By Corey Patterson [SPOILERS!!!] If Marvel fans were expecting a continuation of the dark tones from the sequel to Thor and Thor: The Dark World, they would find themselves in a losing bet. The latest installment, Thor: Ragnarok, brings to life a world of color and humorous scenes, more akin to Guardians of the Galaxy…
Is God Funny?
By Alison Downie, PhD Is God preposterous to you? He is to me. But let me explain: The God I work daily to trust bears no resemblance whatsoever to the “God” many Christians preach about and the “God” so many reject as absurd. The endlessly essential theological question is: What sort of God is being…
The Psychoanalytic Structure of Daredevil’s Catholic Guilt
By Ritchie Savage, PhD In The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, the classical sociological theorist, Max Weber, attempts to make a distinction between his ideal types of Protestantism and Catholicism, and the capacity for the former, not only to embody the movement toward rationalization in history, but also the attention toward capital accumulation….
Movie Review: White God
By Katy Scrogin and Cláudio Carvalhaes Starring: Zsofia Psotta, Sandor Zsoter, Szabolcs Thuroczy, Lili Monori, Laszlo Galffi and Lili Horvath. Genre: Drama, Foreign Directed By: Kornél Mundruczó Release Date: March 27, 2015 Website: http://www.magpictures.com/whitegod/ Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpYaY7ulTEc Who would have guessed that a revolt of dogs in Budapest would be a metaphor for our times? Kornél Mundruzcó’s…
Re-engineering the Bible: Samson, Delilah, and the Grateful Dead
By Bruce Chilton The story of Samson and Delilah, Samson’s last paramour among many unsuitable women (Judges 16:4-31), has attracted painters such as Rubens, poets such as Milton, and even the film-maker Cecil B. DeMille. (He cast Victor Mature and Hedy Lamarr in the title roles in his 1949 film.) Bob Weir with the Grateful…
Spider-man and Kierkegaardian Love
By Corey Patterson Marvel Comics fans undoubtedly remember the pivotal moment in Peter Parker’s life that led him to become the crime-fighting hero we know as Spider-Man. They recall how his Uncle Ben was murdered by a criminal Peter could have stopped in an earlier confrontation, but chose not to. All of these events would…
Call for Papers: Fordham Pop Culture & Theology Graduate Student Conference
Fordham Theology Graduate Student Conference: “Pop Culture and Theology” Friday, April 20, 2018 at Fordham University Rose Hill The Theology Graduate Student Association invites graduate students in theology, Bible, religious studies, ethics, and related fields to submit abstracts that explore the relationship between popular culture and theology from classical as well as contemporary perspectives. For…
The Reformation and Pop Culture: Why Hollywood Should Take a Chance on Martin Luther
By Ed Simon There is some scholarly dispute as to whether Martin Luther actually did the thing he’s most famous today for: dramatically nailing his world-changing critique of the Catholic Church to a church door 500 years ago. The image of the fiery monk affixing his Ninety-Five Theses to the entrance of the Wittenburg Castle…
Dr. Strangelove and Evangelicalism or: Why Evangelicals Should Worry a Little More and Learn to Hate the Bomb
By Matthew William Brake The other day, I was sitting at my work desk when a colleague of mine came in complaining about a (now-disputed) story that President Donald Trump wanted to increase the U.S. nuclear arsenal by ten-fold. While I hope that is not the case, it is certainly problematic that the U.S. finds…
Quiz: John Calvin Quote or Metal Lyrics?
By Jack Holloway The time of the Reformation was revolutionary in many ways. One of those ways was in rhetoric and writing style. Martin Luther mostly wrote pamphlets intended for mass production, so that anyone could pick them up and become a theologian. His writing style was not like that of many scholastic theologians. Luther…
Pop Culture and Theology 