Pop Culture Coffee Hour

Steve and Christian watched the new Tony Robbins documentary on Netflix, I Am Not Your Guru. Tune in as they discuss what Christians can learn from the self-help movement, how people search for meaning, transforming pain and death into new life, and whether summer camp is like a Tony Robbins conference. As always, the guys close with their Top 5, co-starring Yoda.

The guys watched Star Trek Beyond, and they agreed that while the movie was fun, it wasn’t the best thing either of them had ever seen. Join Steve and Christian as they discuss what makes STB’s villain so interesting, how Kirk struggles with despondency, and whether or not Simon Pegg’s take on humor really helped the film all that much. As always, the guys end with their Top 5 List. This week: Top 5 Villains.

The guys watched Pixar’s newest installment, Finding Dory, and they both loved it, but only one of them cried! Listen to discover which one cried, to hear discussions of how Pixar teaches us about personhood, and how the story of a fish is a story about God’s love bringing us home. They also discuss the Top 5 Sequels of all time. Spoiler Alert: Independence Day 2 was not one of them.

The guys watched “Independence Day: Resurgence.” Christian enjoyed it. Steve? Not so much. They discuss what worked in the movie, as well as what didn’t, and wildly speculate about the theological implications of alien life. Plus, they wrap up with their Top 5 favorite alien characters of all time.

Live from the Saint Iakavos Retreat Center in Kansasville, Wisconsin, Steve and Christian explore some of the deeper themes of one of America’s most beloved and longest-airing television families: the Simpsons! They discuss marriage, despondency, and how The Simpsons models repentance within the context of family life. This time, the guys close with their top 5 Simpsons quotes of all time!

Join Steve and Christian this week as they explore the Netflix original series Daredevil. They discuss what they love about the series, why superheroes appeal to our desire for a savior, and whether they’d be good guys or bad guys. Also, the top 5 superpowers of all time.

Join Steve and Christian as they discuss the recently released, highly anticipated sequel to My Big Fat Greek Wedding. The guys look at topics such as evangelism, sacramentalism, and personhood, but spoiler alert: they didn’t like the movie. Listen as they discuss how the movie fell flat, how jokes didn’t land, and even how certain tropes were at times downright offensive. As always, the guys end with a Top 5 list, this time: Top 5 Portrayals of Christian Life in Art.

Canceling Arrested Development was a huge mistake. Some might say that bringing it back for Season Four was an even huger mistake. Steve and Christian explore what makes certain shows land with an audience, why Arrested Development was before its time, and how we in the Church can avoid making the same huge mistakes as the producers of many TV Shows that were canceled too early (or not early enough) and were brought back for more. Of course, they end with another Top Five. Typical.

Steven and Christian discuss being exposed to darkness through art and whether or not there is merit in pressing through things that are difficult to watch. They deal with themes of light and dark, weaker brothers and stronger brothers, and why neither of them could make it past (or in Christian’s case through) the first episode of the critically acclaimed Breaking Bad. As always, the guys end with a top 5 list.

Grab a pipe and a cup of coffee and join Steve and Christian as they sit in Christian’s backyard and discuss Pixar’s latest installment, The Good Dinosaur, exploring some of the themes of death and life, fear and love, and of course, how these relate to our life in Christ in the Orthodox Church. WARNING: If you’re as a big a softy as these two, you’re going to need Kleenex. They sure could have used some.

Join Steve and Christian as they talk about the highly anticipated Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. The guys talk about the Force, both the light side and the dark, the recurrent themes of family and personhood with just a dash of theology. So, join the guys as they celebrate the movie and end with their five favorite Star Wars quotations of all time.

Join Steve and Christian as they discuss the eternal implications of zombie stories and how Guy Fieri plays into the culinary tastes of zombies. The guys also discuss why zombies are haunting, basing their conversation in reflection on the Death and Resurrection of Christ, the coming of God’s Kingdom, and how culture bids us to be concerned with the horizon of this life alone.

Join Steve and Christian as they discuss art and its capacity to form us. They explore what art is, why it is important, and whether iconography and Van Gogh can be considered artistic on similar terms. In addition to discussing old Nintendo games, Contra, and Turtles in Time, the guys share some works of art that have formed them as humans throughout their lives.

Steve and Christian introduce their new podcast, discuss the plot holes in Harry Potter, and list the top five reasons why each is happy to be alive today.