“The Black Church” includes an Episcopal presence
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry appears in “The Black Church: This is Our Story, This is our Song,” interviewed by Prof. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Photo/Henry Louis Gates, Jr. via Facebook By Episcopal Journal Episcopal Presiding Bishop Michael Curry is among the faith figures in “The Black Church: This is Our Story,…
Why I love Lent
“Ash Wednesday,” Carl Spitzweg, oil on canvas, 1860. Image/Staatsgalerie Stuttgart/Wikiart By Pamela A. Lewis Pamela Lewis It seems only a few days ago that I took down my Christmas wreath, put away the elf on the shelf (I know – it’s a bit creepy, but it’s still…
Why Christmas movies are so appealing this holiday season
James Stewart and Donna Reed star in the 1946 classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Photo/RKO Pictures/Archive Photos/Moviepix/Getty Images By S. Brent Rodriguez-Plate With the pandemic limiting travel over the holiday season, many Americans will be settling in front of the television to watch their favorite holiday movies, along with…
Why I still watch ‘Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown’
By Pamela A. Lewis Pamela Lewis Like many Americans of my generation, I have been a big fan of “Peanuts,” the cartoon created by the late Charles Schulz. As a kid, I impatiently awaited the delivery of the Sunday papers so I could turn immediately to the page where Charlie Brown,…
Modern-day ‘Old Master’: Painter depicts African-Americans as Bible characters
Called, 2019, Oil on canvas. Photos/Courtesy of Tyler Ballon By Pamela A. Lewis The term “Old Master” painters always brings the well-known heavy hitters to mind: Rembrandt, Giotto, da Vinci, Dürer, and Mantegna, who are on the long list of European men (and a few women) who, between the 13th and…
Bellini’s painting technique embodies Franciscan values
Bellini’s “Saint Francis in Ecstasy” is in the Frick Collection, New York. Image/Wikimedia Commons By Dennis Raverty Giovanni Bellini’s “Saint Francis in Ecstasy,” in the collection of the Frick Museum in New York, embodies both the Franciscan sense of poverty and its attitude towards nature, not only in the style and…
