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Ridley Scott's newest film, American Gangster stars a cold-blooded killer who is also a hip, likable, Robin Hood, family man type played by everyone's favorite actor, Denzel Washington. He kills and beats numerous people in the movie, and most of the time it turns out pretty well for him.

The "good" guy in the movie, played by Russell Crowe - who's know to throw phones at random people's heads - is by contrast a horrible father and husband, kind of a loser, and not very suave. Also he wears really bad shirts.

So is this film really such a good idea? Listen and find out.

Look around and you probably don't see a lot of Christian art. Walk into a Christian bookstore, and you probably don't see a lot of good art. Look... well, anywhere and you probably won't see a lot of good Christian art. So is there such a thing?

We have good news and bad news:

The good news is that Christian art is possible (remember the Rennaissance?) and that it's becoming more common all the time.

The bad news is that it's kind of hard to find. And by that we mean it's not really at your local theater, and it's probably not in the Billboard Top 40. MTV isn't all about it.

You have to look for it.

In this episode, we get you started, discussing the nature of Christian art, what makes it good, and listing our Top 5 Examples of Good Christian Art.

But we know we didn't cover it all. Want to add (or subtract) something to the conversation? Just comment below, email us (at christandpopculture@gmail.com), or leave a voicemail at 206-333-0211. We'd be especially interested in hearing your own top fives!

These days, churches use all sorts of things to aid in evangelism. Movie nights, Super-bowl parties, and yes, even Halo 3. Recently Owen Strachan posted on his blog about this growing video-game evangelism trend. We liked what he had to say so much, we thought we'd have him on the show to talk about it.

Owen is a soon-to-be graduate of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and is also an assistant to Dr. Al Mohler, President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is also just a really really smart guy with a heart for ministry.

All three of us also count down our Top (Bottom?) Five Misguided Uses of Pop Culture! You don't want to miss that!
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We would love to hear your top five. Maybe it will include us! Send that or any other questions or comments to christandpopculture@gmail.com. Or you can leave a comment below. Even better, you can leave us a voicemail at 206-333-0211. (Note: some of you may have left voicemails at the old number recently. We're sorry, we never got them. That number has expired and is no longer used. Please call and leave your message at this number. Thanks!)

It goes without saying that without Harry Potter there would be no show. What else would David have to bring up every single episode - relentlessly - without bringing up Rich's brilliant (Or misguided?) claim that Harry Potter was a Christ figure?

Well, J. K. Rowling is clearly messing with our heads. A few weeks ago, she announced to the world, "I always thought of Dumbledore as gay."

Okay... this is a good time for some awkward silence, and maybe a meticulous hindsight 20/20 montage...

Now that we're done with that, what now? How do we respond to this as Christians who see homosexuality as sin? Can we still read this to our kids? Should we just give up altogether and acknowledge that we will never discover another Chronicles of Narnia? Is modern Children's literature a lost cause?

We answer some of those questions on this episode of Christ and Pop Culture!
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Want to respond? Leave a message at 206-202-0507, email us at christandpopculture@gmail.com, or leave a comment below!

With Halloween upon us, everyone will be itching to be frightened, and these days movies are just a bit more popular than the haunted house. Of course, this used to mean suspense, ghosts, maybe a murderer on the loose. But now, for some reason, it means staring at unlimited amounts of blood and gore for 90 minutes. These things don't scare, so much as they shock.

So what has become of us? Why do we crave such exhibitions, and what will happen if we indulge ourselves? We discuss these issues, plus we count down our top five terrifying films.

In this show David and Rich discuss the current cultural emphasis on the idiocy of men. Also, they list their Top Five Stupid Films. Enjoy!

David: We're continuing to make changes to the format of our show and we thought we'd let you all in on the news and updates concerning C & PC and the future.

The "Listener Feedback" show is gone! We will no longer be doing a separate show for listener feedback, but will, instead, be consistently talking about feedback on each episode (so long as we have feedback to talk about...that's your job). Also we have some great new shows coming up, dealing with subjects such as: music, horror films, Virtual Communities, The Pop-Culture "Dumb Guy," Television, and evangelism. We also have more special guests, and were going to be putting out one episode a week consistently. So each Monday be sure to check out the latest edition of Christ and Pop-Culture.

Remember back in the day, when Rich and David used to disagree on things? Man, those were the days. Fortunately, those days are back, and now Rich and David are convinced that the other is completely wrong! It makes for spirited conversation, and an interesting show!

This time around, David and I saw a movie called the Kingdom. How was it? It was fun and meaningful! Or it was boring and overly pretentious! Or it depends on who you ask!

We got a lot of good feedback, so we figured we should probably devote a show to it. Enjoy!

Also, a special thanks to the following, who were kind enough to link to our podcast:

Nowheresville
Scott
The Thoughts of Bezalel

We've also added a permanent link section for anyone who has linked to us.

Rich: You know, it's funny. You always look forward to fall break and plan all sorts of things you will do and catch up on and have fun with... and then you get scheduled for something ridiculous like 45 hours and you STILL have to catch up on things. So, we figured CAPC can be on fall break too, just until a week from today. We hope you will miss us, because we already miss you!

We have a lot of exciting ideas for the next few shows, and David even got a new microphone that should sound way better, so now he won't sound like he's on the telephone. Also, we have a lot of feedback to get through, so we'll probably be doing a whole show on that.

As for those who have linked us, we'll be thanking you in our next show, and we'll also be blogging a special blog to thank you in the next day or so. We really really appreciate you guys support. It's been so encouraging. You like us. You really like us.

For those of you who don't like us quite yet, it's not too late! You can still get that link and mention on our show if we see you in our referrals before we blog the list.

Rich: When David told me he would be out of town last weekend, we both agreed that it was the perfect time to talk about sports. Though we are both college football fans (Me: Auburn/Florida/Louisville; David: Ohio State/Ohio State/Ohio State), we aren't really all that knowledgeable about the subject. And yet, no other aspect of pop-culture evokes the sort of passion and devotion as sports, and more specifically American football.

We decided our first-ever guest host needed to be someone who was passionate about football, but even more passionate about Christ. We found that person in Keith Goad, an elder at our church and a Ph.D. student at our school. He played in high school and has been a fan ever since. In today's episode, Keith breaks down the season for us, defends his sport, addresses the scandals, and more.

Want to respond? Leave a message at 206-202-0507, email us at christandpopculture@gmail.com, or leave a comment below!

Rich: This week we’re asking anyone who enjoys (or at least listens to) our podcast to give us a mention and/or a link on their own blogs or website. We’re going to link to everyone we see in our referrals in a special post, and we’ll also keep a spot in the sidebar for listener links. We’re just getting off the ground and I think David would agree when I say this thing is a whole lot more fun when there are people listening that we can interact with. We’re not looking for fame and fortune (if so, I think this would be a giant waste of time), just a conversation!

We recorded our show on action heroes not realizing that we were about to come face to face with one of the greatest action movies we've seen in a long time. After David and I saw 3:10 to Yuma, we were pretty stunned. It was one of the most well-made, unique and unlikely movies we'd seen in a long time, and after chewing on it for a while, we decided we just had to talk about it.

What makes a good Western? What makes a good villain? What's the true nature of bravery? Yeah, we cover all that, plus we read some viewer mail from our Action Hero show.

Sure, if you really wanted you could email us (christandpopculture@gmail.com) or leave a comment, but even better than that, you can leave a voice mail at 206-202-0507 and you just might end up on our show!

We now have a voicemail box at the following number: 206-202-0507.

This past Sunday, the world watched as Hollywood commended itself for producing such brilliant television, and at the same time acknowledged that it really doesn't put out brilliant television. So what's the deal? How good is television, really? And what do the winners of the Emmys say about, well, anything?

This episode, David and Rich attempt to answer this question, and they also try their hardest to come up with five new Fall television shows they kind of want to watch. It's harder than you think.

Let us know what you think by emailing us at christandpopculture@gmail.com or by commenting below!

On a dark, cold night in December, Rich and his wife camped outside of Best Buy on a whim. After braving the cold for eight hours (and you better believe his wife got the sleeping back), they left the store with a Wii... and it was totally worth it.

Or was it? If the iPhone is overrated, is the Wii the truly revolutionary invention of the decade? Can a video game truly embrace community, or are the two concepts mutually exclusive?

Well, David's skeptical. And so are you. But in this episode of Christ and Pop Culture, Rich tries to explain the lure of such a machine, and explains how it's made his life just a little bit more fulfilling.
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Show Notes:
Next week we begin our consistent, more structured version of CAPC. Twice a week we'll put out episodes that are hopefully more up-to-date and beneficial.

Show topics to look forward to: The Emmys, 3:10 to Yuma, and more!

These days, a good action movie is hard to come by. The high cost and risk inherent in this genre means that the film studios must be convinced (more than usual) of a film's success before they take a chance. This means most of the action films we see are long-lasting franchises which do well time after time. The Bourne series, though it seems new, has become one of those series.

And so, now that Jason Bourne has entered into the same cannon as Indiana Jones and John McClane (and I'm sure on that point many will cry blasphemy), we turn to ask just why he has become so popular. What is it about Jason Bourne - and what was it about Jones and Mclane - that makes us weep when they weep and rejoice when they rejoice?

In this episode, we discuss this issue and we also share our own Top Five Action Heroes.
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Show notes:
This is our last really stinkin' long show. The rest will be 20-30 minutes and will come out twice a week. So look forward to that!

The article by Owen we mentioned can be found here.

Rich: Your brand new full-length episode of Christ and Pop Culture will show up here sometime today, but I wanted to give you fair warning that our 5th episode will be our last "full-length" episode as you know it. After today, full-length will equal 20-30 minutes. Our new schedule will offer two twenty-minute episodes every week.

Hopefully you'll find even more benefit from this new format. As always you can leave any comments in the comment box or email us at christandpopculture@gmail.com.

This episode we respond to those of you who wrote feedback! Listeners address the existence of decent Three-quals, the true meaning of the Shrek series, the merits (or lack thereof) of Pilgrims Progress, the Christian merits (or lack thereof) of Harry Potter, their top fives, and more!

If you want us to respond to your comments on the air, just email us at christandpopculture@gmail.com or leave a comment below!

What makes a good movie review? Are movies just conversation starters, or something more?

Well, David read a book. In this book, Richard Leonard attempts to look at various movies through the eyes of faith. Does he succeed? Well, David has an opinion, and we discuss that and the answers to the questions above. Don't miss it, and don't forget to check back Thursday for another episode of Christ and Pop Culture!

#4:The Simpsons movie was a true cultural event, captivating the nation and causing Christians to ask a number of searching questions: Should I take my kids? Should I go myself? Should I laugh at every joke?

Nonetheless, the concept of adult cartoons (and consequently the Simpsons) is old hat these days. The cartoon is seen as yet another neutral genre against which we can display a worldview that may or may not inspire faith.

But you may be surprised to find out that the truly important questions have yet to be asked by most Christians: what affects does this medium have on its' message?

We discuss this issue, as well as the Simpsons Movie in this podcast, and we finish off with a countdown of our Top Five Kid-Appropriate Cartoons.

The hiatus has been worth it. THIS is Christ And Pop-Culture!

I am sorry to report that Rich has not completed the editing for this weeks podcast yet. He's on top of it though, and hard at work! I suppose I can't really blame Rich, because I don't really know anything about editing these podcasts or I could help out. He's sort of on his own until he trains me.

In any case the podcast should be up online sometime in the next day or two. Our subject is "Adult-Oriented Cartoons," that is shows like The Simpsons, King of the Hill, Family Guy, etc. Hear our thoughts and our Top Five Cartoons we wouldn't object to our kids watching.

And be sure to send us any feedback you have for our upcoming Listern Feedback Show. You can do that by e-mailing us at christandpopculture@gmail.com or by leaving us a comment on this website.

Don't worry, David and Rich don't claim to know anything about global warming, but they do discuss the cultural impact that Al Gore has had on the typical American. They also argue over why exactly Live Earth was pretty much a big failure.

It's 12 minutes long, and wonderful!

Any feedback is welcome! Just leave a comment at our website or email christandpopculture@gmail.com.

On July 7, 2007 many people chose to get married. Why? And what does this say about our view of marriage?

Rich: David and I are just starting to get back into the swing of things, but in the meantime, prepare for a few smaller, more easily consumable episodes of Christ and Pop-Culture. In the meantime, check out The Dane's response to last episode's top five list: His own list, more specifically qualified.

Look for a new podcast tomorrow.

Rich:
David and I sat down on the 16th of July, one week before the last book came out and one week after having seen the fifth movie, and I did what very few have the guts to do: I made a prediction concerning the end of the book, based solely on a "pet theory". Was I right? Well, that's for you to find out, when you listen to the latest episode of Christ and Culture!

This time, we discuss not only what's going to happen in the next book, but also whether or not the series can be called "great," a "classic," "Christian," or all of the above!

Also on the show, we discuss the fifth movie, and give our top five books we'd read to our children, or encourage our children to read (other than Harry Potter of course).

We hope you enjoy this show, because it'll likely be the last one for a couple weeks. David and I are taking some time off. I'm leaving for vacation for a couple weeks, and David has a new baby, which I figure is a reason to take a break for a while. Look out for smaller episodes on single-issues in the meantime, and look for a new episode sometime in August!

And remember, you can always send your feedback to christandpopculture@gmail.com (or just leave a comment). Maybe we'll read your email on the air!

Rich: As you may have guessed, I've been spending most of this weekend reading the last installment of Harry Potter. What that means, is that I was NOT spending it editing the show. This means the show will be a little late this week. Sometime tonight at the earliest, Wednesday night at the latest. You can look forward to lots of Harry Potter related talk, as well as another top five.

Sorry David, I was never one to take dares, and I'm certainly not going to start now. There's no way I could list my top-five favorite movies, with no qualifiers whatsoever. That's just way to much to work with. I'm an extremely forgetful person, so all I would end up doing is listing the Top Five Movies I Can Remember Right Now.

So, here you go, the Top Five Movies I Can Remember Right Now:

1. Prairie Home Companion Altman meets Keillor meets Solomon on his deathbed. Awesome.
2. Thank You For Smoking I really wish that guy wasn't starring in that lame romantic comedy with Catherine Zeta Jones. He's so much better than that.
3. 28 Days Later Seriously, because I totally can't think of much else. 28 Days Later is by far my favorite horror film, so that'll work.
4. Donnie Darko I got it the first time, and it was awesome.
5. Waking Life This was added to the list specifically to make you sorry you asked! Also, it's Linkletter's best ever.

In lue of the recent podcast on summer blockbusters David posts here his favorite films. A top five movies is hard to pick, but here's what he's come up with:

1) The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (I've counted these movies as one, because they should be. It is, after all, one magnificent story. To make a movie about a classic fantasy is hard, and Peter Jackson certainly had his critics. It is the opinion of this fan, however, that Jackson has achieved a masterpiece with this movie!)

2) Young Frankenstein (This is an American classic! Mel Books does some of his best work with this comic take on the old Frankenstein story. With Gene Wilder as the young Dr. Frankenstien you can't fail to laugh. The humor and the storytelling of this film show Brooks at his best.)

3) Rear Window (Disturbia may be a 21st century attempt at this classic Hitchcock film, but it doesn't compare to the original. Jimmy Stewart does a superb job in this suspense thriller, and Hitchcock is the master of good suspense. Filmmakers today should take their cues from him.)

4) Duck Soup (As masters of both physical comedy and witty insults the Marx Brothers may have earned themselves the title of best comedy of all time!)

5) Casablanca (I know what you're thinking, but it's not a chick-flick, and yes everybody mentions this movie. The reality, however, is that there is a reason everyone talks about it, there's a reason it's a classic: because its good! With class, dynamic character development, and excitement director Michael Curtiz crafts this beautiful story. It's a great movie for movie-lovers, for hopeless romantics, and for guys!)

 

Its my hope that by posting this I will force Rich to give me his top five favorite movies! Bring it on Rich!

In this episode, we attempt to get the summer movies out of our system by discussing a number of big summer movies:

*Does anything happen at all in Spiderman Three?
*Should Shrek 3 even exist?
*What on earth happened with Pirates of the Caribbean 3?
*Why did Live Free or Die Hard cause Rich to have a moral crisis?
*What's really wrong with Michael Moore's Sicko (and it doesn't have anything to do with insurance)?
*Why is Transformers a dangerous movie for Christians?

Also, we talk about the upcoming format change for the podcast!

Please let us know what you think by emailing us at christandpopculture [at] gmail.com

Well, we've gotten some feedback for our first show and have decided to make some various changes. We hope to make the show shorter and more concise. If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know! Stay tuned for the next, new and improved episode, coming Monday, July 16!

Pop-Culture permeates all of our lives. It influences the way people speak, think, and how the view the world around them. As Christians we know that Christ and the gospel are to dominate our lives, but we do live in this world of pop-culture. All this begs the question, "How should Christians interact with the pop-culture around them?"

Rich and David, in their first podcast, ask this question and pose some answers. What is pop-culture, why should Christians care about it, and how should they interact with it are all on the table for discussion.

Besides this main topic the two will also be talking about two new blockbuster films: 1408, and Evan Almighty as well as counting down our Top Five Favorite Moments in Pop Culture History.

We welcome feedback and would love to address some of it on the podcast. Please send any comments, questions, etc. to christandpopculture@gmail.com.