In this month’s issue of The Atlantic, critic Christopher Orr asks, “Why Are Romantic Comedies So Bad?” He kicks off by quoting well known rom-com producer Lynda Obst, who recently claimed that this year has been “the hardest time of my 30 years in the business.” As an outspoken fan of the genre, I can’t say that I hadn’t noticed the decline in both quantity and quality these last few years. Normally February is chock-full of solid if formulaic romantic comedies, but the pickings are particularly slim this cycle. In fact, when The Onion published its fake headline earlier this…
The Top Theology Books of 2012
The following is a list of my top Mockingbird theology books of 2012 (in no particular order).
- Glorious Ruin by Tullian Tchividjian
Tchividjian does it again. Thoughtful, provocative, and deeply encouraging, “Glorious Ruin” places suffering at the heart of the Christian life and what we understand about God, but probably the biggest virtue of this book is its personal and accessible tone. Suffering is never spoken of in cold abstraction from its down-to-earth reality. It’s no wonder this book has gotten so much attention on this site.
- Justification Is for Preaching edited by Virgil Thompson
A much needed book for preachers and…
Consuming 2012: Favorite Songs, Memoirs, Documentaries, Surprises, Etc
Just under the wire, a few more assorted lists and accolades from this past year. Here’s what I consumed (and what consumed me) in 2013, most of which has already been covered in embarrassing depth elsewhere on this site.
Music
Favorite Discoveries of 2012
1. “St. Matthew” – The Monkees. Still boggles my mind to think of all the connections. There so clearly is a God (and his name may or may not be Dylan).
2. The Kinks’ Preservation Act 2. I had always stayed away because of the bad/intimidating reviews, and they were right about one thing: it is incomprehensible. But if you…
Top Ten Albums of 2012
In 2012, I easily listened to more new music than I have in the past 3 or 4 years combined, due in large part to my writing music reviews for Mockingbird (although not as many as I would have liked—curse you grad school!) as well as my newfound Spotify addiction. The variety and scope of my listening this year made creating this list somewhat difficult, but I’ve been able to narrow down my list and I’m thrilled to share it with you. Of course, a number of my choices have found their way onto lists across the internet, but there…
“Excuse Me, Ma’am, But That’s TMI”: Six Favorite Moments of 2012
I’m not an avid enough moviegoer to give you a list of my favorite films of the year. I’m nowhere near up to speed on current music enough to talk about the best artists of 2012. The only books I’ve read are theological ones, mostly Thomas Aquinas and Martin Luther, so books of 2012? I haven’t got a clue. What I can give you as a year-in-review a la LRE Larkin, is, well, me. So what follows are some of the moments this past year when I was reminded that I don’t have my act together, that I’m not in…
Top Semiodiscursive Christian Psychology Book Find of 2012: Foundations for Soul Care
I know, right, how could I possibly narrow it all down? Through some happily providential occurrences, I have had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Eric Johnson here in Louisville and of reading his massive tome entitled Foundations for Soul Care: A Christian Psychology Proposal. In this book, Dr. Johnson attempts to bridge the divide between secular and Christian views of psychology in a way that will allow them to speak to each other constructively. Since that is a lot of what we do here in MBird—albeit in a much less technical way—I was excited to run across this book and even…
The Year in Television 2012
Since we’ve been talking so much about television this week, why not go all the way and do our annual recap? Truth be told, it was a slightly off year on the small screen, the first plateau in quality that I can remember in about ten years. A number of the top-drawer shows experienced something of a “downturn”, e.g. Justified and Louie, and new contenders were not quite as numerous. Which isn’t to say there hasn’t been plenty worth watching and commenting on. God no:
Top Twelve Television Series of 2012
12. Game of Thrones. I’ll admit I was pretty skeptical after…
…and auld lang syne! Top 10 Stories We Missed in 2012
It feels like, and maybe this is just me, but 2011 was a year everyone was eager to put behind them. Natural disasters, global revolutions, untimely deaths. Unfortunately, add a dash of apocalyptic terror and election exhaustion to that mix, and 2012 didn’t end much better than 2011. “There is nothing new under the sun” saith Ecclesiastes, and in that regard, here is a list of 2012 stories that were too short to post or slipped past the Mbird radar this year.
10. In the world of judgment and measuring up, there’s epicpinterestfail.com, where humble, average, normal people attempt to create the…
Another Week Ends: Heresy vs. Apathy, Cartoon Boba Fett, Grown-Up Three-Year-Olds, Krampus, Winning the Lottery, More Deep Blue Sea, and Seeing God
1. Another fascinating piece by Tanya Luhrmann over at the New York Times argues that “Hark, the Herald Angels Didn’t Sing.” Amidst sobering reminders from strict biblical constructionists that many Christmas details are imagined or embellished, Luhrmann advocates a middle road for how to engage the Bible with imagination, ht SZ:
I am no theologian and I do not think that social science can weigh in on the question of who God is or whether God is real. But I think that anthropology offers some insight into why imaginatively enriching a text taken as literally true helps some Christians to hang on…
The Twelve Days of Christmas (Movies)
With Christmas only 2 weeks away (wait, what?!), I thought it high time to unveil my own personal top 12 list of Holiday faves. Here goes nothing:
12. Arthur Christmas
Just saw this for the first time last week and was hooked in the first five minutes by a powerful Gospel moment. An elf, delivering presents on Christmas Eve with the help of a “naughty-or-nice-o-meter”, comes across a boy who has been a bit too naughty to deserve anything. The elf frowns, promptly turns the device on himself and imputes to the boy the presents that the elf deserves. Sold!
11. Love Actually
A…
An Alternate Ten Best Records of 2011
One last year-end post before we move on to 2012, this one comes from new Mbird contributor Carl Laamanen, who also blogs over at Losing Sight of Land:
I’m going to highlight some albums that didn’t get press from some of the bigger outlets this year, even though I could have made some “trendier” picks if I had so desired. Also, there were some notable artists (Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, etc.) whose albums I didn’t get around to this year, which explains their absence from this list. I hope this list inspires you to check out some new music, or to…
Top Theology Books of 2011
The following is a list (in no particular order) of some of the most interesting theological books published in 2011. Needless to say it’s been a banner year.
Lutheran Theology by Steven Paulson
What is Lutheranism? Rather than answering this question by outlining the history and development of Lutheranism, Paulson goes back to Luther himself to rediscover its long-lost soul, using Luther against Lutheranism and its many failed representatives throughout history. By far, this book is Lutheran theology at its best. Positively, this Lutheran theology is a theology that must be preached and therefore it is the message of the justification by…
Waning Thoughts on the Waning Year
As if you haven’t read enough year-end lists, I offer you a few thoughts.
Best personal experience: Adding the fourth member of Team Stokes, Lucy Carpenter, who arrived on the ubiquitous date of November 11, 2011. Gentleman beware: She will be reared on a steady diet of Jane Austen and Emily Dickinson, and I’m giving her a copy of Joni Mitchell’s Blue when she turns fourteen.
Best live show: Like most who are married with children, I don’t get out nearly as much as I’d like. This year I was fortunate to a handful of live performances, and a few really stood…
Books / Comics / Fashion / Humor / Identity / Music / Poetry / Religion / Social Science / Theology / Year In Review
More 2011 Favorites: Books, Documentaries, Musical Discoveries and Web
Books and Film
Favorite Piece of Fiction (Read During 2011): Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger. Not just a favorite of the year, but a favorite, period. It’s a rare work of art indeed that can shed light on both The Royal Tenenbaums and the Jesus Prayer. Unbelievably wise, delightfully funny and deeply religious (in the best possible sense), I’m not sure Christ had a better spokesman in the 20th century than Zooey Glass. And has Salinger’s dialogue ever been bettered? I’m only embarrassed it took me this long to discover it. Favorite novel released in 2011 would have to be…
America / Books / Celebrity / Everyday / Film / Humor / Law / Music / News / Politics / Religion / Sports / Year In Review
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.…
Charles: "full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction" ...
Paul Walker: Amazing post! Thank you....
David Morton: Thanks! Ummm... yeah... that was probably the most dead-on, jam p...
Mark Salomon: How am I only discovering this... today? Best to you and your future e...
David Zahl: Fixed! Sorry about that......