The Good-

1. Tchividjian grounds everything in Scripture. He spends a lot of time exploring Colossians and I came away from the book wanting to really spend some time in Colossians. It’s always a good thing when a book makes you want to read the Bible more!
2. It’s easy to read. This is not a book written for a theology class room. It’s accessible to anyone and the subject matter is of vital importance so Tchividjian should be commended for keeping the book at a level that is so easily accessible but that does not compromise the message.
3. Tchividjian relates everything to real life. He does a great job of showing how powerfully the Gospel should impact our lives and challenges the reader to act.

The Not So Good-

1. Portions of the book felt repetitive. Maybe this was just me, but I felt that he rehashed a lot of the same themes and ideas multiple times.
2. This is not necessarily a negative, but to really appreciate this book you would do well to read Colossians just before you read the book. Tchividjian references Colossians so often that I think a reader will get much more of this book if read immediately following a read through of Colossians.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

Should this film be considered a classic? Most definitely. I only need two words to describe why this film should be a classic. Sam Spade. Humphrey Bogart brings this character to life in such a way that all through the film I couldn’t figure out whether to cheer for the guy or hope he got arrested. Bogart imbues the character with a level of cool and intrigue that has often been imitated but never duplicated. It is worth seeing this film just to see a great actor like Bogart in his element. Not only that, but he is surrounded by a great supporting cast. The great actor of many “creeper” roles, Peter Lorre is the polar opposite of Bogart’s Spade and the scenes where the two of them share the screen are incredibly engaging.  Greenstreet’s “Fat Man” is also a well played character and his quiet sophistication isa great contrast to the more hard charging Spade. The film also has some great cinematography (lots of noir elements) and some great scene chewing by all involved. I could go on but that would take all day. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed my first viewing of this film and I think it certainly deserves the label “classic.”

Would I own this film? The Blu-Ray is on my Amazon wish list and I plan to pick it up in the near future. This film is so full of great moments and memorable characters that it is one that simply begs to be revisited regularly. Do yourself a favor if you haven’t seen this great film and find a copy of it to watch this weekend. You won’t regret it.

The book is divided up into five parts which I’ll list and briefly describe so that you can get a feel for the content of the book.

1. The Need to Equip Family Shepherds- This introductory section deals with the move away from the family as the primary source of discipleship and theological knowledge towards a “leave it to the professionals” mindset. Baucham encourages a return to practices of family worship and toward a view of the family as the primary means of discipleship rather than a children’s minister or a youth pastor.
2. Family Discipleship and Evangelism-Here the emphasis is placed on the importance of dads being the spiritual leaders in their homes by proclaiming the Gospel at home and educating their children in the Scriptures.
3. Marriage Enrichment- Discipleship at home starts with a strong marriage built upon the Biblical foundation for what a marriage should look like.
4. The Training and Discipline of Children- This section explores the Scriptural mandates to discipline children and how best to do it in a redemptive fashion.
5. Lifestyle Evaluation- This section digs into everyday life and asks men to examine their lifestyle choices and make family discipleship a priority.

This book is decidedly old fashioned but in a good way. Not everything from yesteryear is worth returning to but there are many things to be learned from how Christians in the past engaged their families in discipleship and how we can recover that practice today. This book is a good starting point for beginning that journey.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

I’m chasing lions, and goblins and angels at night

With a barrel and a bottle by a grandfathers knife
There’s blood on my collar, I wish it was mine
With less friends before me and more left behind

If you run to the moon
You’re running alone
If you wait for the moment
It’s coming too slow
Preacher the prophet
I’ve never known

But the Jesus of prostitutes is chasing my soul
But the Jesus of prostitutes is chasing my soul

With oceans before me and oceans to grow
The price of this freedom has cost me my home
Stood on the mountains of mint fields of gold
I wish I wasn’t here standing alone

If you run to the moon
You’re running alone
If you wait for the moment
It’s coming too slow
Preacher the prophet
I’ve never known

But the Jesus of prostitutes is chasing my soul
But the Jesus of prostitutes is chasing my soul

I remember on Hawthorne the rain and the smoke
I wish that the last words weren’t the last we spoke
I was burning on fire from earlier years
The bitterness burns with regret in my tears

If you run to the moon
You’re running alone
If you wait for the moment
It’s coming too slow
Preacher the prophet
I’ve never known

Well living for bread ain’t worth living at all
Suffer the darkness and wait for the dawn
This letter I’m writing won’t find a home
Burning the thunder
And cold to the bone

Cause the Jesus of prostitutes is chasing my soul
Cause the Jesus of prostitutes is calling me home

Source

Should this film be considered a classic? This is not always the case, but often when a film gets remade it is because the first one was really good and captured the imaginations of the people who viewed it originally and the people who view it in a modern context. King Kong, in its 1933 form is truly a classic work. Granted, the effects are extremely dated and sometimes distracting. However, it maintains a charm and appeal that transcends the effects. The story is tightly written and the 100 minute runtime far more suited to the subject matter than Peter Jackson’s three hour remake. Fay Wray and Bruce Cabot steal the show as Ann Darrow and Jack Driscoll. They carry the movie with their excellent chemistry and provide the human element monster stories desperately need to be successful. I’m going to throw my hat in with everyone else and say this one certainly is a classic!

Would I own this film? While I absolutely agree with the consensus that this film is a classic, it is also not one that I think I would own. Some movies, even the classics, just don’t grab me and this is one of them. I enjoyed watching it and I can appreciate even the dated effects but it just does not feel like one I will need to revisit. Maybe that is why I don’t feel much of an urge to add this to my personal collection. I will say this though, if you were a fan of the 2005 remake you should at least give this film a look. It is far superior in terms of storytelling and proves that even with all the marvels of modern computer generated imagery nothing can replace a good tight story told by competent actors and actresses.

First of all, let me say that I’m a stickler for sound doctrine. There are some things that absolutely have to be right. That said, I am growing increasingly weary of the flaming that goes on in the Christian online community. I absolutely agree that pastors need to be held accountable for what they say but too often blogs turn into nothing more than a feeding frenzy for like minded people to come together and continually bash a mutually disliked pastor/public figure over and over and over and over. This often leads to what amounts to a completely irrational hatred (yes, it really does look like hatred in some cases) for a fellow Christian that is based not on having heard or read anything by said public figure but instead on the raw meat that the bloggers continually toss into the piranha tank that is their following.

The Elephant Room proves something important. When you actually have to talk to someone face to face, get to know them, and let them tell you their heart it changes the way you talk about that person. Even if you disagree mightily on issues (even vitally important issues of doctrine) you can still have a reasoned and reasonable debate where both parties are treated respectfully. There is nothing wrong with respectful debate. There is nothing wrong with engaging someone whose doctrine is purported to be unsound in a public forum. Christians engage in reasoned and passionate debate with atheists and agnostics all the time. Why can’t we do it with each other?

Something like the Elephant Room is exceedingly helpful because it forces us out of our box and away from only reading the blogs and literature of “yes men.” It puts a human face on the other side of the debate and makes it a lot harder to spill blood and bytes on the next “anti-that guy” blog post because you’ve met them, heard them, and realized that even though we disagree we can at least be civil. It’s okay to read the literature of people you agree with. That’s primarily what I read too. However, we should still be able to respectfully and competently engage with those with whom we disagree. That means not just taking the word of your favorite blogger or public figure but instead going out and doing the hard work of getting to know that person they criticize yourself. Now most of us will never personally know these public pinatas, but we can broaden our understanding of them by actually engaing with their works instead of just taking the word of some folks feeding the piranhas and driving traffic to their blog.

A lot of good was said at the Elephant Room. A respectful discussion was had on a variety of topics. Discussion, debate, and dialog are not something to be afraid of. That’s what the Elephant Room is all about. It’s okay to discuss, debate, and dialog with people you don’t agree with. I’m sure that though there was a lot of common ground among the men at the Elephant Room yesterday that there are still many areas where they would respectfully disagree with each other. I think that is the key. Respectful disagreement. We accomplish nothing other than alienating fellow Christians and pushing away non-Christians when we viciously attack each other online. I want to see the online debate and dialog continue but perhaps all these bloggers, authors, and pastors who have a presence online and a large following would do well to ask themselves if the tone of their posts would be different if they were talking to the person they are attacking face to face? If so, change the stinkin’ tone! It’s high time to stop feeding the piranhas and instead engage substantively and respectfully. Oh, and the piranhas should branch out from just listening to/reading those who only reinforce their views and instead engage with the “controversial” material themselves.

Doctrinal fidelity is vital must always be defended (such as the doctrine of the Trinity). Secondary issues are worth respectful and vigorous debate but should not be used to so brutally assault fellow Christians that the cause of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is damaged because of our lack of love and respect for fellow believers.