ABC remaking 'The Ten Commandments' (01/23/06 - 7 Comments)
Veteran film producer Robert Halmi is remaking The Ten Commandments for ABC Television. The two-part film will be broadcast over the upcoming Easter weekend. ABC will not break with tradition by cancelling its traditional broadcast of the original version of the film (produced in 1956) which starred, of course, Charlton Heston. ABC President Stephen McPherson said, "Do viewers come in to watch the old one and then get enticed to watch a new one?" he...
Albert Mohler on Larry King Tonight (01/17/06 - 7 Comments)
First off, I'd like to take an opportunity to clarify something about the article I posted this morning. My friend Paul Martin posted a comment here and at his blog (and at Justin Taylor's blog, for that) where he warned against making the issue of watching the film The End of the Spear an issue of clear, biblical right or wrong. "In issues like this one, it our duty to think in the realm of...
And...We're Back (Again) (01/11/06 - 17 Comments)
After posting a hopeful note earlier in which I hoped (against hope, really) that everything on the site had been worked out, I ran into more trouble. I've now blown an entire day on this problem and have had little choice but to revert to the older Movabletype-based commenting system. You know, the same one every other blog has. So much for originality. Anyways, you should now be able to post comments and you'll no...
And...We're Back (For Now) (01/11/06 - 2 Comments)
I woke up this morning to find my site replaced by a little message saying "Your account has been suspended. We have sent you an email explaining why. This email should also contain information on how you can unsuspend your account." That was quite a rude awakening and managed to throw my entire day into a state of chaos. The message I received in my email said little more than "Hey, by the way, we...
Debate: Pagitt versus DeWaay (01/09/06 - 0 Comments)
For all the discussion created by and about the Emerging Church there has been precious little formal debate about the important issues at stake. I know of pastors or theologians who have attempted to debate the issues only to have their requests refused. Finally, though, we are about to see a significant debate. On January 20, 2006 Bob DeWaay and Doug Pagitt will debate "The Emergent Church and Postmodern Spirituality: Dangerous Trends or Necessary Changes...
Brokeback Watch (01/08/06 - 0 Comments)
I don't have a whole lot to say about the film Brokeback Mountain beyond what I wrote last week in the article Rape of the Marlboro Man. The media, on the other hand, just can't get enough. It has apparently been worthy of national media attention that one theatre in Salt Lake City, Utah, has decided not to show the film. "A movie theater owned by Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller abruptly changed its screening...
Design Updates (01/02/06 - 0 Comments)
At long last and after many promises I have finally changed the color of the site. The background is no longer the red that some people loved while other people despised, but is now a subtle grey pattern. It is not quite as interesting but should be at least somewhat more conducive to reading. Those who have read the site for more than a few months will remember the former design which featured a banner...
Happy New Year (01/01/06 - 0 Comments)
And just like that 2006 is upon us. I rang in 2006 in the same way I've rung in most of the last few years: I watched television from 11:59 until 12:01 and turned it off before the "Happy New Year" banner had been removed from the screen. Then I went to bed, whispered "happy new year" to my sleeping wife and quickly drifted off to sleep! Thankfully the neighbours did not see fit to...
Color Scheme (12/30/05 - 0 Comments)
Since launching the new design of Challies Dot Com I have received lots of feedback. Some has been positive and some has been negative. The negative comments have mostly been concerned with two things: the color of the background and the loss of the photo that was in the banner of the old design. I have finally found an alternative background that I think may work. I have also found a way of perhaps bringing...
Blogs For Music (12/15/05 - 0 Comments)
This came in to my inbox a little too late to make this morning's A La Carte, but I thought that if I left it until tomorrow it would be too late. Bob Kauflin, of Sovereign Grace Ministries, is spearheading a "Blogs for Music" campaign which is similar to what Sovereign Grace did a few months ago with C.J. Mahaney's book Humility. This time they are offering copies of Awesome God children's CD. I have...
The Truly Reformed and Narnia (12/12/05 - 0 Comments)
This morning Kurt Nordstrom, one of the fellows at Boar's Head Tavern, wrote the following in an article entitled "The TRs watch 'Narnia':" [TR stands for "Truly Reformed" a term that is generally used in a pejorative sense] Well, I've yet to see LW&W, and it'll probably be a while, due to life (hopefully I can catch it over the holidays), but at least I don't have to worry about basic storyline spoilers! Maybe I'll...
Paradoxes (12/04/05 - 0 Comments)
The following is a prayer taken from The Valley of Vision edited by Arthur Bennett. I read this prayer yesterday and was gripped by the honesty and humility it displays. I was challenged to ask myself if I really believe all of this or if I feel I am something just a little bit better. By the end I realized that the author's prayer had become my prayer. "Give me a broken heart that yet...
Toronto Evangelical Bloggers Brunch (12/01/05 - 0 Comments)
Ian Clary, who blogs at Ruminations by the Lake, and who serves as Research and Administrative Assistant to the Principal of Toronto Baptist Seminary (the Principle being Michael Haykin), has begun to organize a Toronto-area Evangelical Bloggers Brunch. "This will hopefully provide an opportunity for a lot of us who only know each other through our respective blogs to meet. The invitation is open to anyone in the GTA who blogs and considers themselves conservative...
Interviewing Derek Webb (11/01/05 - 0 Comments)
I have been given the opportunity to interview Derek Webb, something I consider quite an honor. Derek is a singer and songwriter whom I much admire both for his talent and for his courage in taking on the difficult subjects. Never one to shy from a fight, he has written songs that have rattled many nerves and even caused his albums to be removed from certain Christian bookstores. His songs are always filled with meaningful...
An Anniversary of Sorts (2005 Edition) (10/31/05 - 0 Comments)
Two years ago, on October 31, 2003, I sat myself down and had a good chat with me. Challies Dot Com was a poorly-designed, silly little site that primarily contained photographs of my family. I had recently added a blog to the site and was enjoying being a blogger but realized that I had become terribly lax. Like most bloggers I had begun with a flurry of posts but had soon tired of putting forth...
The Pearcey Report (10/21/05 - 0 Comments)
I just received the following press release from my friend Rick Pearcey.
Today marks the official launch of The Pearcey Report, a website of news, comment, information, and worldview. It can be viewed online at www.pearceyreport.com.
J. Richard Pearcey is editor and publisher of the report. Rick has worked as a journalist, writer, and editor in the Washington, D.C., area since the late 1980s.
Infantile Baptism (09/05/05 - 0 Comments)
Yesterday afternoon my son and I sat down to watch a DVD called Reformation Overview. It is a 6-part presentation covering some of the most important contributors to the Protestant Reformation, and yesterday we watched the segment on the Anabaptists. My son seemed to enjoy it, though I had to distract him from a scene where they showed the torture and death of Michael Sattler (and then described how his wife, Margaretha Sattler, was drowned the next day). Incidentally, while the detail was blessedly toned-down, this is the torture and death Sattler endured after being captured by the Roman Catholic authorities and charged with heresy:
Katrina: The Southern Baptist Response (09/05/05 - 0 Comments)
Much has been said, over the past week, about relief organizations such as the Red Cross and the Salvation Army. But one major organization which, as far as I know, has received no significant recognition in the media is the Southern Baptist Convention's Disaster Relief organization which is part of the North American Mission Board. What many people do not realize is that the Southern Baptists have the third-largest disaster relief organization in North America (and possibly in the world).
Prayer Request Update (09/03/05 - 0 Comments)
The following was sent to me by Lighthouse Trails Publishing:
At around 1:15am (EDT), Steve Muse's wife, Catherine, passed away quietly and peacefully. She was 49 years old.
The outpouring of prayers, concern and compassion have upheld Steve and his family during these past few difficult days. He is comforted to know that Catherine is in the loving arms of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
More Katrina Links (09/02/05 - 0 Comments)
I'm not going to talk about politics anymore. One of the primary reasons I shy away from sharing my political views on this site is that fewer issues ignite more passion. Unfortunately, politics seems to ignite anger more than anything. So I try to leave the politics to the big guys. I'll stick to theology!
Here are a few Katrina links I've dug up (including some I posted yesterday):
A satellite photograph of Katrina taken as it hit the coast. Take a look and be amazed at the power of God.
