Pardon Our Progress…

Whenever I see that sign at ongoing construction sites, I think, “How condescending.” Well, now I’m forced to eat my words and put up a “Pardon Our Progress” sign of my own. I’ve just found a new theme for poptheology that I really like and will be taking the weekend and the first part of next week to tweak the presentation and update the categories. Many thanks to davec for all his help.

Touch of Gray…

I also work as a religion consultant for Active Voice, a non-profit media group that uses documentary films to leverage social justice issues. Active Voice is interested in creating or partnering with creative efforts to break through the barrier of polarized arguments around controversial subjects. They constantly pursue efforts that build compassionate bridges between people with different opinions around these subjects. I can think of no better model for this type of work within faith communities than Adam Hamilton’s newest book, Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White: Thoughts on Religion, Morality, and Politics. [Read more]

Timeless…

In the conclusion to John Ford, Peter Bogdanovich reflects on the director’s career and death. He recalls Jane Fonda picketing the American Film Institute’s presentation of their first Life Achievement Award to Ford because President Nixon was present. Bogdanovich sees a shortsightedness to Fonda’s protest and a timelessness to the director’s work. Though Ford may have held disagreeable political views (whose aren’t?), Bogdanovich writes, “His best movies–and there are many of them–are for all our days” (109). A film’s resonance with its audiences dpends on both the effectiveness of the filmmaking team and the socio-political, cultural millieu into which it is released and in which it is subsequently viewed. Most recently, we can easily imagine that Iraq war films that tank now might find a second wind in a few years as we continually judge our involvement in Iraq. Truly great films resonate throughout the decades regardless of what climate surrounds their release or viewing. At their heart, these films often address “ultimate questions,” shared experiences that characterize what it means to be human. John Ford made these kinds of films. One in particular, however, The Prisoner of Shark Island (1936), has a special relevance for out time as it addresses the loss of civil liberties in the name of American patriotism.

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We’re Here and We’re….Religious?

So I just finished watching the Compassion Forum on CNN, a political debate between Democractic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama around issues of the role of faith and religion in public policy. First and foremost, I must say that I cringe at the “necessity” of having this debate because on one level it seems like little more than political pandering to religious, potential voters. [Read more]

To Protect the Guilty…

I’ll admit it.  I was more than skeptical when I saw the poster for another Jason Statham movie, especially when the title is The Bank Job.  I mean really, how many times does Statham need to play a low-class British criminal?  He’s like the James Bond of the London underworld, though not nearly as suave.  However, all the positive reviews on rottentomatoes and 2-for-1 ticket night at The Cerrito lured me in.  Turns out, I was pleasantly surprised.  Rather than simply a made-up story about a bank robbery gone wrong, director Roger Donaldson and screenwriters Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais took their inspiration from actual events that took place in early 1970s London.  In the end, we have a film about a group of rookie bankrobbers who unwittingly protect some naughty politicians and simultaneously shake up all of Scotland Yard.  Ironically, this film about 1970’s London speaks to a theme I see running throughout contemporary American society, specifically the need to police the moral police. [Read more]

Potential Horizons: Friedrich and Ford

It looks like the next month is shaping up to be a John Ford month as I will be working on a project that compares the paintings of the German Romanticist Caspar David Friedrich to the films of John Ford. The similarities between Friedrich’s landscapes and Ford’s settings, along with Friedrich’s influence on other Hollywood artists, is even stronger given Ford’s fascination with German filmmaker F. W. Murnau who was undoubtedly influenced by his German predecessor. I have yet to flesh out exactly what this connection means and just how complex the similarities and differences really are. [Read more]

Nothing to Fear?

Well, I guess that depends on whether you are carrying the Olympic torch through San Francisco this week, or if you are a Warriors fan anxiously awaiting Thursday night’s game against the Denver Nuggets. It has been a busy couple of weeks out here on the left coast. Deadlines breathing down my neck and a film project on the horizon are vying for my time and attention. I have, however, managed to get in a couple of good movies over the past two weeks. I caught Martin Scrosese’s new documentary, Shine a Light, that focuses on one of their more recent concerts. This is no Last Waltz, but it is still good fun. The requisite theater experience aside, this film is probably best viewed in the comfort of your home where you can get up and imitate a Mick Jagger strut. I guess if you’re bold enough, a theater aisle would work even better. However, another film on DVD grabbed my attention, and I have been thinking about it on and off since I watched it. Most people might be turned off by seeing Stephen King’s name above a movie title, fearing that the film might be another B horror movie. Fortunately, The Mist transcends this stereotype and offers an interesting commentary on our current, fearful political climate and fear itself.
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Death of Pop Religion Icon…

Charlton Heston died last night at the age of 83. While he was not the first pop culture religious icon, he certainly was the most famous. Just as Jim Caviezle has become etched in the collective religious psyche as the figure of Jesus, few people can think of Moses without conjuring up images of Heston. Revisit Soylent Green in remembrance of Heston…you’ll be glad you did.

Sports, Religion, and Social Justice: Take Two

Here is some more footage of the GTU panel discussion on sports, religion, and social justice. In this video, you will hear Mike Beckman talk about the Green Bay Packers, Tai-Amri Spann Wilson reflect on his personal experiences with sports, and Emily Joy McGaughy finally adds some female flavor to the panel as she discusses women and sports.

Sports, Religion, and Social Justice: A New Hermeneutic?

Below is the footage from a talk that I gave as part of a panel discussion on sports, religion, and social justice. Hope you enjoy it.