Thanks to Jacob for the heads up on this. We talk “church” often and have both become disillusioned with the American church’s dysfunctional programmatic models. Nowadays, most U.S. churches are designed like businesses, with the pastor being the CEO, the church’s ministry being a “product,” and its members being “consumers.” “Church” has come to be [...]
Ever since Marlon Brando sent loincloth clad Sacheen Littlefeather to pick up his Best Actor Oscar for The Godfather, politics has been interjected, often obnoxiously (see Michael Moore’s acceptance speech for Farenheit 911), into the Academy Awards. Gone are the days when actors kept their causes to themselves. With Sunday night’s presentation projected to reach [...]
I’ve been reading for Coach’s Midnight Diner for about three months, but it has already been a great experience, far more rewarding than I first anticipated. In early December, the Diner team had a conference call with Coach Culbertson and he set up an online system for us to rate each story (from 1 to [...]
So Achtung Baby came up on my iPod, followed by How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, and I was struck again by how unique U2 really is. Forget that they’ve been included in some Best Christian Band lists. The fact that these four guys have stayed together for over 30 years, released over 20 albums, [...]
In this tumultuous political season, it’s fitting that other ideological wars are being waged. Last week, Becky Miller at Speculative Faith, in a post entitled How Do We Judge Fantasy?, linked to an emerging controversy regarding popular YA Christian Fantasy author Bryan Davis’ new book Eye of the Oracle (EotO) and some bloggers who questioned [...]
So I’m still catching up on last year’s music. Sure, I’ve got a list a mile long and a feeling I’ll never get up to date. Nevertheless, I’ve plied these beauties out of the year-end lists, and interspersed them with some of my own. Here’s a recap of what’s currently occupying my iPod: * * [...]
Pop quiz: which of these characters is real? Mickey Mouse The Pillsbury Doughboy The Cloverfield monster Winston Churchill None of the above If you answered number #5, you get a smiley sticker. All of the characters above are fictional, at least according to a recent British survey. ABC reports: Nearly a quarter of Brits think [...]
I tire so quickly of talking politics. But nothing will take my mind off the malaise like a good Razzie. In last year’s Razzie Rating, I was a near-perfect 1 of 5. My lone slip up was M. Night Shyamalan’s awful Lady in the Water, which I reviewed HERE. (Though LitW missed out on the [...]
I’m probably not the only conservative disillusioned by the four remaining Republican nominees. But my political malaise goes far deeper than having to choose between a Mormon and a liberal — it concerns politics in general. Is it just me, or do Christians place far too much import on politics? Don’t get me wrong, I [...]
As part of my writing resources, I’ve slowly been compiling magazine subscriptions. Currently, I’m receiving Christian History, Writer’s Digest and Paste. But, at this writing, my favorite is Christianity Today’s, Books and Culture. Books, films, music, history, politics, science, interviews, and pop culture analyzed from a discerning Christian perspective. Sometimes academic, often theological, always thought-provoking. [...]
