{"id":27977,"date":"2015-04-10T09:34:08","date_gmt":"2015-04-10T14:34:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/kathyschiffer\/?p=27977"},"modified":"2015-04-10T09:42:40","modified_gmt":"2015-04-10T14:42:40","slug":"inklings-of-the-gospel-fr-robert-barrons-latest-book-finds-meaning-in-popular-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/kathyschiffer\/2015\/04\/inklings-of-the-gospel-fr-robert-barrons-latest-book-finds-meaning-in-popular-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"Inklings of the Gospel: Fr. Robert Barron’s Latest Book Finds Meaning in Popular Culture"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Raise your hand if you remember CliffsNotes<\/em>.<\/strong> \u00a0Those black and yellow-striped\u00a0study guides were a boon to the hapless undergrad who lingered too late at the fraternity kegger, squandering his time with new friends when he should have been studying for his Lit exam. \u00a0For just a few dollars, CliffsNotes<\/em> offered a quick plot summary, description of the characters, and analysis of the theme. \u00a0Ideally, CliffsNotes<\/em> would be a companion to the complete masterpiece, offering insights without replacing the rich work of the author.<\/p>\n

\"Seeds<\/a>Anyway, there is a sense in which Fr. Robert Barron\u2019s newest book Seeds of the Word: Finding God in the Culture<\/em><\/a> is like a CliffsNotes<\/em> on contemporary society.<\/strong> \u00a0Let me explain: \u00a0Crack open the book and there, in its 275 pages, are 84 essays\u2013each of which explores the meaning of a popular novel, a film, or a report gleaned from current events\u00a0or from the sports pages in your local newspaper.<\/p>\n

Father Barron scans familiar works which are not usually\u00a0called \u201cChristian\u201d<\/strong>\u2013and yet he finds Christ or, at least, finds a teaching moment. \u00a0He extracts the gospel values in films such as Moneyball<\/em> and The Hunger Games<\/em> and True Grit<\/em>. \u00a0He exposes the moral message \u00a0in The Hobbit<\/em> (no surprise there!), then shines a spotlight on the deliberative pragmatism in Obama\u2019s The Audacity of Hope<\/em>. \u00a0He provides a critical analysis of the works of Hitchens, Nietzche, Bill Maher, and the aggressive atheists on the CNN Belief Blog. \u00a0He notes with some bemusement that our \u201ctolerant, accepting\u201d society loves to judge, as evidenced by reality shows like Judge Judy<\/em> and Dancing with the Stars<\/em> and Dr. Phil. \u00a0<\/em>He finds the spiritual value in the B.P. Oil Leak.<\/p>\n

How\u00a0does Fr. Barron\u00a0compare Christ to modern-day\u00a0superheroes? \u00a0<\/strong>Here, read this:<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t help but hear an echo of the ancient Christological doctrine in the latest films featuring Batman, Superman, and Spider-Man. \u00a0All three of these superheroes are hybrids\u2013combinations of the extraordinary and the ordinary. \u00a0In all three cases we have someone who, in his lowliness, is able completely to identify and sympathize with our suffering and, in his transcendence, is able to do something about it. \u00a0A particular charm of The Amazing Spider-Man<\/em> is that Andrew Garfield, the actor who plays Peter Parker, is quite obviously an ordinary and even geeky kid who at decisive moments gracefully demonstrates godlike powers.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It\u2019s easy to pick up Seeds of the Word<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and read a single chapter.<\/strong> For example, I was struck by an essay on the feature film For Greater Glory<\/em>, about Mexico\u2019s Cristeros War, since I had seen and reviewed the movie\u00a0when it came out in theaters.<\/p>\n

And Fr. Barron\u2019s essay on \u201cA-Rod and Augustine,\u201d<\/em> <\/strong>in which he makes the case that pursuit of anything\u2013money, fame or, in the case of controversial baseball legend\u00a0Alex Rodriguez, \u00a0athletic excellence\u2013will ultimately leave us seeking more, is absolutely brilliant.<\/p>\n

How botched abortions<\/strong> expose the illogic of the pro-abortion position. \u00a0Why everyone is crazy about vampires. \u00a0The hook-up culture. \u00a0The bully problem. \u00a0Father Barron finds something important in each of these memes.<\/p>\n

Read Seeds of the Word<\/em><\/a>; grow smarter and holier, and impress your friends.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Raise your hand if you remember CliffsNotes. \u00a0Those black and yellow-striped\u00a0study guides were a boon to the hapless undergrad who lingered too late at the fraternity kegger, squandering his time with new friends when he should have been studying for his Lit exam. \u00a0For just a few dollars, CliffsNotes offered a quick plot summary, description […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":556,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,49,188],"tags":[445],"class_list":["post-27977","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books","category-catholic","category-philosophy","tag-fr-robert-barron"],"yoast_head":"\nInklings of the Gospel: Fr. 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