Christ and Pop Culture
Every week, our writers share some of their favorite finds from around the internet. Check back every week for great articles, insane news items, and interesting diversions.
Jason:
First there was Netflix. Then came Blockbuster, Hulu, Amazon, and iTunes. And now, you can now stream movies on Facebook — or rather, a movie (The Dark Knight). Which only makes sense, given Facebook’s huge built-in audience. But time will tell if Facebook presents a significant threat the giants in the market, i.e., Netflix.
Everything — and I mean everything — that I read concerning the plan to make prequels and sequels to Blade Runner just leaves me confused and heartbroken. (An alternate universe? Really?!)
If you’ve ever watched anime and have been confused as to why everyone’s eyes are so big, or why that guy just got a nosebleed, then this guide to anime’s “emotional iconography” is recommended reading.
Over the next few weeks, PopMatters will be publishing nearly 60 essays and interviews concerning the genius that is Joss Whedon.
Twitch explains why we still love so-called popcorn movies.
Drew:
Parity Vs. Greatness – Brian Phillips of Slate looks at the difference between American professional sports and professional soccer in Europe. Pro sports in the U.S. are a socialistic endeavor whereas pro soccer in Europe is ironically more capitalistic.
God, Freedom, and The Adjustment Bureau – Russel Moore explains how the new film takes a different spin on the free-will film genre and perhaps poses worthwhile questions about a graver danger than you might think.
NBC’s Parenthood takes on Alcoholism with suprizingly realistic results. Parenthood excels at handling family issues thoughtfully. Their portrayal of alcoholism could even help us to identify our addictions.
Given the attention that my response to Mark Driscoll’s claim that video games are stupid has generated, I thought this might be a good place to point out a few thoughtful articles that illustrate the value of games. Matthew S. Burns has a written a thorough and helpful look at how the most compelling case againt games as art,doesn’t work. Writing for Talking Philosophy, Mike Labossiere, a professor of aesthetics says Video Games are art. A new study has recently revealed that violent video games may not actually desensitize teens to violence in life. Finally, Jane McGonagal discusses some of the positive psychological effects of games when played for appropriate amounts of time, you may find her a bit idealistic but she cites some interesting studies worthy of your consideration.
Alan:
Big Questions of Faith in HBO’s ‘The Sunset Limited’ – Cormac McCarthy’s The Sunset Limited was recently made into an HBO movie. in it, McCarthy forces to characters to wrestle with atheism and Christianity.
Over at the Transpositions blog they held an online symposium on Hans Rookmaaker’s life and work. If you are interested in Christianity and the arts, I highly recommend reading about Rookmaaker, a man who probably did more than anyone to help Christians think intelligently about the arts in the 20th century. You might know him as the guy who taught Francis Schaeffer all about art.
Michael Horton asks some important questions about how we find community online.
Rich:
How The Bachelor Shapes Our Cultural View of Love – Weirdly, I’ve been watching this show this season. It’s, um, a guilty pleasure to say the least.
The founder of Kill Screen Magazine, Jamin Warren, writes a kind of manifesto of games criticism in light of the increasingly pervasive public presence of videogames: Say How You Play.
Time Magazine recently covered the indie game development scene. It’s exciting to see indie go mainstream, even if that statement makes no sense.
Chase:
Come November, Glenn Beck might be out of a job. Fox News suggests that they may not renew his contract when it expires later this year.
Adding to the discussion of communication we’ve been having here lately, executive coach, Russell Bishop explains why you should never explain, defend, or justify yourself.
Frank Viola with “An Important Insight From President Obama” about how we can receive criticism and respond to our critics.
Slate gives a breakdown of the High Court’s ruling in favor of Westboro Baptist Church and their right to protest military funerals. How might this decision negatively effect the 1st Amendment.
Here, in this NY Times op-ed piece, Anna Holmes offers another take on the Sheen saga. In her view, the so-called goddesses are the true victims of the story with some interesting conclusions regarding our beliefs about race, gender, and power.
Adam:
Interesting article relating Wisconsin’s political situation to James Madison’s description of tyrannical factions in Federalist 10.
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