Happy Thanksgiving from Books & Culture

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Title: Books & Culture Newsletter

If this page is not displaying correctly, please click here.  Tue, Nov 23, 04 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. Psalm 100:4 (NIV) Whether you're carving turkey, baking pumpkin pie, taking in football games, or relaxing with friends and loved ones, let us join you in giving thanks to the One who's blessed us! To help you celebrate, we're offering special Thanksgiving articles to inspire and enrich your traditions on this special day. Don't miss our featured article, "Thanksgiving at Fair Acres," and then be sure to visit our Thanksgiving channel. To keep you up to date, we've also included new articles from ChristianityToday.com. We hope you enjoy your time of rest and remembrance of all that we have to be grateful for, and the God to whom we owe our thanks. We hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving. The ChristianityToday.com Team advertisement Christian Spirituality for People, Not Angels In Tortured Wonders, author Rodney Clapp takes up the topic of embodied Christian spirituality with poetic intelligence and flair. He reminds us that we are "in-between" creatures—neither entirely body nor entirely spirit, neither apes nor angels. Save $8 on Tortured Wonders at The Discerning Reader—only $13.99.  Featured Article Thanksgiving at Fair Acres A meal with my mother and other nursing-home residents opened a small crack in their stony detachment, and gave a brief glimpse of the kingdom of heaven. by Virginia Stem Owens When I was a teenager, my church youth group made an annual Christmas pilgrimage to what people then called the "old folks' home." We took small wrapped gifts, perhaps a comb and bottle of after-shave for men, handkerchiefs, and hand cream for women. Our youth leader did all the cheery talking. We only had to sing and grin. The more virtuous or socially skilled among us might shake a few claw-like hands or pat several bony shoulders. The rest of us just sang carols, crowding around the bedside of strangers while exchanging sidelong glances to let one another know we understood this wasn't real, that we had no personal connection to all this creepy weirdness. As soon as we could, we escaped into the cold night air outside, our pent breath exploding in blasts of laughter. I was not one of the better people. I dreaded these nursing-home excursions, and not merely because of the sensory and metaphysical assaults aging flesh inflicts on the young. Even at 15, I knew that we were putting on an act, performing—in all the variations of that word's meaning—our Christian duty. | Read the rest of this article |  From BooksandCulture.com The Spy Who Loved Me What's real in espionage fiction? By Jim Ohlson Preemptive Prophecy In the Turkish city of Kars, schoolgirls forced to abandon their headscarves are killing themselves. A poet who is also a journalist is sent to cover the story. By Laurance Wieder  Good Buys Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview "What is real? What is truth? Is there a God? Can we know him?" The authors explore these questions and more through all the major areas of philosophical study. On the Moral Nature of the Universe A discussion of how theological assumptions affect our entire cosmological worldview, affirming that a non-interventionist God is most in harmony with the natural world. God, the Devil, and Darwin The theory of Intelligent Design proposes that life is so complex that an intelligent designer must exist. Niall Shanks offers a critique of this theory. The Moral Truths of The Shawshank Redemption This film's message of hope and perseverance through adversity teaches important moral truths. Now this ChristianBibleStudies.com guide provides a way for you to reflect on, and discuss, one of the best-selling videos of all time. The Books & Culture Newsletter Delivered free via e-mail to subscribers each week. We encourage you to distribute this newsletter freely and ask only that you not change its contents. Subscribe to this newsletter. Subscribe to more free newsletters. Subscribe to magazines from Christianity Today International. Read our privacy policy and find more information here. Advertise in this newsletter: e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED]. MANAGE YOUR SUBSCRIPTION: Click here to subscribe, unsubscribe, or change your e-mail address, or visit http://ChristianityToday.com/go/nltool/. Or you can unsubscribe by sending an e-mail to the following address: [EMAIL PROTECTED] You are currently subscribed as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please do not send postings or comments to this list. Its sole purpose is to distribute this newsletter. Copyright ©2004 ChristianityToday.com, Christianity Today International 465 Gundersen Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188 All rights reserved.  Visit: BooksAndCulture.com  Searchable Archive Library:  CTLibrary.com  Subscribe Books & Culture—SAVE 33% NOW An incisive review of culture. • Get your risk-free trial issue today! • Give a gift subscription