This is an essay I wrote for a Philosophy class on American philospher Stanley Cavell and the plays of Shakespeare. I don't like to post my academic essays on this blog, but this one is a particularly important piece for me. “You have as much laughter as you have faith.” Martin Luther Shakespeare’s play Othello … Continue reading Luther and Othello: Skepticism, Anfechtung, and “the Doubting Disease”
This piece is a version of a speech I am entering for this year's Henry C. Smith Peace Oratorical Contest. I will have to make some changes to this speech to make it fit into the parameters of the contest, and I thought this version was good enough to share with my readers as is. … Continue reading What we need is here
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him … Continue reading Advent 2: Joining Creation’s Praise
When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. … Continue reading Advent: Sowing in Grief
I recently heard that the foundational principle of some libertarian or anarchist political theories is the right to own private property. It is precisely this principle that leads these thinkers to reject all forms government coercion, because they violate this most basic human right to autonomy and self-sufficiency. As far as I'm concerned, this position … Continue reading Christ and Possessions
In the increasingly hot climate of the culture wars in the United States, and with some of that animosity creeping across the border into our own communities, I would like to put forward six thesis for a Christian politics. In doing this, I’m not trying to change anyone’s political views (though that might follow as … Continue reading 6 Theses for Christian Politics
In my last piece, I contrasted the powerless way of God the baby, with the satanic way of Herod the King. For those with the eyes and ears to see, my piece was filled with allusions to the failures of the Church.
The Joker is a hard movie to write about, it is so dense and interconnected that to explore its themes in a linear fashion, as one must in a blog post, is a daunting task. To chase one theme, one sub narrative or idea is to ignore all others, and for that reason, every analysis is only grasping at parts, illuminating some bits, while leaving much unexplored. I believe movies are best analyzed in conversation, where a more probing, circular, approach is possible. Thats not what I did here, instead, I tried to reconstruct the narrative of the movie by chasing down some of the key thematic threads. I'll leave the reader to decide how illuminating this is. Spoilers ahead, you have been warned.
Coffee with Kierkegaard 