by Mark Thiessen Nation (Eerdmans, 2006) reviewed by Andrew Francis
In the Forward, Stanley Hauerwas writes ‘This book will clearly make Mark Nation the scholar of record about matters Yoder’. He is right. This is the best introduction to reading Yoder on the market – apart from reading Yoder himself.
Directed by Fatih Akin, to be released in North America in May
Living in Germany in the early 90’s, I heard countless complaints about the growing Turkish population in that country. Invited to help rebuild Germany after the war, Turks have now been living in Germany for generations, in the midst of a people who have a very set way of doing things. This has resulted in a lot of tension and even violence. People have not treated each other as they should. With Turkey on the verge of joining the European Union, which is uniting a continent that feels completely different than it did twenty years ago, will people learn to live with each other in a new way in the 21st century?
Vic Thiessen, March 2008
Woody Allen has always been one of the world’s most unique filmmakers. While his best work may be behind him, Allen continues to make films that inspire us to think deeply about what drives us and our society. In two of my favourite Allen films, Crimes and Misdemeanors and Match Point, Allen explores the theme of violence and why it is so easy for some people to kill others. His view seems to be that this can only happen in a world without a God. Allen continues this theme in his most recnt film, Cassandra’s Dream, but I detected something new in his pessimistic view.
Vic Thiessen, May, 2008
“Are you happy in your life?” the protagonist in Mike Leigh’s latest film, Happy-Go-Lucky, asks her new friend. The response: “That’s a big question!”
by Dave Bookless published by IVP (2008)
Reviewed by Jo Rathbone
Dave’s book is a clearly-written introduction (to those particularly from an evangelical background) as to why we should be caring for God’s creation. Perhaps the best paragraphs are in the introduction where he says that this is not an issue simply because we have to address climate change, but because climate change is a symptom of a deep malaise in our society which is bad for the planet. We have to root out a much more deeply embedded issue to do with the nature of our being, and our attitude to God’s creation.
Reviewed by Vic Thiessen
The year is 2027. The premise is fascinating, if rather farfetched: One fine day, in 2009, women stopped being able to conceive (whether the result of infertility in men or women is not stated), leaving the planet truly in its last days. The world is disintegrating, crime and anarchy are rampant, and the UK government (advertised as the last functioning government in the world) obviously thinks the “short-term” solution lies in keeping its borders closed and hunting down illegal immigrants. But what if one of those immigrants was pregnant?
