Speculative Faith’s new News section rolls along with timely bits and discussion-starters:

“Blimey, this stew is too bloated, I say.”

‘The Hobbit’ Part 1: Too Dark or Bloated?

Today The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey releases to Blu-ray and DVD. Now at last some critics will (in this viewer’s view) finally actually see the theatrical version of the film, and choose whether to reevaluate their perceptions of the film’s supposed overdone “darkness” and/or “bloatedness.”

Listening to Left Behind, part 2 — March 18

In the “pilot,” married pilot Rayford Steele flirts with Gone With the Wind-style-named flight attendant Hattie Durham, and deals with the Rapture on board his plane. Meanwhile, handsome prodigy journalist Cameron “Buck” Williams reviews recent world events, which in this episode is handled very well without the arguable info-dumping as the original Left Behind novel did. (This is a theme in this series: dramatic audio improves on the novels.)

‘Doctor Who’ Series 7.5 Promo Images — March 18

March 18: Two weeks from the seventh series’ second half’s premiere, more information is voorp-voorping in.

Following ‘The Celtic Way of Evangelism’ — March 17

We have Saint Patrick’s hundred-year-old quest to thank for so much of our Kingdom heritage, and so many of the fantastic God-honoring stories we enjoy. This comes from The Celtic Way of Evangelism author George Hunter, quoted by David Mathis at Desiring God.

What Would Make Jesus Wince? — March 15

Have you ever heard someone say, “Would you hear/read/watch that with Jesus beside you?”

Just yesterday [Jan. 14, 2013] something dawned on me: a Biblically based challenge to the objection that enjoying certain stories or things wouldn’t be right “if Jesus were sitting next to me” or “if Jesus were hearing/reading/seeing this with me.”

This slogan may actually assume a low view of Christ’s holiness.

Movie ‘Jack’: Brute Force Over Cleverness? — March 12

Oz The Great and Powerful is soaring high over Jack the Giant Slayer‘s giant kingdom at the March box office¹. And theology professor Dr. Russell Moore on March 5 provided an incidental, postmortem in retrospect on the latter live-action fairy tale.