Christ and Pop Culture

In the second half of his series, Alan Noble explores how “voting with our dollars” gives Christians a louder voice in the world.

As with many phrases, “vote with your dollars” appears to be a compelling statement, but its exact meaning is not entirely clear. And more importantly, the logic of this statement is obscured behind its rhetoric. Just what does it mean to “vote with your dollars” and is it really something we ought to be doing?

It’s an old scenario that television viewers have watched recur for years: boy meets girl, falls in love, hides his love or faces rejection, as the tension builds fans yearn for their union, until finally it happens and the episodes that follow are awash (either concluding the whole series, or just simply ruining it)! We saw it with Ross and Rachel, with Stephan Urkel and Laura Winslow, and with David and Donna (Beverly Hills 90210). Perhaps this is why I am so desperate not to see Jim and Pam wed. I like the show The Office too much!

The Narnian gives the reader a sense of the development and scope of Lewis’s intellectual and emotional life—often in relation to the more “factual” events of that life. Entertaining and accessible, Jacobs’s biography is ideal for the reader who has encountered the Chronicles of Narnia and wants to know how they relate to Lewis’s other writings, especially his apologetic works like Mere Christianity.

Alan Noble takes a look at the new Indy movie. When I first heard that Lucas and Spielberg were making a new Indiana Jones film, I wanted to track Lucas down and give him my $6.25 so I wouldn’t have to watch another classic franchise become lost to bad dialog and not-really-believable digital effects. I left our local movie theater 20 minutes ago and I am pleased to say that my fears were misplaced–sort of.

After having seen the latest installment in the Narnia series, Ben and Rich have a round-up discussion about its merits as a movie, as an adaptation of the book and as a spiritual allegory. They also count down their top 5 Stories that Sparked Our Imagination! You don’t want to miss it!

Carissa Smith examines the varied responses to the latest Narnia installment and finds that the reactions have a lot to do with the modernist/postmodernist struggle.

Bill Reichart capitalizes on a teachable moment.

Carissa Smith finds a pleasant surprise in the latest journey into Narnia.

Richard Clark begs the church to “Just Say No.”

When I was 5 or 6, my dad began reading The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe to me. Night after night, I begged for the next chapter, and then the next book, and then the next. I was captivated by the mystery of it all; the beautiful landscapes, the colorful characters, the heroic acts.

Alan Noble kicks off Narnia-Week with a lament of the portrayal of Aslan in film.

Superhero Summer has officially begun with lots of booms, and, if Iron Man is any indication, it looks like it’s going to be a better season than 2007’s Summer of the Three-quels. Iron Man is a wryly funny entry into the superhero genre that manages to raise moral questions without being pretentious about them.

One of the constant laments here at CAPC is the loss of creativity in the Christian sphere. Really, it’s a funny problem. The church is flung far and wide across ethnicities, cultures, geography, and political spheres. Is it really so hard to find a few creative Christians?