Dec. 15, 2024, column from the Amarillo Globe-News:

Just wondering...

…whether Beatrice Schneider knows how inspiring she is playing Imogene in this year’s “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” movie?

Beatrice Schneider in "The Best Christmas
Pageant Ever"

                The film is a comedy, but Schneider, as a young teenager who takes care of her family in her parents’ absence, is the focal point of a strong message of hope and the true meaning of Christmas.

                Imogene is the oldest of the six Herdman kids, known for terrorizing their smalltown neighborhood. Think the Glossners from the TV series, “The Middle.” The Herdmans lie, bully, cuss, smoke cigars and set things on fire. Imogene forces the story’s main “good girl,” Beth, to hand over her necklace. The youngest Herdman, Gladys, has a demeanor that scares even adults.

                The pageant in the title is an annual church play that suddenly is put in charge of Beth’s mother, Grace. When the Herdmans, who never have set foot in a church, decide they want to be in the pageant, the whole town shudders.

                But Grace gives them a chance, even allowing Imogene to be Mary, the mother of Jesus, instead of the cute, proper girl who was Mary last year.

                The unruly family starts out rowdily, as expected. When told that frankincense is a kind of oil, one of the boys says, “What kind of cheap king hands out oil? You get better presents at the firemen’s shelter!”

                But Grace offers them grace, and they start to understand the Jesus story. It’s most obvious in Imogene, who changes from the bossy “mom” of her family to the sensitive, hopeful girl who was there all along.

                The movie is directed by Dallas Jenkins, who created the Jesus streaming series, “The Chosen,” but it isn’t a Bible-in-your-face sermon. It has just the right balance to appeal to churchgoers and those who might be looking for faith.

                It also is another indication that Christian films are improving and attracting actors from mainstream productions such as Judy Greer (Grace) and Lauren Graham (adult Beth). “Chosen” fans will recognize a couple of faces in minor roles.

                Warning: The ending might bring tears.

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…whether you knew the new “Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin” has an Amarillo connection. One of its producers, Ralph Winter, also was a producer of “What Remains,” which was shot in Amarillo through Sharpened Iron Studios and was the last film featuring Anne Heche before her 2022 death.

                “Bonhoeffer” tells the story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor who preached against Hitler during World War II and was executed near the end of the war for his association with a plot to kill the Fuhrer. It’s a somber film, of course, but Jonas Dassler gives an inspiring performance as Bonhoeffer.

* * *

…what your reaction is when you read something implying that “thinking” people don’t buy the message laid out in the Bible of supernatural occurrences such as God creating the world, his coming to Earth as baby Jesus, the adult Jesus producing miracles, his rising from the dead and the eternal salvation that results from our believing in him.

                The truth is that plenty of intellectuals believe in Christ and his message, and it’s easy to find examples. A 1984 book edited by Roy Abraham Varghese is called “The Intellectuals Speak Out About God.” Its 25 essays are divided among experts in “The Sciences,” “Philosophy” and “Apologetics and Theology.” For example, Professor Stanley L. Jaki, who lectured at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, writes about “From Scientific Cosmology to a Created Universe.”

John E. Smith, a Yale University philosophy professor who was president of the American Philosophical Association, writes about “The Rationality of Belief in God.” And Professor Nikolaus Lobkowicz, who was president of the University of Munich in Germany, writes about “Marxism and Christianity.”

                More recently, in her 2019 book, “Confronting Christianity,” Rebecca McLaughlin says Praveen Sethupathy, a Cornell University genetics professor, is a believer in traditional Christianity. She lists 11 professors at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who profess faith in Christ, and her book quotes many more Christian academics.

                Those are just two books on my shelves that were handy; there are many more. The purpose here isn’t to go into arguments one way or the other but to remind unbelievers that they aren’t the only smart people out there.

                This quote is attributed to Augustine, the fourth century North African theologian and philosopher. He may not have said it, but it’s a good one: “The truth is like a lion; you don’t have to defend it. Let it loose; it will defend itself.”

* * *

…what you were doing at age 18. British author Alice Loxton, 28 years old, has a book out called “Eighteen: A History of Britain in 18 Young Lives.” It’s aimed at a general audience, not serious scholars, but it’s a creative and entertaining exercise that might entice readers into the field of history.

“Eighteen” looks at 18 Britons, from well-known, such as Queen Elizabeth I, Admiral Nelson and Richard Burton, to obscure such as Jacques Francis, a 16^th century diver from West Africa, and Mary Anning, a 19^th century fossil hunter.

I was hooked on reading it when I saw that one of the 18 is Jack Lewis. That’s the name the famed Christian writer and professor C.S. Lewis answered to. At 18, he was a new Oxford University student about to be sent to the trenches of France when World War I broke out.

The Lewis chapter has nothing new for fans of the author of the Narnia books and “Mere Christianity,” but lots of readers will be surprised at the trials the young intellectual faced.

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…whether you’ve heard of “The Religiverse.” No, it isn’t a new way to memorize Bible verses, but a free email newsletter produced twice a week by Jason Boyett, host of the “Hey Amarillo” podcast, co-publisher of “Brick & Elm” magazine and author of the book, “12 Major World Religions.”

                “The Religiverse” offers links to news about world religions, including Christianity, and some commentary by Jason. It’s a good resource for information on your religion and those of others. One way to sign up is to Google “Religiverse Boyett.”