Pop Culture

, , , , , , , , , , , ,

2012: Top 10 religion stories of the year

, , , , , , , , , , , ,

As we near the end of 2012 — can you believe we made it this far!? — the time has come for the Top 10 of everything.


Please respect our Commenting Policy
, , ,

The soul in Dave Brubeck's jazz

, , ,

Jazz great Dave Brubeck died yesterday, a day before his 92nd birthday.  Along with much of the rest of the world, I was a fan. I have a sizeable record collection and found you could hardly go wrong with a Brubeck LP. I was curious how the obituaries would handle his sacred compositions and his religious life — including his reception into the Catholic Church.


Please respect our Commenting Policy
, , ,

"Was that wrong?" -- New York Times and adultery

, , ,

The New Criterion is my favorite journal. I discovered the magazine when I was in college and have been a fan of the monthly ever since, reading the magazine cover to cover when it hits my doorstep. And ArmaVirumque, the New Criterion‘s blog, is a site I visit frequently.


Please respect our Commenting Policy
, , , , ,

Polish heavy metal clashes with mysterious blasphemy law

, , , , ,

On some levels, the legal drama unfolding in Poland these days could be called the Son of Pussy Riot media storm. Alas, the media coverage of the case of heavy-metal man Adam Darski and his ripped of Bible will, in my opinion, rise or fall depending on whether journalists ask the same kinds of questions in Poland that they needed to ask in Russia.


Please respect our Commenting Policy
, , , ,

Calm down about the Vatican and James Bond Skyfall

, , , ,

It was three years ago that I read a really interesting story in the Christian Science Monitor about why the Vatican’s “famously staid semi-official mouthpiece” was suddenly doing movie reviews. The reporter explained that Pope Benedict XVI encouraged the paper to discuss cultural issues.


Please respect our Commenting Policy
, , , ,

Here I stand: Martin Luther on film

, , , ,

So while the rest of you are focused on Halloween, we Lutherans are busy celebrating Reformation Day. To be sure, some churches moved their celebrations to earlier in the month or last Sunday, but my congregation is keeping it real with services at 7:00 PM tonight.


Please respect our Commenting Policy
, , , , , , ,

Boooo! One-side story praising Halloween evangelism?

, , , , , , ,

It would be hard to imagine anything more controversial, in the American of 2012, than the concept that certain sinful lifestyle behaviors can lead to people being condemned by God to spend eternity in hell. For starters, this would mean that the word “sin” can be applied to behaviors other than those judged intolerant by the editorial page board at The New York Times.


Please respect our Commenting Policy