Mario Puzo’s novels are shot through with religious themes—but almost never with genuinely religious characters.
Ideas
Posted inArts & Culture, Ideas
Why are there so many movies about nuns—and so few about monks?
There are some truly excellent films about monks, with deep insights into the love of God and the nature of sacrifice. But why aren’t there more?
Posted inArts & Culture, Ideas
War, human rights abuses, corruption, banned beer: None of it will stop the magic of the World Cup.
Despite the headlines of worker deaths, FIFA corruption and L.G.B.T. human rights violations (and yes, banned beer), billions around the world welcome the World Cup with relief.
Posted inArts & Culture, Ideas
Community, humanity, surrender: 3 reasons why we need to go back to the movie theaters
Every movie is like a pilgrimage. It invites us into a journey with the promise of some holy destination, and a good one calls us to an appreciation of community.
Posted inArts & Culture, Ideas
Review: Taylor Swift bares her soul in her new album, ‘Midnights’
With age comes wisdom, and that is certainly true for Taylor, whose latest album, “Midnights,” is almost entirely introspective, even a little retrospective.
Posted inArts & Culture, Ideas
‘The Waste Land’ at 100: T.S. Eliot’s monument to despair — with a few laughs thrown in
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the publication of “The Waste Land.” The 433-line poem is important, but it’s not very user-friendly.
Posted inArts & Culture, Ideas
Kurt Vonnegut would still be amused.
The absolute refusal to accept handed-down truths—whether in politics, science, religion or art—was a constant in Kurt Vonnegut’s life and work.
Posted inIdeas, Politics & Society
Can true crime podcasts right the wrongs of the criminal justice system?
There is no doubt that the attention that the podcast “Serial” brought to his case helped Adnan Syed, who was released from prison on Sept. 19.
Posted inFaith, Ideas
Netflix’s ‘The Crown’ was fiction—but it depicted Queen Elizabeth’s very real Christian faith.
As the queen of England, Elizabeth served as the religious leader of the British Commonwealth and supreme governor of the Church of England—and she took that role very seriously.
Posted inArts & Culture, Ideas
Maggie Rogers describes making music as a religious experience. It shows on her new album, ‘Surrender’
Maggie Rogers wrote an album of “feral joy” for “Surrender,” the indie-pop artist’s second LP.