We might think the battle for Christmas is over words. But the struggle is waged at a far deeper level of our lives.

Whether we love or hate the "Lord of the Rings" films, we have to admire them: they are a monumental cinematic achievement. Shot over 274 days for $281 million and lasting 558 minutes, these films have, at the time of writing and in the United States alone, grossed over $897 million.

Seven years ago in 'Acts A Writer: Reflections on the Church, Writing and His Own Life,' novelist Larry Woiwode interleaved his idiosyncratic meditations on Luke's narrative of the first Apostles with his own story of giving up an English professor's job in upstate New York.

When Hans Küng's Infallible? An Inquiry appeared in 1971, it drew ample praise and blame, including sharp criticisms by his theological colleague, Karl Rahner, S.J.. AMERICA carried discussions of the book's theological and philosophical aspects by