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The Ben Horch Story by Peter Letkeman (Old Oak Publishing, 2007) shows why Mennonites are no longer “the quiet in the land.” This voluminous biography on Canada’s leading Mennonite man of music was released on his 100th birthday, Nov. 19. As musician, conductor, and broadcaster, Horch inspired many. “Once in a generation or two, a gifted, charismatic leader emerges within a religious and ethnic community to leave an indelible cultural and spiritual legacy. Such a leader is a “Wegweiser” (one who shows the way) for his people and changes the goal and direction of artistic and spiritual development for generations to come. Ben Horch was such a leader in the sphere of music . . .” (from the foreword).
The award-winning fantasy writer Phillip Pullman says he hates C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia “with a deep and bitter passion,” and has produced a counter-film called The Golden Compass. Calling Narnia “one of the most ugly and poisonous things” he’s ever seen in which childhood is portrayed as a golden age from which sexuality and adulthood are falling away, his own series features the death of God at the hands of children. Some critics predict a well-produced and entertaining story. Others are calling for boycotts.
—ChristianityToday.com
Becky Thomas of Williams Lake, B.C., released I Delight in You (Pocketwatch Records), a series of songs filled with First Nations wonder at creation through traditional drumming, pop, and gospel. A missionary and pastor’s wife, Thomas uses the expression “Hey-yah” as a combination of the Hebrew letter Hey – which some believe to have been used when Yahweh created the world – and Yah, the Hebrew prefix for God. Available from pocketwatchrecords.com.
Steve Bell’s newest CD, The Symphony Sessions, shines with class. Last year, Bell teamed up with composer prodigy Mike Janzen who arranged “Burning Ember,” “Waiting for Aidan,” and other Bell classics for the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. An instant hit, Bell has been playing to sold out crowds in Calgary, Hamilton, and Thunder Bay.
Join Steve Bell on his journey to Ethiopia with a Canadian Foodgrains Bank DVD that explores issues of economic justice. The Fast I Choose bridges the gap with passionate humanity between our lives and those affected by our choice of consumption in a globalized world. Included is his music video single “These are the Ones,” perhaps the most powerful song Bell has written in some time.
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