cultural commentary Archives - Page 3 of 7

Tragic Virtue Ecologies

But perhaps individual virtue-modeling (what we used the call “the character question” in American politics) is not the only question. What if we also ask whether our leaders create an atmosphere that cultivates virtues?

Debra RienstraNovember 10, 2018

college life cultural commentary politics review

The Weight of This Sad Time

Shakespeare is right to show us that there is no guarantee of reward for choosing integrity and mercy. Over against the example of his sources, Shakespeare eschewed a reparative ending. In Shakespeare’s final scenes, the noble among the younger generation pay a heavy price for…

Debra RienstraSeptember 29, 2018

cultural commentary theology

True Forms

Part of my fascination, I suppose, is that we are talking about a face here. The article nicely rehearses the significance of the human face while visually explicating the devastating destruction of Katie’s. What’s compelling here is the idea of coming face-to-face, so to speak,…

Debra RienstraSeptember 1, 2018

Calvin events climate change cultural commentary review

Incandescence and Despair: Further Thoughts on First Reformed

But neither Toller’s problems nor religious despair in general are particularly Calvinist, nor do I think that’s what Schrader means to suggest. Schrader has long thought about what it means to capture the holy in art, and a portrait of despair is one stunningly effective…

Debra RienstraJune 9, 2018

cultural commentary politics silly

The Semiotics of Protest: A New Primer

Since we have entered the Age of Resistance, it’s important to keep one’s protest muscles well-toned. With all the marching, kneeling, standing, sitting, walking out, gesturing, and pumping of hand-lettered placards up and down—not to mention furious typing on Twitter—ordinary citizenship in the United States…

Debra RienstraMay 26, 2018

Calvin events cultural commentary

Postcards from Festival 2018 (So Far)

This is just a tiny sampling, and I’m only one person. I’m scribbling in my notebook as fast as I can, and I’m not even telling you all the clever jokes and tender stories and dear human connections I am witnessing in this extraordinary space.

Debra RienstraApril 14, 2018

cultural commentary politics

Can We Retire the Word “Bias”?

Here’s how it works. If you don’t like what a person or news article or books says, you pronounce it “biased,” and you’re done. You have destroyed the person or source’s credibility. No need to consider what is being said on its own terms. End…

Debra RienstraJanuary 6, 2018

cultural commentary politics theology

I Never Was An Evangelical, and I Never Want to Be

In any case, Evangelicals of the contemporary American variety have always felt to me like the cousins my family visits only once a year for a day or two on out-of-state road trips. We are related, of course, but when we get together our differences…

Debra RienstraSeptember 23, 2017

cultural commentary pop culture review

Any Tenderness?

The show’s title makes it sound like one of those silly British slapstick comedies, but no. I would describe it as an historical drama with a loving heart. It has the same historical-immersion appeal as Mad Men, except with wholesome values, lots of babies, and…

Debra RienstraAugust 26, 2017

cultural commentary

Monday at the Center of the Universe

This past Monday, I peered into the humming center of the universe. I’m talking about Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, California.

Debra RienstraAugust 12, 2017

cultural commentary

Tragic Virtue Ecologies

The Weight of This Sad Time

True Forms

Incandescence and Despair: Further Thoughts on First Reformed

The Semiotics of Protest: A New Primer

Postcards from Festival 2018 (So Far)

Can We Retire the Word “Bias”?

I Never Was An Evangelical, and I Never Want to Be

Any Tenderness?

Monday at the Center of the Universe

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