October 2007 Archives

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 31, 2007 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 31, 2007 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 31, 2007 | Permalink

Amy Salter is one of the most remarkable talents I have encountered. She and her gifted family blessed the 2007 SAICFF with a memorable version of the Vision Forum Ministries theme song “Be Thou My Vision.”

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 31, 2007 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 31, 2007 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 31, 2007 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 31, 2007 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 31, 2007 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 31, 2007 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 31, 2007 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 31, 2007 | Permalink

Dr. Voddie Baucham and daughter Jasmine at the Christian Filmmakers Academy. Voddie served as one of the judges for the 2007 SAICFF, and both he and Jasmine are featured in the important new film Return of the Daughters.

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 31, 2007 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 31, 2007 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 31, 2007 | Permalink

The Booher Brothers bless the 2007 SAICFF with rousing performances and cowboy songs of faith and the old dusty trail.

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 31, 2007 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 31, 2007 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 31, 2007 | Permalink

Last Friday, “The Return of the Daughters” made its San Antonio premiere before an audience of more than 1200 at the Lila Cockrell theater as part of the 2007 SA Independent Christian Film Festival. This timely, controversial, and vision-casting film about the importance of biblical womanhood and the Christian household, won hearts and impressed many, including previous skeptics, with its gracious, encouraging, and biblical presentation.

From the rolling of the credits on Friday night, to the present, we have received a barrage of testimonies and reports from those who attended the film and found it convicting, encouraging, and sometimes, life-transforming. The following excerpt is one example of many. It came in a letter sent to NCFIC Director, Scott Brown by a dear brother who helps to lead an important national Christian ministry:

“I was so honored to have met you and the rest of the godly brothers who were at the film festival. I cannot adequately express how moved and impacted I was by the genuineness, sincerity, and godly dedication I witnessed. The young people were especially impressive. I was conversing with teenagers who were more mature and grounded than many men I know. This is such a testimony to the effectiveness of your wonderful ministry, and the richness of the vision that God has given you and the leaders of Vision Forum. How honored I was to have witnessed these wonderful things. The timing could not have been better...

Brother, the things you have shared with me about your ministry’s vision, resonate with the convictions I have held for years. I always felt myself to be somewhat of an odd-ball amidst friends and fellow pastors, due to my perspective regarding church matters and family life. When I watched “Return of The Daughters,” I wept through most of it. I have since watched it with my wife, and then again with my daughters, and in each case, I could not hold back the tears. I am always deeply moved by things that I know are pleasing to the Lord.

I truly wish that I had encountered Vision Forum before now. What an incredible ministry! I look forward to learning more about your biblical views and helpful resources. If there is anything you can do to point me in the right direction, I would truly appreciate it. Perhaps you can tell me which resources would give me the best understanding of your ministry’s foundational principles. I am eager to place an order! I am so glad that I got your CD series. I started listening to the first message this morning, and have already been very encouraged...”

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 30, 2007 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 30, 2007 | Permalink

San Antonio, Texas — October 29, 2007 — More than eleven hundred participants representing states from Florida to Washington and foreign countries from Scotland to Nigeria were on hand for the presentation of the Jubilee Awards during closing ceremonies at the fourth annual San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival, held at the Lila Cockrell Theatre in downtown San Antonio this last weekend.

“Our goal with the Jubilee Awards is to reward the work of Christian filmmakers who have artfully communicated a Christian worldview through their film production,” explained Doug Phillips, founder of the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival.

“With more than 130 film submissions to this year’s festival, selecting the winners was no easy task” noted Phillips, who also served as one of several film competition judges. “Yet we are now delighted to recognize our winners — all worthy films that give glory to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

The “Best of Festival” Jubilee Award — a $10,000 grand prize — went to The Monstrous Regiment of Women, a fifty-four minute documentary directed and produced by the Gunn Brothers. Featuring an all star, all female cast — including Phyllis Schlafly and F. Carolyn Graglia — the film demonstrates how feminism has restricted choices for all women, brought heartache to the lives of many, and perpetuated an unprecedented holocaust through legalized abortion.

“We made Monstrous Regiment because we believe that feminism is one of the most detrimental philosophies effecting our church, family, and government,” remarked Colin Gunn, whose wife Emily co-wrote and narrated the film. “We want to thank the [Festival] for recognizing the importance of this message. We are privileged and honored to receive this award.”

This marked the second Jubilee Award for the Gunn Brothers. In 2004, they won “Best Political” for their film, Shaky Town. In addition to landing the festivals’ top honor in 2007, The Monstrous Regiment of Women took runner-up for “Best Documentary.”

The top honor in the “Best Narrative” category was awarded to Samaritan, a thirteen-minute drama written and directed by Thomas Purifoy. The film portrays the biblical parable of the Good Samaritan in a modern setting.

“Samaritan [is] the first in a series of short films on the parables for our Modern Parables project,” explained Thomas Purifoy. “It is an honor to be selected for this award. We appreciate the hard work Vision Forum put into this festival and feel very privileged to be a part of it. “

A Cry from Iran, a powerful documentary on modern-day martyrdom, garnered the “Best Documentary” Award. The film tells the true story of Haik Hovsepian, the leader of Evangelical Christians of Iran who was brutally murdered for speaking out against the persecution of another Christian under Iran’s Islamist regime. The film was produced by Joseph and Andre Hovsepian — the sons of the martyred hero — in honor of their father. The crowd rose to their feet in solemn applause as Joseph and Andre took the stage to receive the award.

“We are grateful that this film could touch the audience in such a deep way and communicate the message of love, courage, and sacrifice,” stated Joseph Hovsepian, whose father was killed fourteen years ago. “In reality, the main award goes to the hero and role model of my life — my father — who portrayed the best example of a Christian father and a church leader for us in Iran....We are honored and humbled that we’ve had a small part in sharing [his] story with the world.”

The “Best Biblical Family” Award went to Joel’s Journey, a thirty-three minute documentary that explores the real-life health crisis that Morris family experienced when doctors insisted on removing life support from their ailing son.

“We wanted to make a thought-provoking film that caused people to think hard about life and death issues — to value the sanctity of life and consider complicated medical questions biblically,” noted John-Clay Burnett, the 21-year-old producer and director of Joel’s Journey. “In winning this award, our biggest hope is that the message gets out — that when families face medical emergencies, they will have hope and know how to respond.”

Seventeen-year-old John Moore received the “Young Filmmaker’s” Award for Heartstrings, a fifty-three minute film which he wrote, directed, and produced. The father-son adventure-drama follows “Gator” (previously of Bubble Trouble) in a family road trip filled with mystery and a secret treasure hunt that reveals important truths about family relationships. Heartstrings also received the “Audience Choice Award,” an honor voted by attendees of the festival.

“Many dads don’t understand what they are missing in the relationship with their sons,” observed John Moore. “We wanted to portray the father-son relationship positively through this film — to show fathers the beauty of the relationship that they could have with their boys.”

Extinct — a claymation film that depicts a future culture where the God-ordained purpose of boyhood had been undermined — took the top honor in “Best Production Design,” a special Jubilee award for the 2007 festival. Set in a museum of natural history in the future, Extinct tells the story of a young boy who finds himself caught between the mandates his culture designed and his hidden yearnings to be the boy that God created. Extinct also received runner up in “The Biblical Family” category.

The “Best Treatment” Award — a new Jubilee inaugurated this year for the best three-page written condensation of a proposed film, documentary, or TV dramatic production — went to Marc Mattos for his proposed film, Battle Acts. The winner received a $1,000 cash prize, a professional script analysis of the finished script based on the winning treatment, and a free copy of Final Draft screenwriting software. Second and third place awards in the “Best Treatment” category went to Kevin Powers for Fuchida and Sarah Cave for The Lasting Will.

Other winners included: The Photographer, which garnered the runner-up award in the “Best Narrative” category; and The Gift, which took second place in the “Young Filmmakers” category.

The “Best Trailer” Award, an honor for the trailer that best promoted the festival, went to Stephen and David Bowman for “A Glorious Sunrise.”

To interview Doug Phillips about his vision for the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival, contact Wesley Strackbein by e-mail at wesley@visionforum.com or by phone at (210) 340-5250, ext. 222.

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 30, 2007 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 29, 2007 | Permalink

Filmmakers from around the world are gathering in San Antonio, Texas this week for the third annual Christian Filmmakers Academy. Beginning at 8:30 in the morning, and concluding at about 11:00 PM yesterday, the filmmakers completed their second day of intensive worldview and technical training. Stay tuned for more reports and updates.

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 24, 2007 | Permalink

In a syndicated article published by the LA Times, among other papers, Reuters has highlighted our differences with Disney.

Christians Laud Walt, Criticize Disney Co.

Religious filmmakers study the innovator’s virtues but say his firm forgot family values. From Reuters October 23, 2007

Hundreds of Christian filmmakers gathered in Texas on Monday to study the work of Walt Disney and discuss their belief that his corporate heirs at Walt Disney Co. have strayed from his family-friendly legacy.

The Christian Filmmakers Academy, which trains aspiring filmmakers and promotes films with “biblical values,” contends that Disney Co. has become “an engine of cultural decline after Walt’s death” that exercises an alarmingly vast global influence.

The two-day analysis of Disney, the man and the corporation, is part of the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival and the third annual Christian Filmmakers Academy.

Despite their admiration for its founder, the focus on Disney the company reflects some evangelical Christians’ growing discomfort with the content and reach of the company’s entertainment products.

Disney’s relationship with the Christian community has been strained over the last decade because of such issues as company policies that are considered friendly to gays, although Christian groups halted a nine-year boycott of the company in 2005.

The Texas event offers a rare glimpse into Christian entertainment and gives a platform to filmmakers who are trying to create alternatives to mass-market fare, using as a model the founder of a company they have criticized.

“What we really see is a decline in the ethics and standards of where [Walt] Disney was coming from,” academy founder Doug Phillips said. “We are making the case that there is a departure toward politically correct filmmaking that has a negative effect on family.”

Disney executives did not respond to requests for comment.

Over the years, evangelicals have been angered by what they described as Disney’s gay-friendly policies, which included airing a “coming out” episode of the ABC television show “Ellen” and allowing gay and lesbian days at Disney theme parks.

The groups also objected to some films with graphic or religious themes released by Disney’s art-house film unit, Miramax, including “Pulp Fiction,” “Priest” and “Dogma.”

The company has made big marketing pushes aimed at Christian consumers in recent years with the films “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” and Mel Gibson’s “Apocalypto.”

“I have no illusions that the Walt Disney Co. is motivated out of love or even deference to Christians in America in their filmmaking decisions,” Phillips said. “They follow the dollar, and they play different sides against each other.”

Budding filmmakers will study Walt Disney’s mastery of then-cutting-edge technology and classic storytelling and the “19th century values” — monogamy, faithfulness, patriotism and virtue — that infused his stories, said Geoffrey Botkin, a member of the academy’s faculty.

“Walt really was inventive in ways that were really valuable to the filmmakers we are training,” Botkin said. “Walt was not tied into the dominating filmmaking center in New York. Our filmmakers want to be outside of Hollywood.”

Botkin said early Pixar films created by Walt Disney devotee John Lasseter had “an understanding of classic storytelling,” but he described such Disney blockbusters as “Pirates of the Caribbean” as “incoherent” and “not made for families.”

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 24, 2007 | Permalink

We are pleased to announce that Panavision has kindly agreed to make available to the students at the Christian Filmmakers Academy in San Antonio, TX their new Genesis Camera. The Genesis Camera represents the first foray into digital filmmaking by Panavision, the industry leader in 35mm film cameras for the past several decades. A proprietary full frame 35mm, 12.4 megapixel imaging sensor allows the Genesis Camera to make full use of Panavision’s wide range of 35mm lenses and accessories. Attendees at the film academy will be able to closely examine one of the first, and currently the most popular, digital cinema cameras used in big-budget feature film production.

Digital cameras like the Genesis represent a new wave in filmmaking technology that will continue to affect every aspect of the industry.

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 19, 2007 | Permalink

Passionate Housewives Desperate for God: Fresh Vision for the Hopeful Homemaker may be both the most controversial and the most encouraging book of the season. In this video clip, authors Jennie Chancey and Stacy McDonald address how their new book counters the ideas communicated in the popular TV show “Desperate Housewives.”

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 19, 2007 | Permalink

(To view this video clip, you must have QuickTime 7 installed — available as a free download.)

Last year at this time we reported:

“When Stephen Kendrick and his brother decided to work with the people of their church and local home educators to produce a debt-free film for the glory of God, they purposed to avoid compromise and honor the dictates of their conscience each step of the way. In the end, they completed the feature film Facing the Giants for a mere $100,000. But the Lord who does exceedingly and abundantly beyond the expectations of man blessed them with opening week box office sales in excess of 1.3 million dollars. That was six weeks ago. The film is still going strong. At this point, it seems clear that between the ongoing theatrical release and up and coming DVD sales, Facing the Giants will easily exceed $20,000,000.00 in sales. That is a 200 to 1 return on investment. But more refreshing than the astonishing financial return on an independent Christian film is the vision and spiritual committment of the filmmakers. Both at the Christian Filmmakers Academy and at the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival, Stephen blessed crowds of young men and women through his unabashed Christian faith and his pure-hearted approach to changing the culture for Christ. I have included the following clip on today’s blog as one example.”

Now, students attending the 2007 Christian Filmmaker’s Academy will be able to hear Stephen describe (by video) his latest feature film project and get an inside look at the making of an independent Christian film.

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 19, 2007 | Permalink

Click here to listen to a recent interview on K-Love concerning the goals and objectives of the Christian Filmmakers Academy and the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival.

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 19, 2007 | Permalink

If you are in search of a vision of encouragement for biblical daughterhood, or if you have found a vision of hope, but are also one of untold numbers of girls who have been naysayed for building your life around the priorities for biblical womanhood detailed in Scripture, then you will want to watch Return of the Daughters, an important new film from Anna Sophia and Elizabeth Botkin, authors of So Much More. On their website, the girls offer this comment:

Feedback on the upcoming “Return of the Daughters” documentary runs the gamut from the good, the bad and the ugly, to the astonishingly candid. Though most of the comments have been overwhelmingly positive, we occasionally encounter frank assessments of our beliefs like the one below:

How weird. ...talk about not having a life. These poor girls do not know what’s really out there for them. If you want to settle down after marriage-that’s fine but for a girl to waste the best years of her life waiting for prince charming to come rescue her from a cinderella life in the home-you will miss so much!! Dating, College, partying...the list goes on and on. ... I can only feel sorry for these brain washed young women who are prisoners in their own homes!

Our trailer and updates have piqued people’s interest and sparked some interesting public debate. Are our featured girls leading boring lives? Are they spending their single years sitting around “waiting for Prince Charming”? Are they missing out on anything worth having? Are they prisoners in their own homes? Have they been brainwashed, or do they think and speak for themselves? Was this lifestyle forced on them, or did they choose it?

Why is this way of life so exciting, adventurous, and rewarding for such intelligent and ambitious young women?

You’ll just have to wait until the film comes out to find out.

Return of the Daughters is now available for pre-order.

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 19, 2007 | Permalink

Foxnews is reporting the fascinating story about the recent discovery of a 2,500 pound cannon that was pulled up from the ocean floor off the coast of North Carolina.

MOREHEAD CITY, N.C. — State underwater archaeologists on Monday raised a cannon from a sunken ship that could have belonged to the pirate Blackbeard. The roughly 8-foot-long cannon weighs about 2,500 pounds and was pulled from an ongoing excavation at the presumed site of the Queen Anne’s Revenge. Fay Mitchell, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Cultural Resources, said the crew finished bringing it to the surface early Monday afternoon. The cannon will be on display Wednesday at the N.C. Maritime Museum expansion site at Gallants Channel in Beaufort. Historians believe Blackbeard’s ship — the Queen Anne’s Revenge — ran aground in Beaufort Inlet in June 1718.

Click here to read the rest of the story and see a picture of the cannon.

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 19, 2007 | Permalink

For many years Frank Montenegro has brought his wonderful talent and skill to his portrayal of Dr. Kendall Park, on Vision Forum’s Jonathan Park creation adventure radio series. On Friday, October 12, Frank’s wife Julie was getting some supplies at The Jenny Craig store in Brea California. As she was standing in the building, a car crashed through the front of the store and Julie was instantly brought into the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Frank is a deeply loved and respected member of the Vision Forum Jonathan Park radio team, and we are heartbroken at the loss that Frank and his daughter Sophia are experiencing now. Frank married his wife when they were 18. The Lord gave them 24 happy years together. The funeral is Saturday, October 27th, at 1pm at Thomas Miller Mortuary, Corona, California. If you have been blessed by Jonathan Park, and want to communicate your sympathies, please send donations in Julie Montenegro’s name to the Children’s Hopsital of Orange County in Mission Viejo, California.

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 19, 2007 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 18, 2007 | Permalink

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS — October 15, 2007 — Christian filmographers will be taking a hard look at the influence of Disney on American culture as part of the Third Annual Christian Filmmakers Academy( to be held October 22-24 in San Antonio, Texas. During a three-lecture symposium on Disney, the CFA’s faculty will dig deep into the corporate and artistic legacy of the communications giant often accused of being the most anti-family media conglomerate in the world.

“Perhaps no individual of the 20th century had a larger impact on media’s influence on family culture than Walt Disney,” remarked Doug Phillips, president of Vision Forum and founder of the Christian Filmmaker’s Academy. “The scope of his cultural legacy is truly massive, impacting everything from our nation’s vision of childhood, family life, and gender roles, to the meaning of a happy family vacation. But his legacy — both positive and negative — has largely gone unexamined by Christian theologians, cultural warriors, and filmmakers.”

Phillips continued: “This year at the Christian Filmmaker’s Academy we hope to lay the foundation for a theological, professional, and practical critique of one hundred years of Disney influence on American culture. Our mission is to help independent Christian filmmakers learn from the wise choices of Disney and the company that he created, while avoiding serious professional and theological errors they advanced.”

Speakers will examine Disney’s skillful invention and use of new technologies, his remarkable management techniques, as well as the lack of discernment that positioned the growing Disney empire to become an engine of cultural decline after Walt’s death. In the words of former Disney president Michael Ovitz, the Disney empire isn’t really a company, but a “nation state” exercising vast influence over global constituencies.

“Young filmmakers need to understand that they carry heavy responsibilities,” noted Geoffrey Botkin, a veteran filmmaker and teacher at this year’s academy. “Their productions will influence and even change cultures. They must be far more careful than the young Disney to manage their gifts, talents, resources, and content. There are lessons from his legacy they must know.”

Lectures will examine the theological worldview communicated by Walt Disney through film and television. Doug Phillips observed: “On the one hand, Disney embraced some of the very best elements of the culture of historical Christendom; but on the other hand, he often advanced what I call the ‘cute-ification’ evil through his clever portrayal and glorification of witchcraft and necromancy.”

Lectures will also trace Disney’s formative years in Missouri and the growth of Disney’s cultural influence, examining his entrepreneurial beginnings, his artistic achievements, and the current anti-family content now earning some $34 billion per year.

The Christian Filmmakers Academy was founded in 2005 by Vision Forum Ministries to train aspiring Christian culture changers to produce motion pictures that communicate the most noble biblical values with technical and artistic excellence, and which make sound business sense. Each year, Vision Forum also hosts the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival and $10,000 grand prize Jubilee Awards which showcases the work of Christian filmmakers as part of an annual film competition. This year’s festival will be held October 25-27 at the Alamo City’s Gonzalez Convention Center.

To interview Doug Phillips about his vision for the Christian Filmmakers Academy , contact Wesley Strackbein by e-mail at wesley@visionforum.com or by phone at (210) 340-5250, ext. 222. For more information on the Christian Filmmaker’s Academy. visit www.independentchristianfilms.com.

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 17, 2007 | Permalink

He was the most popular writer of historical boy’s fiction of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. His books sold millions of copies, and impacted the lives of great leaders like Winston Churchill. Over the last ten years, his books have made a tremendous comeback as parents have rediscovered the benefits to their children of reading the manly, Christian worldview-rich, historical adventure series authored by the great G.A. Henty.

Now thanks to San Antonio’s favorite Christian talk show host, Adam McManus, parents and children can do more than just read the books — they can enjoy a weekly talk show dedicated to discussing the Henty adventures — book by book!

These shows will examine the story lines, battles, and Christian worldview implications of 70 individual Henty historical fiction novels. In addition, boys and girls will be encouraged to set aside destructive video games and time wasters in their lives, in favor of reading great books that reinforce the virtues of Christian manhood and womanhood, and cultivate a love for learning providential history.

Yesterday was the introductory launch of this new feature on the Adam McManus, AM 630, KSLR radio broadcast. Beginning on October 29th each Monday at 4:00, for seventy weeks, Adam will be featuring a weekly discussion with my son Joshua Phillips (who has read more than 90 Hentys) and his friends Lucas Botkin and Samuel Turley (both young Henty aficionados). They will be joined by Christian historian and bibliophile, Mr. Bill Potter (who teaches on Vision Forum Ministries’ Faith and Freedom Tours).

Adam is kindly giving Vision Forum Ministries the shows to make available to supporters of the ministry. To support the work of family reformation at Vision Forum Ministries, and to get your copy of the first one-hour radio broadcast, make an on-line donation of any amount and request Episode One: “Introducing the Wonderful Works of G.A. Henty.” Alternatively, you can listen to the broadcast via the world wide web by visiting Adam’s site.

(On a personal note: It is really gratifying to see our sons go beyond us. It should be every father’s dream. I was eighteen when I began my first radio show. By God’s grace, Josh is starting his at fourteen. I hope the Lord will bless and prosper my son, and I thank the Lord for the flexibility offered by home education to allow him, and boys and girls like him, to explore exciting and creative projects for the glory of God.)

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 16, 2007 | Permalink

This last weekend Scott Brown, Don Hart, and Kevin Swanson were some of the featured speakers at a regional conference for uniting church and family sponsored by the Vision Forum Ministries and the National Center for Family Integrated Churches. Today, we received this precious testimony from a young man in attendance at the event.

I’ve returned back to Oregon with so much to pray over and ponder. The UCF conference was an incredible time of growth for me. For some time now as I have been reading the scriptures and spending time with the Lord, He has birthed convictions within me regarding my family, my ministry, and so on. While I deeply desire to glorify God in these areas, I have been somewhat immobilized by uncertainty as I do not have much interaction with people holding similar convictions, and because of the enormity of the task at hand. The messages that you and the other speakers presented exposed much of my erroneous thinking, and brought me back to the certainty of scripture and the sovereignty of God.

During these 7 years of youth ministry, I have attended numerous conferences, and have read scores of books that attempt to offer the “cutting edge” in ministerial success. These sources surmised that if I would progressively pursue cultural relevance, and provide programming that appealed to specific age-groups or social interests, than Jesus’ fame would be spread, and my ministry would grow and experience great success. While my adherence to these principles has produced great numerical growth in our ministry, it has also often usurped the father’s role, proved poor long-term commitments, and shown a strong lack of deep character. I am a child and product of the mainstream evangelical movement, so I pursued this approach to church life and discipleship for some time, believing it was correct. But God, as my perfect father, is in the process of correcting and guiding me by His grace.

I anticipated that I would be a bit out of place at the conference, being a youth pastor in a modern church. But I felt accepted, challenged, admonished, and encouraged. I left the conference very hopeful because of what I had seen and heard. It gave me hope, not only for my family, but for Christ’s church. I do not know what the future holds for my ministry, but I am so thankful that by God’s grace I am able to strive to disciple my family as he intended, and seek His perfect will. I pray that He will grant me the wisdom and faith to continually surrender to Him. I am so grateful. —Andy H.

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 16, 2007 | Permalink

Scott Brown shares this valuable opinion concerning one of the most negative cultural musical influences of the 20th century.

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 16, 2007 | Permalink

The 2008 Tenth-Year Anniversary Edition of the Vision Forum Family Catalog has reached the first homes and already a handful of sleuths have earned themselves an award by cracking at least one code embedded in the catalog.

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 16, 2007 | Permalink

“Vienna is to host what organisers have dubbed the world’s first “divorce fair” this month, aimed at couples whose wedding dreams have turned sour and who need help in untying the knot as painlessly as possible...Nearly 50 percent of all marriages in Austria end in divorce — the figure is 66 percent in Vienna — and the two-day fair is being held under the motto: “Start your life afresh”. Organisers are hoping it will bloom into a twice-yearly event.”

View the full article here.

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 16, 2007 | Permalink

“Passionate Housewives, Desperate for God challenges women to enthusiastically embrace our high calling—that of wife & mother. Be encouraged as Jennie and Stacy reveal God’s truth and expose the lies that lead to disillusionment. May you come away empowered by God’s grace to love and honor your husband and to joyfully lead your children by example to love God and serve others.” —Michelle Duggar, wife of Jim Bob Duggar, whose family story has been featured on Discovery Channel’s “Raising 16 Children”

Passionate Housewives, Desperate for God: Fresh Vision for the Hopeful Homemaker is now available for purchase, to ship in 7-10 days.

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 16, 2007 | Permalink

For Beall’s 40th birthday, I travelled with my esposa to the mountains of Colorado for some sweetheart time. We walked, talked, hiked, and enjoyed the beauty of mornings in the mountains. How I praise God for His glorious creation which stands as a witness of his power and godhead (Romans 1).

A cup of tea, the cold morning air, a blanket, and the life-rejuvenating Word of God in the mouth of one’s beloved—bliss!

On Saturday, we began our day with Psalm 119.

“Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.
Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.
They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.
Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.
O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!
Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.
I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.
I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.
Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.
With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”

Yesterday we awoke to this beautiful sight and were reminded of the Lord’s exhortation to Job:

“For he saith to the snow, Be thou on the earth; likewise to the small rain, and to the great rain of his strength.” (37:6)

“Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail, Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?” (38:22)

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 15, 2007 | Permalink

“Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; Thy judgments area great deep; Oh Lord, thou preservest man and beast.” (Psalm 36:6)

”...his leaf also shall not whither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” (Psalm 1:3)

“The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness.” (Psalm 72:3)

“The voice of my beloved! Behold he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.” (Song of Solomon 2:8)

“His foundations is in the holy mountains.” {Psalm 87:1)

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 15, 2007 | Permalink

Beall and I were taking a walk down the streets of an old mining town in Colorado today when we ran across this magnificently jowly bulldog with a pink underside and polka dots. She was just sitting there by herself, tied to a post, and patiently waiting in true bulldog style for her owner who was nowhere to be found. I have been shooting this week without flash using an old 35mm Leica lens from the 1960s, and a newer 50mm. Because the weather today was in constant flux (over the course of the afternoon it went from sunshine to snowdrifts), I needed to experiment a good deal with various exposure settings to get any pleasing results. I finally settled on one which resulted in the picture above. Hooray for jowly bulldogs!

And this brings me to the point of this blog: One of my personal objectives this year at the 2007 Christian Filmmakers Academy is to improve my skills as a lay-photographer. Peter Pallock is there to help me and filmmakers from across the nation develop their still photographic skills and sensibilities, especially as these skills relate to the craft of filmmaking. Peter has trained hundreds of photographers around the nation, and is kindly offering his services this year for the 2007 Christian Filmmakers Academy.

For those who will be attending the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival, Peter will be offering an introductory session called an “Introduction to Prizewinning Photography.” This course offers practical introduction to the basics of still photography, and will cover simple, applicable ways to improve your still photography skills while offering insights into the broader application of those principles in the world of video.

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 13, 2007 | Permalink

“Passionate Housewives Desperate for God is an exceptionally well-written book. Jennie Chancey and Stacy McDonald do not pretend to be the perfect wives, mothers, and homemakers; but they do have a heart for God and His glory. Both of them see the role of the wife and mother as God’s high and holy calling and they exhort us through Scripture and practical examples to, by God’s grace, fulfill that calling. This book will make you think, will convict you, and will, as the subtitle states, give you a ‘fresh vision for the hopeful homemaker.’ I highly recommend this book.”

Martha Peace, author of The Excellent Wife

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 12, 2007 | Permalink

“Jennie Chancey and Stacy McDonald have spoken the Truth with a capital ‘T’ in their wonderful book Passionate Housewives Desperate for God. Totally grounded in Scripture, this book winsomely presents the true picture of a godly homemaker. Prepare to be stimulated, challenged, and encouraged as a woman. This book is a real gem!”

—Vickie Farris, wife of Michael Farris, founder of the Home School Legal Defense Association

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 12, 2007 | Permalink

As new episodes of “Desperate Housewives” launch this fall, two real-life housewives—raising 18 children between them—release a controversial new book nationwide in bookstores, October 30, 2007.

For Immediate Release:

San Antonio, TX (PRWEB via PRWebDirect) — Delicious secrets hide behind every neighbor’s closed door in the seemingly perfect American suburb of Fairview, the fictional hometown of ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” TV series, considered the most popular show in its demographic worldwide with 115 million viewers. As new episodes launch this fall, two real-life housewives—raising 18 children between them—release a controversial new book nationwide in bookstores, October 30, 2007. “Passionate Housewives, Desperate for God” (Vision Forum, Inc.) shatters the homemaker stereotypes depicted in “Desperate Housewives” and “The Stepford Wives” and exposes the hollow ideal of the androgynous power woman, whose worth is measured solely by the degree of her self-ambition, the shape of her body and her money-making skills.

“Passionate Housewives, Desperate for God” Co-authors Stacy McDonald and Jennie Chancey took two and a half years—through spilled orange juice, stray laundry, and mayhem of busy family life—to write the book. With candor and humor, it offers readers a refreshing, counter-cultural view that married women should be joyful “keepers at home,” embracing their God-given roles as helpmeets to their husbands and nurturers to their children.

“Like a filthy and unruly stray dog on bath day, feminism has been scrubbed and perfumed and presented to us as biblical,” writes McDonald, the wife of Pastor James McDonald and author of ‘Raising Maidens of Virtue.’ She illustrates the dangers of whitewashed feminism, often responsible for fellow evangelicals stumbling over the Genesis 2 interpretation of women’s roles in marriage. “The biblical directives given to women to be wives, mothers, and keepers of the home are minimized or set aside as quaint but unnecessary options.”

Chancey, a former feminist who launched LadiesAgainstFeminism.com in 2002, says, “Mine is not a story of perfection. I was once a Christian feminist; I’ve seen the other side. I know how empty it is...I went from die-hard homemaker-in-training to dedicated career woman—and then God gripped my heart.”

In addition, “Passionate Housewives, Desperate for God” discusses:

• The false gospel of self
• The beauty of God-centered marriage
• Why real women are passionate about true womanhood, marriage, and motherhood
• What the Bible teaches about servanthood and slavery—and the difference
• Real-life examples of happy, contented homemakers
• Why being a homemaker is not a waste of God-given talents

Vision Forum (www.visionforum.com) of San Antonio, TX, publishes books that inspire, teach, and encourage families to rebuild a culture of biblical family life.

Media interested in interviews with Stacy McDonald and Jennie Chancey, co-authors of “Passionate Housewives, Desperate for God,” and review copies of the book should contact Gregg Wooding, The Resource Agency, (972) 567-7660.

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 11, 2007 | Permalink

Forty years ago, a very courageous woman chose not to abort her baby.

Unlike many unwed mothers, this woman had been previously married. She had born sons and daughters. She had helped to raise a family. But now in her forties she found herself divorced and with child—the fruit of a brief immoral relationship.

If she was like other unwed mothers facing the challenges and stigma of an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy, she probably suffered from fear and disappointment. And I can only imagine the pressure she felt to try to erase the embarrassment, to end the physical discomfort, and to avert the potential shame and rejection she would experience as she faced her own legitimate children and extended family with the news that their mother had conceived a child with a married man.

In those days, abortion had yet to be legalized in America—that would come five years later. But even in 1967, it was readily available. It was the quick fix of choice for any and all who wanted to run from life.

Perhaps it was because she had already experienced the power of motherhood. Perhaps it was because she understood that abortion is the merciless shedding of innocent blood. But whatever the conscious reason for her decision, I know that behind the stated reason for her decision is the remarkable grace of God.

And by God’s grace, this courageous woman did not give in to her fears. On what may have been the most important decision of her life, she chose wisely. She determined that she could not kill her unborn child. She chose life.

Then, on October 6, 1967, a little baby came into the world.

Shortly after her birth, the little baby would be given to a woman whose name is now lost to history, but who would rock and nurse the little baby for six weeks until she was placed in the loving arms of a caring, adoptive family.

As a child, the little baby whose mother chose life would hear the stories of how Baby Brown Eyes was given to Daddy Blue Eyes and Mommy Green Eyes by a loving God who sets the solitary in families.

She heard these stories and many others. And the little baby whose life was spared grew. She grew into a woman, and one-day God gave her a baby of her own—and then eight others, including one whose soul was taken to live in eternity.

That little baby would grow up to minister to unwed mothers. She would encourage untold numbers of adopted children to be grateful, content, and rejoicing in their circumstances because of the beautiful picture of spiritual adoption represented by their special, God-ordained placement in the homes of families that longed for them.

In fact, the little baby whose mother chose life would become a thriving woman—a beautiful Christian lady with a heart full of gratitude. And this dear lady would fill her years to the brim with such overflowing life and love, that this one soul would profoundly touch the lives of men, women, and children, influencing thousands with the message of the beauty of Christian womanhood, the blessing of the fruit of the womb, and the hope which is only found in God, the One true giver of life.

And that lady is my wife.

I was only two years old when a courageous woman chose not to abort the baby who would become Elizabeth Beall Phillips. And now for the fortieth birthday of my beloved esposita I want to give praise to the Lord Jesus Christ for His mercies in crafting and giving to me a remarkable woman who knows from the depth of her soul that life is God’s precious gift, and that, but for His amazing grace, she would have been one of the forty million American babies who never survived the bloody dagger of the abortionist.

And I want to thank God for the grace that He placed in the heart of a scared, but courageous woman who chose life.

Because she chose life, other babies have been born—some of whom would have been yet another horrifying abortion statistic had not their unwed mothers heard a message of hope from a Christian lady who was once a baby to an unwed mother herself.

Because this woman chose life forty years ago, I have enjoyed fifteen years of the happiest marriage for which a man could hope.

Because she chose life, I am surrounded each morning by eighteen loving arms—and I daily enjoy the kisses of nine precious sets of lips.

Because she chose life, hundreds (perhaps thousands) of daughters, wives, and mothers have been touched, encouraged, and given hope by the ministry of the very baby she gave life and then gave up. Because she chose life, there are souls who have been led to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and now enjoy the promise of eternal life.

Because she chose life, I have learned what it means to be deeply and desperately loved by a woman. I have experienced the joy of being a man whose wife delights in being a helpmeet suitable for me. I have drunk deeply from the font of happiness that comes to those who are blessed with life-mates who radiate contentedness.

But for a woman who chose life, none of these pictures could have ever been taken.

Just before her death, the birth mother of Elizabeth Beall Phillips corresponded with the daughter she had never known. From the little baby she had only held in her arms for moments, this woman heard about the love of Christ. She discovered that the once little baby had prayed for her year after year. And she found out that the baby she had birthed became a contented adoptive daughter who never doubted the goodness of God in placing her in a new home and who enjoyed the happiness which comes from being loved.

I never met the woman who gave birth to my beloved. And I never will.

But because she chose life, I am a happy man.

On behalf of grateful children and husbands everywhere who daily enjoy the blessings which came from the fruit of sorrowing mothers who chose life and the adoptive parents who gave homes to lost babies, I give praise to the Lord Jesus Christ, and I thank you, Clarice, for choosing life.

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 9, 2007 | Permalink

Space is still available for our most advanced and exciting training program to date for pastors, filmmakers, and culture changers—the 2007 Christian Filmmaker’s Academy. Read more about the workshop descriptions and the Academy here.

Monday

10:00 a.m. Registration Begins
1:00 p.m. Biblical Worldview and the Theology of Christian Filmmaking, Phillips, G. Botkin 2:30 p.m. Break
3:00 p.m. Symposium on Disney and American Filmmaking (Doug Phillips, Geoff Botkin, I. Botkin 5:30 p.m. Dinner Break
7:00 p.m. Winning and Losing Treatments, G.Botkin
7:30 p.m. Old School Techniques for New School Technologies, I. Botkin
8:00 p.m. From the Top of the World: High Altitude Experiences in Adventure Filmmaking, Rasmussen

Tuesday

8:30 a.m. The Future of Film and Digital Acquisition, Finn
10:00 a.m. Break
10:30 a.m. Practical Demonstration of Lighting, Camera, Audio, Rasmussen, Faculty
12:00 p.m. Lunch
1:30 p.m. Sound Design and Production Techniques for Studio and Field, Harper
2:30 p.m. Break
3:00 p.m. Inside a Nationally Broadcast Television Commercial Shoot: A Filmmaker’s Overview of the Production Process, Botkins, Faculty
5:30 p.m. Dinner
7:00 p.m. 3D Modeling and Sculpture Techniques, I. Botkin
7:30 p.m. Keynote: Artistic Expression and the Faith of the Auteur: How to Evaluate the Seven Major Attitudes Communicated in Film, G. Botkin

Wednesday

8:30 a.m. Making ‘Return of the Daughters’: Inside the Documentary Filmmaking Process, Botkin
9:45 a.m. Break
10:00 a.m. Exclusive Behind the Scenes with Stephen Kendrick from the Set of His New Feature Motion Picture
10:30 a.m. Outside Hollywood: The Thesis, Phillips
11:00 a.m. From Film Shorts to Feature Films — Casting a Big Vision for Your Film Career, I. Botkin
12:00 p.m. Lunch Break
1:30 p.m. Introduction to the Theology of Sound Design, Phillips
2:15 p.m. Sound Design and Cinematic Storytelling, G. Botkin
3:30 p.m. Break
4:00 p.m. Casting a Ten-Year Vision for Independent Christian Filmmaking, Phillips
4:30 p.m. Q&A Closing Panel and Graduation

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 8, 2007 | Permalink

Once again, we are indebted to the fine brothers and sisters at the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood for their thought-provoking and helpful explanation of the far-reaching and hateful impact of feminism of all stripes and varieties on women. Courtney Tarter offers the following gems in her “Confessions of a Recovering Feminist.”

Recovering from feminism must first start with an embracing of the Gospel of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Only then will we see the roots severed because we will be clothed in the humility of Christ, who willingly submitted himself to the Father on our behalf. For older women it will mean embracing and modeling femininity, motherhood, and marriage in a Titus 2 way. For younger women it will mean knowing the godly women in our congregations better than we know the celebrities on late night television...

Feminist ideology is not simply relegated to the brash Gloria Steinem types, or even the female executive with the corner office. Rather, feminism rises up in ordinary women in our congregations, homes, and in the least obvious place, the mirror. Feminism is in the core of our hearts apart from the saving work of the shed blood of Christ, and not simply because we are militant against male authority, but primarily because we are opposed to the greatest authority of all—our Creator. The feminist is not some abstract “out there” woman. She is staring right at us every morning when we put on our make-up...

And when I still feel the judgment rising up in me when I see a young woman joyfully choosing marriage and a family over a college degree, I realize that I have a long way to go before this feminist is fully recovered. As I grow in my walk, there is a great hope in the Holy Spirit’s promise to complete the work that Christ began (Phil. 1:6). From the time the first feminist (Eve) came on the scene, until now, we have been in a cosmic battle against the flesh and Satan because he hates the image of Christ and His Church. We await the final consummation of the good work that was started by King Jesus on Calvary. With the curse came the promise. Feminism was, and will finally be, defeated when the Seed crushes the Serpent (Gen. 3:15). And that’s good news for recovering feminists like you and me...

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 8, 2007 | Permalink

Description of “Hollywood Be Thy Name”

In the beginning Hollywood said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And there were cameras. And the spirit of Hollywood moved across the face of the earth. Hollywood created. It picked up unknowns from the soil of humanity and breathed into them the life of celebrity — a golden image, whose sole purpose was to bring in big money at the box office. But something went terribly wrong, movies became filled with blasphemy, adultery, and violence. The bright light that once was became a gross darkness, and Hollywood began to suffer the ultimate delusion of grandeur. It enthroned itself as God and began to spout blasphemy against the heavens. It became a law to itself. Hollywood answered to no one. Not even God. So it believed. Now Ray Comfort tells what happened, even as he demonstrates the transforming influence of Hollywood on American Culture. Comfort skillfully exposes the beliefs of Hollywood’s elite atheists, evolutionists, and spiritualists. But he also challenges those Christians who continue to support ungodly movies. Then he suggests, powerfully, how Christians can effect change. There is one rock believers have in their hands that can “hit the blaspheming giant [Hollywood] between the eyes.”

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 8, 2007 | Permalink

There are many reasons why parents and students today are considering a new paradigm of higher education for their sons and daughters: For some, the cost of brick and mortar college is prohibitive; others point to the fact that an increasing number of college students are woefully undereducated and unmarketable even after four years of the university classroom; some observe that the college culture is a cesspool of immorality that leaves few unscathed; there are many who recognize the religious nature of higher education, and object to any pursuit of knowledge and truth which requires Christians to drink deeply from the font of wisdom provided by atheistic, evolutionist, humanistic, or even compromising Christian professors; still others aspire to achieve the benefits of higher education by using a model of training that incorporates biblical principles of mentorship, accountability, and presuppositionally biblical education—one which does not divorce the student from the family, the church, or real-life responsibilities, and which allows him to cultivate real-life business and training experiences, and to more carefully tailor his education to practical and spiritual objectives.

In one sense, the present educational crisis is a gift of the Lord. It has forced Christians to go back to the drawing board and reconsider their very philosophy and methodology of higher education in light of biblical priorities and principles. Crisis has forced the question. Now the door is open for true reformation.

One of the organizations that is stepping up to the plate to equip reformation-minded parents is College Plus! To my mind, they offer one of the most effective higher education alternatives in the nation. Students enrolled with College Plus! have the benefit of earning a college degree for less money, in less time, and with tremendous flexibility. In fact, College Plus! students benefit from an individualized, mentor-directed approach to education reminiscent of the approach used at the time of America’s Founding—one which produced the most literate and educated generation in the history of this nation.

In describing their own goals and objectives, the team at College Plus! explains the following benefits of their program:

• Perspective: College Plus! takes a decidedly different approach from traditional colleges to obtaining a degree in that they see it as a means to an end, and not an end in itself. They see a degree as a powerful tool that can and should be used for God’s glory through all of life, not just in the pursuit of a career.

• Family Influence: Since these studies are completed nearly 100% at home, the major influence is within the context of the home and family. As topics are studied and tests prepared for, the student has the opportunity to discuss material with their parents and their College Plus! coach.

• Mentor Influence: Our Founding Fathers’ education was normally in the context of individualized mentoring and apprenticeship. Through College Plus!, your student has access to a personalized degree program and a coach who will assist them and their parents through every step.

• Time: It is well within the realm of possibility to obtain a regionally accredited Bachelor’s degree (the highest accreditation level attainable in the US) in two years or less. Many students even complete their entire degree before graduating from high school. With the two years that their peers are still spending in school, a student who takes this route can gain valuable workplace experience through internships.

• Cost: Utilizing distance learning methods and credit-by-exam techniques, College Plus! puts the total cost of a college degree at typically less than $15,000 with few exceptions.

Not everyone needs a college degree. But for any and all who would be benefited by obtaining a degree, College Plus! should be carefully considered. I am very grateful for the hardworking and principled team at College Plus! and am pleased to recommend them and their important service for your consideration. The leaders behind College Plus! are not only Christians of great character, but they have established a program with a proven track record for success that allows Christian students the most flexible, cost-effective approach to earning a degree on the market today.

But let me go a step further. I believe that we live in a day and age in which wise, biblical, creative alternatives to higher education must be encouraged and promoted, which is why for now through the end of November, Vision Forum will be giving a $200 gift certificate to anyone who enrolls in this groundbreaking and immensely helpful program.

For more information on this important educational option for Christian families, click on the link below.

CollegePlus! 830.885.5432 info@collegeplus.org

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 4, 2007 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 4, 2007 | Permalink

In August, I reported that a “Landmark Court Decision Affirms Church’s Right to Discipline.” The article detailing the important constitutional victory was written by my personal assistant Bob Renaud, a law student at Oak Brook School of Law, and a key member of our team at the Witherspoon School of Law and Public Policy. Bob and fellow classmate Lael Weinberger, took the thesis presented in the Vision Forum published commentary and turned it into a a formal law review article. Expanding Bob’s recent article on the Texas Supreme Court decision in Westbrook v. Penley, Bob and Lael authored an article entitled: Spheres of Sovereignty: Church Autonomy Doctrine, and the Theological Heritage of the Separation of Church and State.

With an interdisciplinary approach that covers both theology and history, as well as the current case law on the subject, this is a helpful article that will be able to be a teaching tool to lawyers on the proper role of church and state. They submitted the article to over a hundred law reviews and received several offers to have it published. They chose to allow Northern Kentucky Law School to publish their article. It will be published in Volume 35 of the Northern Kentucky Law Review (2008).

Bob and Lael are the first Oak Brook students to have a law review article published in the school’s thirteen years of existence.

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 4, 2007 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 3, 2007 | Permalink

We must be self-governing:

“Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell” James 3:5-6

The spirit of the French Revolution is alive and well on the Internet as small mobs conduct their own virtual “reign of terror.” Through their Internet tribunals, the mob pronounces guilt and presides over a blood bath of reputations and character decapitations. Now the October 15 edition of Forbes Magazine has dedicated their cover story to the rise of what they describe as “malicious mobs” made up of “creeps, criminals,” who “run wild.”

After relaying horror story after horror story of abuse by Internet assassins, Forbes observes:

Question this right of Net anonymity and you risk an unmitigated thrashing (anonymously, of course). So maybe we are asking for trouble when we dare to say that Internet anonymity is out of control. Today the Net still protects the abused and the disenfranchised, people who go online for help because they can do so in secret. But it also shields creeps, criminals and pedophiles. It emboldens the mean-spirited and offers them a huge audience for spewing hatred and libel. Caustic cowards are free to one-up one another in invective and vitriol—haters who would tone it down if they had to identify themselves.

This is a “must read” article. Read it here:

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 3, 2007 | Permalink

Honor takes to the sky in a hot air balloon which overlooks the Jamestown Quadricentennial: A Celebration of Our Providential History

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 3, 2007 | Permalink

MSNBC is reporting the story of a mother who has given birth to her own grandchildren.

SAO PAULO, Brazil - A 51-year-old surrogate mother for her daughter has given birth to her own twin grandchildren in northeastern Brazil, the delivery hospital said. Rosinete Palmeira Serrao, a government health worker, gave birth to twin boys by Caesarean section on Thursday at the Santa Joana Hospital in the city of Recife, the hospital said in a statement on its Web site. Hospital officials were not available for comment on Sunday, but press reports said the grandmother and twins were discharged on Saturday in excellent health. The Caesarean section was performed about two weeks ahead of time because Serrao was having trouble sleeping, the statement said.

Click here to read the rest of the story. For biblical analysis of issues of bio-medical ethics, make sure to get our material from the Witherspoon School of Law and Public Policy, or attend the 2008 event (soon to be scheduled for the month of July).

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 3, 2007 | Permalink

This weekend, October 5-6, Scott Brown and Hope Baptist Church are offering a Father-Son Retreat at the Brown Farm in Wake Forest, North Carolina. If you are near Wake Forest, or willing to make the trip, you need to do so. The Brown family farm is one of the happiest places on earth, and it is the perfect place for fathers and sons to spend a weekend together. At the heart of Scott’s conference is the message of unity and love between fathers and sons rooted in the beautiful, biblical pattern of the Heavenly Father and the Son. Make sure to view the website for more information.

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 3, 2007 | Permalink

Continuing through October 5, Vision Forum is pleased to offer the 70-Vol. Complete Henty Library at the best set price in America: 50% off the regular retail price! Purchase the entire seventy-volume set and pay just $699. (Full retail value is $1,400.) This offer is only available when you purchase the Complete Henty Library. Limited stock exists on these sets and is available only while supplies last.

For those who already own a Vision Forum Henty library, the 10-Vol. New Henty Set is available for a discounted price of $140 — a savings of $60 off the retail value of $200. The 40-Vol. Henty Set is also available at the 40% discounted price of $480 — $12 per book.

Even if you already own a partial set of G.A. Henty, you might consider purchasing a complete library for each of your children or grandchildren. This special offer gives you the opportunity to build a classic library for your family at a fraction of the normal price. These hardbacks are manufactured with quality and are designed to be passed from one generation to the next. Click here to read the comments of two boys who have read a collective one hundred and forty Hentys.

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 2, 2007 | Permalink

Yes, feminism hurts women. All types of feminism hurts women—whitewashed “Christian” feminism, radical feminism, medium to radical feminism, or just old-fashioned feminism.

Feminism of every bent and stripe hurts women. It hurts women because feminism is an assault on femininity. It is an attack on the glorious biblical doctrine of womanhood. It is open hatred for the Creator’s order for His creation and His doctrine of the family. Feminism is a despotic master that enslaves the spirit, the mind, and the culture in a web of self-destructive falsehood. Rather than empowering women, feminism robs women of their womanhood, perverts the unique gifts and blessings of true femininity, and replaces the fruitfulness, order, civility, and security of Christian civilization with the barrenness of body and spirit associated with androgynous and prideful culture similar to that of which the prophet Isaiah declared:

”...As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths...Moreover the LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet: Therefore the LORD will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will discover their secret parts. In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon, The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers, The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings, The rings, and nose jewels, The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins, The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails. And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty...” (Isaiah 3)

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 2, 2007 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 1, 2007 | Permalink

Sound Design and Production Techniques for Studio and Field

Award-winning sound designer Alan Harper has been recording, editing, and mixing sound for 25 years for leading film and television productions. With more than 1000 television and feature film credits, Alan has served as Adjunct Audio Professor at Regent University and Contributing Writer for Sound & Communications Magazine. The father of fifteen children, Alan has succeeded in bringing a workstation into his home and is currently in post-production (Dialog Editing, SFX Creation/Editing, Foley, Music) on the independently produced film “Pilgrim’s Progress,” an adaptation of the John Bunyan classic. As a film festival entrant, Alan is the winner of multiple first place awards at the New York Festival, the U.S. International Film and Video Festival, and the WorldFest International Film and Video Festival.

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 1, 2007 | Permalink

Dear Mr. Phillips: I wanted to thank you for posting the article, “The Thirteenth Year” on your website. I read it just a few weeks before my 13th birthday, and I was forever changed by it. My idea of the perfect 13th birthday party just didn’t seem quite right, and I even considered giving up the idea all together. But when I read this newsletter, my eyes were opened to not only the priviledge and responsibility of the teen years, but the real spiritual significance of turning thirteen. Thank you so much for this incredible resource!

Posted by Doug Phillips on October 1, 2007 | Permalink