Dying in the Glass Closet

May 28, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Douglas-Liberace

Prior to gay liberation, gay people, unable to come out, had little choice but to build magnificent closets. Mad King Ludwig built fairy-tale castles across Bavaria that became the prototypes for Disney theme parks. Michelangelo created the Sistine Chapel, a riotous orgy of male nudity under which which dozens of gay popes have been crowned by thousands of gay cardinals. The garden-variety queen built his castles in the air, with florid camp references made in gay bars, movie theaters, and … [Read more...]

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Jason Collins, Tim Tebow, and the End of the White Evangelical Male

May 8, 2013 By 5 Comments
Tebow

Maybe you weren't aware of it, but white evangelical maleness ended last week, with the dismissal of Tim Tebow from the New York Jets and the coming out of Jason Collins. Daniel D’Addario of Salon suggests Tebow may be the last mainstream evangelical celebrity. D’Addario points to the overall waning of evangelical influence on the culture at large, even the possibility of an evangelical “recession” as labeled by Rev. John S. Dickerson. Remarkably, Dickerson estimates that the actual … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Sports, Television 5 Comments

Survive and Advance or Survive and Die

March 18, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Last night was a great night of television with two of the best series serving up two of their strongest "episodes." ESPN's sports documentary series, 30 For 30, turned its attention to North Carolina State's 1983 Cinderella-story performance in the NCAA men's basketball tournament under coach Jim Valvano in the film, Survive and Advance. AMC's The Walking Dead is winding down its third phenomenal season, and last night's episode was one of its most suspenseful and disturbing yet. Two completely … [Read more...]

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Christians Gone Wild!

March 6, 2013 By Leave a Comment
christoph_waltz_snl_-_h_2013

Three recent examples of conservative Christians in the news: of course, these are “newsmaker” Christians—people who have their own publicists and media machines. They may or may not be reflective of Christians or evangelicals as a whole, but they are reflective of what passes for religious commentary on culture in the public square. Christians Gone Wild I: The “Bible” Mark Burnett, producer of quality television like Survivor and Sarah Palin’s Alaska has produced The Bible, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Film, News, Television Leave a Comment

Are you Bro Life?

October 31, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Hughley Small

Sometimes it takes absurdity to point out an absurdity. Especially when that absurdity is unexamined prejudice. Mine came four years ago with the until-then absurd proposition of electing a black man president. I was an Obama supporter since the primaries and was buzzing along on the “Yes we did!” high for a couple of days after the election. My admiration for the man was limitless as it seemed we’d elected a person of superior intelligence, keen judgment, and emotional maturity to the … [Read more...]

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Even Vampires Debate Biblical Inerrancy

July 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I've been an unapologetic fan of True Blood from the start. Hell, I even flew transatlantic to deliver a paper on the series at an academic conference on vampires and the undead. I've mixed my share of True Blood drinks. For me, season 5 is shaping up to be one of the most interesting ones yet. Who knew even vampires debate Biblical inerrancy? … [Read more...]

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GCB = Great Camp Burlesque

March 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Richard here with my first post-dissertation post. GCB is the warped new soap/comedy on ABC, following Desperate Housewives on Sunday nights, and it's more about hurt and memory than religion and hypocrisy. … [Read more...]

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Mad Men: Dream Come True TV (Review)

December 29, 2011 By 1 Comment

Who knows when Mad Men will return. Reports say "early 2012." If you can't wait, you can always relive your favorite episodes on AMC or pop in a DVD. For fans who want to give a little extra thought to the series, you should check out Gary R. Edgerton's collection of essays, Mad Men: Dream Come True TV. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Print, Television 1 Comment

Dinosaurs, Time Travel, and the Sovereignty of God

November 29, 2011 By 1 Comment

Fox's Jurassic era drama, Terra Nova, isn't the best series on television, but it's certainly not the worst. I've been catching up on the first season on DVR and have been intrigued by the many issues it addresses in each episode. I was most surprised by the presence of an extra wearing a stole in episode 5, "Bylaw." This brief shot, pictured below, got me thinking about, of all things, Divine providence, the Rapture, the Apocalypse, eternity, and the Kingdom of God. All this from a "dinosaur … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Television 1 Comment

Krump Theology: Street Kingdom, Faith, and America’s Best Dance Crew

May 23, 2011 By 4 Comments

The Rev. Dr. Angela Yarber, pastor of Wake Forest Baptist Church, GTU PhD grad, artist, and dancer extraordinaire, offers a Pop Theology first with her article on krump and theology. More (with videos) after the jump. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Television 4 Comments