Dr. David Gushee brings ‘a breath of fresh air’

COVER STORY—This week, one of our most popular authors, Ken Wilson, writes about how deeply Dr. David Gushee’s new book, Introducing Christian Ethics, has affected his life. What Dr. Gushee has produced is “like a breath of fresh air,” Ken writes. Dr. Gushee welcomes all of us to a clearer vision of Christianity at its best—through multimedia storytelling. Please, read this inspiring story by Ken Wilson about Dr. Gushee and share it with friends who might be interested in this remarkable new multimedia book.

WANT TO STREAM WITH DR. GUSHEE? On Thursday June 9 from 7 to 9 pm (ET), the nonprofit Embracing the Journey will stream a free program with Dr. Gushee about LGBTQ inclusion. Dr. Gushee’s topic that evening will be “Transformative Encounters and Paradigm Leaps.” The group reports, as of this week: About 200 individuals from 33 states, Austria, Canada, and the United Kingdom, have registered for this event. We anticipate having 400 registrations by June 9.” Here’s the link to register.
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Coming to terms with our past—

THAT’S A MAJOR THEME in Dr. Gushee’s new book—and it’s also true of an unfolding North American news story our magazine has been covering closely over the past year: Canadian and American leaders are investigating the centuries of trauma and death that occurred in North American “Indian boarding schools.” Canada’s national reckoning began earlier. Now, American leaders are catching up with the long process of documenting this government-sponsored and often church-run campaign.

New this week is Bill Tammeus’s reporting on the release of a preliminary American report. His column is headlined: Finally, a start on an accounting of a shameful page of U.S. history. One reason that Bill remains one of the most-respected religion writers in the U.S. is his practice of sharing helpful links with readers. His new report includes a dozen fascinating links that will help readers learn much more about this historic milestone. Please, after reading Bill’s story, share it with friends via social media and email to help encourage a robust national conversation about a topic that many Americans still would prefer to forget.

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Want some good news?

‘Now What?’ Caring for Caregivers

IN EASTERN TENNESSEE, the Rev. Charles Ensminger organized and hosted a day-long conference for resource people involved in caregiving programs—themed around our guidebook, Now What? A Guide to the Gifts and Challenges of Aging. Our publishing house helped Charles to adapt the paperback books distributed to his group with additional information specific to their region of the country. Please, read Charles’ column about how this project unfolded and share this story with friends. You could organize such an event in your part of the country as well. If you’re interested: Contact us. We can help.

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And, ‘Shining Brightly’ with a ‘Healthy Perspective’

HOWARD BROWN’s inspiring new book, Shining Brightly, will debut soon on Amazon for presale—but the buzz surrounding this book already is sparking media coverage nationwide. Just this week, Chris Bowman is featuring a conversation with Howard on his podcast The Healthy Perspective. Howard’s remarkable life story is multifaceted—from the success of a Silicon Valley entrepreneur to the behind-the-scenes skills of an interfaith peacemaker to the resilience of a two-time Stage IV cancer survivor. In this week’s podcast, Chris focuses on Howard’s hard-earned wisdom as a cancer survivor. If you’d like to learn more about Howard right now, visit his home on line: ShiningBrightly.com

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Celebrating Daniel Berrigan

CELEBRANT’S FLAME is the title of Bill Wylie-Kellermann’s latest book—about the crusading priest Daniel Berrigan—which is receiving glowing reviews this spring. Here’s a link to a National Catholic Reporter review by Coleman McCarthy. Bill, who is based in Detroit, has been a supporter of our online magazine for many years. Our publishing house released Bill’s 2008 book, Dying Well: The Resurrected Life of Jeanie Wylie-Kellermann. His new book about Berrigan is published by Cascade, an imprint of Wipf and Stock.

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Demise of Catholic News Service

ALERT READER TERRY GALLAGHER sent us the news that Catholic News Service—with a legacy that extends back a century into the 1920s—is closing down. That’s a tragedy because the world needs fair, balanced and accurate coverage of the impact of religion in our lives. This is why both Read The Spirit online magazine and our parent company, Front Edge Publishing, have made such a serious commitment to publishing journalism about the world’s religious and cultural diversity. We’ve now produced more than 750 weekly issues of our online magazine. Thanks Terry for spotting this news story! Here are two RNS news reports about CNS’s demise:

Catholic News Service to cease domestic operations at year’s end

Officials across US church, Vatican lament closing of Catholic News Service

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Holidays & Festivals

Two Baha’i holidays

HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS columnist Stephanie Fenton reports on two important Baha’i observances that fall in the second half of May this year: The Declaration of the Bab marks the anniversary of the Bab’s announcement of his mission, in 1844; the Ascension of Baha’u’llah recalls the passing of Baha’u’llah, in 1892.

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A lively outdoor festival

STEPHANIE also reports this week on the Jewish festival of Lag B’Omer, which features outdoor bonfires in Israel—as well as in many Jewish communities around the world.

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And, an ancient Christian celebration

TOWARD THE END OF MAY, Christians around the world will celebrate one of their faith’s ancient holidays: the Feast of the Ascension, known also as Ascension Day. Though no documents give testament to the feast’s existence prior to the 5th century, St. Augustine referred to it as a universal observance of Apostolic origin.
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WANT TO SEE ALL OF THE UPCOMING HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS?—It’s easy to find our annual calendar of global observances. Just remember the web address: InterfaithHolidays.com

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Faith & Film

ED McNULTY, for decades, has published reviews, magazine articles and books exploring connections between faith and film. Most of his work is freely published. Ed supports his work by selling the Visual Parables Journal, a monthly magazine packed with discussion guides to films. This resource is used coast-to-coast by individuals who love the movies and by educators, clergy and small-group leaders.

Among Ed’s free reviews and columns:

• THE LAST DAYS OF PTOLEMY GREY—Ed writes, “In the twilight of his years Samuel Jackson again proves what a consummate actor he is in this adaptation of Walter Mosley’s novel, one that focuses more on character development than on crime.”
• FIREBIRD—”This British-Estonian LGBTQ+ love story is adapted by director and co-writer Peeter Rebane from The Story of Roman, a memoir by Russian actor Sergey Fetisov. It has been suggested that it is a Broke Back Mountain meets Top Gun.”
• THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL SOCIETY—”I was delighted to find on Netflix this production directed by one of my favorite English directors, Mike Newell. We learn of the book club with the unwieldly name through a series of flashbacks to World War II.”
• FATHER STU—“Mark Wahlberg’s new movie, Father Stu, is an R-rated, faith-based movie that tells the story of a real life priest named Father Stuart Long. The actor/producer is taking a chance, because many fans of faith-based film will never attend an R-rated film.”
• SEVERANCE—“For those looking for mind-teasing and challenging viewing, I highly recommend the new 9-episode TV series Severance, now streaming on Apple + TV. Actor Ben Stiller steps behind the camera to direct six of the episodes.”
• THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT—“This is sort of a cinematic banana split, great fun but of slight nutritional value. If you need a break from reality and its worries, this might be your movie.”
• SERVANT OF THE PEOPLE—Netflix now is streaming two dozen episodes of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s 2015-19 TV series, Servant of the People. Ed McNulty writes about the “life-imitates-art” experience of watching this series in the midst of Russia’s attack on Ukraine. There are two parts: Here is Part 1: Ed’s commentary on the opening episodes. Then, here is Part 2: Ed’s follow up, focusing on later episodes.

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Launching a Fun Book with a Serious Three-Fold Mission

COVER STORY—After 20 years as a peace activist, trainer and consultant tackling some of the world’s toughest religious and cultural divides—author Brenda Rosenberg now is working on several new initiatives to empower at-risk young people to join the next generation of peacemakers. A key milestone in these efforts is the launch of a massive, two-volume, hard-back scrapbook celebrating what Brenda has accomplished so far in her life. In our Cover Story, this week, you’ll learn about some of Brenda’s past milestones—and her plans for the future. This is a fun story that also includes a short video in which Brenda introduces her new book. Please, enjoy this story and share it with friends on social media.

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And Speaking of Peacemakers—

Mindy Corporon’s ‘Kindness’ Campaign Grows

MANY OF THE AUTHORS we have published over the last 15 years share the same mission as Brenda Rosenberg: To make our world a better place—by lighting up one life at a time. Among those authors who are nationally active this spring is Kansas City-based Mindy Corporon. For background, here is a 2-minute KMBC News video about Mindy’s recent, annual SevenDays festival of kindness and public service. While the event is focused in the Kansas City area, there are always sprinklings of men, women and teens nationwide who take up Mindy’s challenge. This year, in fact, more than 200 miles south of Kansas City, students at the University of Arkansas took up her theme and hosted their own regional Kindness Walk, as covered by the student-run Arkansas Traveler newspaper.

Want to make a difference? Are you feeling anxious this week about all the horrific headlines from around our world? Wondering what one person can do to create some sparks of hope? Well, you can play a role right now by sharing the news about Brenda and Mindy with others via your own social media or email. Send friends to Read The Spirit magazine, this week, to find these hopeful, creative stories.

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Behind the headlines—

Thoughtful Analysis of Religion in the News

JOURNALIST BILL TAMMEUS is one of the nation’s leading religion writers. His best columns take readers behind the daily headlines to examine the impact of religion in our lives. His style includes offering intriguing links for further reading. That’s certainly true in his latest columns:

• Here’s another reason Russia’s church leader is Putin’s puppet
• We face social disasters if we don’t fix social media
• To answer eternal questions, we must think theologically

Looking for some great spring-summer reading? We just noticed that Amazon has put Bill’s inspiring memoir, Love Loss and Endurance, on sale this week. As of Monday, May 9, Amazon was listing the paperback at less than $4, which is a wonderful opportunity to pick up this book that’s packed with proven ideas for “unplugging extremism.” Hop over to Amazon and snap up one of those discounted copy before Amazon raises the price again.

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Holidays & Festivals

A lively outdoor festival

STEPHANIE FENTON reports this week on the Jewish festival of Lag B’Omer, which features outdoor bonfires especially in Israel as well as Jewish communities around the world.

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WANT TO SEE ALL OF THE UPCOMING HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS?—It’s easy to find our annual calendar of global observances. Just remember the web address: InterfaithHolidays.com

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Faith & Film

ED McNULTY, for decades, has published reviews, magazine articles and books exploring connections between faith and film. Most of his work is freely published. Ed supports his work by selling the Visual Parables Journal, a monthly magazine packed with discussion guides to films. This resource is used coast-to-coast by individuals who love the movies and by educators, clergy and small-group leaders.

Among Ed’s free reviews and columns:

• THE LAST DAYS OF PTOLEMY GREY—Ed writes, “In the twilight of his years Samuel Jackson again proves what a consummate actor he is in this adaptation of Walter Mosley’s novel, one that focuses more on character development than on crime.”
• FIREBIRD—”This British-Estonian LGBTQ+ love story is adapted by director and co-writer Peeter Rebane from The Story of Roman, a memoir by Russian actor Sergey Fetisov. It has been suggested that it is a Broke Back Mountain meets Top Gun.”
• THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL SOCIETY—”I was delighted to find on Netflix this production directed by one of my favorite English directors, Mike Newell. We learn of the book club with the unwieldly name through a series of flashbacks to World War II.”
• FATHER STU—“Mark Wahlberg’s new movie, Father Stu, is an R-rated, faith-based movie that tells the story of a real life priest named Father Stuart Long. The actor/producer is taking a chance, because many fans of faith-based film will never attend an R-rated film.”
• SEVERANCE—“For those looking for mind-teasing and challenging viewing, I highly recommend the new 9-episode TV series Severance, now streaming on Apple + TV. Actor Ben Stiller steps behind the camera to direct six of the episodes.”
• THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT—“This is sort of a cinematic banana split, great fun but of slight nutritional value. If you need a break from reality and its worries, this might be your movie.”
• BOMBARDMENT—”As we are witnessing in newscasts from the Ukraine, this WWII-era film shows that children are always the most poignant victims of war. And in Danish writer/director Ole Bornedal’s mesmerizing film, based on an actual bombing raid in 1945, it is not just a sadistic enemy who maim and kill the innocent victims.”
• THE NORTHMAN—Ed McNulty raises troubling questions about this ultra-violent epic that other critics are praising. He urges viewers to think carefully about whether we should be recommending The Northman to others at a time in our world when violence is unleashed again across eastern Europe. In contrast, Ed highly recommends …
• SERVANT OF THE PEOPLE—Netflix now is streaming two dozen episodes of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s 2015-19 TV series, Servant of the People. Ed McNulty writes about the “life-imitates-art” experience of watching this series in the midst of Russia’s attack on Ukraine. There are two parts: Here is Part 1: Ed’s commentary on the opening episodes. Then, here is Part 2: Ed’s follow up, focusing on later episodes.

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Your Reading Could Spark a Better World

IN THIS WEEK’S COVER STORY, we look at some of the many books we have published during the month of May over the past 15 years—inspiring books for late-spring and summer reading. What surprises us is that some of these books, published years ago, remain as relevant as today’s headline news. Take a look at this array of timely reading—and share this article with friends via social media or email. Who knows? You might spark a helpful discussion and make a positive difference in our world with this particular selection of books.

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Coming to terms with our past

A reckoning with slavery and our Native American history

THIS YEAR, our nation’s leaders—from government to universities to religious groups—are continuing a historic reckoning of our collective history regarding slavery and Native Americans. (We touch on Native American issues in our Cover Story, above.) This week, we also noted some important news headlines about Harvard’s coming to terms with its slave-holding past. Among them:

• The Washington Post: Harvard leaders and staff enslaved 79 people, university finds
• The New York Times: Harvard Details Its Ties to Slavery and Its Plans for Redress

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How are Musk, Putin and Aquinas connected?

Larry Buxton explains

IN HIS LEADING WITH SPIRIT video, this week, Larry Buxton explores the challenges of sole leadership—from the emergence of Elon Musk as sole owner of Twitter to the ongoing rampage of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. What biblical and spiritual wisdom can help us sort out helpful responses to these global challenges? This is a terrific, thought-provoking video to share with friends, this week. You might consider using it to start a discussion in your Sunday School class or small group.

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The Power of Song

The tradition is true: Our spirits soar when we sing.

OUR READERS TELL US they like the way Lucille Sider’s columns focus on resilient living. Lucille is the author of Light Shines in the Darkness, and she has both professional credentials and life experiences behind the wise and hopeful stories she shares with us. This week, she writes about the power of song to lift our spirits and share hope with the world. You’ll definitely want to share this story (and accompanying video) with friends..

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Holidays & Festivals

Are you ready for Mother’s Day?

STEPHANIE FENTON shares the fascinating history of Mother’s Day and, then, as she always does, she adds some helpful links to help you plan your observance of this important day. Don’t miss this column, this week—or the holiday on Sunday!

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‘Eid Mubarak’ to Muslim friends

STEPHANIE FENTON writes about the worldwide celebration of the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. Exact dates are likely to vary around the world depending on regional declarations about the lunar cycles that govern the Islamic calendar.

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WANT TO SEE ALL OF THE UPCOMING HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS?—It’s easy to find our annual calendar of global observances. Just remember the web address: InterfaithHolidays.com

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Faith & Film

ED McNULTY, for decades, has published reviews, magazine articles and books exploring connections between faith and film. Most of his work is freely published. Ed supports his work by selling the Visual Parables Journal, a monthly magazine packed with discussion guides to films. This resource is used coast-to-coast by individuals who love the movies and by educators, clergy and small-group leaders.

Among Ed’s free reviews and columns:

• THE NORTHMAN—Ed McNulty raises troubling questions about this ultra-violent epic that other critics are praising. The film is relentlessly violent and celebrates a world in which bloody vengeance is the only currency that matters. He urges viewers to think carefully about whether we should be recommending The Northman to others at a time in our world when violence is unleashed again across eastern Europe. In contrast, Ed highly recommends that viewers spend time immersing themselves in the following …
• SERVANT OF THE PEOPLE—Netflix now is streaming two dozen episodes of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s 2015-19 TV series, Servant of the People. Ed McNulty writes about the “life-imitates-art” experience of watching this series in the midst of Russia’s attack on Ukraine. There are two parts: Here is Part 1: Ed’s commentary on the opening episodes. Then, here is Part 2: Ed’s follow up, focusing on later episodes.
• COMPARTMENT 6—”Finnish director Juho Kuosmanen takes on the strangers on a train genre in this slow moving story about Finnish student Laura (Seidi Haarla) studying in Moscow sometime during a winter of late 80s or mid 90s.”
• 7 DAYS—Director Roshan Sethi is also the co-writer (with star Karan Soni) of this romantic tale of two Americans, Ravi (Karan Soni) and Rita (Geraldine Viswanathan), whose Indian parents want to set them up for an arranged marriage.
• THE BATMAN—”Director Matt Reeves and co-writer (with Peter Craig) have given us an almost three hours long story so dark that film noir looks like screwball comedy by comparison.”
• THE OUTFIT—”Set in the 1950s, director Graham Moore’s film is the story of Leonard, who has been opening up his modest shop in the same seedy side of Chicago ever since leaving London’s Saville Row after WWII.”
• FLEE—”Danish filmmaker Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s triple Oscar contender about a war refugee is different from other documentaries in that it is 95% animated.”

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The Costs and the Ultimate Value

‘God has taken us on such a journey’

DR. DAVID GUSHEE marks the publishing-industry milestone of selling more than 25,000 copies of his book Changing Our Mind—which explains the biblical need to embrace LGBTQ Christians. On this special occasion, Dr. Gushee writes about both the costs of publishing such a daring book—and the ultimate value of this book in the thousands of lives inspired by it. Please read this Cover Story, which appears in our Front Edge Publishing website, and then share this inspiring story with friends.

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And Speaking of Mentoring …

Leading with Spirit

LARRY BUXTON, this week, asks a question many of us are wearily asking: In our polarized American culture, is there any point in trying to share our wisdom with each other? Yes, Larry argues in his Leading with Spirit video. Today, he says, there is “a crisis of purpose” and “a crisis of mentoring” but leaders must continue to reach out and mentor friends and colleagues if we hope to build a more hopeful future. (While you’re visiting Larry’s website, consider signing up for a free weekly email about his latest videos—via a convenient box in the lower left area of that web page labeled: “Join this community.” Larry’s short videos are drawn from both biblical resources and the latest headlines—and they’re great to share with your small group to spark discussion.)

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Reaching to the Stars

Why do we continue to explore the creation?

BILL TAMMEUS writes this week about another milestone in world news: the continuing deployment of the James Webb Space Telescope. “Almost no matter where you look to find the history of humanity, you discover that we are explorers and that our questions are endless,” Bill writes in this thoughtful column.

Bill is widely regarded as a dean of religion journalists and his thoughtful analysis of the impact of faith on contemporary life is always worth reading. Here’s a second great example: If you are inspired by his column about exploring the heavens, then you’ll also want to read, What happened in the ’90s that changed religion in the U.S.? Like Larry Buxton’s videos, Bill’s columns are guaranteed to spark spirited discussion in Sunday School classes and other small groups in your community.
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Holidays & Festivals

Planning for the Eid al-Fitr

STEPHANIE FENTON writes about the upcoming celebration of the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. Exact dates are likely to vary around the world depending on regional declarations about the lunar cycles that govern the Islamic calendar.

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WANT TO SEE ALL OF THE UPCOMING HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS?—It’s easy to find our annual calendar of global observances. Just remember the web address: InterfaithHolidays.com

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Faith & Film

ED McNULTY, for decades, has published reviews, magazine articles and books exploring connections between faith and film. Most of his work is freely published. Ed supports his work by selling the Visual Parables Journal, a monthly magazine packed with discussion guides to films. This resource is used coast-to-coast by individuals who love the movies and by educators, clergy and small-group leaders.

Among Ed’s free reviews and columns:

• SERVANT OF THE PEOPLE—Netflix now is streaming two dozen episodes of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s 2015-19 TV series, Servant of the People. Ed McNulty writes about the “life-imitates-art” experience of watching this series in the midst of Russia’s attack on Ukraine. There are two parts: Here is Part 1: Ed’s commentary on the opening episodes. Then, here is Part 2: Ed’s follow up, focusing on later episodes.
• COMPARTMENT 6—”Finnish director Juho Kuosmanen takes on the strangers on a train genre in this slow moving story about Finnish student Laura (Seidi Haarla) studying in Moscow sometime during a winter of late 80s or mid 90s.”
• 7 DAYS—Director Roshan Sethi is also the co-writer (with star Karan Soni) of this romantic tale of two Americans, Ravi (Karan Soni) and Rita (Geraldine Viswanathan), whose Indian parents want to set them up for an arranged marriage.
• THE BATMAN—”Director Matt Reeves and co-writer (with Peter Craig) have given us an almost three hours long story so dark that film noir looks like screwball comedy by comparison.”
• THE OUTFIT—”Set in the 1950s, director Graham Moore’s film is the story of Leonard, who has been opening up his modest shop in the same seedy side of Chicago ever since leaving London’s Saville Row after WWII.”
• FREDERICK DOUGLASS IN FIVE SPEECHES—Ed writes, “Although in just 54 minutes director Julia Marchesi cannot possibly include all of the massive amount of information in David Blight’s Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of Frederick Douglass, she does an excellent job in portraying the man and his great influence upon his times and especially upon President Lincoln.”
• FLEE—”Danish filmmaker Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s triple Oscar contender about a war refugee is different from other documentaries in that it is 95% animated.”
• WINTER ON FIRE—“I hope that freedom-loving people all over the world will tune in to Netflix’s new documentary. An Oscar nominee for Best Documentary, it provides a fitting prelude to the current violence unleashed by the ruthless land-grabbing Russian tyrant, as well as a fitting tribute to the brave people opposing him.”

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In ‘Making History’—

Richard Cohen has some short (and long) answers.

THE FIRST QUESTION raised at our publishing house, when we receive the manuscript of a column for Read The Spirit online magazine or a book for our Front Edge Publishing house is: “What makes a great story?” That’s the crucial question we must answer to decide whether to publish that column or book—and to explain to the writers who submitted those texts why we are either accepting or rejecting their work. That’s often a very challenging discernment to make. And, that’s why Front Edge founding Editor David Crumm is beginning an occasional series of columns about: “What makes a great story? What makes a great book?” In the first part of that series, we draw on lessons from Richard Cohen’s remarkable new book about the world’s most successful historians: Making History—The Storytellers Who Shaped the Past. Please, enjoy this week’s cover story and share it with friends via social media and email.

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Speaking of Great Stories …

Carol Trembath, asks …

Earthrise: What brought us to honor Earth Day?

CAROL TREMBATH has devoted her professional talents to reporting stories about our world’s fragile environmental balance. This week, she writes about the milestones that stirred us to create Earth Day, which is right on the horizon—on Friday April 22.

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WANT TO SEE ALL OF THE UPCOMING HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS?—It’s easy to find our annual calendar of global observances. Just remember the web address: InterfaithHolidays.com

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Lucille Sider

‘Act your age!’ may lead to some healthy surprises

IN OUR CAREGIVERS SECTION THIS WEEK, our popular columnist Lucille Sider points out that the advice “Act your age!” is not necessarily an insult. In fact, if we pay attention to our bodies, as we age, we may discover some healthy surprises. Please, enjoy this column and share it with friends.

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Suzy Farbman

One family makes a tasty difference for so many

IN THIS WEEK’S GOD SIGNS COLUMN, Suzy Farbman introduces us to Beaver Shriver, whose visionary coffee and ice cream shop has become a friendly hub for inclusion. Please, share this inspiring column with friends.

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David Gushee

Ukraine’s ‘Just War’

THIS WEEK, CHRISTIAN ETHICIST Dr. David Gushee writes on his website about moral issues surrounding this tragic conflict. Why should we read this timely column? Dr. Gushee puts it this way: “The Russian assault on Ukraine, taking place before the eyes of a watching world, should and will affect current Christian moral thinking about war. It will contribute to reviving the meaningfulness of classic just war theory and challenging the (principled or functional) pacifism regnant for a generation in Christian ethics and some church bodies.”

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Larry Buxton

Feeling ‘Hopeless’? Consider this ‘Possibility’ …

LARRY BUXTON’S LEADNG WITH SPIRIT VIDEO, this week, zeroes in on the despair that so many of us feel in the face of the world’s tragedy these days—by talking about Christianity’s miracle of Easter. “Over time … empty branches blossom again,” Larry says, evoking Emily Dickinson’s “House of Possibility.” He continues, “You and I can catch the pale, persistent glimmers of grace and surprise.”

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And from our friends at the International Association of Religion Journalists

A dialogue on the complex role of religion in public life

OUR FRIENDS AT THE IARJ have been convening a series of global dialogues among journalists and scholars about the complex role of religion in shaping public life, these days. A new 52-minute dialogue now is available on the IARJ website, exploring such thought-provoking questions as: “Is religion shaping politics, or are political movements now reshaping our religion?”

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Faith & Film

ED McNULTY, for decades, has published reviews, magazine articles and books exploring connections between faith and film. Most of his work is freely published. Ed supports his work by selling the Visual Parables Journal, a monthly magazine packed with discussion guides to films. This resource is used coast-to-coast by individuals who love the movies and by educators, clergy and small-group leaders.

Among Ed’s free reviews and columns:

• COMPARTMENT 6—”Finnish director Juho Kuosmanen takes on the strangers on a train genre in this slow moving story about Finnish student Laura (Seidi Haarla) studying in Moscow sometime during a winter of late 80s or mid 90s.”
• 7 DAYS—Director Roshan Sethi is also the co-writer (with star Karan Soni) of this romantic tale of two Americans, Ravi (Karan Soni) and Rita (Geraldine Viswanathan), whose Indian parents want to set them up for an arranged marriage.
• THE BATMAN—”Director Matt Reeves and co-writer (with Peter Craig) have given us an almost three hours long story so dark that film noir looks like screwball comedy by comparison.”
• THE OUTFIT—”Set in the 1950s, director Graham Moore’s film is the story of Leonard, who has been opening up his modest shop in the same seedy side of Chicago ever since leaving London’s Saville Row after WWII.”
• SERVANT OF THE PEOPLE—Netflix now is streaming two dozen episodes of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s 2015-19 TV series, Servant of the People. Ed McNulty highly recommends the series, writing: “What a series of visual parables about lifting up the lowly and of the great reversal proclaimed by Jesus in the gospels!“
• FREDERICK DOUGLASS IN FIVE SPEECHES—Ed writes, “Although in just 54 minutes director Julia Marchesi cannot possibly include all of the massive amount of information in David Blight’s Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of Frederick Douglass, she does an excellent job in portraying the man and his great influence upon his times and especially upon President Lincoln.”
• FLEE—”Danish filmmaker Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s triple Oscar contender about a war refugee is different from other documentaries in that it is 95% animated.”
• WINTER ON FIRE—“I hope that freedom-loving people all over the world will tune in to Netflix’s new documentary. An Oscar nominee for Best Documentary, it provides a fitting prelude to the current violence unleashed by the ruthless land-grabbing Russian tyrant, as well as a fitting tribute to the brave people opposing him.”
• CARRIE’S WAR—“The story is set during the London Blitz when the decision was made to ship the children out into the country-side for their safety and their parents’ peace of mind.”
• WRITING WITH FIRE—”This Oscar-nominated documentary’s title must have been derived from the white hot passion of journalist Meera Devi and her colleagues at their newspaper located in northern India. Khabar Lahariya, which means in English “Waves of News,” is staffed by Dalit women.”

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Ramadan, Easter and Passover rarely converge

Our writers prayerfully reflect on our troubled world

AUTHOR VICTOR BEGG pointed out to us that the convergence of these three Abrahamic observances occurs so rarely that we see it only every three decades. Passover, Easter and Ramadan coincide this year—and will next year—and then we won’t see these three converge again until the 2050s. That’s because, as Victor explains it, Ramadan’s lunar cycle moves the Islamic fasting month “earlier” by about 11 days each year. This rare convergence truly makes this an exceptional week in which our writers are sharing spiritual reflections—focused on their hopes for peace in our troubled world and especially in Ukraine. Please, enjoy these columns—and the photographs as well—and share them with friends.

RABBI LENORE BOHM writes Passover’s power to inspire action: This year, we will be thinking of Ukraine (the accompanying photographs show the Brodsky Synagogue in Kyiv).

RABBI JACK RIEMER calls us to Proclaim a Passover ‘Dayenu’ that lifts up the people of Ukraine (with photos of the Kharkiv Choral Synagogue, the largest in Ukraine).

MARKING RAMADAN, Victor Begg reminds us that all of our faiths call on us to be peacemakers (with photos of the Al-Salam Mosque in Odessa).

REFLECTING ON HOLY WEEK and EASTER, Benjamin Pratt draws on illustrations from Ian Fleming’s Seven Deadlier Sins and 007’s Moral Compass (with St. George’s church in western Ukraine).

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And, more timely reflections from our writers

Stephanie Fenton

HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS columnist Stephanie Fenton reports on the Easter Triduum: Christians observe Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday

Then, she reports on Easter, also known as Pascha.

WANT TO SEE ALL OF THE UPCOMING HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS?—It’s easy to find our annual calendar of global observances. Just remember the web address: InterfaithHolidays.com

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Martin Davis

Complain about baseball? Not this fan!

‘Let’s play ball!’ writes journalist and author Martin Davis as he enjoys his first baseball game of the season. You’ll find his homage to the start of the baseball season on this page in the Virginia-based Free Lance-Star, where Martin now is Editor of the Editorial Page.

If you enjoy Martin’s columns about sports, then you’re sure to enjoy his new book 30 Days with America’s High School Coaches, available from Amazon in hardcover, paperback and Kindle versions.

His new book was just reviewed by Drew Gallagher, headlined: Interviews reveal insights from those shaping young lives from the sidelines
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Mindy Corporon

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, Mindy Corporon will kick off her annual campaign called SevenDays. Centered in the Kansas City area, this huge effort also shares inspiring ideas and opportunities to anyone within reach of an internet connection. As she describes the goal: “SevenDays overcomes hate by promoting kindness and understanding through education and dialogue.” To learn more, visit Mindy’s website SevenDays.org. You’ll be surprised by the array of stories, ideas, events and inspirational ideas. Mindy is the author of Healing a Shattered Soul.

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Faith & Film

ED McNULTY, for decades, has published reviews, magazine articles and books exploring connections between faith and film. Most of his work is freely published. Ed supports his work by selling the Visual Parables Journal, a monthly magazine packed with discussion guides to films. This resource is used coast-to-coast by individuals who love the movies and by educators, clergy and small-group leaders.

Among Ed’s free reviews and columns:

• COMPARTMENT 6—”Finnish director Juho Kuosmanen takes on the strangers on a train genre in this slow moving story about Finnish student Laura (Seidi Haarla) studying in Moscow sometime during a winter of late 80s or mid 90s.”
• 7 DAYS—Director Roshan Sethi is also the co-writer (with star Karan Soni) of this romantic tale of two Americans, Ravi (Karan Soni) and Rita (Geraldine Viswanathan), whose Indian parents want to set them up for an arranged marriage.
• THE BATMAN—”Director Matt Reeves and co-writer (with Peter Craig) have given us an almost three hours long story so dark that film noir looks like screwball comedy by comparison.”
• THE OUTFIT—”Set in the 1950s, director Graham Moore’s film is the story of Leonard, who has been opening up his modest shop in the same seedy side of Chicago ever since leaving London’s Saville Row after WWII.”
• SERVANT OF THE PEOPLE—Netflix now is streaming two dozen episodes of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s 2015-19 TV series, Servant of the People. Ed McNulty highly recommends the series, writing: “What a series of visual parables about lifting up the lowly and of the great reversal proclaimed by Jesus in the gospels!“
• FREDERICK DOUGLASS IN FIVE SPEECHES—Ed writes, “Although in just 54 minutes director Julia Marchesi cannot possibly include all of the massive amount of information in David Blight’s Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of Frederick Douglass, she does an excellent job in portraying the man and his great influence upon his times and especially upon President Lincoln.”
• FLEE—”Danish filmmaker Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s triple Oscar contender about a war refugee is different from other documentaries in that it is 95% animated.”
• WINTER ON FIRE—“I hope that freedom-loving people all over the world will tune in to Netflix’s new documentary. An Oscar nominee for Best Documentary, it provides a fitting prelude to the current violence unleashed by the ruthless land-grabbing Russian tyrant, as well as a fitting tribute to the brave people opposing him.”
• CARRIE’S WAR—“The story is set during the London Blitz when the decision was made to ship the children out into the country-side for their safety and their parents’ peace of mind.”
• WRITING WITH FIRE—”This Oscar-nominated documentary’s title must have been derived from the white hot passion of journalist Meera Devi and her colleagues at their newspaper located in northern India. Khabar Lahariya, which means in English “Waves of News,” is staffed by Dalit women.”

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‘The most widely celebrated Jewish holiday’

In this week’s Cover Story, Rabbi Lenore Bohm writes: “Passover is the most widely celebrated holiday in Jewish homes around the world. Why does it remain such a powerful call to us each year?” As Jewish families prepare for Passover, we ask you to read Rabbi Bohm’s column and then share it with friends via social media and email.

When is Passover? The date moves each year with lunar cycles. This year, it begins after sunset on Friday, April 15.

Learn more with Rabbi Lenore: This week, the Religion News Service carries a story, headlined, ‘Torah Tutor’ arrives in time for Passover and spring Bible studies

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More Holidays & Festivals

Ramadan around the world

HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS COLUMNIST Stephanie Fenton covers Ramadan.

FRONT EDGE PUBLISHING Editor David Crumm writes about three ideal books to learn more about our Muslim neighbors.

National Public Radio also has posted a gallery of remarkable photographs from around the world, taken as Muslim families began the Ramadan fast this past weekend.

A note on our photograph, above: This image of a traditional Ramadan lantern is available for public use via Wikimedia Commons.

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Palm Sunday, Holy Week & Easter

2 billion Christians celebrate

HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS columnist Stephanie Fenton reports …

Palm Sunday: Christians begin Holy Week with processions and palms

AND—Easter Triduum: Christians observe Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday

THEN: We also explain this moveable date of Easter.

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WANT TO SEE ALL OF THE UPCOMING HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS?—It’s easy to find our annual calendar of global observances. Just remember the web address: InterfaithHolidays.com

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From our writers—

The Pope’s apology to Native Peoples

THIS YEAR, our writers have been following the emerging news about Native Peoples and the horrific history of “boarding schools,” many of which once were run by religious groups. Revelations are moving across Canada and more news will be coming from the United States, where investigations by government agencies and religious groups are unfolding. This week, Pope Francis hosted Native leaders from Canada at the Vatican and delivered an apology.

• Here’s The New York Times coverage, headlined: ‘I Feel Shame’: Pope Apologizes to Indigenous People of Canada
• You can read Pope Francis’ entire statement, plus you’ll find nine photos from this historic gathering at the Vatican website.

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Najah Bazzy

Honored as a ‘Thought Leader Influencing the World’

OUR AUTHOR NAJAH BAZZY was honored by the Global Woman Magazine staff among “Top 6 Muslim Female Thought Leaders Influencing the World.” The magazine profile describes her this way: “An internationally recognized healer, humanitarian and interfaith leader, Najah Bazzy is the founder of Zaman International, a nonprofit organization advancing the lives of marginalized women and children by enabling them to meet essential needs and break the cycle of poverty.” During the month of Ramadan, Najah also helps to explain the worldwide Muslim tradition of fasting through her book, The Beauty of Ramadan.

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Rodney Curtis

AUTHOR and PHOTOGRAPHER RODNEY CURTIS reflects this week about the dilemmas most of us confront after two years of this pandemic: “Making things make sense can feel like a puzzle with only middle pieces and no edges.”

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David Gushee

‘The Moral Dimension of the Ministerial Vocation’

DR. DAVID GUSHEE, one of the world’s leading Christian ethicists, has started a series of columns at his website that are excerpts from his new book, Introducing Christian Ethics.

He has headlined this week’s column ‘The Moral Dimension of the Ministerial Vocation,’ which is a challenge to religious leaders to make a deeper commitment to their responsibilities in our world today. Clicking on the headline will take you to Dr. Gushee’s online home, where you also can sign up, if you wish, for free updates directly from Dr. Gushee.

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Faith & Film

ED McNULTY, for decades, has published reviews, magazine articles and books exploring connections between faith and film. Most of his work is freely published. Ed supports his work by selling the Visual Parables Journal, a monthly magazine packed with discussion guides to films. This resource is used coast-to-coast by individuals who love the movies and by educators, clergy and small-group leaders.

Among Ed’s free reviews and columns:

• SERVANT OF THE PEOPLE—Netflix now is streaming two dozen episodes of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s 2015-19 TV series, Servant of the People. Ed McNulty highly recommends the series, writing: “What a series of visual parables about lifting up the lowly and of the great reversal proclaimed by Jesus in the gospels!“
• JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR in two versions: Ed reaches back to review two different versions of Jesus Christ Superstar. First, he writes about the inspiring, ground-breaking experience of the first version in the 1970s. Then, he also reviews a 2000 version of the musical.
• FREDERICK DOUGLASS IN FIVE SPEECHES—Ed writes, “Although in just 54 minutes director Julia Marchesi cannot possibly include all of the massive amount of information in David Blight’s Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of Frederick Douglass, she does an excellent job in portraying the man and his great influence upon his times and especially upon President Lincoln.”
• LINCOLN’S DILEMMA—Ed also praises the new four-part series about Lincoln and Frederick Douglas that just debuted on Apple TV+
• FLEE—”Danish filmmaker Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s triple Oscar contender about a war refugee is different from other documentaries in that it is 95% animated.”
• IVAN’S CHILDHOOD—Looking for insights into the lingering influence of the Soviet Union on life in Russia? Ed reaches back to 1962 to recommend an early film by the famous Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky.
• WINTER ON FIRE—“I hope that freedom-loving people all over the world will tune in to Netflix’s new documentary. An Oscar nominee for Best Documentary, it provides a fitting prelude to the current violence unleashed by the ruthless land-grabbing Russian tyrant, as well as a fitting tribute to the brave people opposing him.”
• CARRIE’S WAR—“The story is set during the London Blitz when the decision was made to ship the children out into the country-side for their safety and their parents’ peace of mind.”
• WRITING WITH FIRE—”This Oscar-nominated documentary’s title must have been derived from the white hot passion of journalist Meera Devi and her colleagues at their newspaper located in northern India. Khabar Lahariya, which means in English “Waves of News,” is staffed by Dalit women.”
• BUTTER—“Virtually all teenagers have felt isolated and hopeless at times, if not by the obesity of the film’s Butter (Alex Kersting), then by some other difference that makes them feel judged and rejected by peers,” Ed writes in recommending this film.
• DEATH ON THE NILE—”He’s back, that French detective with a mustache so large that it could be regarded as a fire hazard. Just as he was a passenger in 2017’s Murder on the Orient Express, so Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) is again a passenger, but this time on a luxury paddle boat a few hundred miles south—the Nile River.”

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