I confess, I was late to the Fargo party last year, binge watching the entire first season on Blu-ray in a matter of days. I haven’t made the same mistake this season, which is every bit as brilliant as the first and loaded with similarly provocative themes. (more…) Read more
The Sunday night television landscape is crowded, but National Geographic’s new series, Breakthrough deserves a spot in your DVR. Produced by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer and narrated by leading filmmakers and actors, Breakthrough provides a thought-provoking and imaginative perspective on scientific discovery as it unfolds. Each episode follows scientific explorers working on cutting-edge projects with breakthrough potential. Read on for my and Tony Jones’ conversation about the first episode. (more…) Read more
Football is a sport that has clear religious connections, from the Hail Mary pass to Touchdown Jesus to the Immaculate Reception. The likely permanent exit from the league of the NFL’s most famous Christian, Tim Tebow, left me wondering how many other quarterbacks have expressed their Christian faith in overt terms. The answer was eye-opening: based on my research, 24 out of 32 starting NFL quarterbacks (75 percent) are evangelical Christians. In some ways, the results are not surprising... Read more
Taking the kids to see Hotel Transylvania 2 this weekend? Download a family and/or faith discussion guide after the jump. (more…) Read more
The film Give Me Sex Jesus is out, and streaming for free on Vimeo. This documentary on the Christian (sexual) Purity Movement asks adults who were raised in that movement, pastors and religious leaders, and academics to talk about the after-effects of Christian sexual training that focuses exclusively on abstinence. It’s a must-watch for all ministers and congregations. I will offer a review of the film itself in another post, but first I have to get something off my chest.... Read more
Killer Serials is a partnership between Theoblogy (Tony Jones) and Pop Theology. Having wrapped up the third season of Orange is the New Black, we moved on to Mr. Robot. Read on for our thoughts on the season finale. (more…) Read more
No more miracles, loaves and fishes/Been too busy with the washing of the dishes. — “Lay Your Hands on Me” Peter Gabriel There was a buzz among some of my Facebook friends last week when one of my former students, The Rev. Lauren Schoek, posted an upcoming service at the church where she serves, St. James Episcopal in Lancaster, PA. It was a Saturday-night Eucharist featuring the music of Peter Gabriel. Many prog-rock-and-theology nerds (and there are more of us... Read more
I was born and raised in Kentucky. And while I’m not from the foothills of Appalachia in eastern Kentucky, I’ve been there enough—even to Rowan County—to know what it’s like. It’s poor. People live in trailer parks and small wood frame houses. Kids entertain themselves on Friday nights in the parking lot of the local shopping center. A night out is a trip to McDonald’s or maybe the local Chinese restaurant. People are in church not only on Sunday mornings,... Read more
Back in Seattle for a friend’s wedding and, continuing to wonder if this might be a new home once my swamp exile is over, I found myself drawn again to the Experience Music Project. The EMP is becoming an all-purpose temple of pop culture, with big-time rock, sci-fi, film and video events constantly rotating through the museum. The Seahawks’ Super Bowl trophy and ring are even on display here. Makes sense, as Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen is the controlling interest... Read more
Tony Jones and I are back for another installment of Killer Serials where we discuss episodes 5-8 of Mr. Robot, our favorite show of the summer and one that seems to be hacking deeper spiritual and theological themes with each episode. (more…) Read more
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