Martin Luther King Jr. Day

We have a great calendar from Creation Ministries International that includes the public holidays of other countries as well as Australia. This is great for remembering South African holidays, and now I am also trying to use it as a prompt to research. In the future I want to teach Elnathan about the holidays other countries celebrate, as this can be a fun way to connect history to the present day and to our own lives.

I have checked out several children's books from our library which include sections on Martin Luther King Jr. These books also include other men and women who are considered to be heroes or campaigners, so I'm learning about lots of other people as well. Even children's history books raise many questions that would be worthy of discussion. They simplify history, and I hope that we will be able to discuss the complexities and the different presentations of the same events.

The history of the civil rights movement provides rich opportunities to discuss the way God uses sinful men and women to accomplish his purposes, the necessity of personal efforts to love people different from ourselves, and the tendency we have to ignore evil. The history of racism in the US has obvious connections to what happened in South Africa.  

Driving Miss Daisy would be a good film to watch at this time of year. It is a touching story of the friendship and respect that develops between an elderly, crotchety Southern lady and her black driver. Miss Daisy goes to an event where Martin Luther King Jr. speaks, and I vividly remember one of the lines from his speech. Evil triumphs because of "the fear and apathy of the people of light".

Right now, though, my little baby is calling out from his cot because he has finished his nap. Right now "ma, ma, ma" is one of the few words in his vocabulary, so it will be a while before I find out whether he is interested in discussions of racism and personal responsibility and US public holidays. In the mean time, I plan to add a book of Martin Luther King's speeches to my reading list.

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A Christmas Carol

Stacy McDonald has posted some thoughts on A Christmas Carol. It looks like this would be another good movie to watch at Christmas time. I'm looking forward to perusing resources like this in the years to come as we consider the books and movies we'd like to enjoy in our home.

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Little Lord Fauntleroy DVD

On Friday we loved watching Little Lord Fauntleroy, which we borrowed from our local library. This movie is based upon the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Cedric Errol (Little Lord Fauntleroy) is left the only heir to the title of Earl of Dorincourt after the death of his father and uncles. Cedric lives in the USA as his mother is American. His grandfather, the current Earl, hates Americans and Mrs Errol in particular.  Earl Dorincourt's son married Mrs Errol against his will and he has not forgiven this offense. The Earl sends his lawyer to America to ask that Cedric come to live with him, on the condition that Mrs Errol lives nearby but separately. As the story progresses Cedric conveys unconditional love and positive regard to the grumpy old man. As a result, the heart of the Earl is transformed.

The last scene of Little Lord Fauntleroy is a Christmas dinner, so it is particularly appropriate for this time of year. It is a good movie for children, as the main character is an exemplary child. As we were watching, Dave said "I want Natey to be like him"! The movie also presents many themes that would be worthy of discussion. These include the political structures of England and the United States, poverty relief, the responsibilities of the rich, the value of holding one's tongue and choosing not to speak ill of people, the importance of forgiveness, and the wonder of unconditional love.

One problem with the film is that it may give the impression that people can be transformed without Christ. Little Lord Fauntleroy seems too perfect to be true, and he is. Only one child, Jesus, has truly held the transforming power of unconditional love. Children, like adults, need to remember that they cannot transform the lives of others on their own. They can, however, point to the one who came into this world as a perfect child and whose birth we celebrate with joy. Human love provides a shadow of the unconditional love that led our Heavenly Father to give his precious son.

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