News
The Law and Gospel (of Lent) according to Chocolat
Film / Food / Grace in Practice / Religion

The Law and Gospel (of Lent) according to Chocolat

by Matt Schneider on Feb 22, 2012 • No Comments

Much like the nation of Greece, the season of Lent is characterized by “austerity measures.” And while such devotion can be beautiful, Lenten observance can also border on piety for piety’s sake, or what we might call works righteousness. Please do not misunderstand me: I enjoy and value the season. Who of us wouldn’t benefit from setting aside time to reflect on the grace and mercy of God (and our need to repent)?

The tension between the need for mercy that defines Lent (in theory) and the works righteousness with which it has all too often become synonymous is the theme…

Read More »

Targeted Shopping Habits and Preemptive Diaper Ads
Business / Economics / Psychology / Social Science

Targeted Shopping Habits and Preemptive Diaper Ads

by David Zahl on Feb 21, 2012 • 1 Comment

Yikes! The NY Times ran a lengthy piece by Charles Duhigg this past weekend about absurdly precise, borderline Big Brother market research techniques that companies like Target (pun sort of intended…sigh) are pioneering to capture our dollars. The article doubles as an overview of recent breakthroughs in the study of habit formation, and it’s disconcerting on a number of levels.

For our purposes, the main ‘takeaway’ isn’t exactly news: we are all creatures of enormous habit, much of which is unconscious, and  regardless of how autonomously we like to think of ourselves, it is our painful predictability that unites us –…

Read More »

Conferences

2012 NYC CONFERENCE: BREAKOUTS, DISCOUNTS AND SCHEDULE

by Mockingbird on Feb 20, 2012 • 2 Comments

The full schedule for our Spring Conference is now up on the conference site! We could not be more excited about how the breakout sessions have come together – we’ve even added a third slate this year. In fact, we’re so excited that we’ve decided to cut the pre-registration fee for those who register online between now and March 20th. Simply select the “All-Inclusive Early Bird rate” which costs the same as the student one – $100/person or $150/couple – and includes meals. We will be getting in touch with those who are already registered to see if they would like to take advantage retrospectively. Again, this offer will expire on March 20th and only applies to web registrations. What are you waiting for?

Morning Breakout Sessions – 10:45am-12:00pm

  1. Grace in (Sexual) Addiction: Honesty and Freedom in a Cyber-Connected World – Jay Haug
  2. Mockingbird at the Movies: Hollywood’s Love Affair with Love – Nick Lannon
  3. These Pretzels Are Making Me Thirsty: Human Nature, Humor and Seinfeld – David Zahl
  4. This American Gospel: Public Radio Parables and the Honesty of God – Ethan Richardson

Afternoon Breakout Sessions I – 2:30-3:30pm

  1. Disarming Parenthood: Love and Forgiveness with Young Children – Melina Smith
  2. How Did You Find Me Here? Fear and Rescue in American Music – Ethan Richardson
  3. Light When All Is Dark: Depression, Mental Illness, and Christian Hope – Kathryn Greene McCreight
  4. What Would Don Draper Do (to Eric Taylor)? Downward Mobility and Grace in Mad Men and Friday Night Lights – RJ Heijmen

Afternoon Breakout Sessions II – 3:30-4:30pm

  1. The Future of the Gospel: A Theological Discussion with Michael Horton – Jady Koch
  2. Grace in (Sexual) Addiction, Take 2: Honesty and Freedom in a Cyber-Connected World – Jay Haug
  3. Poetry Reading (title TBA) – Brad Davis

In addition, we are finalizing the details of a PZ’s Podcast reception (with the Man Himself), which will likely take place on Friday evening. Bios and previews coming soon.

GIDDY UP!

Celebrity / Death

Tyler Perry on the Grace that Carried Whitney Houston Home

by David Zahl on Feb 20, 2012 • 7 Comments

What beautiful, beautiful 4 minutes. Can I get a Hallelujer?

Another Week Ends: More Linsanity, IMonk Grace, TechnoSabbaths, Defending Nic Cage, DFW on Corrosive Illusions, Cougarton Abbey and GNR Rumors
Film / Grace in Practice / Humor / Literature / Music / Religion / Sports / Technology / Theology / TV / Week In Review

Another Week Ends: More Linsanity, IMonk Grace, TechnoSabbaths, Defending Nic Cage, DFW on Corrosive Illusions, Cougarton Abbey and GNR Rumors

by David Zahl on Feb 17, 2012 • No Comments

1. Just in case you haven’t overdosed on Linsanity yet, David Brooks offers a sympathetic big-picture perspective in his column in The NY Times, highlighting how the culture of achievement and glory in professional sports conflicts with ethical framework espoused by most of the major religious traditions. Some will certainly say that Brooks going overboard, but I’m not so sure. Of course, there are plenty of valid, non-religious ways to rationalize competition, but attempts to do so on the basis of Christianity have always struck this blogger as particularly unconvincing, ht TB:

The moral ethos of sport is in tension with…

Read More »

Didn’t We Almost Have It All: Whitney Houston’s Life as Impasse
Addiction / Celebrity / Film / Music / Suffering

Didn’t We Almost Have It All: Whitney Houston’s Life as Impasse

by Jeff Hual on Feb 17, 2012 • 3 Comments

My wife and I were watching Saturday Night Live when NBC broke the news that Whitney Houston had died. Other than the time and place of her death, no other details were given. And, truthfully, we didn’t need any other details to have an inkling of what had happened. Just as with the announcement of Michael Jackson’s passing, we had all watched Whitney slide into her downward spiral.

I was in High School when “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” started airing on MTV. I’m sure everyone has seen it. Think about what we see there: one can’t help but see the…

Read More »

Can Anything Good Come From Harvard? The (In)Auspicious Origins of Jeremy Lin
Sports / Theology

Can Anything Good Come From Harvard? The (In)Auspicious Origins of Jeremy Lin

by Nick Lannon on Feb 16, 2012 • 3 Comments

The Reformers, specifically Martin Luther, often talked about God working in unexpected ways. Luther called this work of God sub contrario, that is, “under the opposite.” God, in other words, is most often found working in the thing that looks the opposite of what we would expect. As evidence, we can look to Biblical stories of Jesus eating with tax collectors and sinners, forgiving thieves on crosses (okay, one thief on one cross), and resurrecting the dead. Jesus’ modus operandi seems to have continually confounded those among whom he lived. This idea of God working sub…

Read More »

Why Am I So Obsessed With That Person From Sixth Grade? Cyberstalking and the Permanent Reunion
Identity / Law / Social Science / Technology

Why Am I So Obsessed With That Person From Sixth Grade? Cyberstalking and the Permanent Reunion

by David Zahl on Feb 15, 2012 • 3 Comments

The rejection we feel when we find out that someone has de-friended us on Facebook or stopped following us on Twitter must be the definition of a ‘modern problem.’ We usually discover these things by accident, which probably accounts for why they sneak through our defenses so easily. Just the other day, for example, I noticed that someone had un-followed me on Twitter, and almost immediately, I found myself drawn into a web of self-recrimination. It was particularly silly since I was about to stop following them. And I knew my reasons had very little to do with my esteem…

Read More »

Linsanity: Something To Believe In?
News / Sports / Suffering / Theology/Religion

Linsanity: Something To Believe In?

by Blair on Feb 13, 2012 • 4 Comments

If you’re a sports fan, you’ve likely written off the NBA season because of its late start due to a collective bargaining dispute. Or maybe, like me, you’ve never been that interested in the NBA in the first place. Still, that hasn’t stopped me from hearing about the Knicks’ new point guard, Jeremy Lin. If you’re a fan of The Waterboy (guilty as charged), you’ll like this story. If you’re a fan of Tim Tebow, buckle up.

A Harvard grad who received league honors from his sophomore season on, but toiled in relative obscurity in the Ivy League, Lin was initially…

Read More »

Horton Hears a Mockingbird: NYC Conference 2012, Do Yourself A Favor
Conferences / Law / Theology

Horton Hears a Mockingbird: NYC Conference 2012, Do Yourself A Favor

by JDK on Feb 13, 2012 • 4 Comments

It is hard to overstate how excited we are about this year’s Mockingbird conference main speaker, Michael Horton. Through his work as the Professor of Systematic Theology at Westminster Seminary in Escondido, Ca, editor of Modern Reformation and host of The White Horse Inn radio program, he has encouraged, educated and inspired countless people around the world to, in the words of the apostle Peter “be prepared with a ready defense for the hope you have within you” (1 Peter 3:15). I can think of few other people whose work and ministry more embodies the intention of…

Read More »

Another Week Ends: Joseph Mills, Commitment Devices, Anxiety Rights, Bible Rescue, Imposter Syndrome, Hitch on Chesterton, Elmer Bernstein and Liz Lemon
Addiction / America / Art / Bible / Books / Education / Film / Humor / Music / Psychology / Religion / TV / Week In Review

Another Week Ends: Joseph Mills, Commitment Devices, Anxiety Rights, Bible Rescue, Imposter Syndrome, Hitch on Chesterton, Elmer Bernstein and Liz Lemon

by David Zahl on Feb 10, 2012 • 6 Comments

1. One of the many things to adore about David Foster Wallace’s A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again is the cover (of the US edition). The collage manages to capture the torrential intellect at the heart of that wonderful collection without losing the humor. But it wasn’t until this past week that I knew anything about its designer, photographer/artist/pumpkin farmer Joseph Mills. The Washington City Paper did a feature on him back in 2003 in conjunction with an exhibit at the Corcoran, and Joseph’s words–and personal history with psychosis and depression–pack quite a punch, ht SJ:

When asked about…

Read More »

“Weeping and Lifting Weights”: Getting Real with The Bachelor
America / Books / Celebrity / Everyday / Identity / Relationships / TV

“Weeping and Lifting Weights”: Getting Real with The Bachelor

by Ethan on Feb 10, 2012 • No Comments

Did you see this Monday’s Bachelor? When Casey S. got called to come outside and talk to Chris about something important, you knew, you knew it was something important. You just knew her bags were packed, she was leaving her chance at, her life with Ben. Casey S. had that look, like “I know I’m about to be found out, but I’m going to hold these cards up until the very last minute. I can’t give in. Well, I want to, but I don’t want to, you know?” You know? The scene was so perfect. Out the heavily windowed courtyard,…

Read More »