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Let’s Hold Hands: The Value in Public Displays of Solidarity
This weekend marks the 27th anniversary of “Hands Across America,” a cultural event of the 1980s where people of all walks of life joined hands in hopes of forming a human chain that zigzagged from the mid-Atlantic to Los Angles. Why on earth would over five million people stand in the street holding hands across … Continue reading
Dependency and Reality
Yesterday Pope Francis sent out a tweet suggesting a correlation between self-centeredness and the quest for profit (a tweet that gained him 81,000 followers in one hour, by the way). It read: “My thoughts turn to all who are unemployed, often as a result of a self-centered mindset bent on profit at any cost.” The … Continue reading
The Pope of Surprises
Early this morning I received a few text messages before 7:15am. Generally, this should be a bad thing. Who died? What did I forget to do? When I saw they came from my theologian friends, my sleepy mind went right to Rome and I had flashbacks to my participation in the funeral services of John … Continue reading
The Superbowl Blackout and the Failed Masculinity of Downton Abbey
Perhaps it was the juxtaposition of an exciting sporting event that around 100 million people were watching, or perhaps it was that, for the first time since Katrina, power went out in the Superdome. Here are some highlights of twitter commentary (is that a thing?) from the blackout: First, @mat: “This tribute to the victims … Continue reading
Downton Abbey and the Cultural Divide
So I’m just gonna put it out there: I really enjoy watching Downton Abbey. I’ve watched my share of TV shows in recent years, and Downton has won my allegiance like Peter Jackson after two Lord of the Rings movies back in 2002. You can find full summaries of the first two seasons easily enough online, so I’ll … Continue reading
Communion at the END of the World
“The idea of the end that can be known and that it is a fate that is shared by all is oddly appealing in an individualistic culture where many people feel alone and where control is understood as defining one’s dignity.” Recently, there has been a lot of talk about the end of the world. … Continue reading
Truth, Power, and Conversation
Several weeks ago I finished a month long project of posting one piece of “good Catholic news” on Facebook every day for a month. Prompted by a friend who kept posting bad news out of the Vatican, news which is admittedly not difficult to come by, I decided to try and find representations of the … Continue reading
A Christian Case for a Third Party
Two weeks: the remaining until the population of the United States will vote for one man (this time around, at least) to hold the most powerful political office in the world. As is usual every four years, we–the faithful public–get to choose between two imperfect candidates as representatives of the two most powerful and longstanding … Continue reading
Theological Education or Evangelization?
“What is the role of faith in the classroom?” In light of the upcoming Synod, we may even ask: “can the classroom be a place for evangelization? The previous posts in Theological Shark Week III all shed light on different aspects of this important question. For those of us teaching core (required) theology classes in … Continue reading
Doing Theology in an Election Year
I have always disliked politics. Naturally, of course, the “political” is honorable in the traditional sense of the word…a well-organized society requires good women and men to run the affairs of state and country. Taxes must be levied so people can be protected, roads built, schools and libraries erected. The world as we know it … Continue reading
