Christianity is the Most Ridiculous Religion: On Scorsese’s Silence

December 18, 2020 By Stephen G. Adubato

Any sane person would walk away from Martin Scorsese’s new film Silence with a profound sense of disapproval for the absurdities that lie at the depths of the Christian religion. The film depicts the less-than-convenient truths that are enough to shatter the illusion of the comfortable, bourgeoisie, “do unto others” version of Jesus. The film’s mix of sinners, martyrs, and a temperamental and, at times, seemingly-sadistic Deity make for an unsettling foray into the complexities of Christianity. (more…) Read more

Theology of the Body Playlist: Finding God in Pop Love Songs

November 29, 2020 By Stephen G. Adubato

When teaching Christopher West’s Fill These Hearts (a simplified analysis of the John Paul II’s Theology of the Body) to my senior religion class, I try to incorporate pop culture into our lessons. West begins each chapter in his book with lyrics from a pop song that speak to the chapter’s themes. I took the liberty of making a more up-to-date playlist that incorporates a little more of a rhythmic sound. Here we go… Concupiscence and the reduction of the... Read more

Beyond CCM: Finding God in Secular Music

November 27, 2020 By Stephen G. Adubato

“In music. . . what man pays homage to is something else, something he is waiting for. His enthusiasm is for something that music, or whatever is beautiful in the world, has awakened inside him. When man “fore-sees” this, he immediately bends his soul to wait for the other thing: he grasps what he can grasp, but he waits for another thing.” –Luigi Giussani Our attitude toward the ultimate Truth–or the “religious problem,” as I call it–can vary over time,... Read more

Gay Hallmark Movie Outs the Farce of “Christian Values”

November 23, 2020 By Stephen G. Adubato

As expected, conservative Christians are up in arms over the first Hallmark Christmas movie featuring a same sex couple. And as expected, pro-LGBT people and their allies are up in arms over conservative Christians being up in arms over the first Hallmark Christmas movie featuring a same sex couple. As the author of Ecclesiastes said many millennia ago, “there’s nothing new under the sun.” Rather then get caught up with the same old media loop, here’s some food for thought about... Read more

Sex and Sacramentality: Post-Medieval Readings of the Song of Songs

November 18, 2020 By Stephen G. Adubato

Among the most prominent objections to the strictly allegorical reading of the Song is the strictly literal. Wary of the risks of conflating human sexuality with divinity, some exegetes seek to draw a decisive line between erotic and divine love. Southern Baptist theologian Duane Garrett views the erotic imagery of the Song as a celebration of the goodness of marital love in itself. The allegorical reading, according to Garrett, is problematic on the grounds of two key objections. First, the... Read more

Divine Eroticism: Medieval Readings of the Song of Songs

November 11, 2020 By Stephen G. Adubato

The intended meaning of the Song of Songs has been a matter of contention since well before the second century after Christ, when it was first accepted into the Jewish canon of scripture. The poem’s focal point, a blatantly erotic relationship between two lovers, has presented readers with a quandary: what is an erotic love poem doing in the scriptures? The curious placement of this book has been interpreted in a variety of ways, ranging from an explicitly literalist reading,... Read more

Amazon, Idolatry, and the Incarnation

November 1, 2020 By Stephen G. Adubato

I’ve been on a fiction kick. Ever since finishing my master’s thesis, I find that my drive to read hardcore theology and cultural commentaries has been waning and my thirst to escape into an imaginary realm has become all the more demanding. That’s why I’m always looking for interesting book reviews or recommendations from a friend. As soon as something incites my interest, I make my way into Amazon Prime, and, with the click of a button, I find my... Read more

Racial Justice and Third Party Politics: an Interview with Albert Thompson

October 14, 2020 By Stephen G. Adubato

Albert Thompson is a member of the American Solidarity Party National Committee. He lives in Virginia and is a visiting professor in US history at Howard University. SA: How can third parties change the conversation about politics in the US? AT: The two major parties have orthodoxies which are really barriers to needed conversations about the present and future. Third parties can offer new ideas, real creative solutions to problems. Parties like the ASP can involve the Americans who have the ideas but... Read more

Cracking Through the Culture Wars: Interview with Will Arbery, playwright of Heroes of the Fourth Turning

July 14, 2020 By Stephen G. Adubato

Will Arbery won over critics and audiences with his play Heroes of the Fourth Turning. Through the play’s characters, Arbery offers a nuanced exploration of the beauty, pain, and humanity that often fall under the radar in the “Culture Wars.” Because this blog is dedicated to those surprising moments of transcendence that emerge from postmodern culture’s “cracks,” I reached out to ask him some questions. The dialogue in the play name checks a variety of authors, concepts, and historical events. Can... Read more

Fashion Photography: Seeing the Mystery of the Person

June 28, 2020 By Guest Contributor

This is the third article in a three part series by NYC-based photographer Felicia DiSalvo. Click here to read parts 1 and 2. Along the way, many people who have been in or have entered my life have pointed things out to me. I think that learning things from other people has really affected the way I perceive the world and not take it for granted. Between sophomore and junior year of high school, my focus in photography switched from... Read more