No. 16
CONTENTS
Essays
Table Manners
Joey Earl Horstman
"It comes as no surprise to me that our first sin--the gaff handed down
to us from Adam and Eve--involved not drugs or alcohol or rock and roll,
but plain and simple food." In this essay, the author describes the
simple joys--and trials--of sharing a meal, with humorous examples from
his own household.
On Finding Home
Thom Mannarino
Saint Augustine once wrote that human restlessness was an indication
that earth was not our true home, that we are all meant for some other
city. The road there is a lifelong journey, the author discovers, one
not measured in miles, but in lives affected along the way.
Spending the Currency of Our Lives
Tricia O'Connor Elisara
As consumers, we feel "listless, uninspired, and unimpressed. We have
cut ourselves off from the wonders of God." What will wake us up to the
sense of wonder that we experienced when we were younger? This essay
examines ways in which we can become less obsessed with mindless
acquisition and more concerned with nurturing a "coherent, spiritually
attentive soul."
Studies
Why Love Can't Wait
The Lonely Social Ethic of Martin Luther King, Jr.
William Edgar
Martin Luther King was disappointed that whites were so lethargic about
racism in America, but even more so that the Evangelical church of the
'50s and '60s did more to further racial oppression than to hinder it.
Nevertheless, King looked to the Bible as his inspiration for the
strategies of nonviolent resistance that he would espouse, and created a
revolution in the civil rights movement.
Making Peace with the Past
A New Kind of War Memorial for the Twenty-First Century
Rachel Hostetter Smith
War memorials have traditionally been sacred sites that celebrate
victories, remember the fallen, and perpetuate the myth that though war
is costly, it is nonetheless glorious. In the past decade, however,
there have risen "antiheroic" monuments--memorials that incarnate the
horror and absurdity of war. This study analyzes the work of artists
such as Jenny Holzer, who are creating astonishing gardens and memorials
across Europe.
Pain as Ritual
Hearing Voices from the Alternative Culture
Heather Webb
So, why are so many young people getting tattoos, nose rings, eyebrow
rings, multiple earrings, and rings in other unimaginable places?
Doesn't it hurt? Yes, and that's just the point. According to the author
of this study, pain has become a ritual that provides identification
with an alternative culture, and a symbol for painful events the devotee
has endured.
The Mars Hill Interview
The Lessons of Everyday Life
A Conversation with Robert Coles
James A. Sparrell and Katherine Kellogg Towler
Robert Coles's many publications have influenced the fields of
psychology, sociology, medicine, literature, and documentary studies. In
this interview, he talks about his friendships with such significant
figures as Dorothy Day, William Carlos Williams, and Anna Freud, and his
views on the role of the church in a secular world. Regardless of the
topic, Dr. Coles always brings the conversation back to the reality of
daily life and what it has to teach us.
Reminders of God
The Writing Life
Fiction
The Stranger-Father
John H. Timmerman
Poetry
Holy Spirit
Del Doughty
Beethoven Bridge
Ann Lauinger
Explanation
Christine Perrin
At the Wedding
Carl Winderl
The Year of Jubilee
David Rozema
The Walk Back on Sunday
Jay Robinson
Ichthyology
Charles W. Pratt
Bogliasco
William Shullenberger
Views and Reviews
Music
Essay: We're Gonna Party Like It's (Still) 1999
A Millennial Testimony to Rock and Roll
Douglas Thorpe
Interview:
Away Out on the Mountain
Skip Gorman Finds the Heart of the Old West
James A. Sparrell
Reviews:
Art and Soul, Renee Rosnes
Andrew Lee
On How Life Is, Macy Gray
Dave Urbanski
Black Diamond, Angie Stone
Dave Urbanski
Music Also Reviewed
James A. Sparrell and Dave Urbanski
Books
Essay:
Baseball 2000
Sacrifice, Grace, and the Suicide Squeeze
David W. Frauenfelder
Reviews:
Keepsakes & Other Stories, Jon Hassler
Joey Earl Horstman
When Courage was Stronger Than Fear: Remarkable Stories
of Christians Who Saved Jews from the Holocaust, Peter Hellman
James Vescovi
Books Also Reviewed
Sheryl Cornett
Film
Essay:
Normalizing The English Patient
Why the Film Is Not the Book
Jon Wallace
Reviews:
Magnolia
Roy Anker
Snow Falling on Cedars
Joan Zwagerman Curbow
Films Also Reviewed
Scott Emmert and Joey Earl Horstman
Risvolti
Timeless graffiti from the broad canvas
Compiled by James Vescovi
Mars Hill Contributors