Culture and Review - Education and Culture

Seminary sculptures confront war, torture and suffering

staff writers — Thu, 08 May 2008 01:00:49 +0100

An installation of sculptures responding to the horrors of war, particularly the ongoing war in Iraq, is on display at Union Theological Seminary in New York City until 16 May 2008. It is the work of priest and artist Thomas Faulkner.

Creationist film not very intelligently designed

staff writers — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 17:45:37 +0100

Millions of dollars have been spent promoting Ben Stein’s creationist propaganda movie ‘Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed’ to conservative church groups, but that money would have been better spent on fact checkers, say its critics.

Unravelling blood, oil and prophets

Spencer Dew — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 03:01:14 +0100

The bludgeoning conclusion of Paul Thomas Anderson's much-lauded, Oscar-nominated film "There Will Be Blood," which has recently been released on DVD, features a preacher forced to renounce his faith in God and admit charlatanry. Spencer Dew investigates.

New painting challenges image of St George the crusader

staff writers — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 09:53:46 +0100

A new painting of St George by Scott Norwood Witts, which depicts the saint as a man of compassion rather than a crusader, is to be unveiled at the Catholic Cathedral of St George, Southwark, to mark the saint’s day next week.

Thou shalt not offend anyone: BBC's Jesus is nice but dull

Giles Fraser — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 09:30:53 +0000

Forget Maria. How do you solve a problem like Jesus? After all, everyone has a view: well-meaning Jewish guru, dangerous heretic, son of God, charlatan. The list is endless. Mel Gibson gave us the fundamentalist's Jesus of gruesome realism: a tortured body offset by expensive LA orthodontistry (bad teeth would have been a realism too far). This year's Easter offering from the BBC - boldly scheduled for primetime on BBC1 - reaches for the other extreme and presents the inoffensive Liberal Democrat Jesus: Nick Clegg with a beard.

Has Rowan Williams misunderstood Richard Dawkins?

Richard Skinner — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 04:58:08 +0000

While Rowan Williams rightly criticises Richard Dawkins for unfeasibly reducing religion to a pre-scientific explanatory system now superseded by science, says Ricahrd Skinner, he seems to have misunderstood Dawkins on evolution and survival strategies.

Theology in the Fiction of George Eliot - Review

Alison Goodlad — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 00:09:59 +0000

Theological truth and creative fiction are much closer to each other than might at first be presumed, Alison Goodlad discovers in reviewing Peter C. Hodgson's evocative treatment of the work of George Eliot.

Advent in a time of AIDS - Calendar

agency reporter — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 23:53:21 +0000

As well as preparing worship resources for World Aids Day the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance. has this year put together an excellent Advent calendar of daily readings, pictures and meditations. Many of the meditations are written by people living with Aids.

Making Manga out of the Bible

Deirdre J. Good — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 08:32:43 +0000

Manga Bible fever is hitting the shops this month. New Testament professor Deirdre Good explores the cultural and interpretative values involved, particularly in relation to the presentation of 'family'.

Mixing football and morals

Giles Fraser — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 08:15:43 +0000

Football, money and morals make odd bedfellows, concludes Giles Fraser after his experience of preaching to an uncertain congregation at a service marking the 150th anniversary of the world’s oldest club - Sheffield FC.

A Moral Climate - the ethics of global warming

Jo Rathbone — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 16:08:19 +0100

Jo Rathbone assesses a new book which is an excavation of the foundations of the modern global economy, a case for environmental sustainability, and a theological and biblical case for a different way of living.

Why Christians should take Richard Dawkins seriously

Richard Skinner — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 01:35:02 +0100

Though the god Richard Dawkins seeks to demolish is a caricature and often based on ill-informed analysis, says Richard Skinner, it is uncomfortably close to the idol some Christians have chosen to worship.

Finding faith in the deathly hallows

Steve Fouch — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 10:10:53 +0100

The Harry Potter books, says Steve Fouch, are full of values that Christian and atheist and agnostic alike would recognise – because friends matter, truth is vital, and evil is always weaker than good.

Rethinking Christianity - by Keith Ward

Simon Barrow — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 22:55:14 +0100

In an era where a basic understanding of what Christianity is about cannot be taken for granted, Simon Barrow welcomes a new book by philosopher and theologian Keith Ward which clears some ground and opens up issues.

Reading Harry Potter too religiously

Simon Barrow — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 21:36:21 +0100

Religiously constructed rows over sorcery, metaphor and meaning in Harry Potter are hardly new, as Simon Barrow has personal reason to know. He suggests we all chill out and finding meaning not menace in the narrative.