EARTHISM

Recently, there came a great change in the political landscape of our neighbour to the South. The Republican Party lost its hold on Congress to a very radical Democratic Party.

How did this happen? The media seems to think that it has something to do with the voters disapproval of the War on Terror, or perhaps the recent scandals among Republican officials swayed voters. However, none are mentioning the sharp drop of support from those voters who identify themselves as Evangelical Christians. And while they have noted the fall of Ted Haggard, few are linking him to the election.

And yet, even before his sordid personal life came to light (effectively ending his ministry), he had delivered the Evangelical vote into the hands of their enemy, the Left wing of American politics.

In this devastating and insightful book, Dr. Charles McVety exposes the cause for which Haggard betrayed his political allies and how it is linked to the great falling away predicted in scripture.

Pre-order your copy of
EARTHISM: The Great Falling Away
for only 20 dollars.

By John Clarke

June 9th, 2008

While everyone at the Candian Times headquarters (located in penthouse of the luxurious Canadian Times building in downtown Toronto) is excited about the release of Expelled: No Intelligence allowed, I find myself equally excited about another recent movie: Prince Caspian, the second film in the Narnia series.

C.S. Lewis is my favourite writer.  He was a professor at both Oxford and Cambridge, and was an expert in medieval literature as well as ancient myths.  His life seems eventful, from his battles - and injury - during the First World War, his close friendship with a circle of other great writers such as J.R.R. Tolkien (The Lord Of The Rings), and his great romance with the woman that became his wife (which itself has been filmed as Shadowlands with Anthony Hopkins as Lewis, and in the far superior BBC version of the same story).  However, he always seemed to love the simple pleasures such as a walk in the country, a good book, an evening with friends.

He was an atheist in his early days, but at age 33, God found a way to reach his heart.  His writings before his conversion were nothing special, but afterwards, he created a collection of brilliant books.

And what a diverse collection it is.  His book, Mere Christianity, may be the greatest defense of the logic of the Christian faith.  His satire The Screwtape Letters engages the mind, the heart and the funny bone, and demonstrates a keen understanding of human (and demonic) nature.  His science fiction trilogy went from the most fantastic (Out Of The Silent Planet where a character is kidnapped and taken to Mars) to the last novel, which seems fantastic until you read what some scientists believe (That Hideous Strength, which has more in common with Expelled than it does with Narnia, as it talks of the de-humanizing of man).

The Narnia series was the best selling series of childrens books until Harry Potter came along.  In each story some children are transported to the land of Narnia, which is ruled by a mysterious and magical lion named Aslan.  The stories are thrilling and magical for children, yet have a depth that adults can appreciate.  And in each story, there is a powerful metaphor of some aspect of the Christian faith.

In Prince Caspian, the Pevensie kids return to battle evil and protect a young prince from a usurper to his throne.  They are aided by the usual assortment of dwarves, talking animals, dryads, centaurs and other mythical creatures.  Can they battle the evil Telmarines using their skill and cunning...or should they turn to the only hope they truly have, the lion Aslan? 

One of my favourite Lewis characters is introduced here, a warrior who is like all three musketeers concentrated into the form of a tiny mouse.

While the movie might have run a little long, and one of my favourite parts from the book left out, I loved the movie.  The bad guys seem more dangerous (to be honest, they were a little stupid in the book), and the battles were quite exciting. The first movie in the series had a powerful theme of atonement.  This one is about how we should not trust in our own strength, but lean on...well, you know.

I loved it, and I am now looking forward to the next story in the series, The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader, from one of my favourite books. It will be released in 2010.

Meanwhile, I will be seeing Expelled during a special screening this week.  While I doubt there will be any trolls, I do expect to see Dr. Richard Dawkins interviewed.  Trust me, he's scarier than an army of Telmarines.

C.S. Lewis

File under Books and Media

	Surprised by Joy By C.S. Lewis "This book," Lewis says in his opening sentence, "is written partly in answer to requests that I would tell how I passed from atheism to Christianity and partly to correct one or two false notions that seem to have got about." One of the most important spiritual autobiographies in the last 100 years! 252 pages, softcover. Harcourt Brace.
			The Question of God: C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud Debate God, Love, Sex, and the Meaning of Life By Dr. Armand M. Nicholi, Jr. Based on a course that Nicholi has taught at the Harvard Medical School for over 30 years, this depicts an all-out battle for the soul by two of the 20th century's intellectual giants, who debate such overriding issues as God, love, sex, and the meaning of life from nearly ends of the spectrum. 304 pages, softcover.

Good Reading:

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian Movie Tie-In Edition 7-Volume Boxed Set, Softcovers By C.S. Lewis Invest in a handsome unabridged souvenir set of C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia for your home library. Included are stunning pictures from the movie Prince Caspian, plus the seven volumes: The Magician's Nephew; The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; The Horse and His Boy; Prince Caspian; The Voyage of the Dawn Treader; The Silver Chair; and The Last Battle. This set is sure to captivate children and adults, while providing hours of excellent reading. Each softcover book has approximately 200 pages, and measures 4.25" x 6.75". Search: Title Author/Artist ISBN CBD Stock # Keywords Publisher