Grace Blogs

I found myself another Batman-inspired conversation yesterday… it was about this quote from Batman Begins:

It’s not who you are underneath, it’s what you do that defines you.

Agree or disagree? How does this question relate to the Gospel?

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Yesterday I indulged in a little one-sided provocation to get some conversation going. Taking Justin Taylor’s callout to two blogs that commented on The Dark Knight as a starting point, I basically asked for commentary on the commentary. I don’t think I ever explicitly agreed with the commentary (I didn’t intend to), though it certainly provides some food for thought about the way we consume entertainment.

But I confess that I had an agenda:

1. I wanted show the value of asking questions to make people think and start (and sustain) a conversation.

2. I wanted to stimulate Gospel-centered thinking about something that will come up in conversation (the latest Hollywood blockbuster) so that we can

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How’s that for a headline? (Update: Be sure to read on to the next post.)

Krista and I went to see The Dark Knight on Saturday. It was an impressive film; we really enjoyed it on a number of levels—the production values were exceptional, Heath Ledger’s performance was amazing, and the characterizations and plot offered plenty of food for thought. (BTW, is Batman really Bruce Wayne, or is Bruce Wayne really Batman?)

But to tell you the truth, by Sunday morning I had pretty much moved on.

Then, this morning, I read this commentary by Ray Ortlund:

Visually stimulating. Technologically impressive.

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My family recently watched the old musical Annie. What a charming and happy orphan Annie is! Her happiness stems from hope, because she knows that she belongs to someone and that someone will rescue her. Well, my hair is not red and curly, and I’m certainly not as charming as she is, but I am an orphan, nonetheless. Yes, I’m Little Orphan Donna. Don’t worry, though. I have been adopted by my own Daddy Warbucks, and He’s the richest man in the world!

So, what do you think of when you hear the word “adoption”? Maybe you think of someone giving hope to one who didn’t have hope, someone giving identity to one who didn’t know his identity. Perhaps you

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The blogs are abuzz with perspectives on The Golden Compass. Some of these were referenced in Dan’s earlier post about The Golden Compass, but I thought I’d compile a bunch of them here in one place.

Amy Hall of Stand to Reason writes:

And so we come to the one, core argument about the real world made by Pullman through these novels: the God of the Bible is not good. …In the midst of all the sensational plot details that could easily sidetrack our objections, this is the point we need to respond to as Christians. And this won’t be accomplished by picketing

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Ben Stein (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off… “Bueller? Bueller? Anyone? Anyone?”) is troubled by the Darwinist thought police who patrol the intellectual hallways of the world. He’s taking them on in a new movie due out on February 12, 2008, called Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed.

Here’s the trailer.

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I am a great sinner, and Christ is a great Savior.

— John Newton, in Amazing Grace

Let me confess something: I wept when I watched the trailers for the film Amazing Grace. Visit the film’s web site to see all the trailers (the quote above is from the second trailer) — but do it someplace where you can crank up the volume and feel the bagpipes and the drums and the orchestra. You may also recognize Chris Tomlin singing the movie’s theme song.

But before you go see the film — my wife and I are eagerly looking forward to it — listen to John Piper’s biography of William Wilberforce (the main character in the film). You might also …

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