| Arts & media reviews 03/31/2001 Reviewer's choice
Veggie Tales: Lyle the Kindly Viking
(Big Idea, 35 minutes)
The latest installment of the humorous series with an all-vegetable cast is about sharing. It starts with Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber turning over the narration to the loveable, highbrow Archibald Asparagus. He wants to bring Shakespeare to the stage, but all he can muster is a witty segment about Prince Omelet. He's a dimwitted prince who loves to play Battleship. But he's stingy when it comes to sharing his eggs, which his people desperately desire.
Alas, he faces a dilemma: "To eat or not to eat."
Instead of the usual "Silly Song" segments, Archibald insists that Larry sing a classy song. So Larry dons a top hat and belts out one of the silliest songs ever, but he does it with class. It's the perfect backdrop for the title episode about Lyle, played by Junior Asparagus, a squeaky-voiced goody two shoes. When his fellow Vikings return from pillaging, Lyle heads out to soothe the victims – a community of grape- and pea-monks – with his newly made pot holders.
The VeggieTales series lost its punch for a while but is back in great form with this episode. The humor is fresh, the story line surprises, and kids can learn a great lesson while having fun watching. This is the best video since Dave and the Giant Pickle, which set the standard for veggie videos. Parents will enjoy watching this episode with their kids.
Even so, it's disappointing that after all this time the veggie cast is still primarily male. The only female characters in this video are the two Viking wives who make a brief appearance to sing about their predictable lot in life. A little more sensitivity in this regard and there would be nothing to complain about except, perhaps, the lack of brussel-sprout characters.
Uff da! S.H.A.
Videos
Adam's World 11: Zakat Helps Everyone
(Sound Vision, 31 minutes)
This latest installment of the zany, orange-haired Muslim puppet, Adam, teaches a lesson about zakat or almsgiving. Adam's baby sister, Aneesah, is hospitalized with a mysterious illness. Adam overhears his parents worrying about their insurance running out, so he tries to raise money for them.
He's laughed off a construction job, approached by a drug dealer and told by a famous baseball player that he'll do a benefit for Aneesah because it'll boost his image. But Adam stands his moral ground and refuses to accept charity if given for the wrong reason.
The video is low-budget, but that's part of its charm. The humorous episodes and Adam's sincerity blend nicely to make this project a winner. The main story is interspersed with several mini-segments, such as one featuring spiders and butterflies to stress that bugs of all kinds are Allah's creation. The poignant music of Dawud Wharnsby-Ali reinforces the teaching. Muslim children will enjoy this video, but it can also be used to teach Islamic values to non-Muslims. S.H.A.
Four-Eyed Blonde
by Chonda Pierce
(Word, 99 minutes)
Picture Roseanne on her old TV sitcom as a clean-mouthed evangelical. If that image makes you laugh, wait until you hear comedian Chonda Pierce. Her heavenly humor is of a housewife nature, full of barbs about trips to Wal-Mart, her family's quirks and the pitfalls of being a middle child.
Ms. Pierce jokes that she was named Chonda because her mom drove a Chevy and her dad liked Hondas. She jokes about makeup, clipping coupons and her marriage. Taking off her eyeglasses, she says to her audience, "If I could just give these to my husband so he could see everything my way."
Ms. Pierce delivers punch lines to deliver souls. After making you laugh, she'll try to make you cry with teary-eyed testimonials and big-voiced thank-you-Jesus songs. She's emotional yet sincere. And she rises above the pick-your-nose pranks of Mark Lowry, that other big-named evangelical comedian. Ms. Pierce has sass and class, but her real gift is getting conservative Christians to loosen their thick religious armor, and laugh at themselves. Now that's divine. S.H.A.
Magazines
Yoga Journal
(April)
"Does Yoga Conflict With My Religion?" this issue asks in a cover story. Huston Smith, author of Why Religion Matters, states the obvious: liberal clergy find no conflict, and conservatives "would likely see anything from a different religious tradition as being heretical and to be avoided." Contributing editor Alan Reder argues that yoga is "rarely taught in America in such a way that would seduce students away from their religious faith." But even the liberal clergy he quotes caution against syncretism. Reconstructionist Rabbi Sheila Weinberg says, "I think you have to choose a community and history and identity that's going to be your home." Accompanying articles include the personal testimonies of people from various religions. R.P.
The Door
(March/April)
The magazine that bills itself "the world's pretty much only religious satire magazine" gets serious in a eulogy of sorts to the late Steve Allen. Three examples of Mr. Allen's work are reprinted to demonstrate that he was a man of faith. Included is an except from the Meeting of Minds television series, on which historical figures engaged in conversation. This one has Luther, Plato and Voltaire. From Mr. Allen's 101 Ways to Reason Better & Improve Your Mind, there are his comments on Rule 52: Rethink your religion. And there is also a part of his 1981 article in Guidepost magazine. The editors conclude, along with conservative columnist Cal Thomas, that Mr. Allen "believed a lot more in his Creator than he let on." R.P.
Science & Spirit
(March/April)
"Can God Save Health Care?" As research finds that body, mind and soul are connected in maintaining good health, the editors focus on ways to "channel elders' creativity and entrepreneurial sensibilities." The piece cites the MacArthur Foundation's Study of Successful Aging: "Life is not worth living if one cannot contribute to the well-being of others." Writer Christopher D. Ringwald, visiting scholar at the Sage Colleges in Albany, N.Y., reports on the use of congregation-based elder volunteers who offer care to the infirm. Benedictine Sister Helen Beuning, 83, says, "Anytime one does anything creative, whether it be painting, writing, singing, or even baking or gardening, the spirit is taken beyond oneself. It's a form of prayer." R.P.
Web site of the week
www.ccel.org/fathers2
Mark the names: Irenaeus. Athanasius. Augustine. Basil. Here's betting these fellows have staying power that outlasts today's Christian best sellers. Well, they've proved that already, of course, across the past umpteen centuries. This site is dedicated to the writings – 38 fat volumes' worth – of the early church fathers. Many are livelier and more readable than moderns and postmoderns might imagine. The sermons of John Chrysostom leap to mind. In some respects, the site is a work in progress. Some footnotes aren't lined up properly, for example. That sort of thing will be repaired, and a third revision of the files is promised. But the site, which has a modest search engine, is plenty perusable in the meantime. P.R.B.
Contributors are Susan Hogan/Albach, Paul R. Buckley and Robert Plocheck
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