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John of Damascus on Divine Images
Read more: John of Damascus on Divine ImagesSt. John of Damascus penned the Treatises on the Divine Images in response to iconoclasm which swept across the Byzantine Empire under Emperor Leo III. Throughout his three treatise, St. John of Damascus works to distinguish veneration from worship, and he justifies icons imaging Jesus and the saints. As a modern reader the distinction between…
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Carrie & Lowell: A Reflection
Read more: Carrie & Lowell: A ReflectionSufjan Stevens’ new album, Carrie & Lowell, has been out for over a month now, but I’ve only had the chance to listen to it for the past week. I had pre-ordered it a while back and mistakenly assumed that it would automatically download to my account and so I spent a few weeks wondering when…
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Between Evolution and Existential Angst
Read more: Between Evolution and Existential AngstI was on holiday in Oslo recently. As I was hoping to get some reading and coffee/beer tasting done, I only visited one museum: The Munch Museum. The Munch Museum, featuring works by the painter Edvard Munch, is actually located right next to the Olso’s Natural History Museum. The Munch Museum is most well-known for having…
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Art in Practice: Meta-Ethics
Read more: Art in Practice: Meta-EthicsThe first thing you’ll probably wonder before reading the rest of this post is: what’s meta-ethics? For many philosophers, it is a topic that is debated by some of the brightest minds about whether rightness and wrongness are worth exploring. In layman’s terms, it’s the simple question, “does ethics exist?”. The last two posts I…
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“Appreciating” Art
Read more: “Appreciating” ArtIf you are like me and spend too much browsing around on the internet, you have probably run into this video: It’s quite entertaining because even though its ridiculous its not quite clear that this guy isn’t serious. If it wasn’t for the clips edited in on the end it could very well be confused for an…
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Movies, Sex, and Gore, Oh My! Morality and Objectivity in Art
Read more: Movies, Sex, and Gore, Oh My! Morality and Objectivity in ArtLast time I wrote on this blog, I argued that art should be viewed subjectively and objectively. Art has absolute qualities that must be acknowledged to give it existence, and yet, it still must be experienced to call it art. But what is art in the scope of ethics? I’ll try not to make this…
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Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder…Or is it?
Read more: Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder…Or is it?Today’s culture, we as Christians can agree, is riveted by postmodern thought. Morals and truths are relative to experience and perception, one would claim. And in response, Christians, historically, have made efforts to combat this kind of thinking (although even this is now a subject of debate, sadly). But one problem I’ve always had, as…
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“Les Miserey” of the Unrequited
Read more: “Les Miserey” of the UnrequitedIf you haven’t seen the new Les Miserables motion picture, finish reading this post first, then grab your tickets on fandango. The music, and the story, is stunningly beautiful. It is emotionally vigorous. It is theologically rich. And it is soul-transforming. Ok, maybe these promises are a little high, but for one who was wondering…
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The Gospel and Les Mis, Part 1 (Guest Post)
Read more: The Gospel and Les Mis, Part 1 (Guest Post)It should go without saying that art is a powerful thing. When it is done well it can easily change the way we see the world, subverting our perspective in a way where other forms of communication would struggle or fail. We are surrounded by well executed art, yet it is an exhilarating rarity to…
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On F Bombs and Christian Music: A Reflection on P.O.D.’s Newest Album, Murdered Love
Read more: On F Bombs and Christian Music: A Reflection on P.O.D.’s Newest Album, Murdered LoveLast week the Christian rap-metal band P.O.D. (Payable on Death) came out with their eighth album, Murdered Love. When I first heard that P.O.D. was releasing a new album I was quite excited. There was a time when P.O.D. was my all-time favorite band. Indeed, they functioned like a doorway for me into the world of…