Was Rudolf Bultmann a Nazi sympathizer? Short answer—no. And yet…the accusation is commonplace within some sectors of scholarship. In his recent Gifford lectures, the New Testament scholar N.T. Wright said as much, accusing Bultmann of Lutheran “quietism” in the face of the Third Reich because he was a “friend and philosophical disciple” of the infamous Nazi, […]
Is Resistance Futile? Initial Impression of the Pilot Episode of The Man in the High Castle
Probable spoilers below. We only have the pilot episode of the TV series available, and I’m giving away plot details of both the pilot and the book on which the series is based. The latter may/may not make their way into the TV show. The pilot episode for Amazon’s adaptation of The Man in the […]
Fury at the Cross(roads): The Gospel in the Violence of History
Another great contribution from Michael W. Nicholson, this reflection on the film Fury’s religious dimension first appeared on his blog, Tides of God. The most religious film many moviegoers will see this year will not be an inspirational story from a faith-based production company; it will be writer-director David Ayer’s WWII tank combat epic Fury. And in […]
The Unexpected Benefits of Growing Up With a Nazi Name
A fascinating review of the BBC documentary series Hitler’s Children appeared in The Atlantic recently. The film catches up with various descendents of major Nazi figures, such as Herman Goering and Heinrich Himmler, and explores how they’ve dealt with their family names and legacies. These are people for whom “the inheritance of sin” is not […]
Short Story Thursday: Christ on the Enola Gay by Philip Wylie
This week, we turn to an untitled story about Jesus Christ–you know, the stowaway on board the Hiroshima mission. To read along, go here. “Pulp trash you say. But this is not entirely true …” -John Small on Opus 21, Harvard Crimson, 1949 This story comes from a small chapter near the end of Philip Wylie’s […]
My Heart Would Poison You, But God Wants My Poison Heart
I just came across this quote from Yitzhak Zuckerman, who was a Jewish resistance movement leader in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising during World War II: If you could lick my heart, it would poison you. Wow! You see, although a hero of the resistance movement, plagued by survivor guilt, he became an uncontrollable alcoholic later […]
PZ’s Podcast: Bishop Bell’s Speech
EPISODE 41 If we ever needed Bishop Bell again, we need him today! George K.A. Bell (1883-1958) was Bishop of Chichester in the Church of England during the Second World War. Bell became controversial — highly unpopular — because of a speech he made in the House of Lords on February 9, 1944, opposing RAF […]
Mockingbird at the Movies: Saving Private Ryan
James Ryan walks through the American Cemetery in Normandy, an old man. He stops at a headstone, and falls to his knees, tears in his eyes. The headstone reads: John Miller. As Ryan’s wife comes to his side, he says through his tears, “Have I been a good man? Tell me I’ve lived a good […]
