Podcast #23: Speaking of Politics

In the new episode of Christ and Pop Culture, Rich and Ben discuss the discussing of politics.

An Obsession with Opinion

Headlines that declare, “Poll: Three Quarters think US in recession,” ought to pull you up short. They reflect a culture obsessed with personal opinion. Just think; long before statistical data or evaluations come out, the opinion of the masses about an objective reality they cannot possibly know for sure is considered newsworthy!

Four Exhortations for this Political Season

In this particular political season, I don’t know many people who are outright uninterested in the presidential race. The opinions on both sides of the aisle are many, and the stakes are incredibly high. A combination of fascination and frustration grips most of us as the race drags on and seems to take all sorts of odd twists and turns. In short, this whole politics thing is getting crazy these days.

Chuck Norris can kill you with his eyebrows. Vote Huckabee!

Chuck Norris can divide by zero, cure cancer with his tears, sneeze with his eyes open, and tell you who would should be president. Entertainers have long been a major part of politics, from endorsements to running for office (I actually live in a state where the star of Conan the Barbarian is governor). The reasoning behind the overlapping of politics and entertainment seems to go something like this:

“While we are not experienced or trained in any way to hold office, or knowledgeable enough to tell you who to vote for, we are recognizable and popular, so vote for us or the candidate we support.”

Shocking Justice

There must be a great deal of shock involved for those first-time offenders who find themselves in prison. There is the shock of realizing you’ve been caught and sentenced. There is the shock of the strip search and the first night in a terrifying place. And then, for some, there is the shock of being released after only a short period of prison time has passed.

Why Vote When You Can Laugh? The Daily Show and Complacency

That time is again upon us when car, make-up, and insurance commercials are momentarily sidelined to make way for content-less, image-shaping, political advertisements; when millions of bumpers across this great land will be drafted in an attempt to create the illusion that a candidate has wide-spread support.

A New Paradigm for Christian Politics

Christmas is, “in the air,” for a longer period each year. This time around, I started hearing Christmas songs before Thanksgiving week! However, even Christmas cannot compare to the length of time we spend talking about politics, especially in a presidential election year.

The CNN-YouTube Republican Debate: Why Mike Huckabee Got it Wrong

Last night’s CNN-Youtube debate was fascinating for a number of reasons. One was the moment that a sarcastic-looking kid basically asked a question about biblical inerrancy and the following took place:

Rear Window and Governmental Ethics

The threat of terrorism in our back yard has made this a new world that we live in. It has made our government wrestle with new questions and find new answers, and all at break neck speed. I have never been happier to not be involved in politics myself, let alone to be the president. These days there is political tension over everything, least of which is the subject of “rendition.”