“The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together,” says Obi-Wan Kenobi, in A New Hope. In The Force Awakens, Han Solo reflects, “I used to wonder about that myself. Thought it was a bunch of mumbo-jumbo. A magical power holding together good and evil, the dark side and […]
Getting into The Good Place
“WELCOME, EVERYTHING IS FINE.” With these reassuring words, we are ushered into the premise of the television show The Good Place. The main character, Eleanor Shellstrop, is dead. Now, being received in a business office by an executive in a suit, she’s told, “In the afterlife, there’s a Good Place… and there’s a Bad Place. You’re in […]
The Undiscovered Country
So, why talk about Star Trek? Well, I think Star Trek has a lot to say that we need to hear. In particular, I think it holds a great deal of interest from a Christian perspective. For me, looking at it with fresh eyes over the last few years has been a rewarding experience. Maybe […]
THE GREATEST SHOWMAN
Every night I lie in bed, the brightest colors fill my head. A million dreams are keepin’ me awake. I think of what the world could be, a vision of the one I see. A million dreams is all it’s gonna take. A million dreams for the world we’re gonna make.” As P.T. Barnum sings […]
The Vide Noir of Death or The Gratitude of Life?
Everybody dies. We can try to delay it, but in a world of anxiety about the future, a world of uncertainty about what may or may not come to pass, our own death is one thing that is absolutely coming for us. But what comes next? If you think about it, your answer to that […]
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE HUMAN?
The Blade Runner films are a fascinating philosophical journey into a world where humans coexist with “replicants”: androids so realistically designed that it is hard to tell whether or not they are actually human. And each of the protagonists ends up reflecting on this question: What does it mean to be human? In 2049, we […]
HIKING WITH THOMAS OF AQUINAS
On the 26th of April 1336, Italian poet Francesco Petrarca decided to climb Mont Ventoux simply because he wanted to see the view. It might come as a surprise, but this is widely considered the first time anyone ever climbed a mountain for the sake of simply enjoying nature. Prior to this point in history, […]
SAVORING SUMMER WITH STORIES
Summer is here and I cannot wait to partake in one of my favorite personal traditions. For the past six years, on the first day of summer after I get out of classes, I go to a quiet park and read The Great Gatsby. I know, what kind of person rewards himself for finishing a […]
DOES GOD HELP THOSE WHO HELP THEMSELVES?
A long the busy streets of Burbank, comedian and talk show host Jay Leno, once approached random people on the sidewalk with a biblical question. People were asked to name one of the Ten Commandments. With no close second, the number one response was “God helps those who help themselves.” This is a strange response, […]
7 MEANINGFUL WAYS TO RING IN THE NEW YEAR
Most Americans will spend the last night of the year attending a party dressed in head-to-toe sequins, watching the ball drop in Times Square, or hoping to get a kiss from a crush or even a stranger. Compared to the meaning, story, and ritual attached to Christmas, do these traditions not strike you as bizarre? […]
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