As I was searching the wonderful TED archive of talks the other day, I came across the address that author J.K Rowling gave at Harvard Commencement in 2008. (Aside – the TED site/community is a great resource IMO and very much worth your time). I’ve never read any of the Harry Potter books and am only vaguely familiar with Rowling’s personal history as an impoverished single mother who became a mega-star author. But I was blown away by her speech and would categorize it in the theology of the cross realm– e.g. calling a thing a thing. In twenty short…
Blind Bound By Love – An Interview with Derek Webb
It’s no secret that musician Derek Webb has long been an inspiration, and not just because of his 2005 album Mockingbird. Like any artist worth paying attention to, his path has taken a number of dramatic twists and turns, most recently with the release of the controversial and predominantly electronic Stockholm Syndrome. Last week I had the great privilege of speaking with Derek about a number of things, among them the new record, the unpredictable trajectory of his career, the concept of “Christian” artistry and the mad genius of rapper MF Doom. Regardless of what one makes of the issues…
Offended by Jesus
I was offended by grace last night.
My wife was reading the story of Jesus interacting with Zacchaeus from the Jesus Storybook Bible to our 6 month-old daughter. Usually, children’s bibles are filled with simple moralistic truisms, but this particular bible is spectacular in its ability to point to Jesus and his Gospel in every single story. I highly recommend it to parents who aren’t trying to raise mean little fundamentalists.
Back to the offense. As my wife read the story I found myself hating Zacchaeus because he was exploiting the poor. I was imagining…
In Memoriam
A belated post for Memorial Day:
A friend of mine who is a Marine Lieutenant Colonel asked me recently if he had ever told me why he felt so strongly about coming to adult Sunday school and learning about the gospel. I told him that no, he had never mentioned it. I will never forget what he said next, and I hope he does not mind me sharing it here.
He turned to me squarely and said, “It’s because after two tours in Iraq, I want to understand why: why I came home, and so many men and women that I knew…
J.K. Rowling on Gospel Themes in Harry Potter
It is not exactly breaking news to say that the Harry Potter books contain a fair amount of explicitly Christian material. Still, I was unaware that J.K. Rowling had ever commented directly on the matter. In preparation for tonight’s Mockingbird meeting, I came across the following excerpts from an interview conducted after the release of The Deathly Hallows. Nothing too profound but encouraging nonetheless:
“The truth is that, like Graham Greene, my faith is sometimes that my faith will return. It’s something I struggle with a lot. On any given moment if you asked me [if] I believe in life after…
Ever Wanted to Attend Your Own Funeral?
I have been keeping up with this first season of “Dollhouse” by Joss Whedon and if you have the time, take a look at the episode, “Haunted.” Even if you don’t watch the show, this episode stands alone. It is about a woman who, through wonderous advances in science-fiction, has the ability to transfer her identity and thoughts into the body of another person.
The episode centers around a very wealthy and powerful woman who is murdered and brought back in the body of the beautiful Elisha Dushku. She attends her own funeral in the guise of a friend whom…
The Megachurch Is Falling! The Megachurch Is Falling!
Hey all you party people.So there’s this guy named Michael Spencer in Kentucky living in a “Christian community.” He runs a really great blog called Internet Monk. And he just wrote a piece for The Christian Science Monitor predicting a major collapse of Evangelical Christianity over the next ten years. Some of his predictions will likely happen, while others are a bit more far-fetched. In any case, it will be interesting to see how this plays out. But the best thing about Spencer’s article is how well he identifies much of the malaise that is affecting evangelicalism. (A note on…
Top Five Best Fantasy Novels
I am sure we all have our own views on which are the five best fantasy novels, but I thought I would throw in my own two cents on this important topic. For those who are not entirely clear on what I mean by ‘fantasy novel’, I am referring to those books that are often shelved along with science fiction in your local Borders, and which can sometimes be confused with romance novels from the covers, even though this is a HUGE mistake. (I think.)
But first, some basic principles for what makes a good fantasy novel:
1. A good…
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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...