Culture

122 minutes Rated MA15+ It is now clear that we are facing an implacable enemy whose avowed objective is world domination… there are no rules in such a game. Hitherto acceptable norms of human conduct do not apply. Not a recent quote, those lines are from a CIA report to President Truman in the early years of the Cold War. ...

Jossey-Bass (2005) RRP: $35.95 Only Human is the first book in the series “Enduring Questions in Christian Life”. As the series suggests they aim to address some of the continuing deep spiritual and moral concerns of Christians and others. The target audience is “thoughtful seekers” unlikely to reach for “technical works”. Gushee is an ethicist, pastor and writer who deals ...

Abingdon Press, Nashville R.R.P. $16.25 Available from MediaCom – phone toll free: 1800 811 311 or order online at www.mediacom.org.auEvery minister or pastoral carer knows how challenging it can be to offer prayer at a wide variety of public occasions. Belton Joyner has tackled this task head-on offering us this resource for eighty diverse life situations. Though written in the ...

Rated M Staring Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Richard Gere and others Bob Dylan, the man who wrote the famous line “The times they are a-changing”, has himself been written about perhaps more than any other modern musician, helping ensure that his legend has loomed large for almost 50 years. He has inspired countless artists, musicians, and a number ...

Lion Hudson RRP $18.95. This little gem from the Questions of Faith series is a delightful introduction to the varieties of ways in which Christians seek to open themselves to God through personal prayer and prayer with others. The first nine segments explore “What is Prayer?” under the headings: encounter; celebration; awareness; ask, seek, knock; listening; lamenting and penitence; carrying ...

Lion Hudson Books, 176 pages RRP: $34.95 I was pleasantly surprised by this concise historical coverage of a two millennia history. I wondered about the title, because nowadays the term is used sometimes apologetically and sometimes aggressively. However, I was impressed as the story of the Christians, in their many forms and in their diverse circumstances, was well covered, with ...

Ark House Press RRP $ 24.95 No Eye Has Seen is a fantasy thriller, with sci-fi tendencies, about the interplay between the spiritual and earthly realms. This contemporary tale unfolds in the vaguely sketched ‘Mt Thompson’, and the action switches between three central characters: Sarah, who is killed at the very beginning, her killer, and Sarah’s pastor. It paints a ...

Publisher Zeus Publications RRP $26.95 The title Two Small Books on Lay People and the Church belies the tone of a book that intensely challenges the Uniting Church and especially its laity. Speaking as a dedicated layman, Emeritus Professor Rod Jensen uses his highly developed analytical skills to probe the reasons for the current and truly alarming decline in our ...

Self published RRP $15.00 After many years of seeing Phillip’s wonderful cartoons published each month in Journey, reading the Between the Pews collection of cartoons was like bumping into a very entertaining old friend. Star of the book is our friend Rev Seymore W. Jones aged 54 whose favourite colour is dull grey and whose greatest achievement to date is ...

Pure Entertainment RRP $29.95 New Zealand singer, Edwin Derricutt has released his third album titled Symmetry and it is in no way monotonous or common. With a New Zealand country-style background, he leaves his listeners relaxed, enchanted and at peace with these unique tracks. Based on relationships with God and with a significant other, the songs spell out the importance ...