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The Cross is offensive to everyone, religious people (“Jews”) and secular people (“Greeks”) alike. It is this radical undercutting of who is in and who is out that makes the cross so deeply threatening to many. All human achievement, especially religious achievement, is called into question by the godlessness of Jesus’ death. If God inContinue reading “The Cross, Salvation, The Law and Capital Letter Sin”

  “The way ahead is found in the tension itself. This is not the same thing as having it both ways by seeking a bland, safe position in the center between the poles. Christian theology and the Christian life are best found on the frontiers, where our thinking and doing are engaged by the dynamicContinue reading “The Offense of the Cross: Rediscovering Freedom and Hope”

I still remember the day I picked up my first John Piper book, the popular preacher, teacher, theologian, and resident spokesperson for many in the ultra conservative brand of the Reformed Calvinist camp. The book was called “Desiring God”, and at the time it represented a major shift for me in how I understood myContinue reading “The Crucifixion: Working Through a Theology of the Cross”

A number of years back I remember listening to a podcast (which I’ve tried to track down but to no avail, my apologies) that was interviewing a native Australian about the differences between the Australian Western and the American Western. According to this individual, while American Westerns tend to be defined by ideas such asContinue reading “Film Travels 2020: Australia”

In one of Ingmar Bergman’s most reflective and personal works “Wild Strawberries, we find the story of an aging and prosperous man looking back on his life as he struggles to find meaning in his accomplishments. On the cusp of receiving a lifetime achievement award, he struggles with feelings of insignificance and purposeless as heContinue reading “Film Travels 2020: Sweden”

Given the infamous position the Lumiere Brothers have as the pioneers of early cinema, (and coincidentally, the anniversary of their Cinematographe was a couple days ago), https://www.indiewire.com/2020/03/lumiere-brothers-workers-leaving-factory-anniversary-1202219698/?fbclid=IwAR0RsjHaKTgh4Xt5wYGNWicdfVAjzXnA2jILimSHoPoP3RQ8L1_KI7UFer8 perhaps slightly less aware is the competing story of two German inventors, Max and Emil Skladanowsky, the creators of the Bioscop, a film projector eventually proved to beContinue reading “Travelling the World in Film 2020- Germany”

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light… everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.” – Ephesians 5:8-14 What is the meaning of the darkness? At the core of this question in A Hidden Life, Terrence Malick’s latest film, isContinue reading “A Hidden Life and Making Sense of the Darkness”

The best that can be said of Irish cinema today is that it certainly exists. Even with its strata of ‘worthy’ and ‘unworthy’ films, its commercial entertainments and its dark dramas, Irish film at least now produces enough films for there to be such divisions in the first place. – The identity of an IrishContinue reading “Film Travels 2020: Ireland”

It’s that time again. A chance to reflect on what landed for me in February, the stories that stood out and what I am anticipating in March: WHAT LANDED The RHYTHM SECTION, a late January holdover, turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Suffering from a lack of advertising, poor critical reception and breaking theContinue reading “Cinema in Retrospect- My Month In Film, February 2020”

After 4 full seasons of contemplating the afterlife using a good blend of humor, emotion and chemistry, the much beloved series The Good Place came to a close this past week. Known for its ability to take deep philosophical and theological ideas and break them down into bite size questions and relevant conversation that anyoneContinue reading “The Good Place Finale: Exchanging Mystery for Finality”