The Passion of the Christ is a singular moment in the history of Jesus films. Since before its theatrical debut, it has incited heated criticism, lofty praise and long debates about issues ranging from racial bigotry to violence in film. In my latest column for New Identity Magazine, I offer some ideas on viewing this [...]

I’ve been following musician, author, teacher and monk John Michael Talbot for about 20 years, so I was thrilled to interview him for New Identity Magazine. So, just what is the new monasticism?

The second piece in my series for Art House Dallas asks whether we too often conflate aesthetic tastes and moral judgments and what value we might gain from some good, noisy music.

I’m starting off the new year at Art House Dallas with a new blog series called “Art That Challenges.”

. I’ve posted previously about my paper on Star Trek that’s being published in the forthcoming book Light Shining in a Dark Place: Discovering Theology Through Film. My latest column gives you a sneak peek at that paper. In so doing I hope it provides some insight into why I think Star Trek is important. [...]

. Most of us stopped reading kids’ books when we were kids or when our kids grew up. Many of us have picked up the habit again out of necessity since having kids or grandkids of our own. We usually view them as valuable tools for teaching kids to read. But what if they’re something [...]

The Winter 2010/2011 issue of New Identity Magazine also features the roll-out of my new column, “The Space Between: Seeking the Sacred Between the Pages of Pop Culture.” Check it out on pages 32-33. You can read the issue online or buy the print edition for 25% Off through December 31, 2010. This issue, I’m [...]

The Bible has been a source for cinematic material since the earliest days of filmmaking. Mostly, it seems a rather quaint genre to many of us today. We tend to think of Bible films as placid Sunday School tales, slavishly reproduced for pious viewing. There is, however, much more to not only the genre of [...]

Prisoners are people too. Yes, they’ve broken laws, but they still have families they love. Their children love them and miss them especially. Just the same, there are those who are separated from their children for years on end while incarcerated.