Culture

Shelby Knox and the Liberal Conversion

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What happens when a “good Southern Baptist girl” from Texas begins to look beyond the narrowness of her upbringing and see the world for how it “really” is? A PBS documentary shows that cookie-cutter liberals are made, not born.

The Jeffersonian Bible, Microsoft Style

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If there’s anything to say about Microsoft, it’s that they’re a team player. The Redman, Washington software giant is teaming up with the communist regime of the People’s Republic of China to offer a blogging service that is safe for commies everywhere: Chinese bloggers using a new Microsoft service to post messages titled “democracy,” “capitalism,” … Read more

Jane and Moby: Two Reasons Not to Go it Alone

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One of my favorite songs of the past couple of years is Brad Paisley’s “Celebrity,” a mockingly humorous jab at the talentless-yet-notable crowd that makes up 90% of our entertainment culture. The chorus says:

Cause when you’re a celebrity
It’s adios reality

Sadly enough, this notion is especially true when it comes to celebrities and Christianity. Two recent celebrity expressions of Christianity—one by Jane Fonda, the other by Moby (who, in case you’re wondering, has nothing to do with the great white whale)—reveal such a detachment from reality.

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Does TV Make Us Smarter?

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Steven Johnson argues in the New York Times Magazine that watching TV makes you smarter. Oddly enough, he chooses a magazine—a thoroughly word-based media—to make his point. The article is long, but the crux of the Johnson’s point is that TV shows today have plot lines that are so complex, a person can’t help but … Read more

The Strange Brew that is CCM

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As I’ve noted before, much of Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) misses the point, but Jars of Clay’s Dan Haseltine seems to have the right idea: There’s a lot of different things that don’t seem to be working that should in the music industry. It’s a hard thing—selling the Christian message [in pop music], because pop … Read more

A Royal Yawn

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So, Prince Charles and Camilla have finally tied the knot after 30 years of illegitimacy. Yawn. You know it’s bad when USA Today has a pre-wedding line like this: It will not be the wedding of the century. But you can call the marriage of Prince Charles and Camilla a fairy tale for grown-ups. A … Read more

The More Things Change…

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…the more they stay the same. I’ve finally returned to some of those books I started last year but for one reason or another never finished. One of these is David McCullough’s John Adams, which is such a pleasantly interesting read I wonder how I ever put it down in the first place. Some things … Read more