For two weeks during the summer, I took a course on American slavery and the Holocaust.  Talk about summer time fun time!  From the start, we sought to avoid “invidious comparisons” between the two events that would eternally debate who suffered more or which event was more horrific.  Instead, we looked at issues of race, power, economics, and evil in an attempt to understand how events like these could happen and how ordinary people could collude with such extraordinarily evil... Read more

A host of Jesus films focus specifically on the titular character. The ways in which they do so, however, differ drastically. Emphasizing different gospel narratives, showing or avoiding miracles, casting, location…all of these choices affect the cinematic interpretation of Jesus. Other films focus on supporting characters in the Jesus story and feature Jesus as a supporting cast member, to a greater or lesser degree. These films often explore and develop these characters, ranging from the apostles to Barabbas, and the... Read more

Sex scandals have rocked the Christian church throughout the past decade. Whether child abuse in the Catholic church or gay prostitutes in the evangelical Protestant community, parishioners and congregants have, directly and indirectly, fallen victim to their leaders’ sexual indiscretions. The public image of these religious leaders has been irreparably tarnished and so has the secular perception of these religious communities. Many viewers’ perception of Ted Haggard in Jesus Camp changed drastically after his confession of involvement with a male... Read more