Talking About “Man of Steel”

After you see “Man of Steel,” consider taking your kids out for a burger or an ice cream . . . and then talk about the film. Here are some questions (and some tips) that might help you get a conversation going . . .

What are some of the ways that Superman reminds you of Jesus?

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“What’s the ‘S’ stand for?”

“It’s not an ‘S.’ On my world, it stands for hope.”

After the less than critical and financial success of “Superman Returns,” many wondered whether Superman really could return. Warner Brothers didn’t seem anxious to renew the franchise, turning instead to Christopher Nolan’s highly profitable Batman films to fill their comic book quota.

But, as we all know, Superman doesn’t die easily. As a slew of other heroes slugged their way across the screen, many saw it as a supplanting of Superman. In truth, these only created a yearning for the greatest hero of them all. That hope, along with Nolan and David Goyer’s Hollywood clout, paved the way for the Man of Steel to return once again.
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(Note: This article contains spoilers for C. S. Lewis’s “Perelandra.”)

BreakPoint recently released its summer reading list, and a number of books by the prolific and Christian author C.S. Lewis were included. Among them was a set of books known collectively as The Space (or Cosmic) Trilogy, suggested by Shane Morris. (Chuck Colson’s list of favorite books also contains the third book in this trilogy, “That Hideous Strength.”) The second book in this trilogy, “Perelandra,” is one that I have recently read myself. Toward its ending can be found a fascinating description of how the first woman and man in this world appear after they have overcome a time of temptation—a description that, if given due consideration, invites some fascinating lines of theological thought. Read More >

Western literature has a long history of heist stories and “rob from the rich, give to the poor” legends. From classic fairy tales involving sneaking into witches’ castles, to the original Robin Hood; from the 1969 “Italian Job,” which ended on a literal cliffhanger, to the modern “Ocean’s Eleven,” in which thieves steal from thieves. . . . We love an intricate tale of cleverness, plots, sneaking, mystery, and the triumph of the little guy.

The new movie “Now You See Me” incorporates the classic heist story with the classic Robin Hood story with the classic revenge story and adds in the classic detective story with the classic concealed-identity story—all wrapped around the classic magic show, with a soupçon of romance and a slightly unsuccessful attempt at the classic rivals-turned-buddies story. It’s a lot to try to put into one movie, but for the most part it succeeds and is always wildly entertaining.
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Welcome to BreakPoint’s recommended reading list for summer 2013!

As Eric Metaxas mentions on the air this week, we’ve polled the BreakPoint and Colson Center staff for their suggestions. You’ll see from the list that we have not restricted the list to explicitly Christian works. Fiction, history, biography, spiritual guidance, everything was fair game.

All of these books are available either at the BreakPoint online bookstore or at Amazon.com. We’ve provided the links. And yes, BreakPoint does receive a small percentage of the value of every book you buy with most of these links, so thanks for your support.

Enjoy your summer, and enjoy reading!

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Vision Forum, Inc., the publishing and commercial arm of Vision Forum Ministries in San Antonio, Texas, recently announced “the end of an era” when they advertised they will no longer republish and sell the Elsie Dinsmore series.

Vision Forum cites the Elsie books, originally published between 1867 and 1905, as their all-time best-selling girls’ fiction, with more than 50,000 copies sold over the past 15 years. VF is encouraging families to take advantage of the close-out sale to build a library for daughters and granddaughters. The books are based on the life of the fictional Elsie, whom they describe as being a “graceful, accomplished, and beautiful young woman who raises the standard of godly womanhood to new heights.”

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It was to be the fate of this patient little girl to see much more than, at first, she understood, but also, even at first, to understand much more than any little girl, however patient, had perhaps ever understood before.

Henry James, “What Maisie Knew”

This review contains spoilers.

“What Maisie Knew,” Henry James’s 1897 novel about divorce and remarriage seen through the eyes of a child, is a book well ahead of its time. The story goes that James heard someone talking about “the luckless child of a divorced couple,” and was so struck by the novel idea that he ended up writing a story about such a child. (This book review provides a useful summary of James’s story.)

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Captain! There be spoilers here!

When I first watched the 2009 Star Trek movie, the retelling of Star Trek in an alternate universe delighted me greatly. Since then I have been anticipating the next movie, and yet the previews I’ve seen in the last year have disappointed me. It looked like Star Trek was going to become just another action movie franchise.

What I love about Star Trek is its creativity, its science, its idealism, the exploration, the interaction with strange new cultures and technologies, the character interactions, and the way all of the above reveal what makes us human. Action happens, but it has never been what makes Star Trek Star Trek. Even the worst Star Trek movies have been at their best when they have explored humanity in alienness. Yet the trailers for “Star Trek: Into Darkness” were so slanted toward the action-movie market that I was afraid of what it might become, even in the hands of the ever-skillful J.J. Abrams.

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On May 18, France became the 12th nation to legalize same-sex marriage when President Francois Hollande signed into law a bill that allows same-sex couples to both marry and adopt children.

But the bill’s passage didn’t come without a serious fight—a fight that may not be over yet.
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On April 29, popular professional football quarterback Tim Tebow was released by the New York Jets, after a season in which he was used only sparingly. On the same day, Washington Wizards center Jason Collins announced that he was gay. Both Tebow and Collins are, or soon will be, "free agents," meaning both are free to sign with another team.
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“You think it’s too much?” Jay Gatsby (Leonardo di Caprio) anxiously asks Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire), after filling Nick’s house with flowers in anticipation of Daisy’s (Carey Mulligan) arrival.

Silly Gatsby. Of course it’s too much. The flowers, the jewels, the furs, the parties, the fireworks, the liquor, the music, the crazy driving . . . all of it. “The Great Gatsby,” F. Scott Fitzgerald’s commemoration of Jazz Age excess, has been brought to vivid, opulent life in Baz Luhrmann’s new film—and everything in it is just too much.

But oh, it’s beautiful.
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There's an elephant in the living room. Only it isn't an elephant, and it isn't in the living room. It's a golden calf, and it's in our baptismal font and our pulpit and our sanctuary and our Sunday School class and our Bible study group and everywhere else we worship and serve God, because, truth be told, it's in our hearts.

To put it bluntly: We, the church of Jesus Christ, have an idol.

It's called ministry.

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God’s Word assures us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Our DNA’s construct is carefully interwoven into our make-up; our brains have great capacity, yet are still limited, so that wonderment stretches beyond us and keeps in place the glass the Scripture speaks of, that we see through but dimly.

The new movie “Iron Man 3” speaks greatly to the power of the human mind, but also to the power of human limitation and the danger involved in attempting to force our brains and DNA to evolve beyond the limitations imparted by our Creator.

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But above the gray land and the spasms of bleak dust which drift endlessly over it, you perceive, after a moment, the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg. The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic—their irises are one yard high. They look out of no face, but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a nonexistent nose. Evidently some wild wag of an oculist set them there to fatten his practice in the borough of Queens, and then sank down himself into eternal blindness, or forgot them and moved away. But his eyes, dimmed a little by many paintless days, under sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground.

F. Scott Fitzgerald, “The Great Gatsby,” Chapter 2

The eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg will gaze at audiences in 3D, when Baz Luhrmann’s remake of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” opens on May 10. This highly anticipated production promises to depict the Roaring Twenties in all their glory, embodying art deco with lavish costumes, vivid scenery, and exquisite cinematography.

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My last atheist fixed me with a look through his Harry Potterish glasses: “So you believe in God?” I nodded. “Well, do you also believe the U.S. government brought down the Twin Towers on 9/11?”

I knew this would not end well. “I don’t appreciate being insulted,” I answered. “You’re saying that if I believe in God I’m a nutso conspiracy theorist.”

Denial and backpedaling ensued, but then came his next salvo: “You believe in one God, right?” I clarified, “Three Gods in one, actually.”

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