ReasonForOurHope

Monday, February 24, 2025

New Evangelizers Post: Converting The Modern Roman Empire

             


I have a new article up at NewEvangelizers.com.  

Many Christians look at the modern world with despair.

The old Christian culture has faded into the background and a new secular one is on the ascendancy. People embrace the wonders of technology along with the horrors of hedonism. And with each passing day, it seems to many of us that the world is drifting further away from Christ.

I am not here to deny that this is truly happening. Nor am I here to say this is not a major concern.

But what I am here to say is that this modern world has created the conditions for new wave of conversion.

To see this, we have to look back at the first days of Christianity in the Roman Empire.

In those first days of Christianity first spreading throughout the Empire, Rome had connected much of the ancient world. In addition, there was relative peace and prosperity. To be sure, the ancient Rome was always a place of harshness and brutality. But in Apostolic Age, there was enough peace so that there could be free travel throughout the empire. Because of this prosperity, the people were able to spend time with several entertainments and diversions. Once bare survival was taken care of, people could use their disposable income to go to the see the dramas or even the gladiator fights.

But just as material prosperity and plentiful entertainments began to fill up the lives of the people in the Roman Empire, a spiritual hunger began to emerge. The people began to turn to more and more to spiritual practices and philosophical disciplines. We can see a rise in the stoic philosophers in this era, as people look for something more to ground their existence and give it meaning. They hungered less in their bodies, but they hungered more in their souls.

Apostles like Paul understood that spiritual hunger and learned how to feed it. As Paul traveled from region to region, he gave people something that filled their spirits. This is true of all of the Apostles as they went from place-to-place in the Roman Empires spreading the Good News so that the faith spread like wildfire.

And the conditions for another spiritual wildfire are present today.

In our modern day, we find much the same about America. While there are military conflicts around the world, our homeland enjoys relative peace and prosperity. Because of this relative peace, we are presented with several entertainments and diversions. Television, movies, video games, music, and social media fill up the empty hours of the day. I think about my life in America and how I am not constantly worried about invasion or starving to death. And like the Romans, I often throw myself into entertainment and diversions, especially with the internet. But when I do this, I still feel a great spiritual hunger. There are times when I spend a lazy Saturday on the couch eating junk food and playing video games, where I have all of my physical indulgences met, but I feel a sense of waste and emptiness.

The internet has also made the world a much more interconnected place. We may not all be traveling around the world, but we can be connected to almost any part of it. I was once in a discussion with someone about why popular culture in the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s felt so distinctive, but that in the 2000’s it all feels like it blends together. My friend said that the internet changed it. For example, popular trends would start as regional until they became distinctive. Think about the Seattle Grunge culture that developed in the early 1990’s. Only after it had taken on its distinctive form was it introduced the rest of the popular culture through television and radio as something very distinctive. However, those distinctive cultures don’t get a chance to grow regionally. The internet makes us too connected. As soon as anything becomes popular in one area, it goes viral all over the world.

My point is that just like the Roman Empire we have these specific conditions in modern America:
1. Relative peace and prosperity
2. An abundance of entertainments
3. An interconnected society
4. A deep spiritual hunger because of the above three.

You can read the whole article here.




Sunday, February 23, 2025

Sunday Best: Casting Call - The New James Bond

 


It was recently announced that Amazon would now be the ones who would have the controlling hand in the James Bond franchise going forward.  This means to me that they are looking to capitalize on the brand as soon as possible.

I know that many people have their misgivings about this after seeing what they have done with Tolkien's world in The Rings of Power or seen what another multi-billion corporation like Disney has done to Star Wars.

Regardless, things appear to be moving ahead.  Jeff Bezos even went to social media to see who the people think should be the next Bond.  

I thought it might be fun to through a few ideas out there.



1. Henry Cavill

File:Henry Cavill-2665842.jpg

This is one place where I think vox populi, vox dei.  It seems so horribly obvious that Cavill is perfect for the part.  He is strong, masculine, formidible, intelligent, and classy.  And even people who hated the DCEU and The Witcher tend to agree that he was the best part of those franchises.  Cavill has built up an incredible amount of good will with the fan base.  He would be needed change from the serious-to-dour Daniel Craig Bond.


2.  Dan Stevens

File:Dan Stevens (46801499514).jpg
photo by Gage Skidmore

To play the aristocrat, Stevens has this down after his years on Downton Abbey.  But he has an intesity that reminds me very much of Pierce Brosnan.  I don't think his Bond would be as physically intimidating as Cavill, but he could pull off 007 as someone who is charismatic and cunning: someone who would get by on their wits.


3.  Taron Egerton

File:Taron Egerton by Gage Skidmore (14596254110).jpg
photo by Gage Skidmore

We know that he can play the action scenes, as he did in the Kingsman movies.  But as I've seen recently in his work in Blackbird, he has become a very good actor in his own right.  He would play the part a bit young, but it would be a newer take on the character.


4.  Henry Golding

File:Henry Golding in 2014.jpg
Photo from World Travel and Tourism Council

Okay, this one may be a little out of the box, but hear me out.  If we take the idea that Bond's primary role is that of a spy and that we have a new cold in parts of Asia, wouldn't it make sense to have a spy who was Asian?  There would actually be a lot of opportunities for some exciting and new stories.  Golding is a charismatic actor who demonstrated his charm in Crazy Rich Asians and also his physicality with Snake Eyes.  This could be an intersting choice.


5.  Tom Hiddleston

File:Tom Hiddleston (8464878244).jpg
photo by Sean Reynolds

He has been typcast into the role of Loki, which he did amazingly well.  But Hiddleston can play the heroic part.  He was great as the Henry V in The Hollow Crown and he could pull of the action leading man as we saw in Kong: Skull Island.  He could also bring a bit of the Roger Moore-era mischief and humor, which would be a refreshing change for the current franchise.



Thoughts?

Monday, February 17, 2025

Film Flash: Captain America - Brave New World

 

An illustrated collage of the film's characters.

15 words or less film review (full review to follow soon)

One of the better post-Endgame MCU movies.  Intrigue and action, but a weak third act.




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Sunday, February 16, 2025

Sunday Best: Superbowl Ads 2025

 While I've come to enjoy football more over the last few years, the main draw of the Super Bowl for me has always been the commercials.


This year I wasn't horribly impressed.  I don't think any of them will make a lasting cultural impression.  But these are my thoughts:


Best Trailer:  MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - FINAL RECKONING

Only a few new shots in this trailer, but I have to say that all of the high-flying action has me incredibly excited.


Weirdest - MOUNTAIN DEW

This commercial was so weird that I found myself laughing out loud at how ridiculous it was.  


Most Nostalgic - Instacart

I loved seeing all the old mascots throughout the years.  It was fun to find the very obscure ones from my childhood.


Funniest - Pringles

Like the Mountain Dew Commercial, this was so over-the-top ridiculous, but I couldn't help but find it incredibly funny.  What can I say?  I have a weird sense of humor.


Most Emotional - Google Gemini

This ad really got to me.  At first it was just the usually schmaltzy.  But the last shots where the father is crying in the car and then his daughter hugs him and turns back into a little girl... that got me right in the feels.


Favorite Commercial - Dunkin

Readers of this blog know what a big Affleck fan I am.  I think this was also a really good ad that took a pot shot at the more expensive coffee houses: "How much to wait a half-hour to get my name spelled wrong on the cup?"  I don't know why, but I loved that line.


All of these are my own subjective feelings.  What are your thoughts?

Thursday, February 13, 2025

Trailer Time: The Accountant 2



I really enjoyed The Accountant when it originally came out.  Despite its weak third act, I enjoyed the characters and their arcs.  The main character was fascinating to me with a solid performance by Ben Affleck.

When they announced a sequel, I wasn't very sure.  But I really liked this trailer.

One of the things that this movie does is that it brings three very dissimilar characters from the first movie and it forces them all to work together.  Our three leads shared very little screen time in the first film.  But now, it feels like a real progression of their stories and not another rehash of the first.  I like how each of them brings something very different to the dynamic and I can see some fun interplay between a fed, a hitman, and the Accountant.

This  movie has the same writing/directing team as the original, so it seems like the put a lot care into these characters.

Thoughts?

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Film Flash: Love Hurts

 

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15 words or less film review (full review to follow soon)

Quan's charismatic "Jackie-Chan-esque" performance carries this charming (though too violent) B-movie action/comedy




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Monday, February 10, 2025

New Evangelizers Post: Jubilee Year 2025

            


I have a new article up at NewEvangelizers.com.  

This is the Year of Jubilee!

The Jubilee is an ancient tradition from the times of the Old Testament. It was a special time that occurred once every 50 years. During a Jubilee, all land was returned to its ancestral owners.

In ancient Israel, when you bought property from someone, it did not mean that you owned it permanently. Instead, it was much closer to our modern idea of leasing or renting a property. Essentially this meant that you could not own someone else’s land for more than one generation.

At the Jubilee Year, all the “leased” land would be returned to the family of the one who sold it. In addition to this, any Israelite who had was purchased by another Israelite was to be set free.

The Jubilee was a time of freedom and renewal. It was a way to prevent families from falling into generational poverty due to the bad decisions of their fathers. It was a time when debts were cleared and people could begin again.

Jesus clearly makes reference to the Jubilee when he quotes from Isaiah while preaching at Nazareth. He speaks about “The Year of the Lord’s favor…” (Lk 4:19) which is how the Jubilee is described in Leviticus 25: 10-13. He also uses the language of liberty to captives and letting the oppressed go free. These also are references to the Jubilee.

The Good News of Jesus is that He brings freedom. The Jubilee is a manifestation of that freedom in this world.

In 2025, Pope Francis has called for Jubilee Year. The last Jubilee Year was in the year 2000. It is a tradition that a pope calls for a Jubilee every 25 years. In that year as well, the Jubilee Doors were opened at the Vactican. Pilgrims who travel their are able to obtain an plenary indulgence, which is the full remission of temporal punishment for sin. This is in keeping with the idea of setting captives free in a Jubilee. This time, the captivity is sin.

Pope Francis write “For everyone, may the Jubilee be a moment of genuine, personal encounter with the Lord Jesus, the “door” (cf. Jn 10:7.9) of our salvation, whom the Church is charged to proclaim always, everywhere and to all as “our hope” (1 Tim 1:1). (Spes Non Confundit, 1). This Jubilee Year coincides with the Year of Hope. Pope Francis sees a strong connection between the Jubilee and Hope.

The Jubilee is often accompanied by a pilgrimage. The symbolism points to the hope of reaching the destination of the journey. It also involves a reaching out of our places of comfort in the hope of a better world. Pope Francis writes about the young people of today are crushed by despair. and that “For this reason, the Jubilee should inspire the Church to make greater efforts to reach out to them.” (Spes Non Confundit, 12).

He also writes about how the poor, migrants, the elderly, and the sick need the hope of Christ. We are called to pilgrimage to them and share this hope. Christ can help set them free from the prison of spiritual darkness. Our calling to to pilgrimage to them with that hope.

Pope Francis also has called upon world leaders to emulate as much as possible the Jubilee spirit of forgiveness. “I propose that in this Jubilee Year governments undertake initiatives aimed at restoring hope; forms of amnesty or pardon meant to help individuals regain confidence in themselves and in society; and programmes of reintegration in the community, including a concrete commitment to respect for law.” (Spes Non Confundit, 10)

While governments have a responsibility to enforce the laws and administer justice, Pope Francis reminds us that even those who break the laws are still children of God. I know people who are involved in prison ministry and they speak to me about the deep hunger for God found there and the need for hope.

What are some things we can do in this Jubilee Year?

You can read the whole article here.