• Why do some Muslim groups hate the West?
• What can we do about it?
• How do we effectively discuss these things in our communities?

The guide also shows how to use the United 93 DVD as a basis for interfaith discussion and provides three sermon outlines related to the faith issues raised by the film.

All in all, this is a free, easy-to-use resource that intelligently engages perhaps the most pressing issue of our day.

Mother Teresa
DVD Color; not rated (115 minutes); 20th Century Fox, 2006, $19.98

One of the opening scenes of Mother Teresa contains an episode of Muslim-Hindu violence in post-World War II India. Mother Teresa takes in a wounded Hindu for medical care but in so doing risks the safety of the Catholic nuns and their students because the Muslims might think the Christians were taking the Hindu’s side in what would become a bloody civil war.

The scene is emblematic of the movie’s realistic portrayal of Christian faith lived out in the midst of the conflict, poverty, scandal, and illnesses of daily life — not just in Calcutta, India, but anywhere.

A key part of living the faith is a sense of call, and Mother Teresa tells the story of the young nun’s call well. It captures this not only through narration. In a silent sequence, Mother Teresa sits day and night at the side of a dying man lying on a train platform. A man beckons her saying, “I thirst” — words Christ also used when on the cross.

Though separated by gender, denomination, and geography, yet near contemporaries, I couldn’t help but think of Bonhoeffer as this movie unfolded. There was the same persistent, seemingly mulish persistence that refused to disengage from the call to be the gospel witness in the midst of the worst (and best) the world can be, no matter the cost.

Olivia Hussey’s face captures that determination from the beginning. And you can also see her call growing through the movement and expression of her eyes. She does an excellent job with what must have been a challenging role.

If you are thinking of a series for older youth and adults on important contemporary Christians, this DVD on Mother Teresa and any of the recent Dietrich Bonhoeffer releases (see the Sept./Oct. 2006 video reviews) would make a great start.

Understanding the Roman Catholic Church
Mosaic Summer 2006 edition ELCA Communications Services
www.elca.org/mosaic
800-638-3522 (ext. 6009) DVD: color, Adults, 36 minutes (bonus material includes a 27-minute PowerPoint presentation, Ecumenism in the ELCA, $19.95

This edition of Mosaic provides an inside look at Roman Catholicism by letting Catholics speak to us about their faith. The result is that Protestant Christians come away with important information and insights to help us better understand the largest Christian faith community (one billion individuals) in the world.

We hear average Roman Catholic “men and women on the street” tell us how they became Catholic and why they continue in the church. Granted, “the street” in which the interviews take place is St. Peter’s Square in Rome, but the responses differ little from what Lutherans would say if asked the question about their Lutheranism.

It is in the sections on Roman Catholic history, and its beliefs, that differences appear. But it is the similarities in faith and practice which may be eye-opening for Protestants — and Lutherans in particular.

In the end, as the video makes clear, all Christians benefit from remembering the shared history and beliefs that inform both Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. This video would make an excellent vehicle for a joint adult forum with a Catholic congregation in your community.

There is a handy PDF-format user guide for reproduction. The disc also contains a 27-minute PowerPoint presentation entitled, Ecumenism in the ELCA. This presentation may also be downloaded from the ELCA website: www.elca.org/ecumenical

Geoffrey L. Scott, Lutheran Partners’ video review editor, is pastor of Christ Lutheran Church, Menomonie, Wisconsin.