Naughton points out that Gutenberg’s invention, the printing press, undermined the authority of the Catholic Church, triggered the Protestant Reformation, enabled the rise of modern science, created entirely new social classes and professions, and changed our conception of “childhood” as a protected early period in a person’s life. Yet no one in 1473 could have forseen this.Thursday, 07 June 2012 17:04
Every once in a while do you think, “I wonder what ever happened to...”? I have wondered this about the Schaeffers, and so when this book came into my hands I thought, I must read this. Subtitled, “How I grew up as one of the elect, helped found the religious right, and lived to take all (or almost all) of it back,” I suspected the worst.
Thursday, 07 June 2012 17:01
It used to be that Hollywood made books into movies; these days movies are made into books. And so it is with the hugely popular movie Soul Surfer. For those who haven’t seen the movie or DVD, Soul Surfer is the story of teen surfer Bethany Hamilton who lost her arm in a shark attack and courageously overcame all odds to become a champion again. She inspired millions through her love of family, sheer determination and unwavering faith.
From distant New Zealand it’s hard to understand the fascination Americans have with talk show host Oprah Winfrey, or the influence she has over contemporary American society, so perhaps we won’t read Mansfield’s book with quite the same emotional investment. 
Billy Graham may be in his 90s but he has lost none of the gifts that made him the 20th Century’s greatest Christian communicator. Even for those of us not yet in our 90s (although it feels like it some days), this is a wonderful, charming and heart warming reflection on the latter days of life.