Detectives, witches, and robots feature prominently in our favorite television of the year. Kathryn, Joe, and Abby join Josh to share their picks — as well as their favorite snacks for taking in some TV on the couch. SHOW NOTES Roslyn Hernández on ‘COWBOY CARTER as Liturgy’ - https://thinkchristian.net/cowboy-carter-as-liturgy Josh on ‘Seeing Romans 6 in Inside Out 2’ - https://thinkchristian.net/seeing-romans-6-in-inside-out-2 God in the MCU - https://thinkchristian.net/god-in-the-mcu

A new podcast series explores the monumental run of albums released by Stevie Wonder in the 1970s, giving Josh, Aarik, and Kathryn an excuse to celebrate the expansive musicality and spirituality of the pop-culture icon. SHOW NOTES The Wonder of Stevie podcast — https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-wonder-of-stevie/id1767486783 Send your picks for the best music, movies, and TV of 2024 to [email protected]

To celebrate Abby’s new book, Films for All Seasons, she, Josh, and Claude have a conversation about one of the lesser-observed dates on the church calendar—All Souls Day—and one of the movies that captures its spirit: Pixar’s Coco. SHOW NOTES Abby’s book, Films for All Seasons — https://www.ivpress.com/films-for-all-seasons Claude’s book, Reading Black Books — http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/reading-black-books/408390 Kathryn Freeman on ‘Disney’s Coco and God’s Calling’ — https://thinkchristian.net/disneys-coco-and-gods-calling

Get thee behind me, Satan? That’s been difficult as of late — at least at the movies. From the recent Rosemary’s Baby prequel Apartment 7A to other 2024 titles like Late Night with the Devil, Longlegs, and The Deliverance, satanic cinema has been growing in popularity. What might explain the trend? Josh, Joe, and Roslyn share their theories, as well as thoughts on Apartment 7A, starring Julia Garner. SHOW NOTES Josh’s book, Fear Not! A Christian Appreciation of Horror Movies - https://wipfandstock.com/9781666738520/fear-not/ Joe on Twitter/X - https://x.com/joewriteswords Roslyn’s podcast, Bible Tea - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9sapTJagvFP9c2cG85_L3g Joshua Stevens on ‘Immaculate and Conceiving Our Own Jesus’ - https://thinkchristian.net/immaculate-and-conceiving-our-own-jesus Angelica Jade Bastién’s Substack - https://angelicabastien.substack.com/

The familiar threats of the Alien franchise — namely xenomorphs and the Weyland-Yutani Corporation — take on new forms in Alien: Romulus. Josh, JR., and Sarah discuss how this installment fits with the other films, as well as what it might have to say about sin — both original and chosen. Oh, and JR. defends THAT choice involving a “new” synthetic. SHOW NOTES TC on Instagram! - https://www.instagram.com/thinkchristian_/ Josh on ‘Playing God in Alien: Covenant’ - https://thinkchristian.net/playing-god-in-alien-covenant Sarah’s book, Becoming Alien - https://wipfandstock.com/9781725283008/becoming-alien/ Josh and Sarah discussing Becoming Alien on the TC podcast - https://thinkchristian.net/podcast/biblical-beasts-godzilla-vs-kong-becoming-alien JR.’s book, Empathy for the Devil - https://www.amazon.com/Empathy-Devil-Finding-Ourselves-Villains/dp/0830845143 Josh’s book, Fear Not! - https://wipfandstock.com/9781666738520/fear-not/ Cat Bohannon’s book, Eve - https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/227568/eve-by-cat-bohannon/ Sarah’s newsletter - https://seeingandbelieving.substack.com/ JR.’s newsletter - https://jrforasteros.substack.com/

“Winning isn’t for everyone.” So declares a prominent Nike ad that ran during the 2024 Olympics, suggesting deception and selfishness are qualities required to capture the gold. If that’s true, how should Christians think about athletic competition? With the Olympics as the backdrop, Josh, Aarik, and Kathryn discuss what it means to win as a follower of Christ. They also share some of their own triumphant/humbling sports memories. SHOW NOTES TC podcast on “Winning” — https://thinkchristian.net/podcast/winning-netflixs-the-losers-nba-playoffs Jeff Munroe on “Learning from the Olympics” — https://thinkchristian.net/learning-from-the-olympics Joshua Coldagelli on “The Imperfect Grace of Olympic Gymnasts” — https://thinkchristian.net/the-imperfect-grace-of-olympic-gymnasts Aarik on Twitter/X — https://x.com/aarikdanielsen Kathryn on Twitter/X — https://x.com/KathrynAnnette Kathryn’s Substack — https://www.kathrynafreeman.com/newsletter

In the Star Wars streaming series The Acolyte, the Force is wielded by self-righteous Jedi, a coven of space witches, and a dark, mysterious stranger. Do any of them do so with honor? And what of the twin sisters, played by Amandla Stenberg, caught in the middle? Josh, Joe, and Abby consider what the series has to say about sin and confession, abusive church practices, and a Christian understanding of obedience. SHOW NOTES A Theology of Star Wars ebook - https://thinkchristian.net/starwars Abby’s forthcoming book, Films for All Seasons - https://www.ivpress.com/films-for-all-seasons Joe on Twitter/X - https://x.com/joewriteswords

With a handful of fresh tracks on the eve of a promised mixtape, what is the State of Chance? Josh and Claude consider the trajectory of the artist’s career thus far, as well as the “language of redemption” that can be heard in his new music. SHOW NOTES Xavier Ramey on ‘Coloring Book: A Chance Encounter with Joy’ - https://thinkchristian.net/coloring-book-a-chance-encounter-with-joy Claude on ‘Chance the Rapper’s Wedding Invitation’ - https://thinkchristian.net/chance-the-rappers-wedding-invitation Josh and Kathryn Freeman discussing The Big Day on the TC podcast - https://thinkchristian.net/podcast/covenant-chance-the-rappers-big-day-beyonc%C3%A9s-lion-king-album Josh on ‘Chance the Rapper’s Beautiful F Word’ - https://thinkchristian.net/chance-the-rappers-beautiful-f-word Branson Parler on ‘The Biblical Hope of Chance the Rapper’ - https://thinkchristian.net/the-biblical-hope-of-chance-the-rapper Claude’s Substack - https://claudeatcho.substack.com/

Listen in as Josh Larsen and Amber Noel lead a TC Movie Club conversation that centers on the audacious ending of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Do the movie’s final moments — which are rife with religious imagery — leave us in a place of revenge? Redemption? Somewhere in between? SHOW NOTES Amber on ‘Survival, Seeds, and Salvation in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’ - https://thinkchristian.net/new-entry-1 Josh’s video essay on ‘The Christian Witness of Mad Max: Fury Road’ - https://youtu.be/NNfR1LC2fKc?si=SWpezm29E2DcXXlN

Did you catch the references to Noah, Melchizedek, and the Aramaic roots of a character’s name in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes? JR. and Roslyn have you covered as they join Josh to talk about the latest Apes installment, set a few generations after the time of Caesar the chimpanzee, who is now regarded as something of a religious figure. SHOW NOTES Josh on ‘Planet of the Apes and the Reason Monkey Movies Fascinate’ - https://thinkchristian.net/planet-of-the-apes-and-the-reason-monkey-movies-fascinate Josh on ‘Imago Dei, Eden, and War for the Planet of the Apes’ - https://thinkchristian.net/imago-dei-eden-and-war-for-the-planet-of-the-apes Join the TC Movie Club to discuss the Mad Max saga on June 19 - https://www.thinkchristian.net/movieclub Josh’s video essay on ‘The Christian Witness of Mad Max: Fury Road’ - https://youtu.be/NNfR1LC2fKc?si=Xr9OLzuu4On9hO_j JR. on ‘Wonder Woman vs. Biblical Womanhood’ - https://sojo.net/articles/wonder-woman-vs-biblical-womanhood Roslyn on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/roslynmhernandez/

Left without their teacher, can the mutant superheroes of X-Men ’97 find their purpose? Josh, Joe, and Sarah discuss the ways the animated series might — and might not — echo the dynamics of the disciples leading up to Pentecost. But first they have to decide which one of them gets to play Nightcrawler. SHOW NOTES TC podcast on Jonathan Hickman’s X-Men comics - https://thinkchristian.net/podcast/do-justice-netflixs-unbelievable-jonathan-hickmans-x-men Joe on 10 Must-Read Comics for X-Men ’97 Fans - https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/g60660297/x-men-97-season-1-comics/ Joe on X-Men adaptations failing to do right by Storm - https://wealthofgeeks.com/x-men-97-marvel-best-mutants/ Joe on why Magneto was right - https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/x-men-97-just-proved-why-magneto-was-right/ Sarah’s Seeing & Believing newsletter - https://seeingandbelieving.substack.com/