Note: This review was written before professional basketball player Jason Collins came out as gay today in Sports Illustrated. I saw the movie 42 tonight, and I have to say, I kind of enjoyed it. Yes, I know it was extremely sentimental at some points. During certain scenes I could have sworn I was going to get a cavity from all the sugary sweetness of those early heart warming familial moments. That being said, I...
At the time I write this, over one-hundred thirty people have been injured and at least two killed after bombings that took place in Boston following the Boston Marathon. At this time, no suspects have been identified publicly, nor have any groups stepped forward to claim responsibility. In a post-9/11 United States of America, one that has seen a decade of warfare in Afghanistan and Iraq, most people would reasonably assume that this attack was...
I thought it might be fun to give a psych perspective on the current American obsession with the ever-impending “Zombie Apocalypse.” Undoubtedly you’ve noticed that the movies, shows, and increasingly so, merchandise, are popping up everywhere. I don’t think there’s anything coincidental or surprising about it. So why is our culture obsessed with it? I think it’s important to first look at what else is happening in culture. There are many things we can consider:...
“Physics is like sex: sure, it may give some practical results, but that’s not why we do it.” -Richard P. Feynman[1] For many in our society, Dr. Feynman’s above quote pretty much summarizes the telos (the goal, or end-all) of sexual activity of any type—its about pleasure, desire, and self-satisfaction (maybe even the satisfaction that comes from pleasing another). But… that’s about it. Despite the natural results (conception and childbearing) that the exercise naturally produces,...
The details for our upcoming conference, Ecclesia & Ethics: A Eco-Friendly and Economically-Feasible Online Biblical Studies and Theology Conference, are being finalized. The ‘Call for Papers’ has ended and the parallel presentations have been selected. In addition to our main speakers – which includes notable figures like NT Wright, Stanley Hauerwas, Michael Gorman, Shane Claiborne, Brian Rosner, and more – we will have several additional presentations. We are uploading the titles, times, abstracts, and bios for...
Alex Lundry, Mitt Romney’s data analyst, recently reported that over 60% of evangelical youth support the legalization of same sex marriage (SSM). This number is in stark contrast to the responses of older evangelical Christians to poll on the issue. Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen cited this statistic on NBC’s Meet the Press this past Sunday. The context was a discussion over the upcoming Supreme Court decision regarding the constitutionality of state laws banning SSM. The panel...
I have been waiting to review one of my favorite movies from 2012 for quite some time, Cabin in the Woods. As soon as I saw it I knew I needed to blog about it, and more importantly, I knew I needed to review it this week—Holy week. Perhaps you’re thinking, this is totally random; why is he reviewing a movie from last year during a time when he should be reflecting on things like...
In preparation for our Ecclesia and Ethics conference (ecclesiaethics.com), here’s a short interview with one of our keynote speakers, Dr. Nijay Gupta. Enjoy and please share! Ecclesia and Ethics Interview Nijay Gupta — 2/5/2013 from Ecclesia Ethics on Vimeo.
This Wednesday, the cloudy puffs of the fumata bianca from the Sistine chapel told the world that, in unexpectedly quick passion, the Catholic Church would have a new world leader. At the age of 76, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, former leader of the Arch Diosese of Buenos Aires, will become a Pope of many firsts. Not only is he the first non-European Pontifex of Rome, but he is also the very first Jesuit[1] to bear the...
As part of National Women’s History Month, I wanted to comment on an interesting video I recently watched on YouTube. It’s about the ‘Damsel in Distress’ trope. Although it’s central focus is the prevailing use of this trope in video games since the early 80’s, the perspective is actually quite a bit broader, drawing upon the origin of the trope in Greek mythology, as well as cinematic classics like the original King Kong and cartoons...
Recent Comments