Not everybody who enjoys The Lord of the Rings knows that J.R.R.Tolkien described it as “a deeply religious and Catholic work.” This booklet draws out the Christian underpinnings of the story. Timed to coincide with the release of the third movie in 2003, but intriguing wherever Tolkien’s work is loved.

This DARE Booklet is available for sale [...]

A well-known Toronto journalist, and author of Science@Faith (Shillingworth 2001), O’Leary sets out the case for “intelligent design” in the universe, summarising the work of such writers as Michael Behe, William Dembski, Philip Johnson and Jonathan Wells. She contrasts intelligent design theory with both creationism and evolutionism and responds to criticism of the theory. Finally, [...]

Despite its many critics, The Simpsons is, in truth, a very moral program and, arguably, a very religious one as well. Certainly its episodes are full of references to God, Christianity, the after-life and ethics. A closer look at The Simpsons and religion may well illustrate some important issues concerning the place of faith in North American popular culture.(

In this thoroughly researched booklet, VanderSpek traces the history of U2 from the beginning to the present, pointing out the changing role of faith in their music through the decades. In particular, he shows how the Holy Spirit (frequently described as “she”) plays a recurring part, and how a love which is more than human [...]

Why should anyone consider Christian faith today? The author offers an overview of Christian belief in a collection of five short essays, each shedding fresh light on a different aspect of the faith. It has been said that what the church needs today is not better arguments but better metaphors: this booklet offers startling [...]

The author, a history professor specializing in ancient religions, compares these five famous spiritual guides–their lives, their teaching, their deaths, and the claims their followers made about them–and shows how the claims made about Jesus are significantly different from the others. You do not have to agree with Yamauchi to appreciate the uniqueness of Jesus.

This DARE [...]

Robin Williams’ movies frequently raise profound questions–about personhood, freedom, forgiveness, healing, and the search for a sense of home. This booklet traces how these themes have developed through Williams’ career, and then shows how the teaching of Jesus from two thousand years ago speaks to them.

This DARE Booklet is out of print and not available [...]

The Jesus Seminar has become famous for its analysis of the Gospels and its rejection (based on voting with coloured beads) of much that was previously considered historical. In non-technical language, New Testament scholar Edith Humphrey takes the Seminar to task for its reliance on questionable modernist methodology, and proposes a different, more constructive approach [...]