Unpop Culture

Game of Thrones seems to have it all: impressive storytelling, strong production values, gripping drama, enthralling intrigue, and shocking twists. This is no run-of-the-mill TV show. A ton of people, including many Christians, profess a love for the series. So, as a lover of speculative fiction myself, why haven’t I jumped on this bandwagon/love boat? The reason starts with one word: “Awkward”—actors often use this word when they refer to the filming of nude and sex scenes, and we can’t deny Game of Thrones has plenty of these. Yet many Christians find enough redemptive material in the show to watch it anyway. I’m among those who have reservations about the show’s graphic sexuality. But my problem isn’t ultimately that the sex and nudity are a potential stumbling block for those serious about moral purity. That issue is secondary . After all, we can shut our eyes or fast forward or use products like VidAngel to skip scenes that we find awkward. However, most ...

I recently had the privilege of teaching a class on the topic of enjoying God through the pursuit of entertainment. We looked at six considerations, three of which addressed the pitfalls of legalism and three that addressed the pitfalls of licentiousness. I got a little carried away with a 32-page PowerPoint presentation. (The image included here is from the first slide.) Preparing the material for the class proved to be a rich and rewarding experience. One particular benefit included the realization that much of my focus on this blog as of late has been on the licentious side of things. It helped me see that there are some legalistic pitfalls I would do well to address. I will likely use the material I prepared for some future blog posts. In the meantime, you can check out an audio recording of the class by visiting my SoundCloud account . I hope you find it both encouraging and challenging.