Category: Culture
Niebuhr and Carson, Reconsidered
With the apparent imminent demise of American Christendom, the reaction among evangelicals has covered the gamut: from fight to flight to freeze to fawn. The panic might have increased, but the range hasn’t changed much. Over a decade ago, in...
Finding Redemption through Recurring Love in “Groundhog Day”
I made the mistake of watching Groundhog Day for the first time during the summer I was studying for the bar exam. I was trapped in the living nightmare of studying the same material, every day, with seemingly no end...
The Minutemen and Their World
Robert A. Gross is the James L. and Shirley A. Draper Professor of Early American History Emeritus at the University of Connecticut. Last year, I interviewed Professor Gross on his magisterial book, The Transcendentalist and Their World. The Transcendentalists and...
An Education for Love
Each Sunday, many churches throughout the world begin their service with “The Summary of the Law.” One of the first things Christians hear each week is Jesus’ words defining a good life. Here’s what he says: “You shall love the...
The Politics of “Wicked”
Earlier this summer, it was announced that the upcoming movie adaptation of the 2003 hit Broadway musical Wicked will be released in two parts, beginning in 2024. This is the latest news about a project long awaited, for which fans...
Three Worlds and Two Christianities
At a recent book launch in Melbourne, one of Australia’s leading Christian scholars, Sarah Irving-Stonebraker, astutely observed that Richard Niebuhr’s models of Christ and culture, a framework which has wielded great influence for decades, is now outdated. Irving-Stonebraker further stated...
Stream Off
Let me tell you the story of a church. Not a megachurch, but not small either. Across two services on a given Sunday, 400-600 folks in the pews. Nothing fancy about the church. You’ve never heard of it. But a...
Vocational Singleness is a Gospel Cornerstone
Having begun the work of bringing his kingdom on earth, Christ promised to redeem all of creation. He promised fullness of life to those who would follow him and blessing to their neighbors. Yet many believers offer timid testimonies about...
2022 Eliot Awards
I’m going to handle the Eliot Awards a little differently this year. I still am going to link to my favorite magazine writing of the year, but for a few reasons this year’s edition will not be as tightly organized...
In the Perilous Realm: Tradition and Memory in “The Rings of Power”
At the waning of the year, looking ahead to the blaze of Christmas, I’ve been reexamining Amazon’s adventures in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Legendarium. The first season of The Rings of Power was a moral muddle, but the story was strongest when...