Archive for May, 2010

BRANDS OF FAITH: A REVIEW

May 25, 2010 2 Comments by admin

Mara Einstein argues, in her book Brands of Faith:  Marketing Religion in a Commercial Age, that we live in a culture of “planned obsolescence.”  This is hard to deny given the frequency with which, for example, Apple releases new iPods and iPhones.  Yet she turns her attention to the effects that such consumerism has on [...]

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Painfully Precious

May 19, 2010 1 Comment by admin

Last weekend, I finally got around to watching Precious, a film deserving of all the critical acclaim heaped on it since its release.  Check out the review after the jump.

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Witnessing a Confession

May 18, 2010 1 Comment by admin

I looked forward to reading Tony DuShane’s Confessions of a Teenage Jesus Jerk because I felt like, according to the blurbs on the back, it would give some insight into a somewhat secretive religious group, Jehovah’s Witnesses.  This coming-of-age novel, while not necessarily full of specific, insider info on the theology and practices of Jehovah’s [...]

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Atoning for Trouble

May 17, 2010 3 Comments

“If forgiveness is not important, what is?”  This is just one of several theological questions that the film Troubled Water raises.  Released on DVD here in the states as part of the Film Movement project, it offers up an engrossing narrative and an interweaving structure that keeps viewers hooked until the end.

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A Review of SAINT 9/11

May 12, 2010 1 Comment

Pop Theology contributor Richard Lindsay reviews the documentary, Saint of 9/11, after the jump.

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Read Them, Read Them, Read Them!

May 10, 2010 1 Comment

Due to the volcanic ash cloud’s disruption of my wife’s arrival to the UK, I had some extra time on my hands and decided to start Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy, composed of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.  Having read a [...]

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If You Liked the First One…

May 06, 2010 No Comments

Confession:  I loved the first Iron Man film.  In my mind, Jon Favreau crafted a pitch-perfect superhero film that didn’t take itself too seriously, but contained serious themes.  Of course, his success was due in great part to a memorable performance by Robert Downey, Jr.  The reason that I am simultaneously pleased with and disappointed [...]

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