It’s no coincidence that my favorite ministers, pastors, and mentors have all had a wonderful sense of humor. It’s no surprise that those who tend to take a more literal view of scripture aren’t all that funny…after all, humor isn’t one of the fruits of the spirit listed in Galatians. Given the current religious climate in the United States, especially the vehement anger of so much of far right evangelical Christianity, one might be surprised to learn that Christianity has... Read more
Nat Geo’s new series, Breakthrough, highlights scientists working on the cutting edge of research in biomechanics, aging, the brain, diseases, and, as of last night, energy. Human limitations have been a central theme of every episode, and they are in this week’s episode, “Energy on the Edge.” Tony Jones and I discuss below. (more…) Read more
Like me and thousands of other fans, you probably binged or finished binging Netflix’s fantastic new series, Jessica Jones, over the Thanksgiving weekend. I wrote briefly about the first few episodes last week and highlighted some of the elements that made it a promising series. Those strengths persisted through the first season finale and introduced several other contemporary themes. While it’s a deeply satisfying series, there are a couple of moments that gave me pause. (more…) Read more
After a week off, Nat Geo’s Breakthrough was back last night with a look at the cutting-edge scientists working to make aging better for us all. But is this necessarily a good or right thing? Tony Jones and I discuss below. (more…) Read more
For a Protestant, doing things in a Catholic setting is like going to a foreign country where they speak English. You can understand what they’re saying, but you’re in a land of different cultural cues. You spend a lot of time playing the Venn-diagram game of What’s the same/What’s different. So it was when as a Presbyterian I found myself on a silent retreat at a Jesuit spirituality center in Louisiana. I went on the retreat because I had heard... Read more
Marvel might be best known for their summer tent pole blockbusters, but they’re proving that their real strength lies in more intimate, long-form series like Netflix’s Daredevil and Jessica Jones, the new series that released Friday. Although more “super-powered” in nature, Agents of S.H.I.E.D. has hit some strong notes in its third season. The action of those bigger blockbusters forms a distant background for more complex, engrossing character studies. (more…) Read more
If you’re a person of faith that is offended by the title and/or content of the new series from Image Comics, The Goddamned, then you’re probably not reading much of any scripture as closely as you should. Written by Jason Aaron with art by R. M. Guéra, there’s loads of coarse language (some–ok, much–of it aimed at God) and rivers of blood. However, underneath this gruesome facade, lie a host of questions about myth, sacred texts, and the Divine. (more…) Read more
Tony Jones and I dig into the third episode of Breakthrough, which continues to ask questions about what it means to be human and the role of memories and remembering in shaping our identities. (more…) Read more
Tony Jones and I continue our coverage of National Geographic’s new series, Breakthrough. Last night’s episode focused on the cutting edge research and development of bio-technology and cyborgs. (more…) Read more
At this point in time, it seems as if guns and evangelical Christians are the new baseball and apple pie. So to see, in the new documentary, The Armor of Light, evangelical leader Rob Schenck tackle this problematic relationship head-on is as inspiring as his opponents are frustrating. (more…) Read more
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