TV shows rarely get it right when depicting priests or men and women religious—but “The Sister Boniface Mysteries” offers a welcome look at a believable and positively portrayed woman in religious life.
Jim McDermott
Jim McDermott writes about pop culture at jimmcdermott.substack.
Posted inArts & Culture, Television
‘The Book of Boba Fett’ and the limits of mercy
“The Book of Boba Fett” explored some classic “Star Wars” themes, including idealism and the importance of family, but ultimately veered away from getting too deeply into them.
Posted inArts & Culture, Film
The message of this year’s Oscar picks: It’s up to our kids to save the planet.
At a time when our world contends with so many difficult issues, to see Hollywood imagining young people as our saviors raises serious questions.
Posted inArts & Culture, Ideas
The Catholic Church should do Super Bowl commercials
Super Bowl Sunday is an opportunity like no other to get your message out there. So why doesn’t the Catholic Church ever use it?
Posted inArts & Culture, Ideas
The spirituality of ‘cringe’
Last week, after over 50 years of this experience, I was finally given a word that captures what I feel when I see any of the many Laughing Jesus paintings: Cringe.
Posted inArts & Culture, Ideas
Our favorite pop culture stories are sacred to us. Have we lost the ability to critique them?
I wonder at the rage we seem to have at the ready when it comes to our favorite pieces of pop culture.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
Yes, the church needs to listen to former Catholics—and not just with an agenda of winning them back.
Is the church really interested in listening and learning from former Catholics? Or is it only “listening” to get them to come back to Catholicism?
Posted inPolitics & Society, Short Take
We’re not living in a simulation—and we need to stop acting like we are.
It is horrifying to think that some people would believe we are living in a simulation. But even more horrifying is the reality that we all actually spend most of our lives behaving like we are.
Posted inFaith, Short Take
The Catholic Church needs more screaming. We’ll all feel better.
Screaming as a form of therapy is not something you hear about much anymore. But I wonder if it is not a practice we should be encouraging in our faith communities.
Posted inArts & Culture, Television
PBS’s ‘All Creatures Great and Small’ is lovely to watch — and deeply untrue
Truly, at times watching “All Creatures Great and Small” is like visiting Disneyland and thinking Anaheim is amazing when three blocks away families are living in their cars.