Photo Credit: https://www.emmys.com/events/fyc/2017/the-handmaids-tale The Handmaid’s Tale, a popular Hulu drama series, just won eight Emmy Awards, including the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series. The series, which is based on the book by Margaret Atwood, follows the story of Offred, a handmaid, during a time where America falls under an extreme fundamentalist “Christian” totalitarian state of Gilead. In this dystopian society, women are enslaved and some are assigned roles of “handmaids,” where they are...
I am very excited to announce that the third installment of Ecclesia and Ethics is just around the corner! This year our main theme will be: Human Sexuality. Registration is now officially open; the cost of admission is $10, which goes straight to charity. You can find information for registration here. Be sure to tell people at your church, college, or seminary to come join us! The conference will take place in real-time and online...
Today’s my birthday, which means I’m officially the 30-year-old virgin. I’m not embarrassed. I’m not afraid to say the V-word. My lack of (ahem) experience is a running joke with my friends, and I’m happy to keep it going—as long as they don’t start believing that virginity equals purity. In a world where sex is king, some might think 30 years of celibacy is a huge moral achievement. It’s not. Sure, in my singleness I’ve...
In August of 2011 I wrote a post entitled, “Sex and Eschatology.” In that post I essentially tried to articulate that sex is a biblical type. It functions typologically as a pointer to the eschatological joy of believers. If you are interested in how I articulated this check out the post here. The reason for revisiting this post is because of a blog posted yesterday (May 6) by Dr. Len Hjalmarson (nextreformation.com). Dr. Hjalmarson, who...
“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,...
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...
J. K. Rowling has written a new book. Did you notice something in that sentence? Those who know my affection for the Harry Potter series should immediately recognize that my opening sentence ended, not with five exclamation points, but with a period. Sadly, I am not too thrilled about this book. And this is coming from a self-proclaimed ‘Pothead’ (my endearing term for Potter fans). I have always been on the defensive for Rowling, arguing...
Last week, Bryan wrote an article entitled, I’m (Kinda Sorta Yeah Not Really) Gay. As you might imagine, the post got a lot of attention: good, bad, and ugly. There were many who offered words of affirmation and encouragement, but along with these came comments with a totally different emphasis. The most common and fundamental objection that many readers had towards the post was that “being gay isn’t wrong.” In addition, the most emotional responses...
Rapper KB dropped a killer debut last month with Weight & Glory, an album that puts to rest all debates on whether hip-hop is good or bad. If we’re judging by music, lyrics, theology and phat beats, the verdict is in: behold, it was very good. Weight & Glory is a musical sermon that urges listeners to recognize the weight of God’s glory, and to respond in worship. The 14-song set includes guest vocals from...
“I can’t help but feel a little offended by Paul.” This phrase might be one you would expect to hear from one who has for the first time come across some of Paul’s passages for the first time. Perhaps from one reading his emotional introduction to Galatians. Or perhaps from another who has a hard time with passages that clearly outline how every person’s violation of the law makes him a needy candidate for grace...
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