popular culture

Predictably, some conservative Christians have attacked Avatar for depicting pantheistic Na’vi as noble. Is it actually the film’s critique of greed and environmental neglect that offends?

Whether it’s the Mayan prediction of the 2012 cataclysm or the theology of the rapture, predictions of the end of the world tell us as much about ourselves as about the coming apocalypse. And we’ve got plenty to worry about either way.

Did Williamsburg’s Hasidic community have Mayor Bloomberg close a major bike lane simply because they were offended by the immodestly clothed hipsters biking through their neighborhood, as most of the press has reported? Was a topless protest the best way to respond?

Hold the popcorn, we’re not quite there yet.

Disney’s The Princess and the Frog picks up where Katrina left off. The movie is a wholesale desecration of New Orleans, Creole culture, Cajun culture, religion, zydeco, and even Louis Armstrong.

Mark C. Taylor discusses how trends in today’s world are not “outside” religion, but are part of the history of religious thought.

We tolerate all manner of slovenly, scanty and bizarre dress, yet a fashion associated with young men of color is singled out for prohibition…

Religious Right leaders are demanding that gay Republicans are excluded while remaining silent on conspiracy-minded John Birch Society.

A new report on the isolated and lonely has our columnist calling on churches to open their doors and promote analog community.

A philosopher explains how a simple thought experiment regarding certainty and uncertainty could catalyze global reconciliation.