http://www.thinkingfaith.org/index.htm The online journal of the British Jesuits en-gb Wed, 6 Aug 2008 15:00 GMT Copyright: (C) Jesuit Media Initiatives film review http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080806_1.htm The film tells Philippe Petit's story of his crossing of the two World Trade Centre towers by wire: a brief, extraordinary story that makes fantastic cinema. The simplicity of the story precludes over-analysis.  This is one for joy. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080806_1.htm Wed, 6 Aug 2008 14:58:00 UTC film review http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080806_2.htm Married Life sets itself up as a quaint little period piece with a stylish animated credit intro showing the chintzy, domestic bliss of prosperous post-war America.  The film goes to dark places but remains refreshingly understated about it, and with this sincerity it bestows upon the characters a fidelity to the era, although not to each other. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080806_2.htm Wed, 6 Aug 2008 14:57:00 UTC article http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080805_1.htm World Youth Day 2008 attracted hundreds of thousands of young adults to Sydney to celebrate their faith in the presence of Pope Benedict XVI. Ruth Morris recalls how the MAGiS programme of Ignatian spirituality in the fortnight preceding the celebrations prepared her and other pilgrims for an unforgettable experience. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080805_1.htm Tue, 5 Aug 2008 17:15:00 UTC film review http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080805_2.htm Beautifully shot, El Baño del Papa (‘The Pope’s Toilet’) portrays the poverty and despair in the Uruguayan town of Melo in 1988 through characterisation rather than through shock tactics with the camera.  This film’s charm lies in its unflinching optimism in the face of despair.  With a touching honesty, it depicts a community not often captured on cinema screens, where wealth is not even something that can be dreamed of. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080805_2.htm Tue, 5 Aug 2008 17:26:00 +0000 film review http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080805_1.htm This should be an insightful story with something to say about identity, about violence, about the blind loyalty football seems to encourage, but it isn't.  For all its political posturing and folk hero sentimentality, the film never ventures into a football stadium where we’d have seen plenty of innocent victims, working class and unemployed ones at that, being terrorized by the selfish brutality of the hooligans. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080805_1.htm Tue, 5 Aug 2008 11:13:00 +0000 film review http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080804_1.htm The film pitches between gruesome horror, a patchwork meditation on faith, and a love story between the two protagonists.  Once the story line kicks in, it feels like too much is being attempted but in all, this is a decentish crime story glazed with X Files paraphernalia. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080804_1.htm Mon, 4 Aug 2008 16:27:00 +0000 article http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080801_1.htm The month of August traditionally marks the heart of British summertime and brings with it not only a change in the weather, but also a change in the way we experience the world around us. The summer season gives us opportunities to discover the body of Christ in new and revitalizing ways, writes Gemma Simmonds CJ. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080801_1.htm Fri, 1 Aug 2008 13:02:00 UTC film review http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080801_1.htm It’s the surreal insanity, switchback logic and hyper-real wit of Georgia Nicolson, the central character of this film, which teenagers relish.  The madness of their own lives is shown to be as utterly insane as it is.  Regrettably, the pace and editing of the film is slow, and that, combined with the choice of a tv soap-opera visual idiom will frustrate a more sophisticated audience. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080801_1.htm Fri, 1 Aug 2008 13:00:00 +0000 article http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080730_1.htm As the Society of Jesus prepares to celebrate the feast of its founder on 31 July, Ron Darwen SJ explores two different portrayals of St Ignatius of Loyola, and describes how the Jesuits' first General continues to accompany them on their spiritual journeys, as they strive to follow his example. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080730_1.htm Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:33:00 UTC article http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080728_1.htm An exhibition displaying some of the most beautiful and historic artefacts in Britain opens at St Francis Xavier’s Church in Liverpool on 31 July 2008.  Jan Graffius explains why the pieces that form the Held in Trust exhibition are so significant to the history of the Catholic faith, and describes how they came to be displayed in the 2008 European Capital of Culture. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080728_1.htm Mon, 28 Jul 2008 15:30:00 UTC film review http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080728_2.htm What makes The Dark Knight so special is its ambition.  The plot races ahead at a thrilling pace, unwilling to condescend to the audience or waste precious storytelling time.  All this culminates in what is essentially a spectacular morality tale. Believe it or not, this comic book movie has a definite smartness to it that’s not been attempted before in the genre. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080728_2.htm Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:16:00 +0000 film review http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080728_1.htm Pixar’s latest offering, WALL-E, tackles the issue of climate change and humankind’s poor stewardship of the planet in a way that will appeal to adults and children alike through the relationship between two unlikely robots and their encounter with humans who have for a long time been unaware of anything outside of themselves. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080728_1.htm Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:14:00 +0000 article http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080725_1.htm The Year of St Paul calls us to reflect on all aspects of the life and work of the Pharisee who became one of the most influential writers in the early church. Bishop John Arnold describes St Paul’s conversion as a long journey in faith, rather than a singular event on the road to Damascus, and looks at what we can learn from this journey, in the second of a series of articles to mark the Pauline Year on Thinking Faith. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080725_1.htm Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:00:00 UTC article http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080723_1.htm More than 100,000 people walk the routes of the ‘Camino’, the pilgrimage to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela where St James is believed to be buried, each year. As the feast of St James approaches, John Bateson-Hill describes his recent journey along the well-travelled path. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080723_1.htm Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:28:00 UTC book review http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/BOOK_20080723_1.htm This excellent selection of essays provides a unique and creative chronological glimpse into the American attitude towards Catholicism over the past 100 years, moving past the normal, scholarly explorations of celluloid salvation. In what reads as part film review, part social criticism, and part historical text, this resource unpacks a wide range of films to trace American viewpoints of Catholicism over the past century. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/BOOK_20080723_1.htm Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:22 +0000 article http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080721_1.htm What do we need to do in order to live a good life, and why should we want to do this? John Moffatt SJ looks at different approaches to developing an ethical framework, and examines the relationship of religion to various ethical traditions. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080721_1.htm Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:25:32 UTC book review http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/BOOK_20080721_1.htm Heroic Leadershipis an intriguing, beautifully-crafted book that captivates from the very start. It is full of insight into the business world, but with enormous love for, and understanding of, the Jesuits. It might have been written to show how one group of men, the Society of Jesus, has had something to teach the world, but what the book actually does is to show, very effectively, how to live the Gospel more faithfully. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/BOOK_20080721_1.htm Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:22 +0000 article http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080718_1.htm As Nelson Mandela celebrates his 90^th birthday, Gilbert Mardai SJ pays tribute to this ‘apostle of justice’ whose example of courage, forgiveness and patience on his ‘long walk to freedom’ are an inspiration to Christians and to all who yearn for a fairer and more human world. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080718_1.htm Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:30:00 UTC article http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080716_1.htm On the 150^th anniversary of the final apparition of Our Lady to Bernadette Soubirous, Frances Murphy recounts her experience of Lourdes and describes the atmosphere that draws pilgrims back to the Grotto time and time again. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080716_1.htm Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:00:00 UTC film review http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080714_1.htm Strangely for a film that boasts new technology and sporadic references to modern culture, Journey to the Center of the Earth  (in 3D) is a strangely old-fashioned film.  It achieves a breathless energy, ignores characterisation and lacks the sophisticated scripts that have marked out Disney’s recent productions. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080714_1.htm Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:23:00 +0000 book review http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/BOOK_20080714_2.htm This elegantly-produced work serves a dual purpose.  On the one hand it reflects an actual pilgrimage made to the Holy Land by the author and a group of pilgrims; on the other it is a sort of verbal pilgrimage through the texts of the third Gospel. The author is a very accurate and accomplished scholar of the Gospel text and is, therefore, able to illustrate certain features of the Lucan account of Jesus. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/BOOK_20080714_2.htm Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:25 +0000 book review http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/BOOK_20080714_1.htm Left to Tell is a breathtaking book that proves the fact that “the love of a single heart can make a world of difference”. Immaculée Ilibagiza shares the power of faith in God through her moving experience of the Rwandan genocide. Her objective is not to give a historical account of Rwanda and/or of the genocide. She gives her own story of a personal encounter with God. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/BOOK_20080714_1.htm Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:26 +0000 article http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080710_1.htm As the world's spotlights focus on China in the weeks preceding the 2008 Olympic Games, the growth of the Catholic Church in the country remains behind the scenes. John Pontifex reflects on his recent visit, and explores how the Church in China's Jesuit origins can help the country's faithful find a balance between their religious faith and cultural identity. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080710_1.htm Thu, 10 Jul 2008 17:01:00 +0000 film review http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080710_1.htm Walter is a teacher. But right now, not a good one: he's been teaching the same course for twenty years. It's only when he meets Tariq (a jazz djembe drummer who has been conned into renting illegally Walter's New York flat), that Walter begins to fly. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080710_1.htm Thu, 10 Jul 2008 13:32:00 +0000 article http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080707_1.htm Thousands of young Catholics are making their way to Sydney this week for World Youth Day 2008, billed as the largest youth event in the world. But what is it that these young people are going all that way for? From his own experience of four World Youth Days, Chris Docherty explores what is so special about them. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080707_1.htm Mon, 7 Jul 2008 15:31:00 +0000 film review http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080704_1.htm Po is a panda with an eating disorder brought up by a noodle-purveying goose. In terms of life challenges, this surely ranks up there with anything the Sex and the City crowd have to deal with. What's worse is that the standard array of jealous friends, over-protective parents and vicious snow leopards that we all have to face up to stand between Po and his dream of becoming a Kung Fu Panda.... http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080704_1.htm Fri, 4 Jul 2008 13:32:00 +0000 film review http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080703_2.htm Blighted by a lazy script that regards the superhero genre as an excuse for ignoring tight plot structure and any sense of realism, 'Hancock' is a star vehicle for Will Smith and Charlize Theron that manages to waste two magnetic central performances on mediocre action adventure... http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080703_2.htm Thu, 3 Jul 2008 14:33:00 +0000 film review http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080703_1.htm In 'Wanted', James McAvoy plays Wesley Gibson, a man who hates his boss, has a whiney girlfriend who is sleeping with his best friend, and suffers panic attacks on an almost daily basis. Something has to change, and it does when he meets a mysterious beauty (Angelina Jolie), a member of a group of assassins who call themselves the Fraternity... http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080703_1.htm Thu, 3 Jul 2008 14:32:00 +0000 article http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080702_1.htm In the final part of an exclusive interview, Father Adolfo Nicolás, the Jesuits' new Superior General, talks about how the Society and the Church can maintain a real communion, speaking, listening and improving its pastoral service, in a diverse and fast-changing world. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080702_1.htm Wed, 2 Jul 2008 12:31:00 +0000 book review http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/BOOK_20080702_1.htm Jon Sobrino's brief "utopian-prophetic essay", The Eye of the Needle, is a deep challenge... Basically, those who talk and write about the poor are usually in the wrong place, even pushing to help them from the wrong position. Those who are not poor need to start from somewhere else - among the poor - or at least listening to the poor; they need to relocate, and radically move to a different viewpoint. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/BOOK_20080702_1.htm Wed, 2 Jul 2008 12:30 +0000 article http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080701_1.htm The question of whether firms such as Anglo American should invest in Zimbabwe is, argues Joe Egerton, a case for a proper reflection rather than knee-jerk opposition. Applying St Thomas Aquinas's principles for waging a just war to the application of economic sanctions reminds us that our objective must be what is best for the suffering people of Zimbabwe. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080701_1.htm Tue, 1 Jul 2008 12:31:00 +0000 film review http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080630_1.htm When many of us think about World War II, our minds conjure up images from films of young men bravely risking their lives in the line of duty. Such imagery, I would argue, fuels the common view present even today that war is a man's world. In his new film, Les Femmes de l'Ombre (translated as 'Female Agents'), French director Jean-Paul Salomé strives to change this perception by telling a tale of female Resistance fighters, inspired by the life of Lisé Villameur. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080630_1.htm Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:32:00 +0000 article http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080627_1.htm This Sunday - the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul - marks the start of a year dedicated to the memory of Saint Paul. But who was this man from Tarsus who influenced the course of Christianity more than probably any other saint? Peter Edmonds SJ introduces the 'Thirteenth Apostle' and his writings in the first of a special Thinking Faith series for this 'Pauline Year'. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080627_1.htm Fri, 27 Jun 2008 12:31:00 +0000 film review http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080626_1.htm 'Prince Caspian' is the second instalment of C.S. Lewis's seven-part fantasy series. If you expect to escape into an enthralling kingdom of candid wonder and colourful magic, you'll be disenchanted. In Narnia, things never happen the same way twice. Gracious fauns and Turkish Delight have been replaced with betrayal, violence and predictable revenge..... http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080626_1.htm Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:32:00 +0000 article http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080626_1.htm As 'Prince Caspian' - the latest in the Narnia series - hits the cinemas, James Hanvey SJ explores the growing popularity of 'fantasy epics' and what this tells us about the challenge of communicating the Gospel in a culture that has become disenchanted with Christianity. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080626_1.htm Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:31:00 +0000 article http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080625_1.htm In an exclusive interview, Father Adolfo Nicolás, the Jesuits' new Superior General, talks about the quest for justice, its connection with faith and spirituality, and the difference between the Western and the Eastern understanding of these issues. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080625_1.htm Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:33:00 +0000 film review http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080625_1.htm Held together by a stunning central performance from Brian Cox, 'The Escapist' weaves together a gritty, if generic, prison-break drama with a more subtle and personal tale of redemption.... http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080625_1.htm Wed, 25 Jun 2008 17:32:00 +0000 film review http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080624_1.htm An odd film, with its famous poet's creations pushed to one side. Despite extracts of Thomas's poetry kidnapped from their homes and drifted as a soundtrack across the film, we are left without a genuine sense of Dylan Thomas as someone who wrote extraordinary poems. The result is the all-too-typical consequence of film-love... http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080624_1.htm Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:32:00 +0000 article http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080623_1.htm Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe is preparing to be re-elected unopposed after the opposition's withdrawal from the election, amid reports of widespread violence and intimidation. The situation in Zimbabwe, however, was being foretold as long as fifty years ago by the writer Frantz Fanon, whose theories about the end of colonialism have proved remarkably prophetic, argues Marcel Uwineza, a Jesuit of the Rwanda-Burundi Province. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080623_1.htm Mon, 23 Jun 2008 20:33:00 +0000 film review http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080623_1.htm Adulthood is the sequel to Kidulthood, which was terrifying. We had a group of people who were casually exploitative, treated each other with vicious contempt and whose most mundane chats were infused with intense violence. Now we have Adulthood. Set six years after the events of Kidulthood, it tells the story of Sam who killed Trife in the first film and has just been released from prison.... http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080623_1.htm Mon, 23 Jun 2008 20:32:00 +0000 film review http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080619_2.htm Everything has gone wrong for Wilson: he has lost his laptop and the screenplay with which he was going to break into movies, he's lost his girlfriend, and even - unimaginable and appalling deprivation in Los Angeles - he has lost his car. The film follows his last-ditch attempt to get that reified and elusive midnight kiss, and tracks a lonely-hearts date from first, terrifying encounter ... http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080619_2.htm Thu, 19 Jun 2008 15:32:00 +0000 article http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080619_1.htm In a second article marking Refugee Week, a Rwandan woman, who came to the UK five years ago to claim asylum, writes for Thinking Faith. She has been finally refused, but is now being supported by local social services due to serious ongoing health problems. She has accommodation in a hostel and thirty pounds a week to meet all her needs. She places all her hope and trust in God. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080619_1.htm Thu, 19 Jun 2008 12:33:00 +0000 film review http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080619_1.htm This is a terrible movie. Some critics suggested that the wooden acting and leaden script might lead to its kitsch rehabilitation, while others detected a deep green cruelty in its multiple depictions of suicide ... http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080619_1.htm Thu, 19 Jun 2008 12:32:00 +0000 article http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080617_1.htm In the first part of an exclusive interview given recently to the editors of Jesuit journals, Father Adolfo Nicolás, the new Superior General of the Society of Jesus, talks of his surprise at his election, the change of perspective this has brought about in him, and his desire - and the Church's call - for the Society to be both loyal and creative. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080617_1.htm Tue, 17 Jun 2008 22:32:00 +0000 film review http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080617_2.htm Irene is well versed in getting what she wants lavished upon her by latching onto wealthy older men. It is only by mistake that she stumbles on the barman, tired out from a long day walking the dogs, mixing drinks and keeping the guests happy. She mistakes him for another rich possibility to seduce and, having immediately fallen for her, Jean is not inclined to explain otherwise. The plot is launched and thickens only slightly, a mix of 'What the Butler Saw' and French farce! ... http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080617_2.htm Tue, 17 Jun 2008 16:32:00 +0000 film review http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080617_1.htm The marital and romantic anxieties of the English middle classes have been the focus of novels and stories since at least the time of Jane Austen. So it is interesting that The Waiting Room (a film about the romantic anxieties of men) uses as one of its motifs Austen's preoccupation with the myth of the perfect marriage, the marriage of those really suited to each other, the marriage of those truly, madly, deeply in love... http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080617_1.htm Tue, 17 Jun 2008 16:31:00 +0000 article http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080614_1.htm Marking the start of Refugee Week, Louise Zanre, Director of the Jesuit Refugee Service in the UK, describes its mission and work, and the issues and challenges faced by JRS - and by refugees themselves - in Britain today. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080614_1.htm Sat, 14 Jun 2008 18:32:00 +0000 film review http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080614_1.htm If you saw Ang Lee's 2003 movie Hulk, forget it. This is not a sequel, this is a reboot, similar to what 'Batman Begins' and 'Superman Returns' did for their respective franchises. Thankfully this doesn't mean we have to sit through the same story again. The Incredible Hulk gives us the next, much more interesting bit of the story: the tale of a fugitive who's as scared of himself as he is of his hunters. .... http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080614_1.htm Sat, 14 Jun 2008 18:31:00 +0000 film review http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080610_2.htm 'Gone Baby Gone' is best viewed as a series of moral conundrums: characterisation and plot are both distorted to confront the audience with serious ethical questions. After the extending opening establishes the working class location and a mumbled monologue has signalled the key themes of community and connectivity, Ben Affleck's directorial debut settles into a downbeat meditation on the challenges for a righteous man. An adaptation of Dennis Lehane's novel, 'Gone Baby Gone' weaves through an underclass of drug-dealers, murderers, alcoholics and paedophiles.... http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080610_2.htm Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:04:00 +0000 film review http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080610_1.htm Rightwards revisionism is definitely a going concern. Enoch Powell wasn't all bad. Mary Whitehouse had a point. The other morning, I even heard F. W. De Klerk on 'Today' saying apartheid had something to be said for it. But these are small fry. What are the prospects for that truly iconic bogeyperson of fascism, Genghis Khan? Could he be up for rehabilitation too? Pretty unlikely, you might think.... http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080610_1.htm Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:03:00 +0000 article http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080609_1.htm A major new report was published today on the Church of England and the future of the welfare state. It was billed in some quarters as an attack on the government, but the report's lead author, Francis Davis of the Von Hugel Institute, explains here how its hard-hitting critique is in fact a challenge to all parties and to every politician. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080609_1.htm Mon, 9 Jun 2008 11:32 +0000 book review http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/BOOK_20080609_1.htm Over the last eleven years, it has often seemed that there is rather cosy relationship between the Labour Government and the Church of England. Yet the fault lines in this axis that are exposed by Francis Davis, Elizabeth Paulhus and Andrew Bradstock in 'Moral, But No Compass', the report of Cambridge University's Von Hugel Institute for the Church of England, are so deep and so wide as to call into question whether that axis can itself survive. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/BOOK_20080609_1.htm Mon, 9 Jun 2008 11:32 +0000 article http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080605_1.htm Ian Paisley steps down today as First Minister of the devolved government in Northern Ireland, having spent more than forty years as the most prominent and vocal opponent of power-sharing. Irish Jesuit, Brian Lennon, assesses how far Dr Paisley has travelled and why - and what challenges face Northern Ireland now. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080605_1.htm Thu, 5 Jun 2008 00:03:01 +0000 article http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080603_1.htm Our political leaders are keen to acknowledge and encourage the contribution that religious charities make to British society, but after recent changes in charity law, the religious inspiration and identity of such groups is in danger of being sidelined, argues Angela Kitching. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080603_1.htm Tue, 3 Jun 2008 10:03:01 +0000 film review http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080531_1.htm While the males have Indiana Jones, there is without a doubt only one film on the lips of any female this summer. Yes, that's right, Sex and the City has landed. With enough hype to outshine even the latest Spielberg/Lucas collaboration, there is no question as to whether or not Carrie and Co will make megabucks for cinemas across the land. But that still doesn't answer the question... soulless cash-in or a loving farewell to our favourite New York ladies?... http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080531_1.htm Sat, 31 May 2008 22:03:00 +0000 article http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080531_1.htm What exactly is the aim of interreligious dialogue, and what hope does it offer? Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, argues that if we are realistic about our differences and can respect the beliefs of others without compromising our own faith, believers of different backgrounds can together help to prevent the world from turning its back on God. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080531_1.htm Sat, 31 May 2008 17:03:01 +0000 article http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080529_1.htm This weekend - after Lent, Easter and a succession of solemnities - the Church's Sunday liturgies return to Ordinary Time, with the reading of the final part of the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew's gospel. Jack Mahoney SJ explores the significance of this famous discourse and its place in the moral teaching of Jesus. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080529_1.htm Thu, 29 May 2008 23:03:01 +0000 film review http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080528_1.htm The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is set in 1957, nineteen years after the last outing. Harrison Ford chose to prepare for this role in the Method Acting tradition by actually aging nineteen years - a bold move for these Hollywood types. But fear not, while there may be be a melancholy moment as Indy laments the passing of his father (sorry, no Sean Connery this time!) Indy's aged body doesn't stop him getting himself into all kinds of scrapes... http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080528_1.htm Wed, 28 May 2008 21:03:00 +0000 book review http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/BOOK_20080528_1.htm McVerry's book is a Gospel-centred lead-in to the mystery of Jesus's crucifixion that builds up chapter by chapter, like episodes in a series of reflective talks at a retreat for non-specialists, taking his listeners through the scripture passages. The book becomes a shared reflection on Gospel passages that he refreshes with commentary... http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/BOOK_20080528_1.htm Wed, 28 May 2008 21:02 +0000 film review http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080524_2.htm Dennis Quaid turns in a fine performance as Lawrence, a very depressed professor of English at a university in Pittsburgh, in this thoughtful film from first-time director Noam Munro. The storyline is an old one about the healing power of love and people's desire for emotional connection... http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080524_2.htm Sat, 24 May 2008 21:03:00 +0000 film review http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080524_1.htm There must be a policy for Hollywood screenwriters, which holds that a sure way to make your lead character chummy and endearing is to call him 'Charlie'. After all, the name is its own cheerleader: "Char-LEE! Char-LEE!" It didn't really work in Charlie Wilson's War and it doesn't work here... http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080524_1.htm Sat, 24 May 2008 21:01:00 +0000 article http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080523_2.htm Our comfortable familiarity with the stereotypical images of class conflict deployed by Labour in the Crewe and Nantwich by-election campaign suggests that we need the jolt of a well-articulated religious perspective on equality, according to the Heythrop Institute for Religion, Ethics and Public Life. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080523_2.htm Fri, 23 May 2008 22:03:01 +0000 article http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080523_1.htm The concept of viability had a high profile in this week's debate over the legal time limit for abortions. In fact, it was irrelevant and turned out to be a hostage to fortune, argues the Heythrop Institute for Religion, Ethics and Public Life. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080523_1.htm Fri, 23 May 2008 22:02:01 +0000 film review http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080521_1.htm 'Honeydripper' is a luscious festival of musicality and sentiment. The film drips in a golden honey-coloured light of the imagined south, with the director's compassionate and loving attention to his characters proving to be much stronger than any social challenges that might have lurked in the plot... http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/FILM_20080521_1.htm Wed, 21 May 2008 21:03:00 +0000 book review http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/BOOK_20080521_1.htm This book does not set out to inform the reader about drug use from a chemical perspective and instead is focussed primarily on an evolutionary approach to understanding substance use. It sets our current desires for substances within a social, cultural and evolutionary framework and argues that it is these deeply-rooted beliefs and patterns of behaviour that we need to understand and question if we are ever to move onto a more rational and holistic way of understanding drug use. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/BOOK_20080521_1.htm Wed, 21 May 2008 21:02 +0000 article http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080520_1.htm In a week when faith leaders have spoken out on the Embryology Bill currently before Parliament, and the think tank Theos launched a report urging caution in the church's partnerships with government, Frank Turner SJ reflects on the proper relationship between religion and politics, and how different European countries view it. http://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20080520_1.htm Tue, 20 May 2008 21:03:01 +0000