In this light-hearted, yet serious, commercial, Dove wants to know: when did you stop thinking you were beautiful? We watch as ladies move to hide away from camera lens and the viewer. Is this really a sign of insecurity, a lack of confidence in one’s own beauty? Or is it just another ad to convince women that they are more insecure than they really are? Read more
Last night, my wife and I got dressed up, hopped in the car, and took the two-hour drive from Waco to Austin just so that we could be in a city for dinner. I’m not sure I understand why we did it; however, Christianity Today just published an article by Aaron Renn entitled “Why Cities Feel Glorious” that might contain an answer. If you, like me, are drawn to urban centers, consider Renn’s words: Suburbs are often unfairly maligned as lacking... Read more
"Flannery O’Connor famously asserted that the American South in which she lived was Christ-haunted; science fiction, it often seems, is God-haunted." Read more
"Parenting often seems about helping children 'get ahead,' accruing social capital in childhood to translate to adult financial and social status." Read more
Earlier this year, I read The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert, by Rosaria Champagne Butterfield. The book covers Butterfield’s conversion, from radical lesbian to Christian. I would highly recommend the book if you have not read it yet. I found these two interviews with Butterfield helpful as I seek to be faithful to truth in light of a constantly changing culture. Read more
Why are zombies so popular? My personal favorite answer is Mike Rugnetta’s theory that Zombies represent the effects of technology pervading our everyday life. That explains why World War Z depicts its zombies with iPhones in their pockets! Read more
A few weeks ago, we debuted our first ever comment policy. The gist of it was: don’t be a jerk. Well, it turns out, that wasn’t enough. As of today our new policy can be summed up as: “be charitable.” Aside from having a more positive spin, it also allows us to more liberally rid discussions of comments that flirt with the line of jerkiness without ever crossing it. These kinds of comments are insidious because they follow the letter... Read more
“Dianne Young” by Vampire Weekend The perfect summer song, “Dianne Young” (a purposeful homophone for “dyin’ young”) addresses the inherent recklessness of youth with equal parts coy sarcasm and ambivalent allowance (“If dyin’ young won’t change your mind, baby, right on time”). Vampire Weekend has crafted a realist anthem to a shortsighted approach to life, offering up a song that has the same qualities: undeniably fun, ultimately tragic, and essentially empty. Richard Clark *** “Started From The Bottom” by Drake... Read more
A great many Christians are dismayed with the recent SCOTUS decisions regarding gay marriage. Their dismay is no surprise to anyone. What doesn’t seem as clearly understood is exactly why. While same-sex marriage advocates might like to chalk it up to simple intolerance, and opponents, to a pure concern for moral righteousness, the situation seems a bit more complex. Scrolling through my Facebook feed, Twitter threads, reading various pieces on the subject, and processing the reactions of friends and... Read more
"Part of Kanye West’s achievement is that he’s offered us a shameless, near-complete picture of a personality that manifests these pathologies." Read more
Christ and Pop Culture
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In