Perhaps one of the most significant ways to look at the life and ministry of Jesus is to view it as a proleptic vision of the coming kingdom of God.  In a sense, Jesus’ life is a theatrical trailer for a coming blockbuster.  The themes of this blockbuster are love, liberation, salvation, inclusion, forgiveness, and [...]

Ironically, the greatest thing about the cable movie network AMC is its original television series like Breaking Bad and Mad Men.  By far, the most popular of the two, Mad Men has garnered loads of critical acclaim and an audience that will no doubt increase as each season releases on DVD.  The first season of [...]

I received my favorite issues of Entertainment Weekly recently, the Fall telvision and movie previews.  I thought I would comb through them and create my own version of each.  So here it is, the first ever Pop Theology Fall TV Preview or, rather, the contets to the Pop Theology DVR Box.

It is understandable, though unfortunate, that CNN’s coverage of last night’s Saddleback Presidential Forum was most likely overshadowed by Phelps-mania.  Thankfully, the only event that coincided with this important religious/political discussion was the women’s marathon (zzzz).  Hosted by Pastor Rick Warren, who Time magazine recently called America’s most powerful religious leader, this question and answer [...]

I love seasons…I need seasons. It must be part of my spiritual makeup. Perhaps this is why I love sports so much. They are seasonal. Having lived in places as diverse as southern Mississippi and northern California, I have become accustomed to erratic or invisible seasonal changes. You can’t rely on a lengthy spring or [...]

Last year, my wife and I got hooked on the HBO Sports series Hard Knocks that offered a behind-the-scenes look at the Kansas City Chiefs training camp.  As a football junkie, the series helped fuel an addiction for me, but we also both enjoyed following the stories of NFL rookies and journeymen trying to make [...]

This fall, I will be taking a course entitled “Nonviolence, Power, and Evil” in which we will discuss and apply theoretical responses to evil vis-a-vis The Sopranos. At the end of the semester, we will then choose one of these models and apply it to a real-world situation. I am intrigued by this course because [...]

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 [...]

I loved Deadwood. I think I watched all three seasons in a matter of two weeks, or maybe less. Last summer, I was excited to see a David Milch follow up with John From Cincinnati. I’m not even going to pretend that it was as good as Deadwood. Few shows could be. Most critics were [...]

Galapagos: The Islands That Changed the World might be a lesser-known production than the BBC/Discovery Channel uber-series, Planet Earth. However, this much shorter project (2.5 hours compared to almost 10) is no less beautiful or entertaining. Like Planet Earth, Galapagos is shot in brilliant high definition and intimae glimpses into the lives of these islands’ [...]