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The Sectarian Review Podcast explores art, politics, history, economics, religion. All from a confessing Christian perspective. As one listener puts it "no echo chamber here."
Dear listeners. I miss you all very much. I know that the Sectarian Review project is inactive, but I had the chance to interview an old friend of the show, Andrew Pessin, about his new novel 'Bright College Years.' It's a book and an interview I think you'd enjoy! Hope all is well with all of you.
In search of those 'Bright College Years'
I'm teaching my horror film class again this semester (having revised it significantly). I'm going to try and write about the experience along the way. Starting today, with a piece about the right mindset to bring to movies.
To sum it up: don't be a cog in the machine when watching a movie. Be a human being instead.
Don't let the machinery tell you what to feel
Hello friends. As you may know, I am continuing my (possibly temporary) withdrawal from social media. I hope I haven't missed too much. Just wanted to pop in on the last night of the year to let everyone know that I'm well and that I've found a good bit of peace. I have tried to focus what energy I have on a novel, which is just about ready to send out to some brave readers (if you'd like to take your place among them, send me an email and I can let you know what you'd be in for - [email protected]). I'm feeling pretty well, all in all and the last couple of months have been a good season.
I have been spending some of 2023's last-gasp reading 'Savage Gods' by Paul Kingsnorth, which has come to me at an interesting time. I believe I'll stop on this passage for the night:
"No more cleverness. No more opinions. Opinions are easy to come by. Stillness is the really hard work. Not knowing is the hardest work of all. Even writing those two words fills me with anxiety. Not knowing. Not knowing anything at all. But that's where we all find ourselves, most of the time. We just won't admit it."
I'll leave you with that for 2023. I will surely check back sometime in 2024. I hope you all have a magical year.
A brilliant, unsettling reflection on the sins of the past. Just in time for Antonio Bay's anniversary celebration.
It's a bit surreal, but I've had another short story published. Read all about it here.
A new short story finds its way into the world
If you haven't seen M3GAN, I highly recommend it. Come for the fun and scary horror, stay for the insights about technology and the human experience.
How the scifi-horror film dissects social media's monstrosity
I'm very frustrated with an education system that prioritizes conformity over almost everything else. I sketched out some New Years resolutions here about finding ways to subvert these reward systems.
A New Year's resolution to find a new dopamine dealer
A few thoughts about the Fratellis and the limits of self-care. Link is in the comments.
If you've never seen the 1997 documentary Trekkies, you really should. In the comments below is a link with some thoughts about how the film offers an interesting view of "Geek Culture" today.
Take the opportunity to go see The Menu. It has a really interesting inverse Communion metaphor going on. Here I focus mostly on the class and consumption of art angle. Would love your thoughts. And as always sharing it really helps.
Mark Mylod's 'The Menu' understands the crisis of art like few other films
Consider it an addendum to my week of John Carpenter podcasting for the The Christian Humanist Podcast network. I wrote about Carpenter and the origins of evil for Pop Culture and Theology.
By Danny Anderson Let there be no doubt about my position. John Carpenter is a great artist. And critics, many of whom seemingly made careers out of missing this point, have largely come around to …
The network's hosting platform now has graphic design feature. Thinking of rebranding the logo. Thoughts?
Hey music fans! Hey C Derick Varn fans! Varn returns the show to talk about one of Anderson's favorite musicians on the 45th anniversary of his career! It's the Elvis Costello Retrospective.
Returning to the today is C. Derick Varn. This time he joins Danny Anderson to discuss the unique and incredible musical career of British singer-songwriter Elvis Costello. Emerging out the British pub rock, punk, and New Wave scenes, Costello forged an almost unparallelled career of musical variati...
This week's episode is an excellent, thought-provoking conversation about Contemplative traditions in Christianity. Lots about mysticism, contemplation, liminal spaces, and film. Let me know what you think: https://the-sectarian-review.castos.com/podcasts/41014/episodes/sectarian-review-191-contemplative-christianity-liminality-and-film
Don't miss the latest show. I interviewed Dr. Justin Martin about his research in moral development and comics. Some great stuff about Wakanda and Namor here. Really excited to share. If you could take a second and share on your social platforms, that would be awesome.
This episode, we take another look at the power of comics for teaching. This time, Dr. Justin Martin, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Whitworth University, joins the show to discuss Black Panther and how comics can help us learn about moral development and civics education. A lot to unpack here...
One reason I enjoyed THE EMPTY MAN so much is that I'm concerned about nihilism and social media culture. So I wrote about it for PopMatters.
David Prior's 2020 horror film 'The Empty Man' taps into a form of nihilism that might be taking over the world via social media.
This isn't my comfort zone, but if you've enjoyed any particular episode of the show, I'd love it if you could share it. I hate to think I just inarticulately mumbling into the void. All episodes are now collected here, which makes it really easy to navigate. Thanks.
This week, historian and teacher Jonathan Wilson returns to the show to discuss Francis Schaeffer's influential documentary series How Should We Then Live? Long before the Benedict Option, Schaeffer offered Christians a grand narrative of societal decline and put forth a call for "Bible Believing"...
A taste of the latest show about the lasting influence of Francis Schaeffer.
Just finished an interview with Jonathan Wilson about his blog series on Francis Schaeffer's influential doc series 'How Should We Then Live?' The episode drops next week, but read the series now:
A series on Francis Schaeffer’s 1977 film How Should We Then Live?
This one hit rather close to home, but I'm honored to have had the chance to interview Greg O'Brien about his life after his Alzheimer's diagnosis. Lot's of resources in the episode description. Let us know your thoughts.
This week's show is an interview with Greg O'Brien, author of On Pluto, and star of the new documentary Have you Heard About Greg? Greg is an award-winning journalist who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's at age 59 and dedicated the rest of his life to spreading the word about this tragic dis...
For those listeners interested in the politics of teaching, a special treat this week. Jonathan Wilson discussed the inherent conservatism of even the most progressive teaching. Fascinating stuff and very grateful for the conversation.
Joining the show today is educator, historian, and writer Jonathan Wilson to discuss his essay "The Conservatism of My Teaching: Seven Elements." The conversation is a fascinating exploration of some paradoxes embedded withing good, engaged teaching. The productive role of Grand Narratives in studen...
Two ways to look at this: 1). You love Joe Rogan and are happy to see the Sectarian Review on Spotify with him. Or 2). You hate Joe Rogan and are happy that SR is there as a counterbalance. Either way, if you do the Spotify thing, subscribe to the show there now.
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A taste of the latest show about the lasting influence of Francis Schaeffer.
Teacher and historian Jonathan Wilson on educating students
A taste of my recent interview with C Derick Varn about his latest collection of poetry. Click here for the full episode: https://the-sectarian-review.castos.com/episodes/sectarian-review-186-poetic-liberation-with-c-derick-varn
Jo Rou discusses the magic of improv. More at the Sectarian Review Podcast.
In this special episode, timed to celebrate Banned Books Week 2016, Danny and Jay discuss the importance of books and culture. Why are books so precious, and why should we be vigilant about keeping them with us? What are the motivations of those who would ban and burn books? These questions and a lot more, including recommendations to help the listener celebrate this important yearly event.
Danny Anderson is joined by In this episode Danny Anderson speaks with Jay Eldred about the evangelical historian, David Barton, once named by Time as one of the 25 most influential evangelicals in America. Danny and Jay talk about Christian Nationalism, Seven Mountain Dominionism, and the ethics of historical scholarship. Why does a significant segment of American Christians believe the United States has divine origins? What is at stake in this ideology?\n\nSpecial thanks to Crazy and the Brains for allowing us to use their song "It's Alright" as our new opening. Check them out at crazyandthebrains.com.\n\nLinks:\n\nChris Gertz: "What it is Christian Historians Do"\nhttps://pietistschoolman.com/2016/04/11/back-to-basics-what-it-is-christian-historians-do/nnJohn Fea: The Way of Improvement blog\nhttps://thewayofimprovement.com/nnTerry Pratchett:\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Pratchett
C. Derick Varn joins the show once again to discuss a wide range of topics, beginning with a book review by Michael Clune in the LA Review of Books about Martin Hagglund's This Life (Socialist Freedom and Capitalist Freedom). We discuss the value of judgement and discipline and apply it to various topics in politics and religion.
Danny Anderson returns to his wheel house. Joining the show today are David Grubbs and Jordan Poss to discuss the deep contours of the Ancient Astronaut Theory and its racist assumptions. This show was inspired by Jordan's recent blog post, which can be found here https://www.jordanmposs.com/blog/2020/11/6/im-not-saying-ancient-aliens-racist
Join Danny Anderson, Ed Simon, and new contributor Jordan Poss as they fret over the disturbing rise of Donald Trump. What does the rise of Angry White Populism mean for a post-Trump America? Are there historical precedents for this moment? What might a political realignment look like in America's winner-take-all electoral system? Two English and Cultural Criticism types are joined by a historian to hash it all out. Please enjoy, and don't forget to subscribe and leave a review on iTunes.
Danny Anderson and crew talk about a Christian vision of economics called Lazarus at the Gate.
Danny and Jay sit down with the prominent historian John Fea for a discussion about History, Ethics, Trump, Evangelicals, and Bruce Springsteen. Listen to one of Christianity's most prominent scholars share his thoughts on our troubled moment.
Writer Jon Malesic joins the show this week to discuss his recent Commonweal essay, "Drinking Alone," which explores the difficulties of living an academic life in the Rust Belt. What conflicts arise when the life of the mind meets the a working class used up by Capital?
Andy Whitaker Smith discusses his new book 'Keeping Christmas: The Journey of Ebenezer Scrooge.' What can we learn about redemption, grace, and changing our lives by examining the life of Scrooge?
Danny Anderson gives a preview of the new show "The Sectarian Review."
Recorded on September 26, 2019 at St. Francis University. Danny Anderson joins a panel discussion with Dr. Arthur Remillard, Dr. Lauri Chose, and Dr. Mark Buckwalter to discuss whether Batman should kill the Joker. Moderated by Kent Tonkin.
Joining the show today is Dr. Douglas E. Cowan, Professor of Religious Studies and Social Development Studies at Renison University College. Cowan has recently published a book for NYU Press called America’s Dark Theologian: The Religious Imagination of Stephen King. In the book, Cowan argues that King’s fiction represents a way of “doing” theology outside the traditional structures of historical churches. The argument has immense implications for both theology and popular culture studies. Tune in and learn how King’s work qualifies as theological and why academia too often dismisses the work of popular writers. Is academia its own kind of priesthood, guarding its own traditions? Also, what is the distinction between “answers” and “questions” in theology? How does King’s work challenge the idea of “safe” religion? What King’s work has to say about Ritual, Theodicy, and Cosmology? How does Pet Sematary model a comparative religions seminar? Many thanks to Doug Cowan for a fun, educational discussion.
Joshua Wise joins the show to discuss the Universalist-ish theology of George MacDonald and how that vision of God's love affects various apocalyptic pop culture narratives.
Danny Anderson is joined by two of his star students and The Book of Nature's Todd Pedlar to discuss Philip Roth's seminal 2004 novel, The Plot Against America and its relevance to the age of Trump.
Description:In this big episode, Danny is joined by Michial Farmer of the Christian Humanist Podcast and Ben Crosby to discuss the recent New York Times article by Tara Isabella Burton, "Christianity Gets Weird," featuring Ben himself! Learn all about the ins and outs of an emerging practice of liturgical Christianity and how it differs from Rod Dreher's Benedict Option.
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