Barnabas File

Add caption (Many spoilers here.) Perhaps the theme in the Skywalker Saga that finds the most resonance with the Christian faith is the theme of fall and redemption.    The Book of Genesis recounts the fall of humankind in the Garden of Eden and the destruction of the world due to humanity’s rebellion as well as the first steps toward redemption through the call of Abram to be the father of a great nation. Of course, this process of redemption only comes to fruition in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Like most humans, key characters in the Skywalker Saga are flawed people who fail and seek redemption. Anakin Skywalker is “the chosen one” who is meant to bring balance the Force.  In Attack of Clones (Episode two), Anakin has become a prideful, petulant teen-ager who thinks he knows everything.  According to Christian writer C. S. Lewis, pride was the original sin of humanity, thinking that the creature could attain...

Wonder Woman is the real deal.  With the relatively unknown Gal Gadot in the title role and Patty Jenkins as director, DC has finally produced a superhero movie with both action and heart. If you are expecting a feminist polemic, you will be surprised.  This is a story about humanity, our virtues and sins, and the choices we make between the two. Diana (Gadot) is a young woman raised for a special purpose, one that is unwrapped throughout the film. Raised as the only child on an island of Amazons, the real world intrudes on her tranquil (although martial) environment when the plane of American Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) crashes into the sea nearby.  This begins her journey into a larger world as she pursues the mission for which she was destined. The film has a strong cast both among the Amazon women and the rag-tag force that Trevor recruits to accompany them on their mission.  There is humor, social satire, romance, and certainly action (some of which m...

Since I have several young grandchildren, I find myself viewing animated films on a regular basis. Sometimes this is enjoyable and other times it is a duty to be endured. Seeing Moana was the former.  The story of a strong-willed Polynesian princess—sorry, the daughter of a tribal chief—and her alliance with the mythological demigod Maui is a fun and engaging experience. Featuring the voices of Auli'i Cravalho , Dwayne Johnson , Rachel House , Temuera Morrison , Jemaine Clement , Nicole Scherzinger and Alan Tudyk , the film follows the usual Disney formula of an adventurous heroine on a quest who is plucky, heroic, and a good singer.  In an effort to save her island and her tribe, Moana seeks out Maui, a hero who has fallen on hard times, for help.  There are some nice underlying themes in the film such as following one’s calling and caring for the earth, but I think the key biblical theme is redemption.  Moana may be the protagonist of the sto...

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”-- John 16:33,NIV Earlier this month I attended a Mental Health Conference which featured a presentation by Timothy Jennings, a psychiatrist who studies the influence of various factors—diet, exercise, stress--on depression.   A lot of what he said was way over my head, but these two statements got my attention: “Religion based on fear damages the brain.   Religion based on love is healing to the brain.” Now I certainly cannot follow all the research that led Jennings to that conclusion, but as a Christian believer, his findings make sense to me.   This got to thinking how our view of God impacts our thinking, our mental health, and our subsequent actions. Kim Davis, the county clerk in Rowan County, Kentucky, has stated that issuing marriages licenses to gay couples is a violation of God’s authority and her consc...