THE WORD: OF JUDGING AND BEING JUDGEMENTAL

Somewhere in the mishmash of modern political correctness and the gospel of acceptance and tolerance the line between making sound judgements and being judgemental has been blurred.

     This is not new. Jesus had quite a bit to say on this topic in combating misunderstandings in his day. Thankfully, his example and teaching make clarifying the difference between judging and being judgemental much simpler.
      Jesus butted heads against a form of religious correctness rather than political correctness. This doctrinaire said life is about fulfilling religious obligations through observing a series of expanding interpretations of laws. Instead of allowing people to draw near to God it squeezed the love of God out of people’s lives. The religious correctness of the Pharisees and teachers of the law was infused with a self-righteousness on matters ranging from foods to eat or not, circumcision, Sabbath observances and even the tricky problem of tithing mint, herbs and other condiments.

      LLOYD HARKNESS takes a look at how Jesus differentiates between making a sound judgement and being judgemental... | more... |

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COMICS: REVISITING CLASSIC FANTASY THEMES MAKES MICE TEMPLAR A SATISFYING EXPERIENCE

I’ve been following this series since it began. It doesn’t have the traits of my usual picks - that is, no spandex, or space ships, or surprising resurrections. It doesn’t even have any secret identities! But what Mice Templar does offer is great story telling, and that’s enough to make it stand out from the superheroes crowding the racks.

     Writer Bryan J.L Glass (Magician: Apprentice) and artist Mike Avon Oeming (Powers) are crafting this series in to the next great epic in sequential art. I’d compare it to Lord of the Rings since it deals with a dirty fantasy world rich in textured history, but it can also win favour with the Narnia crowd in the way it wraps deceptively cute anthropomorphic adventures in a cloak of adult themes. It would undoubtedly be a more engrossing experience reading the complete series, once finished, in collected form, but thankfully each issue has a handy reminder of what’s come before to refresh the memory. Since this is a bi-monthly series, this addition is particularly welcome and the casual reader should find enough with any issue to be hooked immediately.

     KRIS BATHER reviews Mouse Templar #5... | more... |

ON THE SCREEN: GET SMART - MISSED IT BY THAT MUCH!

First, a confession: I am an avid fan of the original Get Smart series. So, that said, you can understand that I approached the new Get Smart film with some trepidation - after all, it does come in the wake of some disastrous remakes like latest Pink Panther incarnation starring Steve Martin.
      The trepidation was somewhat justified. Sure, the latest Get Smart does provide some laughs - there’s a cone of silence scene and a scene involving an aircraft and a crossbow that rivals the original series, but overall it doesn’t really come close to replicating the wit of the original.
      To his credit, Steve Carell does a fair job of bringing Agent 86, Maxwell Smart, back to the screen and Anne Hathaway makes a reasonable effort at portraying his sidekick, 99, although her persona is a dramatic shift on that played by Barbara Feldon. Other cast choices aren’t so good - Alan Arkin isn’t terribly convincing as The Chief, David Koechner’s Larabee is just a mindless thug and Terrance Stamp was not a good choice for Max’s nemesis - Siegfried, the leader of KAOS.
      DAVID ADAMS says the latest Get Smart movie doesn't hold a candle to the original... | more...|

ON THE SCREEN: THE DISPOSABLE ONES A CONFRONTING LOOK AT LIFE AMONG COLOMBIA'S POOREST

Australian rugby league professional Jason Stevens steps a little out of his comfort zone in this Compassion Australia-funded Karbon International production of The Disposable Ones. The documentary is about children; more precisely those in Colombia who are branded the detritus of society in a culture stunted by poverty, frustrated by drug related civil war, and prone to family breakdown.

     Predictably, the reel casts off in Australia where, around a dinner table, Jason discusses with family his reasons for wanting to experience a short spell in Colombia. It’s the children that primarily draw him there; those abused and thrown away by society, appropriately nicknamed ‘ninos gamines’ or 'the disposable ones'. His desire is to see how poverty affects them, what their lives are really like and ultimately, to come to a conclusion about how he can help.

     CHOE BRERETON takes a look at one of the films in the Faith on Film Festival - the Jason Stevens' documentary, The Disposable Ones...  | more...|

FAITH ON FILM: NEW FESTIVAL TO SHOWCASE CHRISTIAN MOVIES...  | more...|

"EYES OPENED": FORMER RUGBY LEAGUE STAR JASON STEVENS COMES FACE-TO-FACE WITH THE PLIGHT OF CHILDREN IN COLOMBIA...  | more...|

COMICS: ATOMIC ROBO WILL "RENEW YOUR LOVE" FOR COMICS

Atomic Robo made an impression on the comics scene last year the same way he does in this story; packed with action and pleasant surprises. From new publisher, Red 5 ( who seem to be picking their projects wisely), this series is the ideal gateway title.

     If you’ve been away from comics for a while with all the soap opera spandex stories, or the ever-increasing adult tales wrapped in seemingly childlike packages, then you need to do yourself a favour. You need to buy Atomic Robo Volume 1. It will renew your love for the medium and give you faith in its future. Books that are simply fun and that can be shared with the whole family are a rarity on today’s stands. Robo is a new creation, yet he brings together the best bits of pulp adventurers as well as the fun of early Savage Dragon and the 'actiony' wit of Hellboy (the movie version).

     KRIS BATHER looks at Atomic Robo... | more... |

BOOKS: SEVEN WAYS TO CHANGE THE WORLD - JIM WALLIS' CHALLENGE TO A GENERATION LOOKING TO MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE

Get involved. That, in precis, is the message of US evangelical Christian political thinker and activist Jim Wallis in his latest book Seven Ways To Change The World: Reviving Faith And Politics.

     Following on from his best-selling God’s Politics, Seven Ways To Change The World charts some of the positive moves that have been made in the US in recent years with regard to the vexed issue of religion and politics - particularly the loss of the hold of the ‘Religious Right’ as the only voice for Christianity in the US political sphere - and posits the idea of the political position of ‘conservative radical’ as an alternative to the left and right partisan politics currently on offer in the States.

     Wallis then turns to seven major arenas in which Christians can make an impact and, in doing so, change the world for the better. These subjects he covers under the banner of his seven themes, such as 'Life and Dignity' and 'Equality and Diversity,' are broad and include everything from poverty to caring for the environment and tackling racism and sexism, through to human trafficking, slavery, abortion and the Iraq war.

     DAVID ADAMS is challenged afresh with Jim Wallis' latest book, Seven Ways To Change The World... | more... |

MUSIC: TOBYMAC'S FIRST LIVE DVD SHOWCASES HIS BEST

dcTalk helped me become a Christian. I saw their Welcome to the Freak Show live concert on VHS and couldn’t believe they were a Christian band. Surely Christian music had guys in braces playing harps and singing, “Hallelujah,” all the time. Right? Wrong-thankfully. I loved that album and listened to the tape so many times I destroyed it. Then when Jars of Clay, Newsboys and delirious came along all my misconceptions about Christianity were swept away. Contemporary Christian music has been an integral part of my life since.

     dcTalk’s last album of new material, 1998’s Supernatural, was certainly a fitting swansong from the groundbreaking boys, and the demand for an immediate re-union was high. I don’t think many people expected TobyMac to be the most successful solo artist after the split. With the soaring voices of Michael Tait and Kevin Max “that guy that does all the rapping” had to work hard to get noticed. But he did, and it paid off.

    KRIS BATHER takes a look at TobyMac's first live DVD... | more... |

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ORIGINS: CREATED BY ACCIDENT, THE TEABAG CLOCKS UP A CENTURY

It’s such a ubiquitous part of our lives these days that it’s hard to imagine life without it. Yet only 100 years ago, the humble teabag didn’t exist.

     The teabag apparently traces its beginnings back to New York in the early years of the 20th century (accounts vary with some putting the year at 1908 and others at 1904) when a merchant, Thomas Sullivan, sent out samples to customers in small silk bags.

     The customers, so the story goes, misread his intent and instead of opening the bags and tipping the loose tea into a pot, they simply dunked them.

      DAVID ADAMS looks at the origins of the teabag... | more...|

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THE BIG PICTURE

    Mt Machupuchare, Nepal, taken from Annapurna Base Camp by JANE GOODSON... | more... |

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