In ‘Renewing Theology,’ J. Matthew Ashley argues that when brought into dynamic relation with spirituality (and vice versa), the work of theology is deeply relevant to our lives and is vital at every level of following Christ. It becomes part and parcel of a “way of life”—the life of faith.
Arts & Culture
Posted inArts & Culture, Television
The hidden costs of ‘peak TV’
Television as a popular medium died 25 years ago. It’s time to mourn.
Posted inArts & Culture, Music
The descendant of slavery and choir director who saved a beloved Christmas carol from extinction
The Work brothers preserved the rich tradition of Negro spirituals, most notably in crafting the iconic Christmas carol “Go, Tell It on the Mountain.”
Posted inArts & Culture, Theater
Three new shows break the mold of the jukebox musical—for better and for worse
Three new Off-Broadway shows don’t just show us what draws musicians to their chosen medium; they make us hear it, with often bracing effect.
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Book Club
Mary Karr and the art of the spiritual memoir
Though Mary Karr might not consider herself a conventional writer of spiritual autobiography, her three memoirs have made this poet and professor a standard-bearer in the genre.
Posted inArts & Culture, Film
In ‘Priscilla,’ Elvis’s twisted love shows what marriage is—and isn’t—for
There’s much more to this story than glamour. At its heart, “Priscilla” is about a woman lost in a twisted marriage.
Posted inArts & Culture, Books
Review: St. Katharine Drexel’s complicated record on race
In ‘Katherine Drexel and the Sisters Who Shared Her Vision,’ the historian Margaret McGuinness has performed another valuable service to American Catholic history.
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Movie Club
‘Catch Me if You Can’ is an underappreciated Christmas movie
“Catch Me If You Can” returns to Christmas again and again, like a scab it can’t stop scratching.
Posted inArts & Culture, Film
‘Poor Things,’ starring Emma Stone, is the movie of the year
In “Poor Things,” Emma Stone is Adam, in a sense, the product of a modern Prometheus, who will drive men wild. Which is both the funniest and pointed aspect of her picaresque tale.
Posted inArts & Culture, Film
Review: In ‘Maestro,’ we see the complexity in Leonard Bernstein’s music, marriage and sexuality
Bradley Cooper’s new Leonard Bernstein biopic, “Maestro,” offers a portrait of a soul that struggled to determine which direction it wanted to take in the world of classical music.