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Larry Norman, Jesus and the Devil: A Conversation With Greg Thornbury

July 16, 2018 By Esther O’Reilly

For my inaugural post at Patheos, I am proud to present a conversation I had with Dr. Gregory Thornbury, author of hot new Larry Norman biography Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music? Tracing the curious rise and fall of Christian rock’s most enigmatic and contradictory figure, it offers an intriguing look at the culture wars, the perils of the music business, and the fraught history of a still-divided nation. This interview was first published in highly abridged form… Read more

An Open Letter to Jordan Peterson

April 28, 2018 By Esther O’Reilly

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[Note: I have forayed into the world of Jordan Peterson think-pieces once before, here, but his work and the cultural phenomenon in his wake deserve more careful attention than a think-piece can capture. I hope to share more thoughts on it in this space. I encourage other Christians to engage him with the vigor, generosity and candor he deserves, between the Scylla of fawning admiration and the Charybdis of paranoid dismissal. Such opportunities and such men come perhaps once in… Read more

20 Years, 20 Songs: A Rich Mullins Countdown (Part 2)

September 22, 2017 By Esther O’Reilly

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Part 1 Here. In which I continue the process of spotlighting the 20 songs of Rich Mullins that I think are the most enduring, the most memorable, the “desert island” collection I would hand to someone who was hearing his music for the first time. (But not without a long list of honorable mentions.) One of the things that impresses me most about the work of Rich Mullins in hindsight is its versatility. He could write classically cheesy 80s… Read more

20 Years, 20 Songs: A Rich Mullins Countdown (Part 1)

September 20, 2017 By Esther O’Reilly

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Part 2 here. For those who are interested, I have written some thoughts on the life and legacy of Christian musician, writer, wise guy and unofficial saint Rich Mullins at The Stream here. As I write this late at night, it was twenty years ago this night that his life abruptly ended in a car crash. Later, it came out that neither he nor his passenger was wearing a seatbelt–a boneheaded thing, but as those who knew him could… Read more

Two Sisters Review: Dunkirk (Part 2)

August 10, 2017 By Esther O’Reilly

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In which we discuss the inter-locking timelines, emotional investment, casting, Nolan worship, Christian humanism, and the awesomeness that is the name Hoyte van Hoytema. (more…) Read more

Two Sisters Review: Dunkirk (Part 1)

August 8, 2017 By Esther O’Reilly

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I know. It’s been a while. Okay, it’s been all summer. We missed Wonder-Woman because to be honest Little Sis is a bit more invested in guy superheroes, and we missed Spiderman Homecoming because to be honest I got home and realized I didn’t have a whole lot to say about it. So now, for something completely different… our thoughts on Dunkirk. Her first viewing, my second. She has never seen a Christopher Nolan movie before. All her thoughts… Read more

Two Sisters Review: Guardians of the Galaxy, Volume 2

May 11, 2017 By Esther O’Reilly

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The Two Sisters are baaaaaack! We saw Guardians: Volume 2, and we’re here to tell you exactly what we thought about it. In the spirit of Drax, we will hold absolutely nothing back as we answer all your questions (Is it as good as Volume 1? Is it weirder than Volume 1? Who is Peter Quill’s dad anyway? Who’s the best new character, and why is it Baby Groot? Is there anything important parents should know about?) and contemplate related… Read more

My Top 10 Love Songs (Valentine’s Day 2017)

February 14, 2017 By Esther O’Reilly

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Once upon a time, I gave you my top five underrated love songs (at the time). Once upon another time, I gave you my top five love songs (at the time). Notice a pattern? Like most “top 5/10/20 things” lists, my list of love songs is a many-splendoured, ever-changing thing. Certainly, I would keep some things, but not all, and others I would now add without a second thought. Herewith, my top ten love songs. A few ground rules: no breakup songs…. Read more

Questions & Answers: Hearts and Bones and Carrie Fisher

December 28, 2016 By Esther O’Reilly

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Wikimedia Commons/public domain Many have commented that 2016 was thicker than usual in celebrity deaths. But some of those deaths have felt crueler and more poignant than others. (I for one couldn’t care less whether Prince lived or died. Sue me.) The comparatively young death of Carrie Fisher has come as a particularly sad shock to cap the year off. Tributes from various friends and associates have poured in, all emphasizing her sharp wit, humor, and honesty. It’s struck me that… Read more

George Bailey and the Embrace Of Home

December 24, 2016 By Esther O’Reilly

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This year, one of my all-time favorite films turned 70. It’s a Wonderful Life has rightly earned its place as an American classic and one of Jimmy Stewart’s best roles. It gives the lie to anyone who tries to paint old Hollywood in broad, simplistic strokes, by presenting us with a likable hero who catches one bad break after another and eventually has to be pulled from the brink of suicide. Over at The Stream, I paid tribute to the… Read more