http://www.xreal.org Home of the Christian Realists Sun, 18 May 2008 15:17:32 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Relevant Magazine has an article that asks the question, "Can Horror Be Used For Good?" The focus of the article is Scott Derrickson, director of The Exorcism of Emily Rose and the upcoming film adaptation of Paradise Lost.?????? “I love the horror genre for how cinematic it is,” Derrickson says. ... http://www.xreal.org/2008/01/11/god-can-use-horror-films/ The SF/F community is all abuzz about the announcement that insanely best-selling author Terry Pratchett has early-onset Alzheimer's. While many in Christian SF/F fandom are now praying for Pratchett (and rightly so), may I also suggest that perhaps something that would show Christian love would be to donate to a charitable ... http://www.xreal.org/2007/12/14/putting-your-money-where-your-prayers-are/ We don't know. It's that simple. The person in question, of course, is Albus Dumbledore, and the question is about his sexuality, which his creator, J.K. Rowling, has declared is homosexual. (Story is here for the two of you who just discovered the Web and hadn't heard.) With a series as ... http://www.xreal.org/2007/12/13/is-he-or-isnt-he/ SF author (and Christian) John C. Wright has written a series of insightful posts discussing the writings of Philip Pullman. I think Mr. Wright says it well, so I'll let him speak: My big problem with Pullman is the two relating writing errors of (1) plot points introduced only when convenient ... http://www.xreal.org/2007/12/13/pullmans-problems/ Yes, that dreaded thing called Real Life (tm) has been keeping us all busy -- or at least those of us who blog here. I've tried to get some of the other Realists to take a shot at blogging, but to no avail. My wife has not been feeling well, which ... http://www.xreal.org/2007/12/13/life-is-a-4-letter-word/ It was kind of neat to see two seminaries are now part of the iTunesU family. Reformed Theological Seminaryand Concordia Seminary In addition, Gordon College has iTunesU, including interviews from their latest Christians in the Visual Arts workshop. Now you can listen to lectures on the Puritans, or C.S. Lewis, or even ... http://www.xreal.org/2007/09/28/itunes-and-theology/ Touchstone Magazine is a source of many things interesting and good. The September 2007 issue has an article called Writers Cramped, Three Things Evangelical Authors Can Learn from Flannery O’Connor, which has popped up on a few blogs. Why aren't Christian writing great literature? Christian writers are falling into the trap ... http://www.xreal.org/2007/08/30/literature-and-worldview/ James Harleman, one of the pastors at Mars Hill Church in Seattle, gave a lecture on May 31 at MHC's West Seattle campus, entitled 'Christianity and Culture.' Notes are here. Quite a bit to chew on and think about. http://www.xreal.org/2007/08/21/christianity-and-culture/ SF/F author Liz Moon on literary snobbishness: What literary snobbism does hurt is the public--people who are taken in by the ignorant assertions of "experts" who don't even read what they claim to despise (or read it so carelessly that they might as well be reading a cereal box.) It hurts ... http://www.xreal.org/2007/08/20/literary-snobbishness/ If we as Christians believe that creativity and imagination is a gift from God, why have we neglected it for so many years? An article on forbes.com about the changing relationship between evangelical Christianity and the arts. The author automatically gets +10 points for mentioning Hans Rookmaaker. http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/07/26/ap3956405.html http://www.xreal.org/2007/08/20/evangelical-renaissance/