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E A R N I N G Y O U R T R U S T, E V E RY D AY | F E B R U A RY 1 2 , 2 0 2 2
“WE WILL BE HERE UNTIL WE OVERTURN ROE V. WADE.” —MARCH FOR LIFE FOUNDER NELLIE GRAY, P. 40
LONG SHOTS
Sports betting apps grow,
society loses P.52
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F E AT U R E S
February 12, 2022 Volume 37 Number 3
40
LEGACY MARCHERS
Pro-lifers are still far from achieving the original goal of
the March for Life, but the increasingly youthful crowd gives
old-timers hope for the future of the movement
by Leah Savas
46 52
FAR FROM AN EMBATTLED HOME ILL-GOTTEN GAIN
Ethnic Karen refugees watch their violence-filled As backroom betting goes digital, states that
homeland in Myanmar from a distance make it legal may find the stakes are high
by Sharon Dierberger by Kim Henderson
TOM WILLIAMS/CQ-ROLL CALL, INC VIA GETTY IMAGES February 12, 2022 WORLD
v37 3 COVER+TOC.indd 1 1/26/22 9:40 AM
DEPARTMENTS
6 MAILBAG 8 NOTES FROM THE CEO 72 POSTSCRIPT
27
Tom Lewis
as Michael
Hosea in
Redeeming
Love
REDEEMING
Dispatches LOVE’S Culture Notebook
13 NEWS ANALYSIS BLURRY 27 MOVIES & TV 61 RELIGION
LINES
New focus on logging Riverdance: The
63 LAW
and controlled burns; Animated Adventure;
synagogue standoff Hotel Transylvania: 65 INTERNATIONAL
puts church security The story of Hosea Transformania;
back in the spotlight The Book of Boba 66 ART
can’t overcome its
Fett; All Creatures 68 EDUCATION
18 HUMAN RACE depictions of Great and Small
19 BY THE NUMBERS immorality
20 QUOTABLES by Collin Garbarino
32 BOOKS
Two poets who
Voices
listened before
21 CARTOONS 10 Joel Belz
they spoke
24 Janie B. Cheaney
22 QUICK TAKES 34 CHILDREN’S BOOKS 38 Kim Henderson
36 MUSIC
58 Q&A
Best Orchestral 70 Andrée Seu Peterson
ON THE COVER
Performance finalists
Illustration by Krieg Barrie offer wide diversity
2 WORLD February 12, 2022 NTHIBAH PICTURES/PINNACLE PEAK PICTURES/MISSION PICTURES INTERNATIONAL
v37 3 COVER+TOC.indd 2 1/26/22 9:41 AM
". . . who will be able to
teach others also. . . ."
The New Testament model of ministry was to entrust the
gospel to local believers ". . . who will be able to teach others
also." (II Timothy 2:2) In many cases, we haven't done that.
A study shows western missionaries do most of the front-line
ministry, and only spend 18% of their time equipping the local
church to teach and lead. This is tragic because we are losing
ground in world evangelization, and national missionaries are
23 times as effective as western-sent missionaries.
Is it possible that our current focus on sending westerners to
teach is actually limiting the global spread of the gospel?
The Return Mandate is a call to return to a Biblical model
of missions, and a recognition of the advantages national
missionaries have to reach their own people.
Learn more at Return Mandate.org, or
use your phone to scan the QR code
and receive our Giving Guide today.
v37 3 COVER+TOC.indd 3 1/25/22 2:29 PM
BIBLICALLY OBJECTIVE JOURNALISM THAT INFORMS, EDUCATES, AND INSPIRES
“ T H E E A R T H I S T H E L O R D ’ S A N D T H E F U L L N E S S T H E R E O F ; T H E WO R L D
A N D T H O S E W H O DW E L L T H E R E I N .” — P S A L M 2 4 : 1
WORLD MAGAZINE WORLD NEWS GROUP
INTERIM EDITOR Timothy Lamer CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Kevin Martin
MANAGING EDITOR John Carpenter CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER Nick Eicher
REPORTERS Esther Eaton, Leah Savas FOUNDER Joel Belz
SENIOR WRITERS Janie B. Cheaney, Andrée Seu DEVELOPMENT Debra Meissner, Andrew Belz,
Peterson, Lynn Vincent Max Belz, Sandy Barwick,
CORRESPONDENTS John Dawson, Maryrose Delahunty, Whitney Williams, Jacob Roberts,
Sharon Dierberger, Juliana Chan Ambria Collins
Erikson, Kim Henderson, Charles FINANCE Bill Gibson
Horton, Charissa Koh, Arsenio ADMINISTRATION Kerrie Edwards
Orteza, Jenny Lind Schmitt, Laura G. Do MARKETING Jonathan Woods
Singleton, Russell St. John, Joyce Wu churches AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT EDITOR Mickey McLean
SENIOR FILM AND TV REVIEWER Collin Garbarino seem ADVERTISING John Almaguer, Kyle Crimi,
REVIEWERS Sandy Barwick, Bob Brown, Jim Hill,
ready for Robin Bridges, Christine Hartman,
Elizabeth Kerns
Jeff Koch, Marty VanDriel
EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Kristin Chapman, Mary Ruth Murdoch,
the social MEMBER SERVICES Amanda Beddingfield
Elizabeth Russell problems
ART DIRECTOR David Freeland from
ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR Rachel Beatty increased WORLD FOR STUDENTS
ILLUSTRATOR Krieg Barrie
GRAPHIC DESIGNER Arla Eicher
gambling? EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Rich Bishop
GOD’S WORLD NEWS WEBSITE gwnews.com
DIGITAL PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Dan Perkins
MANAGING EDITOR Rebecca Cochrane
“Will Hall WORLD WATCH WEBSITE worldwatch.news
WORLD DIGITAL directs the PROGRAM DIRECTOR Brian Basham
Louisiana
WEBSITE wng.org Baptists Office
EXECUTIVE EDITOR Timothy Lamer WORLD JOURNALISM INSTITUTE
of Public
EDITOR Lynde Langdon
MANAGING EDITOR Daniel James Devine
Policy, and he WEBSITE wji.world
has DEAN Marvin Olasky
ASSISTANT EDITOR Rachel Lynn Aldrich
ASSOCIATE DEAN Edward Lee Pitts
REPORTERS Mary Jackson, Carolina Lumetta, a pulse on
Onize Ohikere church
CORRESPONDENTS Laura Edghill, Collin Garbarino, ministries that BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Steve West
serve as
WORLD OPINIONS EDITOR R. Albert Mohler Jr. John Weiss (chairman), William Newton (vice chairman),
WORLD OPINIONS MANAGING EDITOR Andrew T. Walker
society’s safety
Mariam Bell, John Burke, Kevin Cusack, Peter Lillback, Edna Lopez,
nets. I was Howard Miller, Russell B. Pulliam, David Strassner
struck by his
WORLD RADIO concern for Member of the Associated Press
WEBSITE wng.org/radio
them and the
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Paul Butler strain they’re
MANAGING EDITOR Leigh Jones under from
issues already
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the coming
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sports betting
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4 WORLD February 12, 2022
v37 3 MASTHEAD+MAILBAG.indd 4 1/25/22 9:21 PM
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MAILBAG
IT’S A WONDERFUL CAREER the perpetrators were unarmed and
I’m glad Marvin Olasky’s inbox and had no plan.
Twitter feed have been filled with Gary Brown / Edmond, Okla.
appreciation for what the Lord has
done through him for so many years. LESSONS LEARNED ABROAD
Thank you, Marvin, for your clear, crit- DEC. 25, P. 38: We have appreciated
ical thinking and for helping so many Angela Lu Fulton’s writing in the past
of us raise our game. and enjoyed reading her summary of
Ward Slager/ Chelsea, Ala. God’s provision and grace leading her
in every way. Thank you, Angela, for
When I read Marvin Olasky’s column, leaving us these uplifting points and
it elicited two responses: one, regret good exhortation to zoom out and see
that he is leaving, even as I acknowl- how God is calling His people in major
edge the providence of God in his deci- ways all over the globe.
sion; and two, regret that I hadn’t Dave & Barbara Masoner/
written before now to say how much I IT’S A Chattanooga, Tenn.
have appreciated him.
Susan Dickens/ Greenbrier, Ark.
WONDERFUL When I read Angela Lu Fulton’s state-
CAREER ment, “I imagine how as the globe
Over lots of years, God has used Marvin DEC. 25, P. 72: spins, Christians around the world
Olasky and WORLD to help me recover wake up for their turn to worship,” I
from a brainwashed, secular education.
It does appear that thought of God hearing His children
I pray for God’s continued blessing on Marvin Olasky’s career each Sunday crescendo and decre-
him and through him to others. And if has been wonderful— scendo for 24 hours as the earth spins
he is ever in Charlotte, I’d love to break and eclectic, you could and His people gather around this
bread with him. say, for sure. When I globe in corporate worship experiences
Sheridan Vickery / Charlotte, N.C.
received my magazine, I of infinite variety.
Nick Lazzareschi / Medford, Ore.
I have been a reader of WORLD Mag-
always read it backward
azine for decades but have never taken so that I could read EYES TO THE SKY
the time to write to any of the editors his column first. DEC. 25, P. 20: I so appreciated Janie B.
or senior staff until now. Marvin Inez Kollmar/ Cheaney’s honesty in her column, and
Olasky has impacted me and my Stanwood, Wash. I absolutely loved that last paragraph.
growth in Christ in so many ways. The thought that our dear Lord may
Thank you, Marvin, for guiding me, be waiting on “great-grandchildren yet
challenging me, pushing me, and unborn to complete His kingdom”
blessing me. brought a joyful tear to my eye.
Peter Jacobus/ Westminster, Md. Sarah Riddle / Oxford, Pa.
FACING DIVISION, PRAYING FOR UNITY Thank you for an outstanding, encour-
DEC. 25, P. 58: Thank you for challeng- aging, and Scriptural column regard-
ing your readers with Sophia Lee’s LETTERS AND COMMENTS
ing Jesus’ return. It was a blessing.
fascinating and thought-provoking Craig Sanders / Fresno, Calif.
EMAIL editor@wng.org
three-part series on divisions in Amer- MAIL WORLD Mailbag, PO Box 20002,
ican evangelicalism. It has renewed a Asheville, NC 28802-9998 THE GREAT RESIGNATION
WEBSITE wng.org
desire for Christ-centered unity in my FACEBOOK facebook.com/WNGdotorg DEC. 25, P. 15: Your “By the Numbers”
own life. TWITTER @WNGdotorg page left something out: the number
INSTAGRAM instagram.com/WNGdotorg
Jace Bower/Staunton, Va. of healthcare workers who quit because
PLEASE INCLUDE FULL NAME AND ADDRESS.
LETTERS MAY BE EDITED TO YIELD
of COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
Sophia Lee called the events of Jan. 6, BREVITY AND CLARITY. Patricia Brooks / Moscow, Pa.
2021, an “insurrection,” but name a
single insurrection in history where Read more letters at wng.org/mailbag
6 WORLD February 12, 2022
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v37 3 MASTHEAD+MAILBAG.indd 7 1/25/22 3:57 PM
NOTES FROM THE CEO
CHANGE AND CONSISTENCY
Over the years, WORLD’s board has made strategic changes
that have kept the mission on track
MORE THAN 40 YEARS AGO, our board of direc- version, which I hope is very familiar to you:
tors established the mission of WORLD, and it has “Biblically objective journalism that informs, edu-
through God’s provision preserved the mission cates, and inspires.” In spite of its brevity, we
ever since. In all those years, the mission has not believe that statement captures all of the elements
changed, but our mission statements have—as they of our original paragraph-long statement, while
have followed some of the changes in our methods. vastly expanding the possible methods by which
Our original mission statement, at nearly 80 we should fulfill the mission.
words, seems too lengthy to reproduce here. In the Those methods still include publishing this
mid-1990s, we managed to cut the number of words magazine, now biweekly, and our magazines for
in our original mission statement roughly in half, students. The method of an early-2000s website
while maintaining the essence of our purpose: became WORLD Digital, with daily email news-
“To report and analyze the news on a weekly letters and a reintroduced commentary section.
schedule in an interesting, accurate, and arresting We’ve added totally new methods—WORLD Radio
fashion, and to combine reporting with practical and its suite of podcasts, WORLD Watch, and some
commentary on current events and issues from a big new things we’ve got planned for our student-
perspective committed to the Bible as the inerrant age group.
Word of God.” Our original mission statement, comprehensive
No mission statement is perfect, but that one as it was, did not envision our World Journalism
captured fairly well both our mission and our Institute. But we started that program in 1999,
methods, including the weekly timing of our print fully within the scope of our mission, and it has
magazine. grown far beyond the vision of the method we
By the early 2000s, though, the method of a originally planned. We believe WJI’s methods will
magazine printed on a “weekly schedule” became see the same vast expansion in the next few years
insufficient to make good on our mission of deliv- as WORLD Magazine’s did 20 years ago.
ering news and commentary. At that time, we Mission statements change, and methods change,
changed the “weekly” in our mission statement but WORLD’s mission remains the same.
to “timely,” and we changed our methods to
include a website that allowed us to deliver content
daily instead of weekly.
The board has reframed our mission statement
twice since then, leaving us with our current Kevin Martin
8 WORLD February 12, 2022 EMAIL kevin@wng.org
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v37 3 KEVIN+JOEL.indd 9 1/25/22 3:13 PMM O ST O F TH E TI M E ,
WE’LL H E LP YO U I N TH E
VOICES | Joel Belz
D E VE LO PM E NT O F YO U R
C H RI STIAN M I N D BY
P O I NTI N G O UT E X AM PLE S
O F C H RI STIAN M I N D S
AT WO RK .
A bit of bias
We want to help develop and
grow Christian minds John H. Stuart of Winthrop, Maine, for example,
writes: “The honesty, creativity, humanity, and individ-
uality of your staff comes through and is much appre-
C
ERTAINLY YOU must have noticed that we’ve ciated in today’s world more than ever. I get the sense
been having some robust discussions recently that I am getting an honest take on the news, without
within the WORLD family, focused in part on the sensationalism that drives other media outlets. In
the general theme of journalistic bias. It’s easy, addition, analysis from a Christian worldview helps me
even among thoughtful considerations by think about the news in like manner, not being pushed
serious Christians, to forget our ultimate goals. to and fro by worldly ideologies and vaporous enthusi-
So let me be as transparent as I know how asms.”
and acknowledge some of our biases and prej- And retired missionaries Larry and Linda McAuley
udices. We’d like you, committed readers that you are, chime in: “Thank you for your vision and work in cre-
to be developing and growing what have sometimes ating a publication that helps so many to understand
been called Christian minds. God and His world. I devour each new issue and pray
Sometimes, WORLD News Group will seek to help over the people and situations you feature. We have also
you in that development and growth in a somewhat ordered the various children’s magazines for our grand-
abstract manner. You join us in what feels like a class- children.”
room setting, and our faculty will step you through that Sonja Ingram of northern Wisconsin says: “Thank
issue’s curriculum. Even when we’re abstract, though, you for answering your call to start WORLD magazine.
we try to be practical. I was forced to read it when I attended a small Christian
Most of the time, however, we’ll help you in the school, but never enjoyed it then. Now I read every issue
development and growth of your Christian mind by cover to cover. The reporting that is done with God’s
pointing out examples of Christian minds at work in redemptive plan in mind brings such joy and peace to
real-life situations. Because those real-life situations are my heart, I eagerly await every issue.”
timely, they come to us on a schedule typically shaped And this good summary from Mari Doerr, who calls
by the day’s news. That’s why WORLD—on its several herself a longtime reader in Lafayette, Ind.: “I appreci-
platforms (magazine, children’s magazines, podcasts, ate so many good things about the magazine—but espe-
and so forth)—is a news organization. cially the cogent writing and varied story lineup. It’s
Some abstract content, some real-life examples. been challenging to learn about the suffering of so many
We almost certainly won’t know from week to week fellow believers in other countries who don’t have the
where the emphasis will be. We do know the package freedom to worship God like I have. Thank you for your
will look like and sound like news. vision, and developing a strong team to publish the
And we know that a growing number of readers and magazine and now the podcasts that I enjoy listening
listeners like this very practical approach to what many to each day. And thank you for God’s World News for
people call a Christian mind, a Christian mindset, a children, that my family enjoyed while they were grow-
Christian perspective. We hear from more and more of ing up.”
you along the way. So whatever you and your family’s news needs might
be, keep this in mind: We don’t call ourselves “World
News Group” for nothing!
10 WORLD February 12, 2022 EMAIL jbelz@wng.org
v37 3 KEVIN+JOEL.indd 10 1/25/22 5:29 PMv37 3 KEVIN+JOEL.indd 11 1/25/22 3:14 PM
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v37 3 NEWS ANALYSIS.indd 12 1/25/22 3:04 PMD I S P AT C H E S
News Analysis Human Race By the Numbers Quotables Cartoons Quick Takes
A “PARADIGM SHIFT” ON FIRES
The U.S. changes focus to logging and controlled burns
by Daniel James Devine
T
HE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION ON JAN. 18 announced a new strategy to fight massive A firefighter
sprays
wildfires like those that have devastated communities in the U.S. West in recent years.
water on a
The Forest Service will launch a 10-year effort to prevent large fires through strategic controlled
thinning and prescribed burns—a philosophical shift for an agency that has for decades burn during
the Caldor
focused mostly on extinguishing wildfires once they begin. Fire in South
The $50 billion plan will address millions of acres of land that pose the biggest Lake Tahoe,
Calif.
wildfire risk to developed communities. A series of costly and highly destructive wildfire
seasons in California, Colorado, Oregon, and elsewhere have gutted forests and
DAVID PAUL MORRIS/BLOOMBERG VIA GETTY IMAGES February 12, 2022 WORLD 13
v37 3 NEWS ANALYSIS.indd 13 1/26/22 10:59 AMD I S P AT C H E S | News Analysis dropping retardant from airplanes or beat-
ing back the flames using ground teams.
The goal is to extinguish or contain the fire
before it reaches homes or businesses.
leveled neighborhoods. Agriculture Sec- But years of forest growth, warm tem-
retary Tom Vilsack made the announce- peratures, and chronic drought have
ment at an event in Phoenix with Forest MAN Y FO RE STRY made much of the American West a tin-
Service Chief Randy Moore. E XPE RT S HAVE derbox, with fires increasing in their
“You’re going to have forest fires. The intensity and destruction. According to
question is how catastrophic do those ARG U E D FO R Y E ARS the Forest Service, the number of struc-
fires have to be?” Vilsack said. “The time THAT FO RE ST tures destroyed by wildfires each year,
to act is now if we want to ultimately over on a five-year average, rose from 2,873 in
TH I N N I N G AN D
time change the trajectory of these fires.” 2014 to 12,255 in 2020.
The Forest Service acknowledged the C O NTRO LLE D Many forestry experts have argued for
new approach as a “paradigm shift.” Its B U RN S ARE N E E D E D. years that forest thinning and controlled
strategy, outlined in a document titled burns are needed to prevent the problem
“Confronting the Wildfire Crisis,” will from worsening. John Bailey, a professor
more than double the amount of con- of forest engineering, resources, and man-
trolled burns and logging, focusing on agement at Oregon State University, noted
“hotspot” regions where wilderness and that regular fires are a natural part of the
urban areas meet. Although these forest cycle. Prescribed burns reduce fine
regions—constituting about 80,000 surface fuels such as pine needles, grass,
square miles—make up only about 10 shrubs, and small branches that fuel the
percent of fire-prone areas in the United tribes, and private owners. The federal intensity of wildfires and aren’t easily
States, they represent some 80 percent infrastructure bill, passed in November, removed by other means.
of fire risk to communities, according to made available about $3 billion that will “On a hot, dry, windy day, that’s where
the Forest Service. enable the Forest Service to get started. the fire just roars—not up in the trees,”
The Agriculture Department says it Previously, from 2016 to 2020, the federal he said. “Fire itself, it’s just a great tool
will cost $20 billion over 10 years to man- government spent $1.9 billion per year for treating that part of the forest bed.”
age national forest property, and another on fire suppression. Opposition to prescribed burns and
$30 billion for remaining land held by Wildfire management in the United forest thinning often comes from locals
federal or state governments, Native States has long focused mostly on fire sup- concerned about smoke or how cutting
pression. Forestry officials seek to elimi- down trees could affect the landscape.
nate all sources of ignition, and when Environmental regulations and concerns
A controlled burn of the native tallgrass oak flames do break out, firefighters launch about liability also discourage private
savanna in Springdale Cemetery, Peoria, Ill. massive campaigns to extinguish them, landowners from conducting controlled
burns. And environmental groups criti-
cize logging’s effect on wildlife.
“The U.S. Forest Service simply cannot
log its way out of the climate crisis,” said
Adam Rissien of WildEarth Guardians in
a statement criticizing the Biden admin-
istration’s plan. The environmental group
called for a narrower approach on the
“home ignition zone,” the area 100-200
feet from a home.
But Vilsack said the new strategy
would be healthier for forests in the long
run while minimizing the destructive
impact of wildfires on communities.
“We know this works,” he said. “It’s
removing some of the timber, in a very
scientific and thoughtful way, so that at
the end of the day fires don’t continue to
hop from treetop to treetop but eventu-
ally come to ground, where we can put
them out.”
14 WORLD February 12, 2022 RON JOHNSON/JOURNAL STAR VIA AP
v37 3 NEWS ANALYSIS.indd 14 1/26/22 11:01 AMD I S P AT C H E S | News Analysis
THE MINISTRY OF THE SHEEPDOG
Texas synagogue standoff puts church security back in the spotlight
by Addie Michaelian in Austin, Texas
STEPHEN WILLEFORD sees church secu- received from the FBI, the Colleyville “When I took him in, I stayed with him.
rity as a ministry—the ministry of the Police Department, and the Anti-Defama- Making tea was an opportunity to talk with
sheepdog. He confronted and pursued tion League all helped him remain calm him,” the rabbi told CBS Mornings. “It was
the shooter who killed 26 worshippers at and thoughtful as 44-year-old Malik Faisal during prayer … I heard a click. It could
a Baptist church in Sutherland Springs, Akram held him and three others hostage. have been anything, and it turned out it
Texas, in 2017. “Jesus will leave the 99 to Cytron-Walker let Akram into the was his gun.” During the standoff, Akram,
find the one sheep, and while He is gone, synagogue when he knocked on the glass a British national, demanded the release
He expects His sheepdogs to protect the door that morning and appeared to need of a suspected al-Qaeda supporter who is
flock,” he said. Willeford travels and shelter. This simple act of hospitality in prison in the United States. Akram was
speaks about church security and gun resulted in a 10-hour standoff. Akram killed when a SWAT team entered the
rights. “If you don’t think it can happen, released one hostage, and Cytron-Walker synagogue after the hostages escaped.
you’re fooling yourself,” he said. escaped with the two others when he The hostage situation in Colleyville
Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, threw a chair at Akram. has reprompted houses of worship to
Texas, had taken steps to prepare for vio- consider the balance between welcoming
lence before a hostage situation broke out all people and protecting their congre-
Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker (facing camera) hugs
on Jan. 15 during Saturday worship. Rabbi a man after a healing service at White’s Chapel gations. Cory Knopp, a federal park
Charlie Cytron-Walker said training he United Methodist Church in Southlake, Texas. ranger and Austin Police Department
YFFY YOSSIFOR/STAR-TELEGRAM VIA AP February 12, 2022 WORLD 15
v37 3 NEWS ANALYSIS.indd 15 1/26/22 11:05 AMD I S P AT C H E S | News Analysis
member, helped design the security plan
for a large evangelical church in Austin,
Texas. (WORLD agreed not to name the
congregation to protect its security.)
Knopp has taught many Civilian Response
to Active Shooter Events classes, put on
by Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid
Response Training (ALERRT) and Texas
State University.
“The important thing at the end of
the day is training. We need to stop being
reactive or surprised when these things
happen,” he said. Knopp believes that a
uniformed officer effectively deters many
troublemakers, though having covert off-
duty law enforcement or security inside
is also important.
Twin Lakes Fellowship takes a differ-
ent approach. After the 2019 shooting at
the West Freeway Church of Christ in
White Settlement, Texas, the church Church members train for the worst at
Fellowship of the Parks in Haslet, Texas.
mapped out security policies that fit the
smaller congregation in Austin, Texas.
“I wouldn’t have considered getting a Rudi Rudisell heads the security min-
license to carry, but church shootings kept istry at Riverview Church in Bonsall,
happening in Texas,” says Luke Hoeft, a Calif. He and his wife started Sheepdog
member of the security team who also Ministries (the sheepdog is a common
serves as the worship and youth leader. symbol in church security circles) and
A few armed deacons and volunteers designed a training curriculum with their
hand out bulletins and watch for anything son. All three have law enforcement and
out of the ordinary, lock the doors during military experience.
service, and guard the children’s building. “We don’t want to turn people off by
A member who retired from the Navy felt being overly aggressive,” Rudisell said.
led to take charge. Almost the whole secu-
“ IT’S AB O UT His website describes it as “protecting
rity team is retired military. B E I N G PRE PARE D the flock while inviting the wolves.” Their
“Doing something is better than doing strategy also emphasizes “layered secu-
WITH TH E
nothing. It’s about being prepared with the rity” by collaborating with many differ-
volunteers that you do have,” Hoeft says. VO LU NTE E RS ent ministries like the ushers and Sunday
Gatekeepers Security Services oper- THAT YO U school teachers. Rudisell emphasizes that
ates a state-licensed armed security school hospitality and security do not have to
in Texas and has trained and licensed D O HAVE .” be at odds with one another.
almost 500 church security operators. So does Congregation Tiferet Israel,
“A chair is not the ideal weapon … one of three synagogues located on the
something could have gone terribly Jewish Community Center (JCC) campus
wrong,” Gatekeepers President Chuck in Austin, Texas. President Joshua Rosen-
Chadwick said about Cytron-Walker’s berg says security can be difficult for inde-
escape from his hostage-taker. pendent synagogues. At Tiferet Israel
Gatekeepers train security operators attendees must go through JCC security
who wear plain clothes and carry hand- before entering. Strangers stick out from
guns. Chadwick prefers this strategy to the small congregation. He said the attack
churches hiring uniformed officers in Colleyville reinforced the congrega-
because a uniform can make them targets tion’s need for vigilance: “It’s a deliberate
for attackers. process rather than an accidental one.”
16 WORLD February 12, 2022 TONY GUTIERREZ/AP
v37 3 NEWS ANALYSIS.indd 16 1/26/22 11:05 AMv37 3 NEWS ANALYSIS.indd 17 1/25/22 3:57 PM
D I S P AT C H E S | Human Race S TA M P E D E
Hundreds of church members had gath-
ered for an all-night crusade at a football
Taliban field in Liberia’s capital city of Monrovia
fighters
talk to a on Jan. 19 when an attack on the crowd
detainee triggered a deadly stampede. People
before
trampled over each other to flee the area,
transfer-
ring him many leaving their shoes and other
to a belongings behind. Among the 29 dead
court in
Kabul. were 11 children and a pregnant woman,
and others were critically injured. Libe-
ria’s President George Weah declared
three days of national mourning. A gang
of thugs wielding knives and cutlasses
assaulted some of the worshippers as they
gathered to listen to a popular preacher,
Pastor Abraham Kromah.
TRANSGENDER
College athletes previously only had to
be taking hormone therapy to compete
with students of the opposite sex. But the
NCAA announced last month that trans-
gender participation will be decided on
a sport-by-sport basis by each sport’s
national governing body. This brings the
NCAA in line with the International Olym-
pic Committee policy. University of Penn-
sylvania transgender swimmer Lia
Thomas was on the men’s team for three
MARTYRDOM years but competed on the women’s team
Most dangerous place
this season. Thomas, a man, broke several
records, igniting controversy and calling
attention to the NCAA’s policies.
Afghanistan now named most dangerous COUP
country for Christians by Open Doors Burkina Faso’s army announced Jan. 24
that it had deposed President Roch Marc
Christian Kaboré, dissolved the govern-
N
ORTH KOREA HAS HEADLINED the annual World Watch ment and the national assembly, and
List compiled by Open Doors, a Christian watchdog orga- suspended the constitution, seizing con-
nization, for almost two decades. But Afghanistan dethroned trol of the country after two days of
it in 2021 as the most dangerous country for Christians. unrest at army camps in the capital.
Open Doors found that the number of Christians being Roughly 100 soldiers said they have been
killed for their faith increased by 24 percent worldwide planning a coup since August, citing the
last year, from 4,761 to 5,898. Open Doors gave both coun- government’s inability to combat jihad-
tries the highest scores of 16.7 in every persecution category ist attacks and support the military.
except violence. The group said Christians’ risk of discov- Troops took control of a major military
ery in Afghanistan has increased since the Islamist Taliban barracks in the capital city of Ouaga-
now controls every aspect of government. While the mar- dougou Jan. 23. Insurgents said they
tyrdom rate remains low, Open Doors reported families detained President Kaboré, but the rul-
and communities often kill Christians before the Taliban ing party accused the soldiers of
finds out about them. If they are not killed, converting to attempting an assassination. Capt. Sid-
Christianity is viewed as a sign of insanity, so some Chris- sore Kaber Ouedraogo declared military
tians are put in psychiatric hospitals. rule on state television and said leaders
would create a calendar to hold new
elections.
18 WORLD February 12, 2022 FELIPE DANA/AP
v37 3 HUMAN RACE+BTN.indd 18 1/26/22 12:06 PMEV PRODUCTION
D I S P AT C H E S | By the Numbers
$5B
The investment announced
by American startup Rivian
CHARGES UP
for an assembly plant
near Atlanta to make the
company’s electric SUV.
30
The number of electric
vehicle models General
Motors has promised to
debut by 2025 even after
the company paused sales
of its electric Bolt after
battery fires.
150,000
The number of electric
F-150 pickup trucks Ford
has promised to produce
this year, reflecting strong
demand for the nearly
$40,000 truck.
13
The number of years until a
936,172
New York measure signed THE NUMBER OF VEHICLES sold by electric car maker Tesla
into law in 2021 takes in 2021. While other auto manufacturers sputtered in search
effect banning the sale of of computer chips, Tesla managed to increase its 2021 pro-
cars, off-road vehicles, duction by 87 percent over the previous year. Tesla’s success,
and light-duty trucks with changing consumer demand, and governments’ emission
internal combustion standards are pushing carmakers to invest heavily in hybrid
engines in the state. and electric cars. The changing landscape of the auto market
Heavy- and medium-duty poses risks for legacy automakers as well as opportunities
trucks will have to be for upstarts.
“zero-emissions” by 2045.
ILLUSTRATION BY KRIEG BARRIE February 12, 2022 WORLD 19
v37 3 HUMAN RACE+BTN.indd 19 1/24/22 10:35 AMD I S P AT C H E S | Quotables
“I’m a God-fearing man. I try not to worry.
Fear is contaminated faith.”
Actor DENZEL WASHINGTON, star of The Tragedy of Macbeth,
on the supposed curse on productions of Macbeth.
“You can’t live in fear the whole time.
Ukrainians’ skin just gets thicker, and
you don’t pay attention.”
VITALIY KYRYCHENKO, owner of the Pink Freud bar in Kiev, on the Russian
divisions massed on the Ukrainian border near his home.
“Find an elderly or disabled neighbor and
shovel their driveway. Don’t accept any money—
that’s our Monday workout.”
Bethel Park (Pa.) High School head football coach BRIAN DELALLO in a tweet to his
players when he canceled the team’s weightlifting workout due to a blizzard.
“I have long wanted to ask some emotionally intelligent
as well as intellectual people who know about
ABBA about why they think our songs have lasted
for such a long time—almost 40 years—because
I don’t understand it myself.”
ABBA’s BJÖRN ULVAEUS , who launched a show on Apple Music
to answer that question.
“If I had tried to continue as a stand-up,
there’s no way I could maintain a TV career because
political correctness has killed comedy.”
Comedian and gameshow host STEVE HARVEY, on why he
will only do another comedy special at the end of his career.
20 WORLD February 12, 2022
v37 3 QUOTABLES+CARTOONS.indd 20 1/26/22 10:54 AMD I S P AT C H E S | Cartoons
February 12, 2022 WORLD 21
v37 3 QUOTABLES+CARTOONS.indd 21 1/25/22 2:58 PMD I S P AT C H E S | Quick Takes
PASSING THE TIME
She’s 83, and by her own admission
she’s bored. Dallas octogenarian Bar-
bara Ingram decided to fill her empty
calendar by enrolling at Harvard Uni-
versity. “I didn’t have anything to do,”
she explained to KDFW-TV. Ingram
applied in the first months of the coro-
navirus pandemic and completed her
first course, economics, in 2020. “At
the end, it had math in it, which was
hard for me to get back into algebra
again,” she said. Ingram, who gradu-
ated from the University of Miami
decades ago, says she’s not pursuing
a degree. To cheer her on for her
spring 2022 class on medical neuro-
science, her friends and neighbors
erected a billboard in December fea-
turing Ingram in her Harvard sweat-
shirt.
MAN ON THE STREET
Investigators in Italy searching for a
mob boss got an unusual assist from
Fallen arches
Google Maps. Police in Italy spotted
a wanted Italian mobster on a Google
Street View image of a street in Gala-
pagar, Spain, leading to the man’s
McDonald’s drive-thru blocked arrest on Dec. 17. Gioacchino Gam-
from historic site in Rome mino escaped from an Italian prison
in 2002 and remained at large until
by John Dawson police in Italy received a tip that
someone looking like Gammino
appeared in an image on Street View,
An administrative court in Italy has barred fast food giant Google’s project to photograph driv-
McDonald’s from darkening the doorstep of one of Rome’s ing routes across the world. The tip
well-known archaeological ruins. McDonald’s had sought led to an investigation that ultimately
led to Gammino’s recapture, which
to open a location next to the Baths of Caracalla, a pub-
was finally reported in January.
lic bathing complex constructed in the third century. The
franchise began construction on the restaurant in 2019
before it was clear whether the government could reject o
in
the Golden Arches in the historic heart of Rome. An c ch o
oa in
objection by Rome’s mayor halted the project and sent Gi mm
Ga
the battle into the courts. On Dec. 28, the court upheld
a previous ruling that authorities could block construc-
tion near heritage sites if the project dampens the sur-
rounding landscape. In a statement, McDonald’s renewed
its vow to open 200 new restaurants in Italy by 2025.
22 WORLD February 12, 2022 BATHS OF CARACALLA: ALAMY; GAMMINO: HANDOUT
Caption
v37 3 QUICK TAKES.indd 22 1/25/22 4:34 PMNOT IN THE FORECAST COURTING TROUBLE
Some residents of Hamilton, Ontario, A state lawmaker in Tennessee
awoke Dec. 29 to find it had rained has apologized after causing a
soybeans overnight. “It struck me as spectacle at a high-school basket-
unusual, of course,” homeowner Adri- ball game. During a Jan. 4 game
enne Van Halem told the CBC. “It’s between Lakeway Christian Acad-
just gross and messy and surprising emy and Providence Academy in
to have beans raining down.” Local Johnson City, Tenn., Republican
food processor Bunge took responsi- state Rep. Jeremy Faison (Cosby)
bility, saying something went wrong exited the stands and entered the
at its nearby oilseed processing plant. court to argue the call with a ref-
According to the company, a large quantity of soybean hulls accidentally eree. After being booted from the
“discharged” and ended up covering the neighborhood. The company sent game, Faison attempted—unsuc-
apology notes and a coupon for a car wash to affected locals. cessfully—to pull down the refer-
ee’s pants. On his Twitter account
later that night, Faison posted a
heartfelt apology, asking for for-
giveness and saying his passions
had gotten the better of him. “I
acted the fool tonight,” he said.
“I was bad wrong.”
IT’S J U ST G RO S S
AN D M E S SY AN D
S U RPRI S I N G TO
HAVE B E AN S
R AI N I N G D OWN .
LEANING TOWER OF ’FRISCO
Engineers in San Francisco are
rushing to fix a sinking residential
tower at the heart of the city. At a
city hearing on Jan. 6, structural WORN, WASHED, AND READY
engineer Ronald Hamburger A supply shortage has forced the Norwegian military to mandate that con-
revealed the Millennium Tower, a scripts return their underwear and other unmentionables after their term of
58-story residential building that service ends. According to the
opened in 2009, was now leaning Norwegian Defense Logistics
more than two feet after sinking Organization, garment shortages
unevenly into the San Francisco meant the nation’s military had
soil. Developers notified the pub- run short of underwear, bras,
lic of the building’s issue in 2016. and socks to hand out to the
Despite the building’s tilt, a pent- roughly 8,000 conscripts who
house apartment sold for $13 mil- are enrolled in service every year.
lion in 2016. After a provisional A spokesman for the organiza-
plan to correct the tilt failed last tion said the recycled under-
year, builders announced a plan wear, bras, and socks would be
in January to install 18 steel piles thoroughly cleaned and mended
to arrest the sink and tilt of the prior to being redeployed to new
building. troops.
MILLENNIUM TOWER: JUSTIN SULLIVAN/GETTY IMAGES; ILLUSTRATION BY RACHEL BEATTY; February 12, 2022 WORLD 23
SOYBEANS: BUNGE/FACEBOOK; FAISON: HANDOUT
v37 3 QUICK TAKES.indd 23 1/25/22 4:34 PMM O N O P O LI STI C TE N D E N C I E S,
C U LTU R AL B U LLYI N G, AN D
VOICES | Janie B. Cheaney
C UT TH ROAT B U S I N E S S ARE
N OT PEC U LIAR TO AMA ZO N ,
J U ST M O RE PE RVAS IVE .
The most successful pioneers of last generation’s
“information superhighway” are now behaving like
19th-century robber barons. In fact, the comparison is
Alas, Amazon insulting to robber barons because the temptations and
rewards of internet dominance are so much greater.
Technology that promises freedom and innovation can
How do we weigh convenience just as easily bolster tyranny and strangle competition,
against principle? and Amazon is a prime (no pun intended) perpetrator.
Offering more goods at lower prices is the American
way, but Amazon throttles its vendors by withholding
D
O YOU REMEMBER all the old friends who sales data and forbidding them to sell their goods
turned up after you joined Facebook? Remem- cheaper elsewhere, even on their own websites. Con-
ber advising your colleagues to drop Alta Vista trolling 50-70 percent of the world’s online commerce
and set Google as their home page? Remem- offers unprecedented power to exploit. An antitrust suit
ber when Twitter was fun and YouTube was brought by the D.C. district attorney could start an
exciting? Remember when you finally joined avalanche of litigation, even at the federal level, but
Amazon Prime and entered the ultimate shop- court cases are notoriously slow and compromised.
per’s paradise? In the meantime, like most tech giants, Amazon grows
Since then, the bloom has faded from the Silicon Val- insufferably woke. Its production company flaunts an
ley rose. Zuckerberg, Dorsey, Tim Cook, and Brin & Page “Inclusion Playbook” pledging to cast actors according
no longer feature in glowing magazine profiles. Likewise, to the identity of the roles they play and fill 50 percent of
Jeff Bezos is nobody’s dream date, owing to some bad all creative positions by women or people of color. More
press about conditions for Amazon warehouse workers ominously, Amazon Books blocks advertising for certain
and drivers. But his creation goes from strength to strength, high-profile, incorrect titles, and sometimes even bans
and credit for that belongs to no one more than Bezos. them altogether. The official reason for removing Ryan
He was one of the first to understand the possibilities Anderson’s When Harry Became Sally last year (refusing
of internet marketing—that customer data mattered “books that frame LGBTQ+ identity as a mental illness”)
much more than customer dollars. By generating profiles made no sense, especially when similar books remain. It’s
from customers’ book preferences, Amazon was even- almost as if Leviathan is putting undesirables on notice:
tually able to sell them everything else. In earlier days This could happen to you, anytime, for any reason.
I would open the site to see a personal message: “Hey Such concern for the oppressed doesn’t reach overseas.
Janie! We have recommendations for you!” It was irri- An extensive report from Reuters details the ways Amazon
tating at first, later commonplace. has cooperated with the Chinese Communist Party for a
Now half my friends are Prime members, and it’s easy wider slice of a huge market. “Cooperation” means spread-
to see why. Imagine the choice for a mom with four kids ing propaganda and promoting Chinese culture through
under 6 years old: Do I shepherd two restless preschool- the China Books platform, striking negative reviews, and
ers, one clueless toddler, and one infant through a shop- following the party lead for sales and web services.
ping expedition fraught with car-seat struggles and Monopolistic tendencies, cultural bullying, and cut-
necessary items I can’t find? Or do I order everything on throat business are not peculiar to Amazon, just more
Amazon and receive it two days later with free shipping? pervasive. I dislike boycotts; they don’t work and they
Amazon was never the only online shopping option, thrust politics deeper into everyday life. And yet I’m won-
but it’s the easiest and most comprehensive. I’m won- dering if it’s time to weigh convenience against principle.
dering, though: Is it time to sacrifice convenience and Thriftbooks is my go-to for printed matter, but as a source
slowly back away? for obscure and esoteric items, delivered right to the front
door, Amazon seems indispensable. Is it? Where’s the line
or the Biblical mandate? What’s our responsibility?
24 WORLD February 12, 2022 EMAIL jcheaney@wng.org TWITTER @jbcheaney
v37 3 CHEANEY.indd 24 1/24/22 10:37 AMits’ a new day in
GLOBAL MISSIONS We all want to do the most
good with the funds God’s
entrusted to us.
The world is shifting on its
axis, and global missions is
shifting with it. For hundreds
of years missionaries went
g
from one country to another,
often at great cost to their
lives and families. Because
of them, there are now
disciples and churches in
every country on earth.
f
Today, your global missions
dollars can often go farther
by supporting local leaders
as they reach the unreached
and plant churches. Why?
Cost for a plane ticket? $0
Cost for language training? $0
Cost for culture training? $0
To learn more,
scan these QR
codes or visit us
online: ttionline.org multiplicationnetwork.org
v37 3 CHEANEY.indd 25 1/25/22 3:23 PMWORLD
Subscribers
get 20% off!
NOT
YOUR
MOTHER’S
NEWS.
Help teens help themselves.
Develop news literacy, critical thinking, and Biblical discernment with ten-minute episodes every
weekday, year-round. Go to worldwatch.news to view a sample episode and choose how you stream.
WW-FP
v37 3 MOVIES
Nov21.indd
& TV.indd
1 26 10/29/21
1/25/22 6:00
4:48 PMC U LT U R E
Movies & TV Books Children’s Books Music
REDEEMING LOVE’S BLURRY LINES
The story of Hosea can’t overcome its depictions of immorality
by Collin Garbarino
R
EDEEMING LOVE , currently in theaters, is a faithful adaptation of the 1991 romance novel
of the same name by Francine Rivers in which she retells the Biblical story of Hosea,
setting it during the California Gold Rush. Devoted fans of the book will probably enjoy
this faith-based film, but everyone else can safely give it a pass.
Angel, played by Abigail Cowen, is the prettiest prostitute in a small mining town
called Pair-A-Dice. She’s so popular the brothel holds a lottery each day to see who will
get the chance to hire her. Tom Lewis, in his first feature film, plays Michael Hosea, a
farmer who relies on his Christian principles. And just like Hosea in the Bible, Michael
NTHIBAH PICTURES/PINNACLE PEAK PICTURES/MISSION PICTURES INTERNATIONAL February 12, 2022 WORLD 27
v37 3 MOVIES & TV.indd 27 1/26/22 9:05 AMC U LT U R E | Movies & TV Moreover, the film’s script contains
some structural problems. The character
Michael hurts the story because he’s just
too good to be true. His unwavering righ-
decides God wants him to marry the prostitute. Michael pays double to buy Angel’s teousness sucks the narrative tension
time, but he just wants to talk. She initially rebuffs his proposal, but in the end she from the movie because we don’t ever
agrees to marry him and move to his farm 20 miles away. Angel struggles to believe wonder how he will react. Michael is a
she’s worthy of love and abandons Michael more than once. stand-in for the Bible’s Hosea who is ulti-
Redeeming Love left me conflicted. On the one hand, the film feels like a step mately a picture of Jesus, so perhaps
forward for faith-based entertainment reaching a mainstream audience. On the other making Michael less than perfect wasn’t
hand, Redeeming Love still has some problems. an option, but this approach turns the
The film boasts production values higher than those typically seen in faith-based story into an allegory, and allegories
movies. The sets, costuming, and cinematography were all quite good. Director D.J. aren’t easy to make.
Caruso does solid work, but the movie
probably needed to be 20 minutes
shorter. The dialogue was only occasion-
ally heavy-handed, and I found myself
pleasantly surprised at the acting, despite
Lewis’ delivery suggesting a Matthew
McConaughey impersonation.
Though Redeeming Love is relatively
well made, not every Christian should
see it. I certainly can’t recommend taking
children or teenagers. The movie seeks
to boost its credibility with an authentic
grittiness, and all forms of human deprav-
ity are on display, some of them quite
graphic.
One expects depictions of adultery and
fornication in a movie about prostitution,
but we also see lying, theft, greed, murder,
suicide, incest, abortion, pedophilia,
abuse, enslavement, arson, and vigilan-
tism. Though the language is relatively
mild, some viewers won’t enjoy the vio- As an allegory, Redeeming Love fails
lence and disturbing subject m atter. to depict the redemption found in the
Redeeming Love also tests the limits book of Hosea and the New Testament.
of its PG-13 rating with prolonged scenes Hosea’s wife is a prostitute who symbol-
of partial nudity and sensuality. At Angel izes the unfaithful people of Israel, and
and Michael’s first meeting, Angel walks in the New Testament unfaithful Israel
TH E B LU RRE D LI N E S
around the room naked trying to tempt symbolizes sinners redeemed by Christ.
him. We see her from behind. We see her B E T WE E N S I N AN D But the movie depicts Angel as a vic-
partially reflected in a mirror. We see long RE D E M P TI O N tim rather than a sinner. Christ makes
shots of Angel with her hair artfully whole that which is broken, but if that’s
arranged to conceal the parts of her body LE AVE TH E M OVI E the intended imagery, it makes it all the
that would get the film an R rating. WITH A C O N FU S E D more infuriating when Michael refuses
Caruso attempts verisimilitude, but the to pursue his wife at the movie’s end,
scene distracts the viewer because no S U BTE X T. claiming she must exercise her free will.
one’s hair stays in place like that unless The blurred lines between sin and dam-
it’s been glued down. The film also con- age and redemption and saving oneself
tains two long sex scenes. Again, clever leave the movie with a confused subtext
camera work and Michael’s hands obscure that fails to redeem the relentless depic-
full nudity. tions of immorality.
B ESTSELLER The novel Redeeming Love has sold more than 3 million copies worldwide.
28 WORLD February 12, 2022 NTHIBAH PICTURES/PINNACLE PEAK PICTURES/MISSION PICTURES INTERNATIONAL
v37 3 MOVIES & TV.indd 28 1/26/22 9:07 AMDelightful DRAC OOH LA LA!
intro to Irish Sony scares up another animated winner
culture by Bob Brown
by Marty VanDriel
THE LOSS OF ADAM SANDLER as the voice of Dracula might have driven
a stake through the heart of the Hotel Transylvania movie franchise.
Riverdance: The Animated Adventure But don’t nail that coffin shut just yet. Hotel Transylvania: Transfor-
(Netflix, rated TV-G) is a welcome way mania, streaming on Amazon Prime, brings more clever and mostly
to dip one’s toes into Ireland and Irish clean fun, with impressionist and YouTube star Brian Hull in his first
culture with a film aimed at younger major gig delivering a Sandler-worthy performance as Dracula.
viewers that parents may enjoy also. Groovy sight gags, a timely message, and little objectionable mate-
Tousle-headed young Keegan has rial make Transformania entertaining viewing suitable for all but the
just lost his kindly grandpa, a lively youngest ages. The PG-rated film has some mildly spooky images, three
lighthouse keeper who loved to dance shots of bare male backsides, but zero bad language.
and tell tales. One of grandpa’s myths As in prior Hotel Transylvania films,
warned that the lighthouse’s beacon family conflict drives the plot of Trans-
must be kept lit to keep away the formania. Dracula plans to hand over
Huntsman—a powerful nautical figure management of the hotel to his vampire
who wished to destroy the rivers that daughter, Mavis (Selena Gomez), and STAR WARS MOVIES
provided life to their town. her human husband, Johnny (Andy Sam- RANKED BY BOX
Keegan and his Spanish friend Moya berg), but has second thoughts. Johnny
are swept away to a parallel world figures he’ll gain his fangy father-in-
OFFICE (IN BILLIONS)
inhabited by bipedal Irish elk, whose law’s trust by becoming a monster. A 7 A New Hope (Ep. IV)
enormous horns make their Irish jigs a device that transforms Johnny into a $.773
beautiful sight. The two friends must dragon also turns Dracula human—and
6 Revenge of the Sith
help the elk to stave off the Huntsman, a then breaks. Repair requires a crystal (Ep. III) $.849
figure just scary enough to add conflict from South America.
5 The Phantom Menace
to the film, without being too frighten- While Johnny and Dracula trek
(Ep. I) $1.02
ing for children. through the rainforest, each gets amus-
4 Rogue One: A Star
Viewers might wish for more beauti- ing opportunities to walk in the other’s
Wars Story $1.05
ful animation of the village instead of shoes. Johnny enjoys monster powers,
the alternate world, but you will enjoy such as flight and mosquito repellency. 3 The Rise of Skywalker
(Ep. IX) $1.07
the Irish dancing throughout the films. Dracula suffers allergies and body odor
The writers have avoided the common and other indignities of being human, 2 The Last Jedi (Ep. VIII)
downfall of many animated movies that but learns “if you only see the worst in $1.33
steer too closely to portraying demonic things, you miss the best parts.” That’s 1 The Force Awakens
powers and forces sympathetically and a thought worth sinking your teeth into. (Ep. VII) $2.06
attractively. Regrettably, there is one
point where blasphemy is used.
RIVERDANCE: RIBBET PRODUCTIONS LTD/NETFLIX; HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA: CTMG, INC./SONY PICTURES ANIMATION February 12, 2022 WORLD 29
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