Hello everyone! I was recently asked by my friend and fellow TheoCon planning member, Miss Whitis, to write a guest blog for her site. I told her “yes” even as I grew nervous about what to write about. Then I thought, “Why not stick with what know?” So I wrote about Pop Culture. More specifically,…
Author: matthewbrake84
EXTENDED Call for Papers: Theology and Breaking Bad
***The original call for papers has been extended until October 01, 2020! Call for Papers: Theology and Breaking Bad Editors: David K. Goodin, McGill University, School of Religious Studies david.goodin@mcgill.ca; George Tsakiridis, South Dakota State University george.tsakiridis@sdstate.edu Abstract and CV Due: October 01, 2020 “Say my name!” The moral universe of the era-defining AMC neo-Western crime…
Nostalgics, Progressives, and Hope for the Future in VAN HELSING
By Brandon Basse In Van Helsing, the familiar humanity versus vampire trope receives a new twist. The series takes place in the near future where the long dormant Yellowstone supervolcano erupts and the ensuing ash obscures the sun enough for vampires to come out during the day. This allows vampires to take over large portions…
Chromatica is the Song of the Exiled
By Taylor Ott As a long-time Lady Gaga stan, one of the most interesting things to me about Gaga’s music has always been the way in which her Catholic background provides context and language for so much of her work. Sometimes it is a prominent part of the subject material, sometimes it shows up in…
The Sectarian Review Interviews Hood Scholar (Dr. Travis Harris)!
Hello Everyone! Many of you have heard of the Sectarian Review podcast before. The host, Danny Anderson, has written some pieces for us (see an example here), and has often featured our work on his show. Recently, he had Dr. Travis Harris (“Hood Scholar”) on to talk about his work in on Hip Hop, Religion,…
Reading Religious Texts as a “Cinematic Universe”
By Jake Doberenz Cinematic universes are becoming more and more a part of our movie watching experience. Vast movie series sharing storylines, characters, and whole mythological worlds are the latest cash grab storytelling tactic to hit the big screens. The Marvel Cinematic Universe, clearly the most famous cinematic universe in existence right now, has a whopping…
Rape and Consent in Genesis 34 and RED TENT: Part One
By Princess O’Nika Auguste We have been told the story of Dinah and how she was defiled by a Canaanite prince. However, in the popular culture hit miniseries, Red Tent, it was portrayed as a love story. A brutal rape has been turned into a romantic fairytale. It was highly unlikely for Dinah to have…
Love, Home, and Dissonance in THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO
By Alex Sosler Jimmie Fails IV overhears two upwardly mobile, white girls contemplating a move to East LA out of this “dead city.” “Excuse me,” he interrupts, “You can’t hate San Francisco.” He asks, “Do you love it? … You don’t get to hate it unless you love it.” The recent film The Last Black…
The Sectarian Review Podcast Discusses THEOLOGY AND THE MARVEL UNIVERSE
Our friend Danny Anderson over at the Sectarian Review podcast was kind enough to host a discussion of the Theology and the Marvel Universe book with Rev. Will Rose of God Loves Geeks and volume editor Dr. Gregory Stevenson. Click here to listen to the interview. Use discount code LEX30AUTH20 on the publisher’s website for a…
Why SUPERMAN SMASHES THE KLAN is the Most Important Superman Story You’ll Ever Read
By David A. Skelton There have been many brilliant and relevant Superman stories that “get the character right” in the eyes of many Superman fans. All-Star Superman brings together diverse aspects of Superman’s history, Birthright and Secret Origins compellingly modernize his origin story, What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice & the American Way? gets at…
Pop Culture and Theology 