Sunday Morning Matinee

On this week’s Technicolor Jesus, Matt and Adam talk with Brian Blount, President of Union Presbyterian Seminary about the 1996 Nora Ephron movie, Michael. From the heart of the mid-90’s post-Pulp-Fiction renaissance of John Travolta, this I-guess-we-call-it-a-romantic-comedy is about three tabloid reporters who track down Michael the archangel in an out of the way town in Iowa. William Hurt plays Frank Quinlan, a somewhat broken soul, who is looking for a quick buck when he meets Michael, a very bawdy and very worldly angel played by Travolta. Frank convinces Michael to road-trip back to Chicago with him so that they can get some good pictures and cash in on his story. Along the way Michael works on Frank’s heart, and opens it to one of their traveling companions, played by Andie McDowell. In the first segment, Brian leads a conversation about the value of the unexpected in Advent and how the terrestrial nature of the incarnation subverts our visions of God’s action and person. In our second segment, the group examines the Advent 2 texts for year B and how Isaiah and Mark’s vision for the coming of Christ disrupts our understandings of time and space. Finally, in our final segment Adam and Matt talk discuss Christmas music and cooking battles. So, friends, stay awake! The glory is breaking forth soon, in the meantime, while you are waiting, pass the time with another episode of Technicolor Jesus.

On this week’s Technicolor Jesus, Matt and Adam welcome Kenda Creasy Dean, The Mary Synott Chair of Youth, Church and Culture at Princeton Theological Seminary, to talk about adventure, aging, home and the movie UP. Part of Pixar’s run at the height of its powers (2007 Ratatouille, 2008 Wall-E, 2009 UP, and 2010 Toy Story 3), UP signals Pixar’s willingness to turn from some of the kid-focused stories of its early days (Toy Story, Bug’s Life) to stories that feel more grown-up in nature. UP is a movie about a man named Karl who is in the last chapter of his life. After the death of his beloved wife Ellie, Karl decides literally to fly his house to South America in search of the adventure they had never managed to take together. All sorts of hijinx ensue while Karl travels with Russell, a faithful boy scout who helps redeem Karl along the way and Carl, the lovable dog. Even underneath the hijinx, this movie never stops being a film about aging, grief, empty houses, and letting go. In the first segment, the conversation turns to questions of adventure, church and ministry. Kenda asks how can the church fully embody its call to adventure. In our second segment, the movie provides helpful guidance for thinking about Jesus’ admonition in Matthew’s gospel to serve “the least of these.” Finally, in the final segment, Matt and Adam shares some poems that have been inspiring them this week. So grab you balloons, find a beloved friend and prepare for an adventure because it is another week of Technicolor Jesus!

On this week’s Technicolor Jesus, Adam and Matt welcome Brennan Breed, Assistant Professor of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary to talk about the perils of modernism, post-war Europe, Amos’ Day of the Lord and the 1950’ classic The Third Man. Set in post-war Vienna, The Third Man follows the naive and earnest Holly Martins as he tries to unravel the mysterious death of his friend Harry Lime. Written by Graham Greene, directed by Carol Reed, and scored by Anton Karas and his famous Austrian zither, The Third Man feels as fresh as ever. It’s ideas about diplomacy, international collusion, American exceptionalism, and the curse of the past are still relevant. In our first segment, Brennan leads a discussion about how American tropes and grand narratives fail to make sense of the post-war Vienna and how tempted the church is to impose pre-built narratives onto foreign stories. In the second segment, Adam and Matt talk with Brennan about the week’s lectionary passages. The discussion touches on Amos’ understanding of the day of the Lord, the craven moral justifications of Harry Lime, and Joshua’s covenant as a paradigm for communal living in the wake of fractured optimism. Finally, Adam looks to some hasidic brothers for guidance, and Matt learns a history lesson from Thor: Ragnorok. So this week, we invite you out of the shadows to proclaim your love for the cuckoo clock, it’s time for another Technicolor Jesus.

On this week's Technicolor Jesus, Matt and Adam welcome Jeff Chu, journalist and author of the book Does Jesus Really Love Me, to talk about the 2000 new cult classic, Bring it On.  Bring it On is the story of a successful white San Diego cheerleading squad (5x national champs!) who need to rebuild their identity after it comes to light that they have been stealing their routines from the black and latinx squad from East Compton High School. This movie is part of the late 90's early 2000's run of teen romances but stands out for its treatment of themes of cultural appropriation and privilege. The cheerleading movie is deeper than the subject matter would have you think. In our initial discussion, Jeff leads us through a discussion of insiders and outsider, the white savior complex, and the American history of commodifying the goods of people of color. In our lectionary discussion, we talk about Psalm 90 and the power of perseverance. We also chat about Leviticus 19 and what it might mean to profit from someone else's blood. Finally, in our postludes, Matt loves his new subscription and Adam gets to watch basketball again. So give me your best spirit fingers, it is time for another episode of Technicolor Jesus.

On this week’s Technicolor Jesus, Matt and Adam welcome Aisha Brooks-Lytle,  Minister for Mission at Wayne Presbyterian Church and the organizing pastor at the Common Place in Southwest Philadelphia, to talk about the little known but incredibly prescient movie, The Last Supper. The Last Supper, directed by Stacy Title, takes place among a group of liberal Iowa grad students  kill their neo-nazi dinner guest. After the initial shock  of the murder wears off, the group eventually decides that they’ve done the world a favor. So begins a scheme wherein every week they invite some radically conservative activist into their home for dinner and  murder before burying them in the backyard underneath the tomatoes. The Last Supper provides the backdrop for a lively conversation about the failure of political binaries, the dangerous call to follow Christ’s model, and the ways in which the pursuit of redemptive violence harms the perpetrator before it changes the world. In response to this week’s lectionary passages, the crew spends time debating the idolatry of the Israelites and  takes turns trying to discern Jesus’ difficult parable about the wedding banquet. So, this week, pull up a chair at our dinner table The food is delicious, the conversation scintillating, and we promise not to poison you.

On this week’s episode of Technicolor Jesus, we welcome Elizabeth Dias, a TIME correspondent covering religion and politics, to discuss the movie Spotlight. The 2015 Academy Award winner for Best Picture, Spotlight details the Boston Globe’s reporting on the sexual abuse scandals in the Catholic Church in Boston. Elizabeth leads us in a timely discussion about the press, the search for truth, and the complicity of everyone who fails to protect the innocent. In our lectionary discussion, we discuss Moses’ water miracle as a story of accountability and Psalm 78 as a hymn of dangerous memory. Finally, in our postludes, Matt loves The Big Sick and Adam tells a story about music, warfare and citizens arrests. So assume your finest Bahston Acksent, get out your reporter’s notepad, and join us for another week of Technicolor Jesus.

On this week's episode of Technicolor Jesus, Matt and Adam welcome Josh Larsen, cohost of Film Spotting and editor of ThinkChristian.com, to talk about obedience, fathers, and and the 1989 classic, Field of Dreams. Berkeley radical turned Iowan farmer, Ray Kinsella hears a voice in the cornfield instructing him, "If you build it they will come." Josh helps us understand Field of Dreams as a prayer of obedience while Adam and Matt wrestle with how heaven gets commodified. They then turn their attention to this week's lectionary passage (9/17) and discuss the exodus communities struggles to obey, Joseph's vision of providence, and Paul's discussion of what actually counts as the ties that bind. So wade through the corn, find your seat upon the bleachers, it's time for another week of Technicolor Jesus.

Matt and Adam are back for a new season of Technicolor Jesus. On this week’s episode, Bromleigh McCleneghan, author of Good Christian Sex, joins the conversation to talk about the 2004 movie Saved! A sweet send-up of evangelical purity culture, Saved! is asking bigger questions than it might appear. The discussion about Saved! ranges from talk about sex, education and young people, to how to build a community for those who never quite fit in. The show then turns its attention to the coming Sunday’s lectionary passages (9/3) to discuss how Jesus’ admonition, “Get behind me Satan” might be read in light of our film. Finally, Adam and Matt talk counter-insurgency and marginalia. So renew your membership to the Christian Skateboarders Association it’s time for another week of Technicolor Jesus. Our Guest: Bromleigh McCleneghan Good Christian Sex: Why Chastity Isn’t the Only Option-And Other Things the Bible Says About Sex- https://www.amazon.com/Good-Christian-Sex-Chastity-Option/dp/0062428594 Bromleigh's writing at The Christian Century: https://www.christiancentury.org/contributor/bromleigh-mccleneghan Show Schedule: 0:00-32:00 Justification by Faith- Saved!, theology, and ministry. 32:19-49:00 Preaching to the Choir- Saved! and Ordinary 22 Year A 49:08- Postlude: War Machine and Selected Works of T.S Spivet

After a winter hiatus, Matt and Adam are back for an emergency recap of the Oscars. They discuss this year's Academy Awards show, the gaff that ended the show and the preaching potential for this year's nominated films. They also provide an update on their future whereabouts and the schedule for next season of Technicolor Jesus. Intro: 20th Century Fox Fail: www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNrKAzHsp0g Outro: King Harvest, Dancing in the Moonlight

On the eve of Christmas, Adam and Matt welcome Amy Merrill Willis to talk about the Christmas merits of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (part 1). Did you bring your camping tent, your hiking shoes, and a teenage dose of angst? Good. Then you are ready to discuss the penultimate installment in the Harry Potter movie series. Amy leads us in a wide ranging discussion about the moral formation of young people, the dark times of Christmas, and how the thing we want to destroy can actually poison our relationships. This is not your typical Christmas podcast, but it might be the one you need to hear this season. So dust off your magic wand, polish your Hogwarts diploma, and tune in to another week of Technicolor Jesus. Intro: 20th Century Fox Fail: www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNrKAzHsp0g Outro: Okee Dokee Brothers, "A Thousand Star Hotel"

Get your eggnog ready, on this week's episode of Technicolor Jesus we talk Christmas movies! Rather than focus on one Christmas movie, Matt and Adam each choose four Christmas movies and talk about their merits for people in ministry. What does Gonzo's apearance as Charles Dickens mean for our Christmas vocabularies? How does Buddy the Elf help us understand the genealogies in Matthew and Luke? How is Rocky an agent of reconciliation? Also, stay for Adam's rant for why It's a Wonderful Life is the real war on Christmas. It's all here, folks. Your one stop shop for Christmas movie and ministry frivolity. Intro: 20th Century Fox Fail: www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNrKAzHsp0g Outro: Christmas in Hollis- Run DMC

On this episode of Technicolor Jesus we travel across dimensions in a psychedelic thrill ride of Marvel's making. Today we talk Dr. Strange with our guest Chaz Howard, the University Chaplain at University of Pennsylvania. In Marvel's newest movie installment, Dr. Strange, Dr. Stephen Strange goes on a mystical journey to find himself, gain a measure of humility, and save the universe. Chaz guides our Advent 2 discussion about heros' journeys, the need for training and mentorship, and the lectionary passages for the second week in Advent. In the postludes, Matt and Adam explore the rationale behind the podcast and the theological weight of Christmas hymns. Advent has arrived in our dimension (I can't say the same for others), and Technicolor Jesus is here to meet it. Chaz Howard's new book, Pond, River, Ocean, Rain: https://www.amazon.com/Pond-River-Ocean-Rain-Storms/dp/1501831038 Intro: 20th Century Fox Fail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNrKAzHsp0g Outro: Cream, Strange Brew

This week on Technicolor Jesus we examine how obsession, craft, and performance intersect with the weekly work of ministry. We welcome Tim Hughes, Associate Minister of Brown Memorial Park Avenue Church in Baltimore Maryland to discuss Christopher Nolan's 2006 movie The Prestige. As two magicians square off in the Prestige, we discuss how the eucharist is like a magic trick, how much minister's ought to sacrifice for their work, and how Jesus came to shine light on our scapegoating. Finally, Matt and Adam reflect on what to say in the wake of the election. Are you watching closely? Because it is time for another episode of Technicolor Jesus. Intro: 20th Century Fox Fail - www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNrKAzHsp0g Outro: B.O.B w/ Rivers Cuomo- Magic

Can we outgrow movies? What happens when a movie loses its power on you? Today we sit down with writer and minister Mihee Kim-Kort to talk about Zach Braff's 2004 movie Garden State. Garden State is the white male quarter-life-crisis dramedy about a young man who returns home to New Jersey for his mother's funeral. In the process, he searches for himself, falls in love and learns to explore the infinite abyss of life. Driven along by a soundtrack full of early 2000 indie darlings, Garden State raises questions about ministry and mental health, the place of rage in our world, and the perils of going home. In our final segment, Matt searches the futuristic theme park of Westworld for insight into ministry, and Adam wonders about clergy detectives. So retrieve your youthful angst and get ready to scream into a giant quarry, it is time for Technicolor Jesus. Intro: 20th Century Fox Fail - www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNrKAzHsp0g Outro: Sara Watkins, Young in All the Wrong Ways

“A third of a gopher would only arouse my appetite without beddin her back down.” On the cusp of a national election, Technicolor Jesus turns to Joel and Ethan Coen's 2000 Mississippi depression oddysey, O Brother Where Art Thou. Led by our guest Steve Bragaw, Visiting Professor of Politics at Washington and Lee University, we search for help on integrating citizenship and ministry. O Brother provokes questions about technology, political theater, music and its political power, and what it means to journey home when home is about to be lost in a flood. Finally, Matt wonders what Ang Lee is doing and Adam longs for talking dogs. Just another week here at the Technicolor Jesus, so eat a third of gopher and join us in conversation. Intro: 20th Century Fox Fail- www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNrKAzHsp0g Outro: Muddy Waters, Flood