A New Book with Leadership Lessons We All Can Use

COVER STORY: In an era when a Russian dictator can declare a war that kills thousands—and when angry political factions around the world routinely touch off deadly violence—millions of us are wondering: Is there a better way to live?

Indeed, there is: We can look to the life of Gustavo Parajón (1935-2011), a Nicaraguan doctor and pastor whose life as a courageous peacemaker unfolds in a new biography Healing the World—Gustavo Parajón, Public Health and Peacemaking Pioneer. 

Our Cover Story this week is a conversation with the book’s co-authors, one in the U.S. and one in Nicaragua, about life lessons we all can learn from Parajón’s deep love of the people he met each day. Please, read this story and share it with friends via social media and email. At the end of this new story, we also feature links to four videos about Parajón to enjoy and share, as well.

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‘Shining Brightly’

Howard Brown’s new book is a chorus of 365 voices

INSPIRATION FOR EACH DAY OF THE YEAR—Need a boost each morning—a kick-start message to encourage you to get out there and become active in your community? This month, Howard Brown and 364 other inspiring writers are launching The Art of Connection, a day-by-day reader that you can start anytime you feel you need a bit of encouragement to engage others in positive ways.

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Holidays & Festivals

Lunar New Year of the Rabbit

Holidays & Festivals columnist Stephanie Fenton reports on one of the world’s biggest festivals: the Lunar New Year celebrated in China and many other Asian nations—as well as in Asian communities around the world. Among the questions she answers is: If this is the Year of the Rabbit, why are we showing an illustration of a lion?

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International Holocaust Remembrance Day

NOW MORE THAN EVER—We all need to be aware of the rising tide of antisemitism, a problem that Stephanie Fenton points out in this week’s column about this global observance, marked each year on January 27.

AND, FOR MORE ON WHAT EACH OF US CAN DO: Journalist and author Bill Tammeus has written and spoken extensively about Holocaust education. In this recent column, Bill writes about the 30th anniversary of the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education as well as other resources you may want to check out. (And, if you read that column, you will find Bill’s review of the new Gustavo Parajón biography right after Bill’s Holocaust coverage.)

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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.

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

• PINOCCHIO—(Streaming) Ed urges viewers to see what he calls a masterpiece of animation as well as a provocative lesson about the dangers of Fascism.
• ROSEWOOD—(Streaming) Ed has reposted his review of this powerful 1997 film about the Rosewood Massacre, which took place 100 years ago.
  • To learn more: Recently, we published Henry Brinton’s overview of the Centennial of the Rosewood Massacre.
• AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER—(In theaters) “James Cameron’s sequel to Avatar is violent but so beautiful that it is well worth the long wait.”
• THE WHALE—(In theaters) “Darren Aronofsky’s new film, the script adapted by Samuel D. Hunter from the latter’s own play, is a powerful parable of remorse, self-punishment, and attempted reconciliation.”
• BABYLON—(In theaters) Ed urges anyone interested in the movie to go see it in a big-screen theater before it inevitably comes to streaming.
• EMPIRE OF LIGHT—(In theaters and streaming) “Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes (American Beauty) pays homage to the cinemas of the 80s while tackling such issues as racism and mental illness in his new film.”
• THE FABELMANS—(In theaters and streaming) “The Fableman/Spielberg family is a combination of dreamers and realists, of eccentrics and down-to-earth folk, who love each other but also find themselves at odds with one another.”
• THE MENU—(Streaming on HBO Max) “Director Mark Mylod and his distinguished cast must have had a blast bringing to life this dark satire written by Seth Reiss and Will Tracy.”
• EMANCIPATION—(Streaming on Apple+) “Director Antoine Fuqua and screenwriter Bill Collage have created the most compelling story of a freedom-loving slave that I have seen.”
• SHE SAID—(Streaming on Peacock) “If ever one doubted the importance of a free press, this film centering on two NY Times reporters should be invoked!“

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