Mark D. Roberts

You hear a lot these days about science and religion. Most anti-religious folk claim that science undermines or even contradicts religious faith. As evidence for this claim (which, by the way, is not scientific, but philosophical), they point to the “fact” that very few scientists are religious. Now we can get the facts about science…

I’ve been thinking recently about corporate culture. If you’re not familiar with this phrase, let me explain that corporate culture has to do with the basic identity and personality of an organization (business, church, family, school, etc.). Corporate culture, or organizational culture, as it is sometimes called, profoundly shapes the life of the entity and…

Today I want to highlight three articles on The High Calling website. This website, to which I am connected through my work at Laity Lodge, offers a fascinating collection of diverse columns, all of which reflect the themes of work, life, and God. On Emulsification Author Laura J. Boggess continues her series on faith and…

I saw two fine movies this weekend, The Social Network and The King’s Speech. These films have much in common: wonderfully written, directed, and filmed; outstanding acting performances; not much action, but plenty of gripping relational tension. Both movies are based on history, though The Social Network is more of a freely fictional retelling of…

Open the Doors! Psalm 24:1-10 Open up, ancient gates!      Open up, ancient doors,      and let the King of glory enter. Who is the King of glory?      The LORD of Heaven’s Armies–      he is the King of glory. Psalm 24:9-10 Psalm 24 celebrates the greatness of God and prepares us to worship…

I just got an email from the Customer Service Department of Amazon.com. It seems they’re concerned about account and need my financial information. I’m a big fan of Amazon and buy lots of books from them, but I must say they need to work on their spelling and grammar. Check out this excerpt from their…

Two days ago, I posted the story of the history of the hymn that forms the musical basis of the soundtrack for the recent film version of True Grit. In short, “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” was co-written in the late nineteenth century by two friends, Anthony Showalter and Elisha Hoffman. Showalter conceived of the…

As we recall the earthquake that devastated Haiti one year ago, let me point you to two wonderful pieces at Patheos. Kent Annan, who have lived in Haiti and continues to serve, there, has written a profound, heartfelt “Prayer for Haiti.” Galen Dalrymple, a pastor in California. speaks of his experience in Haiti after the…

In yesterday’s post, I gave the back ground to the hymn “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms,” which permeates the soundtrack of the Coen Brothers’ film, True Grit. It is not actually sung until the end of the movie, when a version of the hymn sung by Iris DeMent offers a haunting, touching conclusion to the…

I recently saw the new version of True Grit. Once again, the Coen brothers have written and directed an engaging, thought-provoking, and cinematically stunning movie. But, for me, one of the most striking parts of True Grit was not its look, but its sound, specifically, its soundtrack. The composer, Carter Burwell, a frequent collaborator with…

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