Daily Theology
Pop Culture
The Mission: Choose Your Own Penance
Between high school, college, and my PhD program, I have spent nearly 14 years being formed intellectually and spiritually by Jesuits. Thus it should come as no surprise that Roland Joffe’s The Mission, a moving film about Jesuit missionaries in South America in the middle of the 18th century, holds a special place in my … Continue reading
Nanni Moretti’s “We Have a Pope”
I have been meaning to see Nanni Moretti’s film We Have a Pope ever since I first saw the trailer a year or so ago. The basic premise of the film is that a cardinal, on being elected pope, has a nervous breakdown before being introduced to the crowds in St. Peter’s Square. The Vatican … Continue reading
Papal Tweets
As Pope Benedict XVI approaches his groundbreaking retirement, commentaries and analyses of his legacy as pope are coming more and more quickly across the wire. In my own way, I’d like to offer some thoughts on this pope’s use of social media. In this sense, the first thing to come to mind is likely the … 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, Francis Bacon, Spiderman, and St. Augustine: Who holds the power of That Thing We Call Science?
“I am come in very truth, leading Nature to you with all of her children, to bind her to your service and to make her your slave.” Francis Bacon was a beast of a man. Standing in the midst of the post-Reformation chaos, aside the growing Copernican revolution, and hearkening the beginnings of the Enlightenment, Bacon spoke of nature as a … Continue reading
Underdogs Become Juggernauts
I haven’t watched Glee in a few years now. It wasn’t a decisive break; I just stopped having a DVR and lost interest in a lot of TV shows as a result. But as someone who self-identified as a geek in high school, I generally appreciated the idea of a show about socially marginalized nerds … Continue reading
MAD Men: Guns, America and the Challenge of Pacem in Terris
Peace is born from the heart, but it will be easier to achieve if we have fewer weapons in hand. – Federico Lombardi, SJ This weekend, Fr. Federico Lombardi, SJ, the Vatican’s official spokesperson added to the voices of Catholic leaders in support of President Obama’s common sense proposals for greater control and regulation of … 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
The Newsroom and Social Communications
Recently, several friends have asked me what I think of Aaron Sorkin’s new show The Newsroom. For the uninitiated, Newsroom’s main character is Will McAvoy, a cable news anchor intended to be a right-of-center Keith Olbermann. After a public meltdown/epiphany, McAvoy decides it’s time to stand up for an honest, good old-fashioned Cronkite-an newscast interested … Continue reading
