culture | Two Handed Warriors

Fiddler on the Roof: Worldview Change and the Foundational Power of #Torah

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Like Tevye, the stories of Scripture provide not only fertile soil for nurturing reinterpretations of our philosophy and culture for a new generation, but also irresistible bedrock for grounding the story of our own life in the mind of God.

Sex, Violence, and the Teenage Music Industry, by Adam Caress

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

The TV and Film industry’s sexualization of teenage girls pales in comparison to the combination of sex and violence in the music industry Adam Caress is a thoughtful inside commentator on music, faith and culture for Mule Variations: Music Culture Ideas (and a favorite former student.) In this powerful, disturbing, and carefully researched post, Adam [...]

High Culture, Pop Culture: Shouldn’t a Great Film Impact ‘DEEP CULTURE’?

Friday, February 24, 2012

Part II in series: Deep Culture Impact: Is an Oscar a Reliable Indicator of a Truly Great Film? The criteria used by Academy voters to decide their choice for “Best Picture” remains a complete mystery to the viewing public. Is it Story? Acting? Directing? Artistic merit? Political perspective? Personal taste? Who knows? No two years are the same, and [...]

Crash Goes the Worldview: Why Character Transformation Requires Changing Scripts

Thursday, February 16, 2012

If imitation is the highest form of flattery, then we are constantly flattering the individuals and communities who have transmitted their “scripts” to us. Our worldview is so deeply rooted within us that we glide through thousands of “preconditioned” decisions each hour, following the cultural and philosophical scripts provided for us by the stories that have shaped us.

It’s a Wonderful Life and the Courage to Live (and Create Art) Idealistically

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Few of us will ever get an invitation to an early screening of our life’s work like George did. Yet we will all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. To be a two handed warrior is to live for that heavenly red carpet affair, not its pale imitation at the Kodak theatre.

Capra’s Tale of a Depressed Idealist: It’s a Wonderful Life, Part 2

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) provides a wonderful expression of the complicated interplay between modern Physicalism and Idealism as life-interpreting stories in the life of its main character, George Bailey.

It’s a Wonderful Worldview: Frank Capra’s Theistic Masterpiece, by Gary David Stratton

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Golden Globes host Ricky Gervais’s atheism joke and his holiday message in the Wall Street Journal, “Why I’m An Atheist,” provide a perfect backdrop for examining one of Hollywood's most famous attempts to defend Theism–It’s a Wonderful Life.

Become a Hollywood Influencer this Holiday (and Oscar) season… Tweet!

Thursday, December 15, 2011

The 6 percent of Americans who actively participate in the Twitter community exert a much greater cultural influence than those who don't... at least in Hollywood.

You Shall Not Pass! The Supernatural Power of Two Handed Warfare

Monday, June 20, 2011

Expertise in faith and culture rarely go hand-in-hand. Leaders adept at culture making—whether in Hollywood or the Ivy League—are rarely trained in the disciplines of faith building; whereas leaders with strengths in faith building—whether in a local congregation or an international relief agency—are rarely trained in the art of culture making.

The Secret Knowledge of Prime Time Propaganda: A Christian Response to Pulitzer Prize Winner David Mamet and Journalist Ben Shapiro’s Warnings Against Hollywood’s Left-Leaning Culture

Thursday, June 2, 2011

New books by Pulitzer Prize Winner David Mamet and Journalist Ben Shapiro's are sure to shape industry conversation on faith and culture ...for good or for ill.