Ransom Fellowship

Ransom Fellowship Publications Now Available on ISSUU.COM

2009-07-09T14:09:00.004-05:00

Ransom Fellowship is now offering magazines and resources in a new interactive reading format through ISSUU.COM. Right now you will find most of the eBooks posted; we will soon be adding back issues of CRITIQUE and NOTES FROM TOAD HALL as well.

To access our virtual bookshelf of resources go to: http://www.issuu.com/ransomfellowship

New and Updated eBooks and Resources Posted at RansomFellowship.org

2009-07-09T13:49:00.003-05:00

We have been working to develop additional eBooks and resources for the benefit of our readers.

Below you will find current selections that are featured on the Ransom Fellowship website: www.RansomFellowship.org

eBook
Getting A Grip: Four Essays by Mardi Keyes
Publication Date: 07/09/2009

Mardi Keyes covers Youth Culture, Adolescence, Homosexuality and Marriage through a series of four essays brought to you from the pages of CRITIQUE magazine.

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eBook
Thinking Christianly About Homosexuality
Publication Date: 07/08/2009

Fewer topics are as polarized in our post-modern world as the question of homosexuality. Ransom Fellowship presents a series of essays on homosexuality by Wes Hill, Mardi Keyes and Denis Haack. Edited by Matthew Hundley.

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eBook
Babylon Series: Being In The World, But Not Of It
Publication Date: 06/02/2009

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eBook
A Practical Method of Bible Study for Ordinary Christians, Revised (Denis Haack, Revised May 2009)
Publication Date: 05/28/2009

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eBook
Reflecting Theologically On Popular Culture As Meaningful: The Role of Sin, Grace, and General Revelation (Theodore A. Turnau III)
Publication Date: 05/25/2009

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eBook
ByFaith: Articles by Denis Haack
Publication Date: 05/01/2009

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eBook
Millennium Fever & The Future of this Earth (Wim Rietkirk, 1989)
Publication Date: 01/17/2008

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eBook
Bible Reading Program for Slackers & Shirkers (Margie Haack)
Publication Date: 01/01/2007

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Shoulds, Wants, and Faithfulness - by Denis haack

2009-06-03T08:35:00.000-05:00

Might the future of business lie in encouraging shoulds rather than indulging wants? Could corporations help us bring out our better selves?

http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=512&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8

Valkyrie (Bryan Singer, 2008) - A Review by R. Greg Grooms

2009-06-03T08:34:00.001-05:00

Valkyrie is a deeply flawed film flirting with questions it never quite raises. And then there's Tom Cruise. Why do we watch?

http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=517&B=R.%20Greg%20Grooms&TID=2

Engaging the Arts: Are You A Patron? by Denis Haack

2009-06-03T08:32:00.000-05:00

The arts, contrary to liberal ideology, cannot solve the deepest problems of the human race, nor, contrary to conservative ideology, are the arts luxuries unnecessary to existence. Made in the image of the Creator, human beings are inescapably creative.

http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=515&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8

Love and Loss Amidst the Dunes: a review of the novel "The Maytrees" by Annie Dillard

2009-06-02T09:36:00.000-05:00

Annie Dillard has an uncanny ability to see—to observe things, creatures, people, and life with a beguiling simplicity and clarity. More remarkably, she is gifted in capturing what she sees in words, so that when I read her finely crafted prose I see things, creatures, people, and life with greater clarity as well.

http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=495&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=5

A review of Eliza Gilkyson's "Paradise Hotel" by Denis Haack

2009-06-02T09:34:00.001-05:00

Gilkyson has charted her own path and brings a clear voice, crisp lyrics, a passion for justice, and an imagination keen on beauty to shape music that satisfies not as background noise, but as music of the heart.

http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=503&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=4

A Review of "Milk" by Wesley Hill

2009-06-02T09:32:00.002-05:00

A film like Milk confronts us with a poignant, at times heartrendingly beautiful portrayal of loving, caring, loneliness-diminishing gay relationships. How should we respond?

http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=516&B=Wesley%20Hill&TID=2

eBookshelf

2009-06-01T15:51:00.002-05:00

If you look on the lower left of our site you'll see a banner ad for "Ransom Resources." We are in the process of compiling and developing eBooks on everything from discernment to evangelism to how to read the Bible. Several of these are already posted at: http://ransomfellowship.org/publications_archives.asp?PID=eBook There are more in the works. Please utilize these resources and share them with your friends. Thanks.

Elsewhere on the Web

2009-06-01T15:41:00.002-05:00

If you visit our site - http://www.ransomfellowship.org - and look on the lower right you will see several icons for RSS, Facebook, Twitter, Blogs and the like. We encourage you to check out these sites. If you do the newsfeed thing feel free to sign up for feeds from our blogs or our Twitter feed. If you are on Facebook, be sure to sign on as part of the Ransom Fellowship Group. If you are a Twitter fan, you'll finds us @critiquemag. We're doing our best to get information out via the channels you use. We also would love to see you add us as a link on your own Facebook page, Blog or personal webspace. Thanks friends. Blessings.

We Tweet @critiquemag

2009-05-29T13:13:00.002-05:00

Sign on to follow our tweets. http://www.twitter.com/critiquemag

Be Sure To Join The Ransom Fellowship Group on FACEBOOK

2009-05-29T13:11:00.003-05:00

If you are a fellow FACEBOOK user we would highly encourage you to join our GROUP. Just do a search for RANSOM FELLOWSHIP and you will be able to request membership. Would love to have you as part of our FACEBOOK COMMUNITY. Thanks.

Shoulds, Wants, and Faithfulness (Denis Haack)

2009-05-29T13:10:00.003-05:00

Might the future of business lie in encouraging shoulds rather than indulging wants? Could corporations help us bring out our better selves?
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=512&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8

Satisfied: A Conversation About Fullness, Spirituality & Food (Karen Baldwin)

2009-05-29T13:08:00.001-05:00

I am passionate about food. Growing it, shopping for it, smelling it, cooking it and eating it. It seems it is hard for me to get enough of it.
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=508&B=Karen%20Baldwin&TID=7

The Place of the Artist in the Christian Community (Robert Russell)

2009-05-29T13:07:00.000-05:00

This article is intended to give an overview of some of the ways that people in the past have thought about how art might be organized; also, I will sketch out a very brief history of how I think that artists got to where they are now.
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=293&B=Robert%20Russell&TID=6

A Guided Walk through The Institutes (Denis Haack)

2009-05-29T13:06:00.001-05:00

Last year a friend heard that I was re-reading John Calvin’s Institutes, and wondered why I would take the time. He said it was a “very confusing” book.
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=534&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=5

Introducing Children to Global Culture Through Music (Matthew Hundley)

2009-05-29T13:05:00.001-05:00

Teaching our children (and ourselves) about other cultures is important for social, intellectual and spiritual growth. One of the publishers offering quality recordings and learning materials for children is Putumayo.
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=530&B=Matthew%20Hundley&TID=4

A Review of Doubt (John Patrick Shanley, 2008)

2009-05-29T13:04:00.000-05:00

How do you feel about people who are certain? Do you find them attractive, admirable, encouraging? Often the attractiveness of certainty depends on who embodies it.
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=511&B=R.%20Greg%20Grooms&TID=2

Understanding Scripture Correctly, pt. 2 (Denis Haack)

2009-05-29T13:02:00.001-05:00

You are attending a small group Bible study and someone comments, “Jesus came into a broken, fallen world. The problem in this case is hunger, the need to eat, and as the Redeemer he solves the problem with a special supply of food. Won’t it be great in heaven when we won’t need food any more?” How do you respond?
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=509&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=7

Loads of New Articles on RansomFellowship.org

2009-05-21T11:39:00.001-05:00

Just posted a number of new articles and reviews to the Ransom Fellowship site. Check it out.

Happy New Year! New Articles on RansomFellowship.org

2009-01-08T22:05:00.003-06:00

Love and Loss Amidst the Dunes: a review of the novel The Maytrees by Annie Dillard
BY: Denis Haack
Annie Dillard has an uncanny ability to see—to observe things, creatures, people, and life with a beguiling simplicity and clarity. More remarkably, she is gifted in capturing what she sees in words, so that when I read her finely crafted prose I see things, creatures, people, and life with greater clarity as well.
http://www.notesfromtoadhall.com/articledetail.asp?AID=495&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=5

Babylon Series: Part 12 -- Getting to the Gospel
BY: Denis Haack
Unlike “evangelistic encounters” which require us to insert the Big Questions into the conversation, discussing a movie allows the film to raise the Big Questions. Since most people love to talk about movies, the setting provides a safe context for conversation.
http://www.notesfromtoadhall.com/articledetail.asp?AID=490&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=7

Babylon Series: Part 13 C-- aring Enough to Probe
BY: Denis Haack
Imagine you are sitting with some friends—perhaps at work or a coffee shop—and one says he’d like some advice. “Ashley and I have been going out for almost a year,” Justin says. “We really hit it off, love the same music, and enjoy hanging out. So, we’re thinking of moving in together. One of us is always staying at the other’s apartment anyway, so we could save time and a pile of money if we consolidated living arrangements..."
http://www.notesfromtoadhall.com/articledetail.asp?AID=491&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=7

The Unfairness of it All
BY: Denis Haack
While the battle in South Ossetia unfolded on my computer screen, I discovered I had problems as well, two problems, actually. The first is that weeds have begun growing inside (!) my garage, one vine winding over my snow blower. It was the first time I felt personally confronted—as in, in your face—by a stupid weed.
http://www.notesfromtoadhall.com/articledetail.asp?AID=494&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=7

Engaging New Atheists: Agreeing with Christopher Hitchens
BY: Denis Haack
Films like Fight Club (1999), Garden State (2004), Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), and The Golden Compass (2007) explicitly raise searching questions on perennial issues: the meaning of being human, the problem of evil, the need for significance, and the possibility of transcendence. At the same time and seemingly in sharp contrast, an impressive number of assertive—some would say aggressive or militant—voices are arguing that unbelief is the only possible option for thinking people today.
http://www.notesfromtoadhall.com/articledetail.asp?AID=497&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=7

Halloween: Magic and Monsters: Discernment Exercise
BY: Michael Metzger
It’s hard to know where America is headed, but Christians shunning Halloween celebrations for alternative “harvest” church events could be contributing to a kind of “Balkanization of America.” Halloween used to be considered a church holiday. Shunning the celebration was largely unknown prior to the 19th century. What happened?
http://www.notesfromtoadhall.com/articledetail.asp?AID=492&B=Michael%20Metzger&TID=8

Challenge Yourself: 8 New Discernment Exercises

2008-11-20T11:05:00.002-06:00

Does Sprituality Mean Inner Peace?: Discernment Exercise
By: Denis Haack
Date: 11/18/2008
Topic: Discernment
If you have visited a Christian book store recently or browsed through a catalog from a religious publisher you will know that self-help and self-improvement books abound. Some seem to be little more than thinly disguised religious versions of books available on the secular market, but most claim to offer distinctly biblical advice.
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=482&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8

Pottering About Potter: Discernment Exercise
By: Denis Haack
Date: 11/18/2008
Topic: Discernment
The fourth novel in J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, which hit bookstores in July, represents the largest first printing (3.8 million copies) of any book in U.S. history... It is not only the popularity of the Harry Potter books, however, which has generated attention. Numerous Christians have issued warnings about the series, such as this email I received recently...
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=483&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8

Should We Pray? Or Protest?: Discernment Exercise
By: Denis Haack
Date: 11/18/2008
Topic: Discernment
The fact that we live in a religiously pluralistic culture means that we can expect to be exposed to beliefs, values, and practices that are contrary to our Christian faith. This might arise in a conversation over lunch at work, in a lecture at a university, in a film, or during any number of other instances when we naturally rub shoulders with non-Christians. In most of these instances, however, our exposure is somewhat at arm’s length. It involves a theme in a movie, or a comment by a colleague—which might become a topic for conversation, but the thing with which we disagree remains out there, at a distance.
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=484&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8

The Value of Ritual: Discernment Exercise
By: Preston Jones
Date: 11/18/2008
Topic: Discernment
...One reaction to this among Christians has been to abandon ritual for the sake of faith from “the heart.” Thus some Catholics and Episcopalians trade high, formal liturgies for guitars and praise songs; written prayers are abandoned in favor of prayers prompted only by the spirit within the heart of the individual; and rote memorization of creeds is frowned on. I wonder if one reason for the explosion in the number of Bible translations available to Americans is the belief (at least among marketers) that every person should have the Bible presented to him just as he or she likes it.
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=485&B=Preston%20Jones&TID=8

Questions for Dr. Laura: Discernment Exercise
By: Denis Haack
Date: 11/18/2008
Topic: Discernment
Though biblical illiteracy tends to be rather widespread—even among believers—many unbelievers know enough about the Bible to raise questions about how believers understand and interpret the Scriptures. These questions deserve a thoughtful answer, which means it would be wise for Christians to reflect together on how to explain their hermeneutic (how they go about interpreting the Scriptures) to non-Christians in a pluralistic culture.
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=486&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8

Responding to Questions about Dr. Laura
By: Denis Haack
Date: 11/18/2008
Topic: Discernment
In a previous article we raised an exercise in discernment involving questions about Old Testament law. It revolved around a letter posted on the Internet addressed to radio personality Dr. Laura Schlessinger in response to statements she (apparently) made on her program to the effect that homosexuality was contrary to the law of God.
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=487&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8

Answering Questions About Doubt: Discernment Exercise
By: Denis Haack
Date: 11/18/2008
Topic: Discernment
Just about everything about doubt is unsettling. It’s unsettling to doubt, especially if the stakes are high and if we find ourselves doubting when everyone else seems content. It’s unsettling to discover that sometimes our very best reasoning isn’t sufficient to resolve our doubts, or that the search for answers simply increases our uncertainty.
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=488&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8

Responding to Questions About Old Testament Law
By: Denis Haack
Date: 11/18/2008
Topic: Discernment
Here’s the situation: A non-Christian friend asks how I can possibly take Old Testament laws against homosexuality seriously when other laws make provisions I obviously reject—such as buying slaves or stoning someone who works on the Sabbath.
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=489&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8

Discernment Exercises Posted on RansomFellowship.org

2008-11-11T10:40:00.002-06:00

Your God Does Intolerable Things: Discernment Exercise
By: Denis Haack
Date: 11/10/2008
Topic: Discernment
Often the questions we face in a pluralistic culture require Christians to develop an apologetic for their faith. A reasonable, winsome defense of what we believe to be true. And sometimes the questions that are raised go to very heart of things.
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=474&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8

Questioning American Foreign Policy: Discernment Exercise
By: Kevin Hilman
Date: 11/10/2008
Topic: Discernment
Christians believe that though citizenship is part of the calling of every believer, our commitment to the truth and kingdom of God must take precedence over our patriotism. “My country, right or wrong” is not a slogan the believer can adopt.
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=475&B=Kevin%20Hilman&TID=8

Why I Kissed Christian Concerts Good-bye: Discernment Exercise
By: Matt Redmond
Date: 11/10/2008
Topic: Discernment
For years I have gone to concerts done by Christians. I have seen most of the popular bands and soloists in the Contemporary Christian Music market over the past fifteen years. Some were entertaining, some were not and few were what I consider high-caliber talent. But regardless of how talented they were there was one thing that almost all of them did during their time on stage: talk.
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=476&B=Matt%20Redmond&TID=8

Beatitudes on the Dark Side: Discernment ExerciseBy: Denis HaackDate: 11/05/2008 Topic: Discernment
One of the great classics of 20th century Christian writing is The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis. It’s one of those rare books that appeals so effortlessly to our hearts and imaginations and minds that learning becomes an intense pleasure.
http://www.ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=473&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8

NEW Articles on RansomFellowship.org

2008-11-07T10:13:00.002-06:00

NEW to RansomFellowship.org

Banned in Christian Schools: Discernment Exercise
Denis Haack
A Christian school recently decided to develop a series of guidelines to help teachers in their selection of literature to be used in the classroom. The idea for the proposal arose when several parents objected to books their children had been assigned as homework.
http://ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=471&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8

A Place of Safety: a review of the documentary Nanking
Denis Haack
Nanking is not an entertaining film, though well made and utterly enthralling. It reminds us that the brokenness that plagues God’s world is an evil that resides deep in the human heart.
http://ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=466&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=2

A Very Lovely, Sad Longing
Denis Haack
In the liner notes of her latest album, All I Intended to Be, Emmylou Harris writes that all she ever intended was to be “a singer of songs, a writer of songs, and a strummer of a few chords, in search of the truth.” I’d say she’s been faithful to that calling, and our lives are richer as a result.
http://ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=468&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=4

Christian horror films?: Discernment Exercise
Denis Haack
"...as a Christian, I defend horror films. No other genre offers audiences a more spiritual view of the world, and no other genre communicates a more clearly defined moral perspective.”
http://ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=469&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8

Adam and Eve Rested, But Were They Ever Bored?: Discerment Exercise
Denis Haack
Boredom is so common now-a-days that most of us tend to assume it has always plagued the human race. At least since the Fall. Not necessarily, says author James Gleick.
http://ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=470&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8

Sound bites for Jesus: Discernment Exercise
Denis Haack
Bumper stickers and rear-window decals seem to be an enduring form of communication in our sound-bite world. Even friends who say they don’t like them and won’t put one on their own car readily admit to reading the ones they see on other cars.
http://ransomfellowship.org/articledetail.asp?AID=472&B=Denis%20Haack&TID=8

Ransom Fellowship

Ransom Fellowship Publications Now Available on ISSUU.COM

New and Updated eBooks and Resources Posted at RansomFellowship.org

Shoulds, Wants, and Faithfulness - by Denis haack

Valkyrie (Bryan Singer, 2008) - A Review by R. Greg Grooms

Engaging the Arts: Are You A Patron? by Denis Haack

Love and Loss Amidst the Dunes: a review of the novel "The Maytrees" by Annie Dillard

A review of Eliza Gilkyson's "Paradise Hotel" by Denis Haack

A Review of "Milk" by Wesley Hill

eBookshelf

Elsewhere on the Web

We Tweet @critiquemag

Be Sure To Join The Ransom Fellowship Group on FACEBOOK

Shoulds, Wants, and Faithfulness (Denis Haack)

Satisfied: A Conversation About Fullness, Spirituality & Food (Karen Baldwin)

The Place of the Artist in the Christian Community (Robert Russell)

A Guided Walk through The Institutes (Denis Haack)

Introducing Children to Global Culture Through Music (Matthew Hundley)

A Review of Doubt (John Patrick Shanley, 2008)

Understanding Scripture Correctly, pt. 2 (Denis Haack)

Loads of New Articles on RansomFellowship.org

Happy New Year! New Articles on RansomFellowship.org

Challenge Yourself: 8 New Discernment Exercises

More Discernment Exercises Posted to RF Website

Discernment Exercises Posted on RansomFellowship.org

NEW Articles on RansomFellowship.org