OK, I have not seen the film yet, and I am not sure if I will. I keep getting mixed signals on the new film about Margaret Thatcher starring Meryl Streep. Of course one can assess a film in terms
Several news items in the past few days are well worth noting. They have to do with some genuine heroes, something which seems to be in real short supply nowadays. One involves a Christian athlete and the other involves a
It is very easy to poke fun at the Hollyweird crowd – after all there are so many of them doing so many stupid PC things. It is rare for a denizen of Hollywood to actually come out and do
Renowned writer and atheist Christopher Hitchens has just died at age 62 of cancer-related pneumonia. The writer, controversialist and polemicist had a distinguished career in the literary field, and was a noted debater, journalist, essayist and columnist. He had a
All over the Western world sexual crimes are sky-rocketing, and all over the Western world we live in a sex-soaked society. Is there a connection? Anyone but a libertarian ideologue would of course know there is. You simply cannot pump
There are very few solidly pro-faith and pro-family films out today. There are not many professionally-made Christian movies around. Courageous however is all this and more. Above all, its message is the overwhelming importance of fathers and fatherhood.
During the middle of the Second World War, C.S. Lewis wrote a short essay for the Spectator on “Equality”. In it he said, “Mankind is so fallen that no man can be trusted with unchecked power over his fellows. Aristotle
I expect that some might argue that what I said in my title is a glaring example of what is known as an oxymoron. To that I can only plead guilty as charged. That our over-paid and over-egoed celebs can
There must be some sort of law in operation which posits that the higher you climb in the celebrity ranks, the lower you sink in mental ability and moral clarity. We have all sorts of Hollywood celebs, pop stars, and
OK, a few qualifications here. I am not an artist. But I do know a bit about Christianity, so I may yet be permitted to speak on this topic. And I am not going to offer here anything deep or
As everyone now knows, troubled singer Amy Winehouse passed away on Saturday. She was as famous for her drug and alcohol-plagued life as her musical career. The English singer-songwriter had a short but controversial run with fame as a musician.
OK, consider a brief exercise in a bit of cynicism here. But sometimes public figures really become irritating, so please indulge me as I let off a little steam for a few moments. (For those whose sensibilities cannot handle a
Some people thrive on being controversial. Indeed, for many, it is the only way they can make a living. The more controversial, shocking and outrageous they are, the more attention they get, and often, the more money they can make.
Over the years I have heard it all about Jesus. We have been told that Jesus is a socialist. Jesus is a greenie. Jesus is a pacifist. Jesus is a feminist. Jesus is an anti-nukes campaigner. Jesus would bless same-sex
The makers and promoters of popular culture have a lot to answer for. Hollywood in particular and the entertainment industry in general are keen to get all the disposable income which young people have in abundance, and they don’t really
Billy Ray Cyrus is famous for at least two reasons: his hit song Achy Breaky Heart, and his handful of a daughter, Miley Cyrus (sometimes known as TV persona, Hannah Montana). Unfortunately many people would argue that both were
It may not seem like a great time to be talking about good news in the book world. After all, news headlines report that 2,500 Australian jobs may go as the owner of Borders and Angus & Robertson has gone
Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874-1936) is one of my favourite writers, and his 1908 volume Orthodoxy is one of my favourite books. He was an English writer, apologist, poet, essayist, and journalist. He was extremely prolific, having penned some 80 books,
There are always attempts being made to water down the Christian story, and that is certainly true at Christmas time. What is meant to be the celebration of the birth of the Saviour of the world is reduced to a
It may have been “twenty years ago today, Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play,” as the Beatles sang about in their 1967 album “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” but I in fact wish to go back one more