popular culture

Over the past several months, lawmakers on both state and federal levels have worked to pass legislation regulating social media algorithms (especially TikTok ). Among other things, the debates have…

Conservative Christian social media influencers have an important message to deliver after a new documentary about the Duggar family thrust the conservative Christian Institute in Basic Life…

Sure, it’s easy to poke fun at Pat Robertson for his 2,000-pound leg press claims or to scold him for his vile Haiti comments, but Robertson thrives on the ‘persecution.’ Our list spins the Robertson moral differently and shows just why he’s been a truly dangerous figure.

Although it was a financial success, The Pope’s Exorcist , featuring a virile Russell Crowe as real-life exorcist Gabrielle Amorth, was panned by most Catholic reviewers, including the International…

The End keeps on not coming, but the delay has produced yet another opportunity for a Left Behind film. Directed by and starring Kevin Sorbo, Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist was released just last…

When I need to know what’s wrong with the world and who to be outraged at I turn to the words of Ted Cruz , Marjorie Taylor Greene (MTG) or even Ben Shapiro . Why? Because they certainly give…

It’s that time of year again. No, not the time for peace, joy, and love. It’s the time when we reflect on this year’s horrors and come to terms with the fact that an asteroid can’t find us fast enough…

When The Muppet Christmas Carol premiered 30 years ago in 1992, there were fears it would be a flop given the recent death of creator Jim Henson in 1990. If success in Hollywood is defined by the…

Sometimes, the scholarly life means taking delight in unexpectedly relevant news items: a new adaptation of a book one has studied, an unearthed manuscript from one’s period of interest. Other times…

For years, in addition to writing about it numerous times for RD , I’ve included a section on psychedelics and religious experience in my Introduction to Religion course. When I first began to teach…