Christ and Pop Culture
"What we want from awe is transcendence, and no beauty on earth can promise us that." Read more
"What we want from awe is transcendence, and no beauty on earth can promise us that." Read more
Young evangelicals love Mumford & Sons for their catchy songs and heart piercing lyrics. I would count myself as one of that group. It is probably cliché and over-referenced by now but it doesn’t really get any better than the line from their song Roll Away Your Stone: “It seems that all my bridges have been burnt/ But you say that’s exactly how this grace thing works.” Lyrics like this have led to speculation about Marcus Mumford’s faith and for the first time he... Read more
Each week in The Moviegoer, Nick Olson examines new and upcoming films. Editor’s Note: Planet of Snail is available via Netflix DVD service. Part of the 2-becoming-1 processional act that is marital life is the presence of daily obstacles or tasks that a husband and wife partake in together. Often it’s a matter of divvying up the workload so that more is accomplished in a shorter amount of time; yet, sometimes, a particular task requires the couple to tactically become one... Read more
Two competing emotions welled up inside me when I first learned that the History Channel would be making a ten-hour miniseries that followed the storyline of the Bible from Genesis to Jesus: hope and fear. The Bible, as it is straightforwardly called, is the brainchild of Touched by an Angel alum Roma Downey and her husband, producer Mark Burnett. Each episode follows several events from the biblical narrative in basically sequential order, culminating in the life of Jesus Christ and... Read more
Obama isn’t the most precise theologian. Nor should that be expected of him–he’s only a politician after all. In a recent interview before the selection of the new Pope Francis, President Obama was asked about his thoughts on the incoming pope. He expressed his hope that the next Holy Father would be faithful to what he considers the “central message of the Gospel.” Admirable sentiment. I think we should all hope for a pope who loves the Gospel. The question we have to... Read more
This morning, he was Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio. From this day forward, he is history’s first Pope Francis (not Francis I). Francis was born in Argentina to Italian immigrants. Because of his parents’ nationality, some would deflate claims that this is the first non-European pope in a millennium. The vast, vast majority of popes have been European, but Francis is thoroughly Argentinian. He was born in Buenos Aires and attended seminary there. He became the rector of his seminary and later the... Read more
Sometimes the best way to view the man behind the curtain is through the lens of the Fall. Read more
When Hugo Chavez died last week, we saw an eruption of responses on both sides. As the posturing and politics becomes unbearably pretentious, we should take a moment to reflect on government in this 21st century. In the wake of Chavez’s death, Venezuelans with tears streaming down their faces appeared on the front pages of newspapers (by which I mean internet news sites – are newspapers still a thing?). The death of a sitting head of state is always a... Read more
My husband and I tuned into last night’s finale of the Bachelor (yes, he watches; yes, it’s for me) after I found myself strangely invested in a show I normally do not watch. I tuned in midway through the season because I wanted a Monday-night show to watch. I soon found myself pleased that so many of the women in the house seemed friendly with each other and that Bachelor Sean seemed seriously committed to his personal integrity and treating... Read more
Each week in God and Country Music, Nick Rynerson gives country music a chance and examines the world of Americana, folk, alt-country, and popular country music. I listen to a lot of music, especially Americana music. And I am usually not too terribly particular when it comes to tossing something into the CD rotation in my truck. Most records come and go within a few weeks, but some stick around for weeks on end. I can’t always say what makes a... Read more
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