Seminarian at Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge Pa., Anglican priest-in-training, lover of movies, video games, internet culture, and all things nerd.
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Soul Possession: Just How Much Is Your Soul Worth?
The Freakonomics crew put out a new podcast on selling souls this week, and boy was it a doozie. They featured a Christian from Oklahoma who boldly offered any atheist/skeptic/taker $50 for ownership of his soul. Sure enough, through the comments board on the Freakonomics webpage, he found a skeptic seller, and the two exchanged the money for an official contract of soul ownership. This set off a half-hour discussion around the following questions: can somebody sell their soul? Is it ethical? Is $50 a good bargain for a soul? What’s the market value for such a thing, and what does…
World Peace Ejected from NBA Game
No, not from The Onion… In 2011, Ron Artest of the L.A. Lakers officially changed his name to “Metta World Peace.” Saith Wikipedia: ”‘Changing my name was meant to inspire and bring youth together all around the world,’ World Peace said in a statement released after the name change court hearing. His publicist, Courtney Barnes, said that World Peace chose Metta as his first name because it is a traditional Buddhist word that means loving kindness and friendliness towards all.” It was a move one-part publicity stunt, one part atonement for his history of brawling with payers and fans alike. With the history…
Bubba Golf: Mastering Freedom
If, in your Ham-Induced-Post-Resurrection-Feast-Coma, you happened to catch the last round of the Master’s Golf Tournament, you know about Bubba Golf. Lin-sanity is so February! Bubba Watson is the latest upstart in pro sports, winning his first green jacket on Easter Sunday in Augusta, shattering just about every golfer stereotype there is. While the Tiger meltdown continues, and while Mickelson had an unfortunate last round, the lovable good ol’ boy from the Florida panhandle gave the golf world a much-needed boost. In honor of his win, I thought I’d offer a few thoughts, theological and otherwise, why Bubba Golf is…
Hungry for Love: Dystopia, Genesis 4, and The Hunger Games
Will I be at the midnight showing of The Hunger Games this Thursday? I hope so! Back in 2009, Mockingjay- er, Mockingbird- contributor JDK wrote a fantastic piece on George Orwell and Law/Gospel, noting an important link between dystopian literature and life after the fall. The genre has proven to be a fairly bankable one in Hollywood (from Total Recall and The Matrix to I Am Legend and The Walking Dead and everywhere in between), a trend which shows no sign of slowing anytime soon. Indeed, the latest high-profile dystopian fantasy to hit the silver screen is the most hyped…
Book Review: The Meaning of Marriage by Tim Keller
Two things led me to pick up Tim Keller’s new book on marriage, both of which were pressing. The first: I needed a “marriage book” for Pastoral Care class at seminary. The second: I had an engagement ring burning a hole in my pocket, and it was gonna be there for another week before I could “unload it.” So you might say matrimony has been on my mind, for both academic and personal reasons. Seeing as I also happen to contribute on occasion to Mockingbird, the question quickly took on a larger scope: where does a grace-dependent Gospel junkie like me…
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Top 10 Mockingbird News Stories of 2011
Once again, this year’s news cycle provided a whole new set of jaw-dropping gospel fodder for our beloved little blog here. Here are my top 10 stories that were either too short to post or slipped through the cracks in 2011.
"Theologies of Glory only pay short term dividends."
10) “Pay for Spray” Law: While it isn’t the first time it’s happened, it’s heartbreaking every time it happens. In a rural Tennessee, a family neglected to pay a fee to the local fire department. When their mobile home caught on fire, the firefighters responded, only to watch their house burn down.…
Jimmy Kimmel on Luke 11:11-13
“What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
[Slight language warning for the anger-induced outcry at the end. You'll know what we're referring to when you hear it...]
The Re-Eden: Terra Nova, Time Travel, and Second Chances
While it’s certainly no Breaking Bad or Friday Night Lights, I’m really enjoying Fox’s new Sci-Fi adventure Terra Nova. [Caveat: I’m following the show on Hulu, so I’m only on episode 3 right now!]. Not because it deals with any intense interpersonal conflict or introspective analysis of the conscience, but because it has time travel and dinosaurs. Do I really need to justify watching any show that has time travel and dinosaurs? If you’re new to the show, the premise is that Earth in 2149 AD is a desert wasteland- think the opening scenes of Wall*E. Scientists have discovered a…
Sinning is so mainstream…
"Now that I'm cool, does that mean Jesus doesn't love me?"
Another Week Ends: “You Look Good,” Ferris Bueller, and Other Lies…
It is both my privilege and pleasure to fill in for DZ this week! So here’s your Another Week Ends post, Bryan J. style!
1) A follow up to DZ’s great post on The Argumentative Theory of Reasoning, found here, another NYT article titled “Reason Seen More as Weapon than Path to Truth” continues to expound upon this very Mockingbird theory of reason. What’s unique about this piece- its view of flawed arguments:
What is revolutionary about argumentative theory is that it presumes that since reason has a different purpose — to win over an opposing group — flawed reasoning is an…
Your Future has been Adjusted? Free Will and the Adjustment Bureau
Attempting to strike while the iron is hot, I figured a quick review of the Adjustment Bureau might be helpful given this morning’s earlier NYT post. We posted the trailer for Bureau waaay back in June of ’10, chuckling at the movie’s tag line: “If you believe in free will, will you fight for it?” After seeing the movie, I figured I’d share a few non-spoiler observations about the movie, which turns out to be less preachy on the subject than you might imagine. The movie surprisingly presents a sympathetic understanding of the bound will. The…
Voodoo Child: Classic Rock, Celebrity, and Idolatry
A fun NYT article about a link between celebrity and idolatry: In trying to discover why somebody would pay $959,500 for Eric Clapton’s signature Fender Strat named Blackie, or thousands still for a “replica” of Blackie, a team of researchers at Yale have theorized that the same urges that drove our ancestors to magic and voodoo make us think that the celebrity artifacts are somehow “contagious” (though you might instead be thinking of “The Pearl of Great Price” if you love rock-n-roll!). The article is short and worth a quick read- especially for anybody who a) loves Clapton, b)…
Give Up, Charlie Sheen!
But alas, the exhortation to “give up” does not engender the ability, nor the desire, to “give up.”
We’ve posted bits and pieces on Charlie Sheen’s very public, very unfortunate meltdown before, but one might argue that Thursday the “bottoming out process” began. CBS has halted production on Sheen’s successful TV show, Two-and-a-Half-Men, in response to Sheen’s recent disastrous radio interview. Sheen attacked, among other things, the show’s producer, Alcoholics Anonymous, and, of course, Thomas Jefferson? As Sheen publicly tailspins, he becomes a public example of the bound will we all wrestle with day-in and day-out. Some moments…
Rebecca Todd: Well, I am sure both of you would win a debate so I'm not going there....
Jim McNeely: Rebecca, I agree, great comment! Yummy. Here are my thoughts.I thi...
Sam: Isn't the empty tomb proof? I remember a debate that involved Christo...
Zach: Wonderful jewel of honesty amidst the dregs of mealy pap spewed from l...
Rutger-Jan Heijmen: *Conan's...