Andy Warhol observed, “It’s the movies that have really been running things in America, ever since they were invented. They show you what to do; how to do it; when to do it; how to feel about it; and how to look when you feel about it.” He said this in 1966, and if anything, …
He said that “muse” means to think and the “a” means “not” (in college I learned that’s a privative alpha negation). In other words, amusements are non-thinking. My father’s point was probably to avoid popular entertainment, because it is thoughtless. I’ve mused about this random parental lesson and decided that there are times when I …
How did you come to faith? I came to faith through music, which is why I’m passionate about the gospel and the arts. As a teenager, I was in a dark situation. I lived in an under-resourced, underprivileged and under-protected neighborhood. I was able to do well in school and got accepted into a program …
I’ll admit, it can seem overwhelming. Some of us grew up with just a handful of channels. Now, everyone — from Amazon to Netflix to broadcast networks to movie studios — wants a piece of the action. Cartoons were a Saturday-morning treat back in my day, not something you could watch 24/7 on half-a-dozen cable …
As steam rises from the rapidly cooling pan, I will deglaze it with a wooden spatula, then add red kidney beans, black beans, corn and bulgur wheat cooked in tomato juice. When the whole mixture has returned to a boil, I will turn down the heat to a barely visible simmering flame. I will have …
Yet, American Christians are drowning in entertainment choices: According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, revenue within the United States, media and entertainment industry reached an estimated $546 billion in 2014. The U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the average American spent $2,605 on entertainment in 2012, when those age 15 and over …
In this podcast, you’ll hear two veterans of Christian music share: The joys and challenges of this unique ministry space; How they stay connected with the Body of Christ while on tours; The ways in which the industry has changed in the past two decades; and Advice for young artists. Read a Portion of the Transcript Leith: …
Every new Christian movement has its soundtrack. The Reformation had the hymns of Luther and Walter as well as the psalms of Marot and Bourgeois. The 18th-century Pietists had Zinzendorf’s songs and, as Pietism spread to the English-speaking world, the hymns of Charles Wesley. The 19th-century revivals had the gospel songs of Sankey and Bliss. …
Many of the early Church Fathers associated humor with moral vices and preached against it. The Puritans banned comedies, believing they were inherently immoral. And the Rule of Benedict eschewed “foolish chatter” and urged speaking “nothing just to provoke laughter.” At first glance the Bible might seem to support such a dour outlook on life. …
Q What inspired you to start a website of satirical Christian news? A I had written well-received satire in college. Then I graduated and kind of got serious. Five years into my career as a writer for Christian publishers and magazines, the Holy Spirit began bugging me about creating a satirical Christian newsletter. I resisted …
