Last week I wrote about The Oscars and Lent. I wrote that these two phenomena share more in common than is usually suggested. Today I want to move in for a closer look--at the stories themselves. If this annual cultural ritual in honor of story (The Oscars) is so telling of our culture's condition, and if we, as critically thinking Christians, want to understand and thus impact our culture, it may do us some good to examine its favorite stories. The Life of Pi is one such story. With four Academy Awards, The Life … [Read more...] about Story, Lent and The Life of Pi
A Christian Reflection on The Oscars and Lent
On Sunday night more than 1,000,000,000 people participated in the cultural festival that is the 85th Oscar Awards Ceremony. I can't even begin to imagine the impact that Hollywood has on our culture's development, and if there's an opportune time to catch a glimpse of the dialectical conversation between the influence of the big screen and the values of our current culture, Sunday night's celebration was it. The first thing out of the mouth of the spokesman for the winning visual effects team of Life of Pi was … [Read more...] about A Christian Reflection on The Oscars and Lent
Why Should You Celebrate This King?
A point often overlooked when we talk about Lent is its celebratory nature. Throughout the week we remember our complete need for healing, but doing so makes our rejoicing all the more honest. During the week we are reminded that without the Light we're lost, but we remember that “Sunday's a-comin'!” On Sunday we celebrate the resurrection. We celebrate the God who brings the dead to life and calls nonexistent things into existence. But what might a celebration for partakers in the ‘kingdom of God' look like … [Read more...] about Why Should You Celebrate This King?
Shoot Christians Say: Lent and Ash Wednesday
Lent is Church language. For countless jaded Christians the word implies little more than hypocrisy and self-righteousness. For others it's that time of year to give up coffee or baked goods for a few weeks. When some think of it, this might pop into their heads: “It seems like I remember my sin enough without smudging it on my face and going without my favorite drink for a month and a half.” I invited a friend to the Ash Wednesday service with a local Catholic congregation and this was his response: “Nah man. … [Read more...] about Shoot Christians Say: Lent and Ash Wednesday
The Temptation of Knowledge and The Goodness of God
Before I begin a series on Lenten spirituality (come back on Ash Wednesday), it would be beneficial to tell you a bit about myself. If you're going to find truth in what I say, I suppose you'll need to see that Truth lives in me. I was raised in a strict Christian home where I, like many others, quickly lost interest in the gospel. Rather, I lost interest in what I misunderstood the gospel to be—that disgusting imposter of a gospel; that anathema of shame and guilt and hiddenness. At 18 I left home to “go to … [Read more...] about The Temptation of Knowledge and The Goodness of God