(ANALYSIS) Journalists called Bakker a “televangelist,” but he never showed interest in being a pastor or an evangelist. His hero was Johnny Carson. Moore noted that Bakker's “goal was clearly to be a talk-show host. That was his life. ... He loved sitting behind that desk in front of the cameras.”
Read MoreThe actor’s new memoir, “The Steps,” revisits his journey from struggling actor to Oscar-winning star, framing his life alongside the enduring themes of “Rocky.” As the film nears its 50th anniversary, Stallone reflects on his Christian faith, insecurity, perseverance and the story’s deeper symbolism.
Read More(REVIEW) What makes “Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother” so impressive is that it combines so many things that are hard to find in faith-focused movies. Hollywood films have long struggled to make movies about faith that resonate with the experiences of actually religious people. Religious people have historically struggled to make faith movies that aren’t preachy.
Read More(REVIEW) “Silo” skillfully weaves all of these dystopian tropes into the background of something quite new. The hints were there from the show’s start. The series skillfully weaves all of these dystopian tropes into the background of something quite new. The hints were there in the opening titles we streamers learn to skip. The closing shot is an animation of the show’s citizens going up and down and up and down the endless steps.
Read MoreAn Ohio worship leader was convicted of murdering his wife after prosecutors argued he staged a home invasion to conceal the killing. The motive? Pursuing a relationship with another worship leader from his church, the Christian Life Center in Dayton.
Read More(REVIEW) Happily, Christians have been making strides in making movies that aren’t just true, but beautiful. Shows like “The Chosen” and “House of David,” and movies like “Last Rodeo” and “I Can Only Imagine 2” are great examples. “Daniel and the Fiery Furnace” is a good example of why it’s taken so long, and what continues to hold it back.
Read More(REVIEW) Oasis, the Manchester-born rock n’ roll band who defined the 1990s pop scene, were broken up between 2009 and 2024, when they finally announced a reunion tour for 2025. In “Don’t Look Back in Anger,” a newly-released documentary film accompanying last-year’s tour, one fan says the band’s reunion was “like the rebirth of Christ.”
Read MoreThe ultimate finding was consequential because recognition of a miracle is a major step in the process toward beatification. For Catholics, the episode provides a tangible connection between Sheen’s life and his continuing spiritual influence. It also illustrates how the church’s sainthood process operates.
Read More(ANALYSIS) In Narnia, Aslan is the Christ figure, repeatedly described by Lewis — an Oxford don and Christian apologist — as the “King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea. ... The Lion, the great Lion.” In “The Magician's Nephew,” Narnia's creation story, Aslan is first described as “a Lion. Huge, shaggy and bright," with a basso profundo voice "deep enough to be the voice of the earth.”
Read MoreWhat role should Comedy play in the life of a Christian? What kinds of joking does God make off limits? And, does God like joking around as much as we do? On this week’s podcast, I spoke with a witty Catholic philosopher and a pastor who moonlights as a comedian to find out.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Celebrating the country music legend is an honor “mixed with absolute pride and great sadness,” stressed Bryan Seaver, the son of Parton's sister Cassie Parton, in the family’s announcement of her death.
Read More(REVIEW) When a wild night ends in handcuffs and a campus police escort, two best friends (named Grayson and Tyler are slapped with 120 hours of community service due in two weeks — or they’re expelled. Their genius plan? Pose as counselors at a local Christian youth camp.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has brought Homer’s epic tale back to the big screen. The film is the latest retelling of a story that is almost 3,000 years old. But why do these ancient Greek stories continue to captivate new generations? Nolan aside, Stephen Fry’s retelling of Greek myths in 2017 and Disney’s “Hercules” film, for example, are part of a much longer tradition of repackaging the ancient world for contemporary audiences.
Read More(ANALYSIS) After watching Christopher Nolan's take on “The Odyssey,” Father Dwight Longenecker remembered a comment Steven Spielberg made in a commentary while discussing how viewers react to symbolism. The director was responding to comments that crosses in the “Saving Private Ryan” cemetery scenes suggested the hero was a Christ figure who suffered to save a lost soul.
Read More(REVIEW) “Elijah Peel” follows a world-famous rock musician whose life of success and addiction comes crashing down after suffering a life-threatening heart attack. But the film still wears the inspirational Christian movie formula like a straitjacket, instead of using it as a sturdy foundation.
Read MoreSince the Hamas attack on Israel, the actor has frequently called out Israel’s military action in Gaza, notably wearing an Artists4Ceasefire pin to the 2024 Oscars. In 2024, he was among more than 700 SAG-AFTRA members who signed a letter demanding the actors’ union publicly call for a Gaza ceasefire and protect pro-Palestinian members from what they described as industry blacklisting.
Read MoreAfter 11 seasons, PBS’s “Masterpiece Mystery!” series “Grantchester” has come to an end. For more than a decade, viewers returned to the quiet village of Cambridgeshire to watch an unlikely crime-solving duo: Anglican vicars and Det. Inspector George “Geordie” Keating.
Read More(REVIEW) There’s something about priests solving murders in small towns that people love. A long-running series in this genre that’s just ended is “Grantchester.” The series follows young, good-looking vicars in the fictional sleepy British town who partner with a local lawman to solve murder cases.
Read More(ESSAY) At Christian colleges across the nation, a “ring by spring” is a polarizing cultural phenomenon that comes with quirky rituals. There’s the “freshman frenzy,” the “senior scramble” — and on my campus, one infamous ice breaker known as “Awk Walk.” Underneath these traditions is an inescapable anxiety: Will you meet your spouse or graduate single?
Read MoreIt’s a life-changing religious pilgrimage. The Camino De Santiago trail has attracted hundreds of thousands of tourists to Spain and surrounding countries each year. But scorching heatwaves, caused by climate change, are threatening the ancient tradition and forcing hikers to rethink their plans.
Read More
