This is perhaps the nerdiest episode of the CultureCast: an all politics-nerd episode. In it, Christian and Amy talk about the special election in Virginia, the anniversary of the 2016 election, the Mueller investigation, and what the Democrats need to do for 2018. Trump has quietly accomplished … Read more about Trump, Mueller & Dems Dos-Don’ts in 2018
Jihad v. McWorld: How We Imagine A Nation part 4
A Second Shift In the previous 3 parts we established that a significant shift took place in the late 19th and early 20th century. This initial shift in modernity has subsequently created the possibility of a second, more contemporary, move that I want to explore. Taylor provides the context of … Read more about Jihad v. McWorld: How We Imagine A Nation part 4
How We Imagine A Nation part 3
In the shadow of the Sochi Olympics and the unfolding tension in the Ukraine, we are exploring the theme/thesis that: 'Nation' is both sovereign and transcendent. 'Nation' is both a social imaginary and an emergent reality. Benedict Anderson explains that the notion of imagined communities … Read more about How We Imagine A Nation part 3
How We Imagine A Nation part 2
In part 1 I introduced a theme/thesis for this series of posts: ‘Nation’ is both sovereign and transcendent. ‘Nation’ is both a social imaginary and an emergent reality. Charles Taylor utilizes the term ‘social imaginary’ to refer to god-like capacity described by Anderson. The term … Read more about How We Imagine A Nation part 2
How We Imagine A Nation part 1
Watching the Olympics was different for me this time. During the past four years I have been in a PhD program and have burrowed down into topics that have deeply impacted me. Within one of my cognate fields (non-core studies) I addressed the issue of nationalism and the modern imaginary. The … Read more about How We Imagine A Nation part 1
Should Christians Vote? Russell Brand has got me asking again
Last week Russell Brand, in a BBC interview, raised a lot of eyebrows by calling into question the legitimacy of voting. He talked about the brokeness of the system and the relative banality of the process. I saw lots of good Facebook conversation (which seems rare these days) about the clip and … Read more about Should Christians Vote? Russell Brand has got me asking again
Palm Sunday Is The Most Political Sunday
As a children’s and family minister, I love Palm Sunday. At our stained-glass and organ church we do it up big. We get lots and lots of palm branches for folks to wave during the singing of the hymns and we have the kids process down the aisle and march around the sides of the pews. It is quite a … Read more about Palm Sunday Is The Most Political Sunday
Entertaining Empire
I'm almost done reading The Secret History of the American Empire by John Perkins. The subtitle is "The Truth About Economic Hit Men, Jackals, and How to Change the World". It is the follow up to his first book Confessions of an Economic Hitman. He details how global corporations, American … Read more about Entertaining Empire
Ian Ebright on Drone Warfare, the Return of “Community”, and Wondering Why Women Love “The League”
After hearing an anecdote about Christian's massive parenting fail (which cost him $75), we welcome our guest, Ian Ebright, a contributor to Relevant Magazine and Red Letter Christians, and founder of Broken Telegraph. He is currently raising funds on Kickstarter for From the Sky, a film on the … Read more about Ian Ebright on Drone Warfare, the Return of “Community”, and Wondering Why Women Love “The League”
When did America become like God? or Who would die for their country?
Charles Taylor, in his book Modern Social Imaginaries, utilizes the term ‘social imaginary’ to refer to god-like capacity described by Benedict Anderson in Imagined Communities. The term encompasses a threefold meaning: First is the way that ordinary people “imagine” their surroundings in … Read more about When did America become like God? or Who would die for their country?
List-o-Mania in the Key of Culture-Casting, and the Antichrist and Sandwich of the Week
No guest this week! It's just Christian and Jordan and their wits against SILENCE. This week is all about end-of-the-year lists. Jordan runs down his ten favorite songs from 2012, and gets over his embarrassment at including OneRepublic's "Feel Again". Christian then breaks down the top quotes of … Read more about List-o-Mania in the Key of Culture-Casting, and the Antichrist and Sandwich of the Week
Moving Toward Multiplicity
Listening to Howard Zinn (author of the classic A People’s History of the United States) at a town hall meeting style presentation recorded in 2007 (you can get it on Itunes from WGBH Politics) I was struck by the need to recognize the sheer complexity of issues and multiplicity of … Read more about Moving Toward Multiplicity