2020 was certainly a tumultuous year. I’m proud of all of the contributors to the blog, especially those who contributed something timely to the circumstances we found ourselves in, whether concerning the pandemic, the Black Lives Matter protests, or the rise of of conspiracy theories in our national discourse. I wanted to highlight the most…
Matisyahu’s “One Day” and the Burden of Hope: An Advent Reflection
By Danny Anderson This semester, I taught Chaim Potok’s The Chosen, the story of young, Hasidic Jew, Danny Saunders, and his journey to an orthodoxy that still engages the world outside his Hasidic community. In an attempt to explain that dynamic to my mostly Catholic students, I brought up the example of Matisyahu, the hip-hop-reggae-human beatbox…
The Code of the Elves: A Primer for Joy
By Jake Doberenz In the 2003 Christmas classic Elf (I think I can call it a classic now), the elves have about perfected a recipe for joy. Elf, directed by Jon Favreau and starring Will Ferrell and Zoey Deschanel, depicts the elf-raised human Buddy as he ventures into the wild world of New York City. Buddy, raised…
35% Holiday Discount on Theology and Pop Culture Series
Happy Holidays everyone! Rowman and Littlefield is running at 35% discount on its books during the holiday season, and that includes in-stock print titles and ebooks for the Theology and Pop Culture series. I’m not sure if it works with pre-orders (like with our upcoming Theology and Horror title), but it definitely is good for…
Call for Papers: Theology and Dystopia
Call for Abstracts: Theology and Dystopia Edited by Scott Donahue-Martens and Brandon Simonson From the Greek dus- (“bad”) and topos (“place”), dystopia as a genre is often characterized by its use of post-apocalyptic and totalitarian imagery. Dystopia stands in contrast with its counterpart utopia, an equally far-off yet disparately ideal world. Both dystopian and utopian worlds abound with…
Sports and Play in Christian Theology
By John Tucker Sport is a major preoccupation of the modern world. It consumes the time and energies of millions of people around the globe. It shapes the identity of individuals, communities, and nations.[1] For many participants, it operates much like a functional equivalent of religion, giving them a way to interpret and understand the…
Conspiracy as Evangelical Liturgy
By Danny Anderson An Opening Salvo Though too few media outlets cover it, there is in fact a sober and intellectually serious strain of Christianity in America. Revenue imperatives will probably always drive the media to focus on what historian John Fea refers to as the “Court Evangelicals” and other bizarre artifacts from the fringes of…
The Films of Wes Anderson and a Time for Everything
By Joshua Hollmann and Honor Students of Concordia College New York Wes Anderson is a designer of cinematic worlds of meaning. I recently taught the seminar “The Movies and Meanings of Wes Anderson” for the Fellows Honor Program at Concordia College New York. The course is related to my forthcoming book Theology and Wes Anderson for the…
LUCIFER and the Female God
By Princess O’Nika Auguste Lucifer is one of my favorite current television shows. It has everything that someone could want: humor, horror, magic, romance, and action. Lucifer focuses on Lucifer Morningstar, the Devil himself, who has abandoned his role as Ruler of Hell because he is bored and unhappy. He also leaves Hell to defy his father, God….
Avatar The Last Airbender: Neutrality, the Sacred, and Political Responsibility
By Corey Patterson Few television shows stand the test of time as eternal icons. Rarely do people across all age groups connect with a story that reflects our deepest fears and most extravagant hopes. But Avatar: The Last Airbender is no ordinary production; it’s a modern mythology that speaks to the need for political responsibility…
Pop Culture and Theology 