Pop Theology
Richard here. Adding some more wisdom culled from the notes of my dissertation, here’s the account of Cecil B. DeMille’s first foray into biblical film, his 1923 silent version of The Ten Commandments. (more…) Read more
Richard here. Adding some more wisdom culled from the notes of my dissertation, here’s the account of Cecil B. DeMille’s first foray into biblical film, his 1923 silent version of The Ten Commandments. (more…) Read more
With The Magician King, his sequel to The Magicians, Lev Grossman has provided yet another fantastical world of magic geared toward adults. This time, however, he goes a bit heavier on the religion and theology, while still weaving a captivating tale of becoming, discovery, and loss. (more…) Read more
One of the great things about teaching a class on pop culture and religion is you can find out who’s good at writing about certain subjects, and then exploit their work. With that in mind, I’m happy to introduce Benjamin Griffin as a contributor to this blog. Benjamin is in the thesis stage of his master’s work at Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology here at our fair Berkeley consortium, GTU. But what he really loves to do is rock... Read more
There are few filmmakers that I get as excited about for new productions like I do for Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. At the same time, few filmmakers are as far removed from the American (at least) pop-culture consciousness. This is a shame because they are two of the more moral filmmakers working in the medium. Their latest film, The Kid With the Bike (which won the Grand Prix at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival), is full of their signature style.... Read more
Richard here. PopTheology.com benefits from the fruits of my dissertation labor. Not everything could have fit into the final draft. So here’s some background on one of the great silent epics, Fred Niblo’s 1925 film, Ben-Hur. (more…) Read more
As a fan of (post)apocalyptic narratives, I’m surprised it took me so long to find out about and read Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle’s Lucifer’s Hammer. This story, while drawing from other apocalyptic scenarios, has certainly helped shape some of the more popular disaster films of the past few decades like Deep Impact and Armageddon, to draw two quick comparisons. Lucifer’s Hammer also has ethical, moral, and religious implications, especially when we consider contemporary religious folk who long for such... Read more
If you’re reading this, then you probably contributed to The Hunger Games‘ wild success at the box office this past weekend. Not only has it obviously gotten support from fans of the books, but it’s not surprisingly contributing to the on-going discussion about violence in popular culture, even as some observers are noting the ways in which it mirrors the world in which we live. Other Christian commentators are picking up on the spiritual and theological implications of the books... Read more
Unless you’re just a raging bibliophile, I imagine it’s almost impossible to complete The Hunger Games trilogy and not want to see it on the big screen…at least a little. Being in Paris certainly has its privileges…one of which was the early release of the first The Hunger Games film in theaters here (the 21st instead of the 23rd of March). With a few minor flaws, it’s a solid adaptation that hits all the important themes. (more…) Read more
Richard here with my first post-dissertation post. GCB is the warped new soap/comedy on ABC, following Desperate Housewives on Sunday nights, and it’s more about hurt and memory than religion and hypocrisy. (more…) Read more
A rather simple definition of myth is either an explanation of being (how and why the world and its inhabitants came to be) or the celebration or story of a hero. It’s a broad definition, but inclusive. In the graphic novel, A Flight of Angels, Rebecca Guay has posed a scenario, the mysterious fall of an angel, to a group of talented artists, Holly Black, Bill Willingham, Alisa Kwitney, Louise Hawes, and Todd Mitchell, who respond with their own unique... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In