Magazine /

February 9, 2010

Volume 127, Issue #3
Download issue PDF ›
All back issues ›

Features

Film

Up in the Air

"We are not swans,” declares Ryan Bing ham (played by George Clooney), summing up human nature to a crowded conference room. “We’re sharks.”

The line comes about midway through Up in the Air, the latest picture from Jason Reitman (Thank You for Smoking, Juno), and the claim also sits at the center of the film’s feast of ideas. Calvin said all wisdom consists of two endlessly interconnected parts: the knowledge of God and the knowledge of ourselves. Up in the Air is a meditation on the latter, and it is one of the most intriguing films of the year.

reviewed by Matthew Myer Boulton
Cover Story

Travelers' blessings: An interview with Rick Steves

Rick Steves on the spirituality of traveling: People have a lot of fear, and the flip side of fear is understanding. When you travel to new places you understand more, so you fear less. Then you can love people as a Christian should. The less you travel, the more likely that media with a particular agenda can shape your viewpoint. Those of us who travel are a little more resilient in weathering the propaganda storms that blow across the U.S. media.
by Amy Frykholm
Feature

The past isn't past: The weight of congregational history

Who cares about history? I think about this question a lot because of my job as director of the Congregational Library in Boston. My association with this venerable Yankee institution, a large collection of things both important and inexplicable, means I’m often invited to churches that are celebrating anniversaries. It’s the part of my job I enjoy the most—bringing words of greeting from long-dead Congregationalists whose memories are stored away in our climate-controlled archive.

by Margaret Bendroth
Feature

Generational ties: Bridging the gaps

I began the visit with “Hello, I’m the new pastor at the Presbyterian church.” An innocent enough introduction, I thought. “Wow. But you’re so young!” came the reply.“Well, I just started. And sure, I’m on the young side,” I said, hoping to move on quickly.“No, I mean, you’re really young!”At this point it was difficult to know what to say. To be honest, I was frustrated. I hadn't gone to college plus seminary plus spent an extra year as intern only to have my lack of wrinkles and my intact hairline greeted with shock.
by Adam J. Copeland
Film

Crazy Heart

The title of Scott Cooper’s debut film, Crazy Heart, comes from a song by the movie’s protagonist, a country singer named Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges). At 57, Bad is an alcoholic and is shut down artistically, but he’s still working the road and hanging on. The song alludes to picking up his crazy heart and giving it one more try. That’s the theme of this poignant movie, whose intimate style evokes the films of the 1970s.

reviewed by Steve A. Vineberg

Books

BookMarks

This book is a collection of witty, whimsical and charming fictional letters written in 1946....

After youth group

My friend David Burke, veteran youth pastor and church consultant, met recently with leaders of a midsiz...
By Kenda Creasy Dean

Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City

Henry Ford never did things by halves....
reviewed by Lawrence Wood

The Sins of the Fathers: The Law and Theology of Illegitimacy Reconsidered

To appreciate this important book, the reader must set it in the context of the emerging dialogue betwe...
reviewed by Don Browning

Thousands of Broadways/Lights on a Ground of Darkness

Two of America’s rece...
reviewed by Jeffrey Johnson

Departments

Editor's Desk

I statements: A preacher's testimony

I regretted to see in the January 2 New York Times that Peter Steinfels was writing his final “Beliefs” column. I’ve rarely missed a Steinfels column over the years....
by John Buchanan
From the Editors

Homegrown counterterrorism: Successful self-policing

Terrorism has a homegrown dimension. Many of the terrorist plots uncovered since 9/11 have involved U.S.-born or naturalized U.S. citizens. ...
American Soundings

Vampires among us: Tales of defeat and redemption

Met any vampires lately? They are unavoidable in popular culture, from Stephanie Meyer’s books Twilight and New Moon (both made into films) to television fare such as True Blood and The Vampire Diaries....
by Rodney Clapp
Faith Matters

Our life story: Creedal relevance

Tom walked into my office looking glum. He tossed his backpack on the floor, fell into a chair by my desk, sighed, and then rummaged through his bag for the registrar’s form. Tom is a first-year seminary student, and I’m his counselor. We walked through the courses he would be taking, most of them part of our core curriculum. Tom’s lack of enthusiasm was screaming at me. Finally I took the bait: “So, Tom, what’s the matter?” His hands went up in the air as he shot back, “What’s the deal with all of these required courses? When do we get to study things that are relevant?” Ah, I thought, the old “Let’s make thousands of years of inherited tradition relevant to me” argument. I’d just had a similar conversation with a woman in the congregation where I serve, who wondered why we repeat the “same old creed” each Sunday.
by M. Craig Barnes

News

Century Marks

Century Marks

Local bankers: Move Your Money is an online grassroots movement encouraging people to take their money out of banks that are “too big to fail.” It is appealing to people who are angry at big banks for predatory lending practices, for receiving government bailout money and for giving huge bonuses to their employees. Although some community banks have also failed, they typically are more conservative in the way they use their money and are often more connected to local businesses and needs (Move Your Money).

People

Bob Abernethy, host of the PBS show Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, will receive a special Wilbur Award from the Religion Communicators Council at the Religion Communication Congress 2010 in April in Chicago....

Briefly noted

The New Jersey state senate has voted down a bill to legalize same-sex marriage, prompting a promise from gay-rights advocates to take their campaign to the courts. The final tally on January 7 was 20–14 with three abstentions....

Jordan files complaint over Dead Sea Scrolls: Allegedly stolen during Six-Day War

Jordan has complained to a United Nations agency after Canada refused to seize a display of Dead Sea Scrolls at a recent exhibit in Toronto....

Non-Muslim religions harassed in Malaysia: Dispute over use of "Allah"

Places of worship belonging to religious minorities in Malaysia are continuing to be targeted in a dispute over the use of “Allah” by non-Islamic faiths....

Ecumenical outcry follows Coptic Christian killings: An attack in Egypt

The drive-by gunfire killing of six Coptic Christians in Egypt at their church on January 6, the eve of their Christmas celebration, has drawn widespread shock from the Vatican and church leaders in Europe, the Middle East and Australia....

Muslims tap educator for key executive role: Islamic Society of North America

The Islamic Society of North America, one of the broadest umbrella Muslim organizations based in the U.S., has appointed Chicago lawyer and youth leader Safaa Zarzour as its next secretary general....

Executions up in 2009, but death sentences drop: Decline in sentences greatest in Texas

The number of state-sponsored executions jumped 41 percent in 2009 even as the number of death penalty court sentences dropped, according to a report from the Washington-based Death Penalty Information Center....

Church workers caught in Haiti’s devastation: Dire conditions

Nearly a week after the devastating earthquake, with the capital city suffering from a shortage of water, food, medical help, gasoline, housing and safety from looters, Haiti’s Episcopal bishop Jean Zache Duracin rejected an offer to evacuate him ...
by John Dart

Barna survey: Churches feel economic crunch: Typical church sees 7 percent drop

A nationwide poll of 1,100 Protestant church leaders in the last quarter of 2009 found that 57 percent said the economy affected their congregation negatively over the past year, but only 8 percent called the effect “very negative.”...

New York's elite churches struggle with recession: Endowments hit hard

More than a century ago, when Fifth Avenue was lined with mansions, its houses of worship were built, supported and populated by Vanderbilts, Astors and Belmonts....

A consensus on religious liberties: A joint statement

Despite public school controversies that generate sparks every December, church-state columnist Charles Haynes of the Freedom Forum recently wrote, “The First Amendment solution is stunningly simple: Schools should plan holiday programs that are e...
by John Dart

Free Newsletters

From theological reflections to breaking religion news to the latest books, the Christian Century's newsletters have you covered.

Explore Newsletters