The Sexual Revolution had a long gestation period. While many may see it as something that suddenly sprung up in the 1960s, its vision had been cast in Western Civilization at least two hundred years before. Thinkers such as Jean Jacques Rousseau, Margaret Sanger, Margaret Mead, and Alfred Kinsey all had advocated for a breakdown of the traditional Christian taboos. While they … [Read more...]
Star Trek: Beyond
“Be yourself! Be who you are! You’re on the right track, baby; you were born that way!” Sound familiar? We hear these phrases (or some form of them) constantly. The idea is we can just find our real self and live it, all will be well. As compelling as that idea is in theory, it's often disastrous. I often think of Joss Whedon’s counter-commentary: “Remember to always be … [Read more...]
Batman: The Killing Joke
Zach Snyder's Batman v Superman offered a controversial dark knight that was truly beginning to fall into the darkness he claimed to fight (the extended addition makes that even more clear than the theatrical version). The Killing Joke, which is based on the 1988 story arc from Alan Moore and Brain Bolland, builds on this trajectory in a move that might rightly be called … [Read more...]
The Awe of Dreams and the Surreal
Have you ever woken up in a dream and realized that you're still asleep? Have you ever been convinced that you were awake only to find that were still in a dream? Have you dreamt of a future that never existed? What about about a past that never happened? Last night I looked up at the moon in the dark night sky and I was utterly shocked when it came into my mind that I'm … [Read more...]
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
I bet your parents taught you that you mean something, that you're here for a reason. My parents taught me a different lesson, dying in the gutter for no reason at all... They taught me the world only makes sense if you force it to. - Bruce Wayne Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice has given critics plenty of reason to rant. As far as the art of film goes, it leaves a lot to … [Read more...]
Christ, Christianity, and Plato’s Cave
I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.- C. S. Lewis In Plato’s famous work The Republic, written around 380 B.C., he gives an allegory commonly known as The Cave. In this discourse he describes people who are trapped in a cave from birth. The inside of the cave is all they know. They … [Read more...]
Quentin Tarantino’s Hateful Eight
Quentin Tarantino's latest movie has already won or been nominated for awards centered around script, casting and the soundtrack. In Hateful Eight, he has assembled a stellar cast that delivers sharp dialogue in the midst of yet another homage to a classic genre of film - in this case, the Western. Tarantino has a knack for capturing the bleak depravities of the human heart - … [Read more...]
Expert Testimony: The Existence of God, the Problem of Evil, and the Facts on the Bible
One of the respected methods by which truth claims may be verified is by expert testimony. Expert testimony is offered in court cases to assist in the search for truth. In the same way, expert testimony from respected individuals in human history may offer voracity to the truth claims of the Christian faith. True faith, Christian faith is grounded in hard facts and … [Read more...]
Neil Gaiman’s Interworld Trilogy: Heroes And Cautionary Tales
I was first introduced to the writings of Neil Gaiman through Neverwhere, a dark, moving, parallel universe fantasy that takes place beneath the streets of London. As I further explored his writing, I found him to be constantly creative, often profound, and entirely capable of writing books for both adult and youth audiences (American Gods and The Ocean at the End of the Lane, … [Read more...]
Ultimate Questions and “Sufficient” Evidence
In his recent book The Big Question, Alister McGrath looks at the relationship between science and life's ultimate questions, including God, meaning, and morality. He notes that some people find it comforting to avoid these ultimate questions and take refuge in what appears to be the safer surroundings of science: "The moment we step outside the safe world of science, we find … [Read more...]