‘An enormous need for hope among so many people and their families’

COVER STORY—This week, Dr. David Gushee is celebrating with our publishing house reaching the milestone of 30,000 copies of his international bestseller Changing Our Mind. We’re not only marking the sheer number of books sold—we’re celebrating with the thousands of people those numbers represent. In an interview with Editor David Crumm, Dr. Gushee tells some of the stories his readers have shared with him about the hope they have found through his book. Please, spread a little hope yourself this week by sharing this story with friends via social media or email.

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Speaking of prophetic voices—

Naming the sin of racism 

AUTHOR AND COLUMNIST BENJAMIN PRATT adds to our theme this week of the importance of prophetic Christian voices. Weary of the many tragic acts of racist violence we are witnessing across America, Ben Pratt recalls another courageous Christian voice who dared to name the sin of racism many decades ago: Harry Emerson Fosdick. As a pastor himself, now retired, Ben urges readers to remember that prophetic voices within our houses of worship have been calling Americans toward justice for many, many years.

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And Still Preaching to the World

The Rev. Dr. George A. Mason’s ‘positive and hopeful vision’

OUR THANKS GO TO THE Rev. Dr. Robert D. Cornwall for a very thoughtful overview of the new book The Word Made Fresh by the Rev. Dr. George A. Mason. Versions of Cornwall’s column have appeared on his own website and also in the historic Word & Way magazine, founded in 1896. Our publishing house team thanks Cornwall for such a thorough interpretation of the ways Mason’s new book can be useful in our world today.

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Spreading the word online

Howard Brown in Canvas Rebel

NO, WE HADN’T HEARD OF CANVAS REBEL until this week, but the point of this Front Edge Publishing column is that colorful new magazines like Canvas Rebel are popping up all the time—and we want to help our authors find their way into these realms of online media.

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Holidays & Milestones

Raksha Bandhan

A RENEWAL OF HINDU FAMILY “TIES”—As our Holidays & Festivals columnist Stephanie Fenton explains today, Raksha Bandhan is one of the most beloved customs in Hindu communities around the world—an occasion for sisters and brothers to renew and strengthen their family “ties.”

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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:

• THE LAW ACCORDING TO LYDIA POËT—Ed highly recommends this new Netflix series about Italy’s first female lawyer.
• THEATER CAMP—Ed also praises this new “mockumentary” with Amy Sedaris.
• SHORT COMINGS—”The title of actor-turned director Randall Park’s film refers to its main character Ben Tanaka (Justin H. Min). And does he ever have shortcomings!”
• LOOKING BACK—Ed also suggests this week that we look back at two thought-provoking films: Anatomy of an Illness (1984) with Ed Asner and Half Nelson (2006) with Ryan Gosling.
• AFIRE—Ed writes, “With destructive fires ravaging so many countries around the world, German director Christian Petzold’s film has a strange relevance.”
• OPPENHEIMER—”Christopher Nolan’s massive film, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, shows how the scientist that presided over Trinity clearly understood” the power he had unleashed.
• TIGER WITHIN—”It is good to see that actor Ed Asner’s last film was one decrying ignorance and advocating love, forgiveness and friendship.”
• BARBIE—”I was thankful for the TIME magazine article that convinced me that I should watch Barbie despite my many reservations regarding it.”

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