Christ and Pop Culture
Where the Christian Faith Meets A Sad Peyton Manning
One of the oddest days in the U.S., Super Sunday, can seem like some sort of cultural bizarro world. Those who dislike sports not only put up with it for several hours, but often get invested in a football game of which they had no knowledge or interest beforehand, which speaks to the power of the social event and the shared experience. Even more odd, and perhaps more sinister, is the fact that a huge majority of people who watch the Super Bowl also look forward to the commercials. Something which is often viewed as a nuisance, frustration, and an opportunity to run to the restroom or get a snack is now viewed as must-see TV.
People watch these ads because they know that the companies who pay huge amounts of money to have them played during the Super Bowl will do anything to take advantage of that opportunity. We are quite literally seeing the best they’ve got. Beyond simply spending money on well-known celebrities or incredible special effects, they want to produce something that will be memorable and persuasive. More than anything, they want to disarm the viewer and speak to them on a gut level. By definition this almost always means appealing to either the best or the worst in us. Read the full story…
Bioshock 2 comes out tomorrow, the first game was one of the most haunting, intriguing, and memorable games I have ever played. Lauded for its art deco style but remembered for its presentation and haunting humanistic speeches from Andrew Ryan and Frank Fontaine, Bioshock remains a game whose story and message will always loom large in my mind.
Is Rapture worth visiting again? Much of the allure of the original lies in its unique underwater world which celebrates human acheivment and consequently human moral failure. The shock of this world is what made the game such a powerful piece of art alongside a very uniquely told story. I am not sure the second installment can impact me as profoundly as the first. What do you think? Will you pick up a copy of Bioshock 2 tomorrow?
In the meantime, you can read or watch a review of the game at IGN.
The Economist is furious that the Tebow ad got air time and Man Crunch didn’t…what do you think, was this justifiable discrimination?
Christianity Today’s Jedd Medefind has a new article on some lessons we can learn from the arrest of the Christians in Haiti for trying to take orphans out of the country.
The Gospel Coalition Blog posted this excerpt from D.A. Carson’s For the Love of God about assessing reality rightly:
Because human beings are made in the image of God, there is much that we can do that is worthy and admirable. Theologically speaking, this is the product of “common grace.” But it is possible to be far too impressed by wealth, power, architecture, fame, learning, physical prowess, and technology, with the result that we do not think through the moral and spiritual dimensions of the world around us. We may see the glory, and overlook the shame; we may detect human accomplishments, and neglect the undergirding idolatry; in short, we may be impressed by all that impresses God’s fallen image-bearers, but fail to assess these realities in the light of the cross and in the light of eternity.
[For the Love of God, February 10 entry based on Mark 13.]
According to the New York Times, apparently there is a small but growing trend in churches promoting mixed martial arts–ranging from hosting MMA pay-per view parties to churches doubling as fight training centers. One pastor is also the team coach for a faith-based MMA fight team!
Is this a good idea? Owen Strachan says no and mostly summarizes what I think about this development.
David Brooks, writing New York Times, looks at the history of athletics and how the American “sporting mind” developed from the earliest mindsets on sports from ancient generations leading up to the current state of American college athletics. He speaks candidly about both the dangers and benefits of the American sporting mind:
The crowds at big-time college sporting events do not sit passively, the way they do at a movie theater. They roar, suffer and invent chants (especially at Duke basketball games). Mass college sports are the emotional hubs at the center of vast networks of analysis, criticism and conversation. They generate loyalties that are less harmful than ethnic loyalties and emotional morality plays that are at once completely meaningless and totally consuming.
There are the obvious recruiting scandals and greedy coaches, but for all the sins, big-time college sports have become emotional reactors, helping to make university towns vibrant communities. Gillespie is right to appreciate the moral power of sports. But bigness has virtues as well as vices. Big-time college sports are absurd, but we would miss them if they were gone.
If Filmmakers Directed the Super Bowl – The Wes Anderson one is by far the best.
God at the Grammys: When winners forget to give thanks – This can only be seen as a good sign, right?
You can expect a lot of these today: The one Lost scene you MUST watch before tonight’s premiere
Life Starts Here is a series of twelves stories inspired by the culture of video games, and the first one, currently the only one available to read, is marvelous.
The real meaning of Tim Tebow’s pro-life Super Bowl ad. – Though I disagree with the author’s apparent misgivings about Tebow’s faith, I agree that it’s a subject that needs to be pursued more aggressively in the media and that Tebow is most likely more than willing to stand up to the scrutiny.
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