Fighting Fear
The Thirteenth Warrior, directed by John McTiernan
Reviewed by Laurence Windham

Though not an epic unfortunately, in the right hands it could have been. This movie tells a great story. Those of you that are well read will immediately recognize the parallel to Beowulf. There are some departures from that great tale but the story line is unmistakable.

The enemy in the movie is viscious and unrelenting in its terror. The good guys are outnumbered and heroic. There is no sex or nudity, but there are scenes of violence and carnage. The bloodletting could have been much worse but the director was wise enough to realize what is implied is often more dramatic that that which is displayed. I would place the battle violence on the same level as Braveheart only that the difference in genre may make The Thirteenth Warrior seem worse.

One of the best parts of the movie is an on-going dialogue between two of the principal characters regarding the nature of fear. Within the context of the story, what fear is and what it is not and how to master it is definitely food for thought. The film stars Antonio Bandares. But one of the strengths of the movie is that he is not constantly at center stage. The other characters are developed well enough that the film is carried by the entire cast instead of simply being another star vehicle.

There is an enemy terrorizing a small settlement. Help is sent for, heroes respond, there are some intense battle scenes, and then there is finally a big showdown. I would go into more detail but I don't want to ruin it for you.

The major point that could be missed because of the intensity of the "Fire Verm" is how the warriors are tied to their ancestry and their religious beliefs. There is a liturgical speech at the beginning of the movie during a funeral that is repeated by the leader right before the final battle. The scene is inspiring as he begins the speech and all the other defenders join in. The result is that weariness and fear are swept away by the rising courage of resolution. Then, despite the odds, they fight courageously and the battle is won.

There is a lesson here for us. We live under the command of the one true God. We would do well to memorize and meditate on His Word, along with selected psalms, hymns and poems for the purpose of continued inspiration as we find ourselves fighting the world, the flesh and the devil every day. When we fear God truly, we will fear nothing else,. But in our humanness, we need to be reminded of this truth often.

Fighting Fear
The Holiness of God, by R.C. Sproul
Reviewed by R.C. Sproul Jr.

This isn't the first time I've reviewed a book by my father, but I'm still not comfortable doing it. I fear that the good things I report will be chalked up to familial loyalty, and that that I report no bad things will be chalked up to familial loyalty. Here, thankfully, enough non-family members are familiar enough with this work, and would concur with my thoughts, that I should be all right.

The Holiness of God is a great book, principally because the holiness of God is a great idea for us to focus our attention on. My fear is that too many of us think we have it mastered. I fear that because we know that R.C. wrote a great book on this subject that such is the same as reading the book, or that having read the book we have "been there, done that." But the mark of a truly great book is if it beckons us to come and read it again and again. I think so highly of this book that I believe if you have read it, and aren't hearing that voice calling you to re-read, that you have your fingers in your ears, or the television turned up too loud.

Like many a truly good movie, this book is disturbing. It will not invite you to sink far deeper into your easy chair. Instead, it will grab you by the throat. It does so because it makes clear what should be clear to us already, that the God we serve is a consuming fire. It shows us how those in the Bible responded when confronted with the holiness of God. Instead of singing a praise chorus, everyone of them dissembled, fell apart wept and quaked. It does the same with some of the great men in the history of the church. And so shows the bitter anemia of the church, and those who dwell therein today.

We don't need to recover an understanding of the holiness of God so that we can be spiritually revived, either as individuals or as a body. We don't need to recover an understanding of the holiness of God so that we can better obey the law of God. We don't need a better understanding of the holiness of God so that we can heal our land. We need a better understanding of the holiness of God because we need a better understanding of the holiness of God.

Our problem is that we live upside down, making ourselves the object and purpose of the universe, and the God who made it. Once we confront the holiness of God, once we face His fearfulness, then we understand that He is the reason for our being, not we the reason for His being. This book helps spins us around. It helps us to see the God of the Bible such that we call out not for the mountains to bury us, but for the Rock to cover us.