By Tiffany Owens, World News Service (WNS) – A film adaptation of Donald Miller’s New York Times bestseller Blue Like Jazz is headed to the big screen April 13 and debuted March 13 in Texas at Austin’s “SXSW,” a music, film, and technology festival. The movie explores themes of forgiveness, authenticity, and the question of God’s existence as it follows one man’s journey to find God, but it struggles to offer a clear explanation of the gospel. The film is a revised version of Miller’s life in which Don (played by Marshall Allman) appears as a 19-year-old Texan with a Baptist background who tries to ditch God by attending liberal Reed College in Portland, Ore. Fueled by anger at hypocritical church leaders and his semi-absent father, Don embraces the pluralistic, hedonistic lifestyle at Reed and intentionally makes an effort to identify himself as a nonbeliever. Miller is faced with unexpected conflict when he befriends Penny (Claire Holt), a Christian student whose friendship causes Don to wrestle with his doubts, his faith, and his responsibility to love his neighbor. Filmed mostly in Nashville, Tenn., the film incorporates the effective storytelling … [Read more...]
Widow’s gift to aid deaf students at NOBTS
By Gary Meyers, NOBTS Communications [img_assist|nid=8041|title=A widow's gift|desc=New Orleans Seminary President Chuck Kelley speaks about the new fund to assist deaf students as Janie Powell translates into sign language. The widow of a deaf minister has provided the initial gift to help break down one of the major barriers for deaf students – the added cost of hiring an interpreter.|link=none|align=right|width=640|height=412]NEW ORLEANS (BP) –Stephanie Johnson knows the challenges facing a potential seminary student who is deaf: She saw her husband’s perseverance in following God’s call. Ultimately Daniel Johnson overcame the challenges, attended New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and earned a master of divinity degree. Daniel went on to serve as a minister to the deaf and a North American Mission Board church planting strategist until his death in January 2011 after a lengthy battle with cancer. Now Stephanie Johnson has given an initial $40,000 gift to establish a new fund at NOBTS – the Accessible Theological Education for the Deaf Fund – to help deaf students receive training for missions and ministry. “My dream is that the deaf of the world will be … [Read more...]
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