I mentioned in my first post about summer reading that the list could grow. It certainly has! That said, I should probably call it a day on the list and get started since it’s June 7 already (not sure where the time is going). Anyway, check out what I’m reading this summer. Michael Jordan: The Life, by Roland Lazenby. This new biography of the best basketball player of all time is getting glowing reviews, with some even calling it... Read more
Andrew Sullivan has been enthusiastic about Matthew Vines and the latter’s new book God and the Gay Christian. If you’re not up to speed, God and the Gay Christian seeks to establish that belief in the inspiration of Scripture is compatible with the approval of committed, monogamous same-sex relationships. Vines has made a serious impact in the blogosphere and some have called his book the beginning of a “revolution.” What makes Vines’s work stand apart from other pro-homosexuality theology is his commitment to the... Read more
One of the finer blog posts on the True Detective series comes from Nathaniel Booth over at Filmwell. The entire essay is well worth your time, but specifically I was fascinated by Booth’s take on the nihilistic philosophizing of Rustin Cohle. Calling Cohle’s Nietzschean ruminations “window dressing,” Booth considers whether we recoil from the troubled detective because we think he’s wrong or because we’re afraid he’s not: The real root of True Detective‘s horror is not the murder, not the Gothic... Read more
A few years ago, John Piper shared Clyde Kilby’s resolutions for mental health. Kilby was a professor at Wheaton College and a friend and biographer of C.S. Lewis. Kilby’s resolutions are unquestionably dripping with Lewis’s influence. As I’ve reflected on this list, I’ve discovered a couple of common themes. Firstly, Kilby urges serious contemplation that avoids diving too far inwards. Kilby wants us to turn off the radio and think. The danger here is that we turn our contemplative life... Read more
It’s the most wonderful time of the year….no, not THAT time of year. It is summer, and that means summer reading. Let me encourage you: If you struggle with regular reading throughout the year, as most of us do, take advantage of the summer has an opportunity to reengage. This is doubly true if you’re a student. I’ve been out of college only one year, so I haven’t forgotten the uphill battle to maintain pleasurable reading during the semester. Let... Read more
I read with eager interest both Matt Zoller Seitz and Tim Wainwright’s contributions to a back and forth on the merits (or lack thereof) of current superhero films. Matt’s original essay, appearing on Rogerebert.com, argues that the current state of the superhero film is one of stagnation and creative cop-outs. Specifically, Matt bemoans how most superhero movies approach their action sequences. For Matt, these issues plague so many superhero films that the whole genre feels like a packaged deal. Indeed,... Read more
I’ve cheered for the St. Louis Rams since I was just big enough to wear the junior size windbreaker, with the old St. Louis Rams colors of bright yellow and royal blue, that still hangs in a closet. My earliest memory of caring about football is shouting at Kurt Warner during the 1999 Super Bowl against the Titans. I’m not from St. Louis, and none of my family is either. I just adopted them. Fifteen years, and way too much... Read more
“Mama Prays,” by Chris Rice. (more…) Read more
The Supreme Court voted 5-4 on Monday to reverse a lower court’s ruling that banned the opening prayer invocation practiced by the members of Greece, New York’s Town Hall. The majority, led by Anthony Kennedy, found that the prayers were consistent with the history and overall culture of the town meetings. Further, Kennedy wrote that “discomfort did not equal coercion” and that the Establishment Clause did not suffer violation even if some members present objected to the Christian language of... Read more
“The Amazing Spider-Man 2.” Columbia Pictures. Written by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. Directed by Marc Webb. 142 minutes. PG-13 (action violence) The Amazing Spider-Man 2 isn’t good enough to make me confident that a franchise reboot was necessary, but it is good enough to help me forget about that question anyway. This is a strong, bold film that adds credibility to the series. Is the whole series just one, George Lucas-sized cash cow? Probably. But what does that actually... Read more
Samuel D. James
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