Friday night, after the public forum at the Transforming Theology Conference, some participants and students stuck around for a theo-pub. It didn’t take long for Philip Clayton and Tony Jones to get down to an intense debate over issues of emergence and emergents. Check out the first half of the discussion posted here in the Featured Video section. Follow the link after the jump to see the second half of the discussion and questions from the audience. (more…) Read more
So I am at the Transforming Theology Conference where forty of the best and brightest theologians have gathered to discuss transformative thought for progressive action. The first panel of four theologians included Harvey Cox, Delwin Brown, Joseph Bracken, and Ignacio Castuera. They each posed seven minute thoughts on the perils that we as a society face and how theologians might respond. After these insightful ideas, the rest of the theologians began debating the relevance of social media and online communities... Read more
AMC doesn’t seem to know how to pick good films, and they sure know how to ruin great ones. God help us if their choices really are American movie classics. On the other hand, they know how to spot a good television series when they see one. Most everyone knows about the critically acclaimed drama, Mad Men, but perhaps some folks aren’t as familiar with AMC’s second great series, Breaking Bad, which began its second season last night. (more…) Read more
In 1962, legendary film producer Dino de Laurentiis announced his plans to create a cinematic phenomenon, a multi-million dollar, multi-director, ten-hour production of the Bible with highlights from the Old and New Testaments. His efforts resulted in one director, John Huston, and the first twenty-two chapters of Genesis for the film The Bible…In the Beginning (1966). While Watchmen (the legendary comic book series from Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons) is not The Bible, it holds something of sacred status for... Read more
The contemporary state of affairs between Hollywood and the Christian church betrays a complex history that entails cooperation, appropriation, and rejection. Speaking broadly, the church today, and for quite some time, has leaned towards the latter, taking a highly critical approach to the perceived encroaching secularism of Hollywood. However, with the advent of cinema, nearly every Christian denomination recognized the (potential) value of motion pictures and even invested in their own projection system to exhibit films. Some churches and religious... Read more
I wish that more Oscar-nominated films released to DVD before the program airs. It can be difficult, and not a little expensive, to see them all in the theaters. I am glad that Changeling released on DVD this week so that I could catch Angelina Jolie’s Oscar-nominated performance for best lead actress. While this category seems like a tight race and Jolie is a worthy nominee, I found myself totally engrossed in one of the most haunting films of last... Read more
Two films that deal with religion in different ways release today. You can laugh, cry, or scream at Bill Maher’s documentary, Religulous, one of my top spiritual films of 2008. You can also catch Angelina Jolie’s Oscar-nominated performance in Changeling. Also of note in the latter is John Malcovich’s performance as a minister, The Rev. Gustav Briegleb, who assists in helping Jolie’s character, Christine Collins, find her son and expose corruption in the Los Angeles Police Department. Read more
Richard Lindsay gives us another great review, but this time, he takes us to Broadway with the revival of Equus. Sounds like anyone living in/near New York City or planning a vacation should definitely see this. (more…) Read more
Last week, more reports started to circle around about the upcoming film Mary, Mother of Christ. Most recently, the filmmakers announced that they had cast Camilla Belle (Push and 10,000 BC) to play Mary. Word is that Peter O’Toole and Jonathan Rhys Meyers have already been cast and that the filmmakers hope to add both Al Pacino and Jessica Lange to the cast with Pacino as Herod (he’s got a long way to go to top Frank Thring)…but something tells... Read more
Annual Pop Theology contributor Ernest Myers graces us with his presence once again with his Top 10 Television Shows of 2008. It might be an easy way out, but I like the ending… (more…) Read more
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