Childhood Is a Kingdom: A Reflection on "The Wizard of Oz"
When I was a child, I read The Wizard of Oz over the course of a few days. I was eight years old and reading still made me feel accomplished. I read it…
Category: Literary & Media Analysis
The Genesis Problem: A Catholic Literary Commentary
I’m continually amazed how often the “problem” of Genesis comes up in my work of evangelization and apologetics. What I mean is the way people struggle with the seemingly bad science that is on…
Aragorn the Lover: Union with the Beloved and the Call to Greatness
Halbarad, the Ranger of the North, bears a gift for Aragorn. It is a thing of mystery, “close furled in a black cloth bound about with many thongs”. And there is a message with it…
Book Review: A Wrinkle in Time
A Wrinkle in Time is, in itself, a beautifully-written and enchanting book. It tells the story of young Meg Murry, a girl who feels like she does nothing right, and who sometimes believes what all…
“Stand, Men of the West!”: The Virtue of Chivalry in Middle-Earth
“I bow not yet before the Iron Crown, nor cast my own small golden sceptre down” The Lord of the Rings, and indeed the whole Lengendarium of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien is among the greatest influences on…
Faith Flicks: Sources of Inspiration or Despair?
It seems that there is something stirring in the movie-making business as of late. Namely, religious themes are reappearing on the radar in a more positive light to appease the niche counter-cultural audience that…
Legends of the Lost: Catholic Adventure in Mark Adderley's McCracken Series
If Catholic Adventure Has a Name, It Must Be McCracken Meet McCracken, inventor, engineer, big-game hunter and faithful Catholic. tells the stories of his adventures in a series of novels made for everyone…
"Family Don't End in Blood": How the TV Show "Supernatural" Strengthened My Faith
Some of you might have heard the name of a show called Supernatural going around. It’s quite well known – it’s been running for ten years and is still going. The main actors…
Winter of the Soul: A Spiritual Analysis of the Game of Thrones Pop Culture Phenomena
Game of Thrones, the wildly popular HBO series based off of George R.R. Martin’s high fantasy book series A Song of Ice and Fire, is a presently unavoidable part of popular culture. Praised for its high…
The Price of a Soul: Musings on the Moral Beauty of "Les Miserables"
I have fond memories of seeing Les Miserables in its San Francisco stage production many years ago. It was therefore with great disappointment—and with some questioning of my judgment in earlier years—that several months ago I…