Articles : Carpenter's Line
Dec. 7, 2009 issue
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‘Blind Side’ sneaks up on you
Brad Yoder, a Pittsburgh-based Mennonite musician and songwriter, is fond of saying, “You can’t make this stuff up.” If the film The Blind Side weren’t based on a true story, as chronicled in Michael Lewis’ book The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, I wouldn’t believe it.
Actual sports footage bookends this heart-warming tale of Michael Oher, who escapes from homelessness in Memphis, Tenn., and becomes a professional football player with the Baltimore Ravens. These clips anchor the film in reality, even as Hollywood glamorizes.
Nov. 9, 2009 issue
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Capitalism: un-Christian?
Michael Moore’s latest film, Capitalism: A Love Story, is perhaps his best. His humor makes what might otherwise have been a boring treatise on American capitalism an enjoyable film.
Sept. 21, 2009 issue
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In Christ, holding the center
In my Aug. 10 column I wrote of my concern for Mennonite Church USA’s ability to move ahead without splintering.
Aug. 10, 2009 issue
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Boundaries or the center?
I came away from Mennonite Church USA’s convention in Columbus greatly inspired. At the same time, a question plagued me: “How can we move forward and avoid splintering as a denomination?” Further reflection at Virginia Mennonite Conference’s assembly July 23-25 helped clarify my thinking.
June 1, 2009 issue
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Plan to strengthen the core
Everyone tells us to eat right and exercise regularly. It’s hard to argue with that. But beyond simply getting exercise, one needs to consider what kind of exercise is best for one’s own specific issues.
March 23, 2009 issue
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How to measure a life?
On Feb. 28, famed radio broadcaster Paul Harvey died. He was 90. Two hundred people attended his memorial service at Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago. Many more mourned his passing with fond memories of his reports that told “the rest of the story.”
Jan. 19, 2009 issue
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Tension of certainty, doubt
Doubt is, in my estimation, the best film of 2008. I have come to expect a lot from Meryl Streep and most recently from Philip Seymour Hoffman. When put together in a film adaptation of John Parker Stanley’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, the result is explosive.
Dec. 1, 2008 issue
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Sacred space, sacred speech
Are the words spoken on a Sunday morning different than those spoken at work or in the home? Does the space we use for worship matter? These are questions the church has wrestled with for centuries.
May 26, 2008 issue
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Narnia: less story, more war
Prince Caspian, the second installment in the Narnia film series, opened to huge audiences May 16. I am more critical of this film than I might be of similar projects because it is adapted from a C.S. Lewis book that is a Christian allegory. The Christian message, so prominent in Lewis’ writing, is lost on the uninitiated, though it is present in ample degree to satisfy those looking for it.
Dec. 3, 2007 issue
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‘The Ultimate Gift’ satisfies
Director Michael Sajbel’s film The Ultimate Gift explores the paradox of the inverse relationship between wealth and happiness.
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