doing missions work inAfghanistan, however, is significant and worth somethoughtful discussion and reflection.

Gospel PerspectiveEngaging the Islamic world, including Afghanistan, withthe Gospel is not optional for the church. The glory ofGod�s Kingdom is reflected in the redeemed diversity of�every tribe and language and people and nation�(Revelation 5:9). The commission to make disciples ofevery nation under Jesus� authority remains, and the gospelhas not lost its power (Matthew 28:16-20; Romans 1:16).The idea that the Muslim world is �closed� to the gospel isnot true. Operation World, for example, reports that perse-cution of Christians in Nigeria by Muslims �between 1991and 2000 led to the death of thousands of believers.� Yet,the reports continues, many Muslimes are �appalled by thebehavior of their co-religionists. There have been manywon to Christ over recent years.� Though we rightly mourn

critique 4 & 5 20071 8

t h e d i s c e r n i n g l i f e | d e n i s h a a c k

Missions in a Risk-Averse Age

d e n i s h a a c k | t h e d i s c e r n i n g l i f e

critique 4 & 5 2007 1 9

the sad story of the South Korean hostages, God is able tobring grace to bear in Afghanistan. Operation World esti-mates that only between 1,000 and 3,000 Afghans areChristians in a country that is 97.89% Muslim, with 48,000mosques and not a single church. Operation World says thatin decades of warfare in Afghanistan an �estimated 1 millionlost their lives, 2 million were maimed and 4 million childrenorphaned� The result is ecological disaster, a shatteredinfrastructure, over 12 million uncleared anti-personnelmines... Though there is no visible church in Afghanistan, thenumber of Afghan believers is increasing in urban and someremote rural areas.�

This case study is not merely a media news story. AWestern government has agreed to ban missionary activity byits citizens in a nation of the world. The thinking of Christianscholars will be important if the church is to respond in athoughtfully biblical fashion. For example, the fact that thehostages were involved in a short-term mission in such a dan-gerous land is surely significant. Perhaps sponsoring short-term aid missions by lay believers in a land where active war-fare is raging is less than wise. Surely they might have foundsome other needy place to serve. Nevertheless, this episodealso raises questions that each Christian should reflect onwith care. Like it or not, we are a risk-averse generation ofbelievers called to engage even high-risk places in a lost worldwith the gospel. It�s an opportunity to be discerning aboutGod�s call on our lives. The invitation to reflect on this casestudy needs to be seen as an effort to apply biblical truth tolife instead of merely reacting to the news or simply goingwith the flow of the surrounding culture. Without for amoment being sentimental about the sad reality of suffering,Christians must wrestle with the biblical call to a risk-aversegeneration to engage a high-risk world with the gospel. Thisis not merely an intellectual exercise, but a spiritual one inwhich the meaning of Christ�s Lordship is faced humbly.

Sources

Series of repor ts on Aljazeera.nethttp://english.aljazeera.net/EnglishAll the factual details of the events in Afghanistan are from aseries of repor ts on.

Global Mapping Internationalhttp://www.gmi.org/ow/countr y/nigr/owtext.html#3?2Information on Nigeria is from Patrick Johnstone and JasonMandryk, Operation World, August 22, 2007.

Global Mapping Internationalhttp://www.gmi.org/ow/countr y/afgh/owtext.html#2?1Information on Afghanistan is from Patrick Johnstone and JasonMandryk, Operation World , August 22, 2007.

Digby Jones, �Cotton Wool Kids: Releasing the potential for chil-dren to take risks and innovate� (HTI issues paper #7; Coventry;2007), p. 4.

Justin Martyr from Dr. David Calhoun's Class syllabus for Ancient& Medieval Church History, a class at Covenant TheologicalSeminary (St. Louis, MO), 1999, lecture 7.

Quest ions for Ref lect ion and Discuss ion

1. In what ways does Christian faithfulness requirebelievers to see risk in dif ferent terms than their non-Christian neighbors? What limits does the Bible seem toset for being risk-averse? �Overprotecting our children,�Sir Digby Jones says in a report on education in the UK,�is bad for society, the economy and young people�spreparation for adulthood in a world full of uncer tain-ties.� How can Christian parents responsibly def ine�overprotection�?

2. Should Christian missionar y-hostages ask their gov-ernments to negotiate their release? Being sensitive totheir grief, should the Christian families of hostagesmake this request?

3. Where does the willingness to suffer and die for Christand the gospel come in?

4. Christians are commanded to obey those in authorityover them (Romans 13:1-7). Yet, the apostles refused toobey when commanded to cease preaching about Jesus(Acts 3-4:31). Are South Korean Christians who believethey are called to Afghanistan in a similar situation? Whyor why not? If no, what possible situation would requiresuch civil disobedience today?

5. Do we see martyrdom as noble and glorifying to God?Is a balanced biblical view of martyrdom being taught inour families? In our church? What plans should wemake?

6. A 4th century hymn reads: "The apostles' gloriouscompany / and prophets crowned with light / with all themar tyrs noble host / Thy constant praise recite."Compare these ideas with those commonly expressed incontemporary praise songs. How foreign is the categoryof "martyr" to contemporary Christian worship? Call tocommitment? Conversation?

7. Justin Martyr�s (100-165 AD) words to the Roman pre-fect about to execute him sounds foreign, almost hereti-cal. �We desire nothing more than to suffer for our LordJesus Christ; for this gives us salvation and joyfulnessbefore His dreadful judgment seat.� Should it, or shouldit not be a sentiment we share?

8. At what cost are we willing to engage the Islamic worldwith the gospel? Are we willing to encourage our friends,children, and grandchildren to pray about going to placeslike Afghanistan? Knowing that evangelizing Muslimsrequires diligent study, hard listening, and perseveranceover many years are we faithfully befriending Muslims inmeaningful long-term relationships?

r e a d i n g t h e w o r d | m i k e m e t z g e r

2 0

God in a bowlWhen told that nature reveals the glory of God, Woody

Allen replied that he only saw a giant restaurant. Fairenough. If someone can�t see God in the grandeur, try thegranular. Rather than scraping the heavens, suggest thatGod can be found in a bowl of CocoaKrispies.

Really. When I was 16, I ate sevenbowls of Cocoa Krispies at summercamp one evening. If anyone hadasked me why, the answer was simple.I wanted to. And that is exactly howGod originally made us to live.Everyday in every way. I didn�t appre-ciate it then, but doing what we takepleasure in is a pointer toward God.

Psalm 115:3 says, �Our God is inthe heavens; he does whatever pleaseshim.�1 At the core of God�s characteris this central idea: he does whatevermakes him happy. At the core ofhuman character is this central idea:we�re made in God�s image.2 So we dowhatever makes us happy. Right here,right now. All day, everyday. Psalm115:16 says: �The highest heavens belong to the Lord, butthe earth he has given to man.� Given our present limita-tions of finances, freedom and physical abilities, we do aswe please. In the ancient �four-chapter� gospel, we�redesigned this way. It�s Chapter One, creation.

Doing whatever we please spooks many Christians.Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) said if we do something forpleasure or enjoyment, the action becomes impure. AynRand interpreted Kant to mean this: �An action is moralonly if one has no desire to perform it, but performs it outof a sense of duty and derives no benefit from it of anysort, neither material nor spiritual.�3 Kant sounds pious,but he�s actually impractical. He denies the very way we actday in and day out.

�It is a Christian duty, as you know, for everyone to beas happy as he can,� wrote C. S. Lewis.4 Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) believed, �All men seek happiness without exception.They all aim at this goal however different the means theyuse to attain it. They will never make the smallest move butwith this as its goal.�5 We do what we please because Goddoes as he pleases. Those who stifle this core characteristic

deny their humanness and holiness.I�m walking us to the rim of the canyon so that we get

a broader view. Too many well-meaning Christians sub-scribe to Kant and are fairly joyless souls. They remind meof H. L. Mencken�s critique of Puritanism: �the hauntingfear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.� God madeus to be happy. He made us to do what we want to do. Ofcourse, we can drop over the edge. We have to remember,as Paul Harvey put it, the rest of the story.

If we�re designed to do as we please, our default fol-lows the same path: we sin because we like it. Remember,Moses forsook the �passing pleasures of sin.�6 This isChapter Two (the fall). Chapter Three (redemption) tells uswhat we can do: �Delight yourself in the Lord and he willgive you the desires of your heart.�7 Martin Luther under-stood this verse to mean love God and do what you want todo. If we love the things God loves in the order that heloves them, we can pretty much do what our heart desires

as long as we keep in mind: �Yourword I have treasured in my heart thatI may not sin against you.�8

It is the destiny of those who fol-low God to spend eternity indulgingthe desires of our hearts. This isChapter Four, when we love whatGod loves and do what we want to doforever. �God will let everyone intoheaven who, in his considered opin-ion, can stand it,� writes DallasWillard.9

Woody Allen once asked God togive him some clear sign �like makinga large deposit in my name at a Swissbank.� While an extraordinary dollopof dollars might convince many thatGod exists, a better case can be madepointing to the ordinary decisions we

make everyday. Like eating seven bowls of Cocoa Krispiesat summer camp for the sheer pleasure of it. I wasn�t toofar from the way God acts and made us to live. So the nexttime friends object to the evidence for God in nature,invite them out for breakfast instead and watch what theyselect. I�ll bet they�ll choose what they enjoy eating.Endnotes1. The same point is made in Psalm 135:6: �Whatever the Lord pleases,he does.�2. Genesis 1:26-283. Ayn Rand, For the Intellectual (New York: Signet, 1961), p.324. From a letter to Sheldon Vanauken in Vanauken�s book, A Severe Mercy(New York: Harper and Row, 1977), p. 1895. Blaise Pascal, Pascal�s Pensées, trans. by W. F. Trotter (New York: E. P.Dutton, 1958), p. 113 (thought #425)6. �By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son ofPharaoh�s daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the peo-ple of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin� (Hebrews 11:24-25).7. Psalm 37:48. Psalm 119:119. Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life inGod, (San Francisco: HarperCollins Publishers, 1998), p.302

critique 4 & 5 2007

CocoaKrispiesChristianity

m i k e m e t z g e r | r e a d i n g t h e w o r dQuest ions for Ref lect ion and Discuss ion

1. What was your f irst impression upon reading �Cocoa KrispiesChristianity�? Why do you think your responded as you did?

2. As objectively as possible, identify every idea and/or statement in �CocoaKrispies Christianity� that upon f irst reading it seemed new or questionableor wrong or something you�d have to think about for awhile.

3. Is this the impression of Christian faith that is usually heard in churches?If not, what is usually heard? Is this the impression that most postmodernnon-Christians have of the Christian message? Why or why not?

4. Metzger says that �Doing whatever we please spooks many Christians.� Doyou agree? Why do you think so many Christians find this idea threatening?

5. Metzger quotes C. S. Lewis saying, �It is a Christian duty, as you know, foreveryone to be as happy as he can.� If you were told the quote and asked toname who said it, would you have guessed Lewis? Why or why not?

6. �We do what we please because God does as he pleases,� Metzger says.�Those who stifle this core characteristic deny their humanness and holi-ness.� Do you agree? Why or why not? If you disagree, what argument wouldyou make against this claim? What biblical texts would you offer as evidencefor your position?

7. Metzger quotes philosopher Dallas Willard as saying, �God will let every-one into heaven who, in his considered opinion, can stand it.� How does thischange our view of heaven? What is Willard getting at? Does this make heav-en more or less appealing?

8. �Too many well-meaning Christians,� Metzger says, �are fairly joylesssouls.� Do you agree? Why or why not? Someone has commented that today�sevangelical churches seem to be divided into two basic, joyless groups: thosewhich are solemn (quietly unhappy), and those which are entertained (noisi-ly giddy). Do you think this is fair? What should true joy, true delight looklike? How do you know?

9. Metzger suggest that �the next time friends object to the evidence for Godin nature, invite them out for breakfast instead and watch what they select.I�ll bet they�ll choose what they enjoy eating... doing what we take pleasurein is a pointer toward God.� Do you think non-Christians will f ind this evi-dence for God convincing? Why or why not?

10. Do your non-Christian friends see you as someone who delights in thegood things of life? In God? In delight? If not, why not? As someone who doeswhat they please--and who explicitly links this with their Christian faith? Ifnot, why not? If they did, how might their view of Christianity change?

11. How should this exercise change your life?

12. Write a letter to Critique�s editor in response to Metzger�s piece.

Questions written by Denis Haack

critique 4 & 5 2007 21

�Cocoa Krispies Christianity�Copyright © 2007 Michael W.Metzger, The Clapham Institute. Usedby permission.

�Cocoa Krispies Christianity� firstappeared as a Clapham Commentary(September 10, 2007).

For more information or to sign up toreceive free email commentaries visittheir website: claphaminstitute.org

Michael W. Metzger is the Presidentand Senior Fellow of The ClaphamInstitute. He ia a graduate of WesternMichigan University, DallasTheological Seminary, and TrinityInternational University. He and hiswife Kathy live in Severna Park,Maryland; they have two sons and adaughter.

The Clapham InstituteBased in Annapolis, Maryland, theInstitute mentors leaders, helpingpeople and organizations connectSunday to Monday, to advance faith-centered cultural reform. Theyemphasize reframing conversations asthe first step, assuming we live in apost-Christian age.

2 2 critique 4 & 5 2007

r e s o u r c e s | d e n i s h a a c k

In every age Christians will be asked reasons for their faith. The ques-tions change over time, and different challenges are raised in succeeding gen-erations, so the need to listen with care and to think prayerfully is always anessential part of Christian faithfulness. �This dictionary,� the editors write,�aims to provide resources for Christian apologetics in our contemporarycontexts. The various articles aim not so much to provide a single �answer�as to introduce theological, historical, philosophical, and pastoral insightswhich, in turn, all contribute to create an apologia.�

The authors are both thoughtful scholars and Anglican ministers(McGrath also served as a L�Abri Worker). Still, the New Dictionary ofChristian Apologetics is intended not for dusty academic seminars but to equipordinary believers to make sense of their faith and to provide substantialanswers to the questions of their non-Christian neighbors. Contributors tothe New Dictionary that readers of Critique might recognize include WadeBradshaw, J. Budziszewski, William Edgar, John Frame, Douglas Groothuis,Dick Keyes, Jock McGregor, J. P. Moreland, J. I. Packer, and Richard Winter.

We recommend it to you.Book RecommendedNew Dictionary of Christian Apologetics edited by W. C. Campbell-Jack and Gavin McGrath (DownersGrove, IL: InterVarsity Press; 2006) 763 pp. + indices.

BOOK RECOMMENDED:Africa and the Bible by Edwin Yamauchi (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic Press; 2004)220 pp. + bibliography + notes + indices.

The continent of Africa is much in the news, and much of the newsfrom there is tragic. Though the growth of the church in Africa is aston-ishing, the devastation brought about through warfare, wholesale slaugh-ter, famine, disease, corruption, and mismanagement is simply appalling.Bono is quite correct in saying Africa is a continent which should bemuch on the minds, consciences, and hearts of Christians. That willprobably require some reading, and one book that Christians will want toinclude in their list is Dr Yamauchi's Africa and the Bible. Scholarly yetaccessible, this book helps us to appreciate the relationship of Scriptureand Africa from the far ancient past to the time of the Romans. In theprocess he corrects some common distortions (e.g. the meaning of thecurse on Noah's son, Ham) and broadens our understanding (why theEthiopian eunuch wasn't from what we think of as Ethiopia). History,archeology, and biblical study are woven together in a way that makesAfrica and the Bible both a good read and a useful reference. Not everyonewill need a copy, but having access to one is wise: get a copy for yourchurch library.

Africa and the Bible

Honest AnswersTo Honest Questions

critique 4 & 5 2007 2 3

In 2001, William Romanowski, professor of communicationarts and sciences at Calvin College published a remarkable bookwhich we heralded in these pages. Now he has released a revisedand expanded version which is even better. Eyes Wide Open:Looking for God in Popular Culture is one of the best introductionsto thinking and living Christianly in the world of popular culture.A world which Christians must not ignore, which we can notescape, and which we must engage with the gospel.

"Artists live in and find inspiration from the real world,"Romanowski says. "They give us maps of reality--symbolic repre-sentations (i.e. representions) of life in sounds, stories, andimages--that suggest the meaning of things. Determining meaningis a matter of perspective and interpretation. There is a close rela-tionship, then, between the arts and life perspectives: the lattershape the former as much as if not more than the other wayaround."

We recommend Eyes Wide Open to you. Must reading, actually.

r e s o u r c e s | d e n i s h a a c k

Colorful ArtisticExpressions

Van Gogh produced some of the most expressive, gloriouslycolorful paintings in the history of western art. With bold brushstrokes, his canvases seem to pulse with movement. In this slimvolume, 20 of Van Gogh's works are reproduced (in color)accompanied by a poem by Westmont College professor MarilynMcEntyre. The result is a simple but stunningly beautiful bookthat rewards repeated readings. Readings when one is all alone,or even better in a quiet room with good friends, good wine, andan eagerness to have one's soul refreshed.

The poem accompanying "Noon Rest" (the painting by VanGogh on the book's cover) has lines which reveal McEntyre hasa poetic imagination informed by a biblical understanding ofwork and rest:

while the brightest hour burns an arcacross its stretch of sky:this is the body's prayer�this is the prayer of trust:what's left undone will wait�All shall be well. Little depends on us.The turning world is held and borne in love.The Color of Light is a wonderful gift book; be sure not to give

all your copies away.

I Can See Clearly Now

BOOK RECOMMENDEDEyes Wide Open: Looking for God inPopular Culture (revised and expanded)by William D. Romanowski (GrandRapids, MI: Brazos Press; 2007) 242pp.tes + index.

BOOK RECOMMENDED:The Color of Light: Poems on Van Gogh's Late Paintings byMarilyn Chandler McEntyre (Grand Rapids, MI: EerdmansPublishing; 2007) 57 pp.

Martha is a famous chef whose sister's sudden deathbrings Lina, her 8-year-old niece into her orderly, soli-tary, efficient life. Lina is so traumatized by the tragedyshe refuses to eat. Then Mario, a recently hired chef atthe restaurant enters the mix, bringing with him a loveof people, food, and life that becomes a rich grace forboth Martha and Lina. Sometimes a film takes yourbreath away because it brings us into a story that is sotrue, so real, so deeply human that we can no longer bethe same. Beauty and truth both reveal God's glory, andwhen they touch one another in finely crafted art theresult is powerful. Mostly Martha is that sort of film. (106 minutes. Rated PG. German, English subtitles;2002.)

For years Tom Waits has used his distinctive gravellyvoice to produce music that is intimate, earthy, anddeceptively simple. He is the sort of musician you eitherlove or hate. Waits refuses to hide from reality, so hismusic is as rough-edged as his sound. "As always,"Paste says, "there is a push-and-pull between Waits'romanticism and his skepticism, between his hope thatpeople's better instincts will prevail and all the evidenceto the contrary." This 3-CD set, Brawlers, Bawlers &

Bastards, consists of new material, divided into thethree styles of his music: rocking, crooning, and weird-ness. "I've hurt the ones who loved me," Waits sings,"and I'm still raising Cain. I've taken the low road andif you've done the same, meet me down there by thetrain."

Domestic abuse is a

wide-spread effect of

the fall that has been

largely ignored by the

church, a tragedy we

must not allow to con-

tinue.

No Place for Abuse: Biblical & Practical Resources

to Counteract Domestic Violence by Catherine

Kroeger & Nancy Nason-Clark (InterVarsity Press;

2001) 200 pp.

the back page | denis haack

c r i t i q u e 4 & 5 2007

A professor of theology

presents brief introduc-

tions to and excerpts

from the writings of 55

major Christian thinkers

from Justin Martyr (100-

165) to Martin Luther

King (1929-1968).

Readings in Christian Thought edited by Hugh T.

Kerr (Abingdon Press; 1966) 403 pages.

A moral philosopher

(Princeton) helps us

understand something

that is an intimate part

of our daily lives. (The

book is a great conver-

sation starter when left

on a coffee table.)

On Bullshit by Harry G. Frankfurt (Princeton

University Press; 2005) 67 pages.

For 21 years Richard Bewes was Rector of All SoulsChurch in London; he is a pastor who has listened care-fully to the questions being raised by the postmoderngeneration. His answers are brief, thoughtful, biblical,and expressed in language that speaks to those outsidethe church as well as those within. The questions arewide ranging, including: Were the Magi astrologers?Who authorized the Bible? What about atrocities in theBible? Where is the Bible's power? Why are Christianssuch a pain? How is Christ coming back? This simplethoughtful book would be ideal for Sunday school class-es, family devotions, or for parents to leave in the bath-room.

The Top 100 Questions REMIX: Spiritual Answers to

Real Questions by Richard Bewes (Christian Focus;2006) 217 pages.

Recommended to me by a Muslim friend, this book is athoughtful, accessible introduction to understanding theQur'an. Sells introduces the Islamic holy book to non-Islamic readers, includes a helpful glossary of terms,and provides a commentary for a number of the essen-tial Suras (chapters). Since Islam emphasizes therecitation of the Arabic text, the book comes with a CDof 33 tracks with a variety of famous readers recitingvarious Suras. Sells' goal, he says, is to try to communi-cate first, "some sense of that particular combination ofmajesty and intimacy that makes the Qur'anic voicedistinctive," and second, "an appreciation of its distinc-tive literary character."

Approaching the Qur'an: The Early Revelations intro-duced and translated by Michael Sells (White CloudPress; 2007) 236 pages plus CD.