In the first chapter of The Glad River, author Will Campbell introduces two main characters, Claudy “Doops” Momber and Kingston Smylie. Flung into the cold military-industrial machine, the men first cross paths during basic training. Be it the impending war,…
What do ‘The Hunger Games’ and ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ have to do with American Christianity today?
Remember the opening of the first Hunger Games movie? At the annual reaping ceremony in District 12, Capitol representative Effie Trinket plays a short film for her captive audience. The montage, narrated by President Snow, depicts scenes from Panem’s history…
Remembering Ralph Carmichael, the father of contemporary church music
It has been an unusual, loss-filled few weeks in the world of church music. One by one we have seen the obituaries of some of the major players come across our desks. A few weeks ago, long-retired professor of music…
Remembering Bob Dale, who helped us learn to dream again
With the news of Bob Dale’s passing late last week, a torrent of stories, testimonials and heart-felt grief has been flowing on social media and in conversations across the nation. The number of people who have stories to tell about…