In recent years, much has been written about the historical relationship between religion (as an institution, and not just a theme) in the development of cinema. While it might not be as ground-breaking as advertised, William D. Romanowski’s newest book, Reforming Hollywood: How American Protestants Fought for Freedom at the Movies, reveals that there is fertile [...]
I find it somewhat fitting that, as the Supreme Court of the United States considers marriage equality, I finished up film historian Jeanine Basinger‘s latest book, I Do and I Don’t: A History of Marriage in the Movies. In her incisive, encyclopedic work, she takes readers through the history of “marriage movies” from the silents [...]
With frequent accounts of random gun violence, the vehemence with which many Americans cling to their weapons, and the on-going debate over the influence of violent media on consumers, anyone who suggests that perhaps we are an increasingly peaceful (or less violent) species might be laughed out of…or violently removed from…the room. Yet this is [...]
During the recent holiday season, I read three books that could not have been more different from each other, even as they each had religion/religious belief as a central theme. One is a post-apocalyptic novel about a group of monks, the second a novel-length letter written from a dying, elderly pastor to his young son, [...]
Peacemaker Dan Terry followed the way of Jesus into hostile, neglected territory of back country Afghanistan. In the process, he fashioned friendships and networks that have the potential to re-shape a nation…unless war-mongerers and religious fanatics (on both sides of the divide) have their way. Jonathan Larson’s Making Friends Among the Taliban: A Peacemaker’s Journey [...]
If you’re looking to celebrate Halloween with a good book, then look no further than the new release, The Undead and Theology, a collection of essays edited by Kim Paffenroth and John Morehead. Again, this is a bit of a shameless plug, in a way, because I have a chapter in it on The Walking [...]
Even though he is not working from an explicitly religious or theological perspective, Stephen Prince’s writing on film is a must read for all film lovers interested in the theological and/or religious dimensions of film. I’ve written and raved here about the collection of essays he edited, Screening Violence, and I have just finished reading [...]
Of course, I’m biased, but I think the newest theology and film book, Light Shining in a Dark Place, is an interesting contribution to the growing hybrid study…and not just because I have a chapter in it either!
With the events in Libya over the past week and the anniversary of 9/11, it seems serendipitous that I recently finished Amy Waldman‘s brilliant book, The Submission. I think it might just be one of the most important books of this young century (yeah, I said it!) and certainly for our time now.
With every new election cycle, within some circles there’s always talk about what the Bible says about certain key talking points…on both sides of the aisle…be it aid for the poor or repealing abortion. Whatever the case, the Bible, as so often happens in pop, public discourse is treated as a monolithic, univocal entity. Little, [...]
