Moved by injustice, young Ed McNulty became part of that turbulent Freedom Summer

Faith and courage drew Northern and Southern activists to rise up

OUR COVER STORY THIS WEEK is the beginning of a remarkable series of columns, reflections and movie reviews pulled together for us in August 2024 by the veteran Faith & Film critic Edward McNulty. Now, of course, Ed is known nationally for his perspectives on the spiritual lessons we can glean from cinema. However—60 years ago in 1964—he was a young pastor driven to respond to the rampant injustices he saw in the South. He and a friend joined the wave of Northern activists who risked traveling South, where they formed working friendships with the Southerners who were risking their lives in a historic campaign to claim civil rights.

Start your journey with Ed here: Ed’s magazine-style presentation for this 60th anniversary will be published across a series of weekly ReadTheSpirit editions, starting here. As you read Ed’s various columns, you will find related links leading toward other gems. Those gems include actual “real-time” entries from Ed’s journals in 1964 as well as reviews of inspiring films about the civil rights movement.

Don’t miss the personal note at the end of Ed’s opening column today. He invites others who may have personal or family accounts of Freedom Summer to contact us and share memories. You can do that by adding a comment to Ed’s column or by emailing us at [email protected]

And, finally, our entire team at the publishing house feels honored to work with Ed, a living embodiment of lessons learned in that dangerous early era of the civil rights movement. Thank you, Ed, for all you share with us, week after week!

And speaking of wisdom from another era …

Henry Brinton’s new novel shows how current conflicts echo the American Civil War

FANS OF HENRY BRINTON NOVELS are pleased that he is welcoming us back to the tiny riverfront town of Occoquan, Virginia, a very real place with a rich history where Henry actually resides and spins his fictional tales. In this third novel, Henry introduces us to two different periods in Occoquan’s history—one story set during the Civil War and the other story unfolding today. This link will take you to ReadTheSpirit Editor David Crumm’s Goodreads review of Henry’s latest novel, which—as his readers will expect—carries us through small-town drama and page-turning suspense toward a wise and satisfying conclusion. We know this is the kind of novel that regular readers of our magazine will enjoy.

In Henry’s pages, we find fun, romance, danger—and real-life spiritual wisdom to carry away with us when the fictional tale ends.

Then, here’s a real-life 2024 case study of people responding to hatred through friendships

THIS WEEK, OUR MAGAZINE IS EXPLORING HOW TO RESPOND TO HATRED. So, we also are adding this current, real-life case study of hatred literally igniting—in the form of a Quran-burning protest—and the many ways long-standing friendships in southeast Michigan were poised to reassure the larger community.

Holidays & Festivals

Feast of the Transfiguration

HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS columnist Stephanie Fenton explains that this centuries-old feast was particularly important to the late Pope John Paul II, who added reflections on this Gospel story to the Rosary.

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

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 film reviews and discussion guides. This resource is used nationwide by individuals who love the movies and by educators, clergy and small-group leaders.

Here are some of Ed’s most recent free reviews and columns:

MY PENGUIN FRIEND—Ed writes, “I love interspecies films such as Fly Away, and Brazilian director David Schurmann’s film is a delightful addition to the genre.”
TWISTERS—“Director Lee Isaac Chung’s disaster film is about as thrilling as it can get, far more entertaining than a screen full of wisecracking Marvel superheroes.”
LONGLEGS—”Director Oz Perkins probes the “madness is in their heart” in an unforgettable way in this film that combines horror with FBI procedural.”
TOUCH—”Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur’s film is for those who love a star-crossed lover’s story.”
SING SING—This inspiring film is based on a true story of prisoners producing an annual theatrical production at Sing Sing prison.
A MUSSOLINI DOUBLE FEATURE—Ed says that viewers with an interest in Italian dictator Benito Mussolini’s long and complex reign in Europe and Africa will want to watch two films (now streaming on YouTube and on Amazon): Mussolini’s Daughter and Lion of the Desert, each one running about three hours.
THE LONG GAME—Ed urges us to see this inspiring true story of a groundbreaking team of young Latino golfers.
A QUIET PLACE: DAY 1—Ed likes this prequel even though he initially was skeptical about the quality of a third film in this francise.
DADDIO—”Writer-director Christy Hall’s film, shot almost entirely within the confines of a NYC Yellow Cab, pulls off a seemingly impossible task—keeping us interested entirely by means of a conversation that moves from the casual to the intimate.”
FRESH—Ed also suggests we look back this week to a 1994 film set in Brooklyn that many of us may have overlooked.
HORIZON, Chapter 1—“I wish Kevin Costner could redo this as a cable series.”