In the latest version of “The Gospel According to ‘Insert-Pop-Culture-Creation-Here,'” Chris Seay turns his attention to Lost. Unfortunately, the book isn’t nearly as compelling as the series itself. Moreover, it left me questioning the supposed brilliance of the series itself. (more…) Read more
This afternoon, I connected with Craig Detweiler over Skype to talk about his latest book, Halos and Avatars: Playing Video Games with God. The book is a must read and this video is a must watch. Check it out after the jump. Also, I think I’ve talked him into attending Theology After Google, so if you can make it…go! (more…) Read more
Theology and popular culture is an ever-growing field with numerous implications for both the church and academia. Churches and professors have embraced the theological/religious/spiritual implications of film, television, and popular culture. However, one of the most popular components of popular culture, video games, have yet to come under exploration for their theological/religious/spiritual implications. Until now. In his latest book, Halos and Avatars: Playing Video Games With God, Craig Detweiler has compiled a collection of essays that make it impossible to... Read more
As the days and weeks approach, we’ll start to hear more and more about the “best movie(s) of the year.” To hear about one of these, and one of the year’s best performances, you’ll most likely have to tune into the Independent Spirit Awards. Goodbye Solo, should have been nominated for Best Feature at the Independent Spirit Awards but seems to have been crowded out by more mainstream indies (Precious and (500) Days of Summer). Thankfully, its lead actor, Souleymane... Read more
After watching Creation, the film supposedly about Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, one is left wondering what all the American fuss was all about over the film and why it had such trouble securing an American distributor. As one viewer who was looking forward to seeing this film, I almost with it hadn’t. (more…) Read more
Richard Lindsay reviews A Single Man after the jump. (more…) Read more
In only 156 pages, Pamela Grace sets forth on a bold undertaking to create a new film genre, the hagiopic. In her book, The Religious Film: Christianity and the Hagiopic, she gives a brief description of this new genre and places it in a historical and critical framework but allows her insightful critiques of particular hagiopics to make the case for the genre themselves. (more…) Read more
Crazy Heart is this year’s The Wrestler, and that’s not a bad thing. Without the violence and the real-life comeback story of a washed-up actor, Crazy Heart cuts to the heart of The Wrestler‘s narrative of a once-great entertainer who has alienated his family and searches for some sort of redemption…or at least a return to relevance. (more…) Read more
Like Punxsutawney Phil, Ernest Myers usually makes an appearance at Pop Theology around this time of year. This year, Ernest and I have a quick conversation about the Oscar nominations announced yesterday, what we think should win, what we think will win, and what we didn’t see. (more…) Read more
Despite a decline in the overall quality of the past several seasons, The Simpsons still manages to turn out a few funny episodes each season. Over the past decade or so, there have been a variety of texts that take a scholarly approach to the long-running series from philosophical or theological perspectives. The latest, Jamey Heit‘s The Springfield Reformation: The Simpsons, Christianity, and American Culture, offers insights into some of the series’ episodes that give a rather prophetic look at... Read more
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