The big 4-0 passed us by with hardly a whimper. It was just a couple weeks ago, but no one made a fuss, not even the band, who seldom pass up a chance at a cash grab. Perhaps it’s not all that surprising; on the list of Pop Culture Disasters, this one ranks pretty low–somewhere […]
Did We Even See the Same Movie?: How Art Works, and Why It Matters – Alissa Wilkinson
Grateful for this wonderful talk from special guest NYC Conference speaker Alissa Wilkinson, film critic for Vox and co-author of How to Survive the Apocalypse: Zombies, Cylons, Faith, and Politics at the End of the World.
Did We Even See the Same Movie?: How Art Works, and Why It Matters – Alissa Wilkinson from Mockingbird on Vimeo.
Abstract Doubt
Even when procrastinating on YouTube, I still exhibit the embarrassingly obscure interests of a unadulterated nerd. A week ago, a friend caught we wasting time while mesmerized by a clip of English change-ringing—a intricate method of chiming church bells of various tones to produce an eerie, ordered clamor. Sometimes I also watch lectures on theology […]
The Role of Art (Or, the Limitations of Self-Help) in Life and Work
This one comes to us from Mark Casper. Recently I came across an article in The New Yorker that nearly bowled me over. It’s called Improving Ourselves to Death by Alexandra Schwartz, and it thoroughly outlines the negative consequences of living in a “self-improvement culture.” You may remember the post that appeared on Mockingbird earlier this year about […]
…Mistakes Were Made…
Some of us are so scared of being outed as human that we go to extreme measures to avoid any indication that we make mistakes. Architects, like me, are especially loath to admit error. You could say architects are conditioned to have ‘ego on steroids’ since the job is to manifest complete confidence in the […]
This Table Set For Us: Babette’s Feast
This review was written by David B. Witwer. We shuffle up the scarlet steps to find the stage already set for us. There is no curtain; sitting down we are transported from the city into a kitchen—marked by a long, simple table and wooden beams standing sentry. Bits of glass dangle overhead, awaiting the light. […]
Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk and the Problems of Postmodern Narrative
From May 27th to June 4th, 1940, the French port city of Dunkirk witnessed one of the most significant and history-altering military operations ever undertaken, the evacuation across the English Channel of nearly 400,000 British and French soldiers, right from under the teeth of the German army. You would know nearly nothing about it from […]
Heaven for Heretics: A Vision from Coco (and Memaw)
This past October my grandmother went home to Jesus. She was as faithful as they come and her absence has left a hole in the heart of our family. It is one that will not be filled this side of heaven. Her funeral was in a small Southern Baptist church with simply stained glass windows […]
Psychomachia, 8-Balls, and Alien Righteousness
This one comes to us from RJ Coburn. Psychomachia is the name given to the common trope found in movies, television, and comic strips when a character is dealing with temptation. Two versions of his or her self appear, an angel version and a devil version. Commonly, the devil is on the left shoulder (or […]
The Gospel of Alexander Hamilton
If you haven’t yet snagged your e-version of Never Satisfied Until Satisfied In Thee: Finding Grace in Hamilton, now’s your chance! Mockingbird’s latest e-book is a wonderful collection of gospel-centered essays about Lin-Manuel Miranda’s landmark musical, Hamilton. Edited by Tim Peoples and Cort Gatliff, this e-book features fresh essays by Stephanie Phillips, Michael Sansbury, Lauren R.E. Larkin, […]
Anne Lamott and What Dies (and Grows) in the Creative Struggle
If you write, you’ve probably read Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird. She is the shy, neurotic, wise, funny, dread-locked, recovering alcoholic, who is a font of sanity and encouragement for many of us engaged in the compulsion of writing. Anne grew up in a family of atheists, but came to faith and got sober — […]
