Prism Links--Week of May 29th

A scandal afoot?

If you haven’t been paying attention to the PreachersNSneakers Instagram account, you should. What started as a joke post about the expensive sneakers of a popular preacher has taken off—the account gained 160,000 followers in a little over a month! Clearly it has struck a chord. World Magazine emailed all of the pastors featured on the account to ask them details. Only one replied: “How’d you get this email?”

Eighth Grade and the God Who Loves

Eighth Grade was a minor miracle and one of my favorite films of 2018. A moving and tender and honest examination of the interior life of a girl on the cusp of high school, the film captured the mix of fear and excitement and confusion that is present during the transition into adulthood. My favorite part of the movie was the portrayal of the father. This article captures well what made it so beautiful.

A Pastor’s Case for the Morality of Abortion

Before you click the link, I want to make clear that I am including this interview not because it authentically presents a Christian case for abortion. The tortured reasoning and moral gymnastics that are present in the article are exasperating. In fact the author—an lesbian female pastor in the ultra-liberal United Church of Christ denomination (which is dying out)—doesn’t seem to know how to make a “pastor’s case” for anything. For her, “a pastor’s case” seems to be synonymous with “whatever I happen to think since I am a pastor.” I am including this link as a commentary on the quality of arguments being made, and how truthfully the media will almost never treat an authentically Christian worldview with respect if it conflicts with the dominant cultural opinion.

Chernobyl is Totally Bleak and Totally Essential

A one-month subscription to HBO will cost you 15 dollars. Going to the Arclight costs 17 dollars per person. Which should you do this month? I recommend HBO for this reason: There is a five-part miniseries (fifth part airs next Monday) on the 1986 Chernobyl disaster which is a devastating, powerful, and timely look at the failure of human technology and human social organization. I cannot recommend it highly enough but maybe this article will convince you. Each episode has left me utterly devastated.