The Week In Review and the Song of the Week: "Justice Delivers Its Death" by Sufjan Stevens

by Ben Howard

Merry almost-Christmas everybody! I hope you're having a wonderful pre-Christmas weekend and that you're safe traveling wherever you might be going for the holiday. Say "Hi" to your parents for me!

Remember that the second episode of the On Pop Theology podcast will be out tomorrow, you can stream it from the site or download it on iTunes. If you do download it from iTunes, please take the time to rate and review us, I'd appreciate it greatly.

This Week At On Pop Theology

Monday - When We Ask "Why"
"In our quest to answer, “Why?” we will draw from psychology, philosophy, religion, sociology and our own personal experience of life and we will overlook that our cry was not a question, but a lament."

Tuesday - Bad Christmas Songs and Why I Don't Care If Christmas Is Historically Accurate
"Here’s the secret though if you really want to 'get' Christmas and 'the reason for the season,': It doesn’t matter what actually happened. It’s shocking, I know, but when it comes to the historical accuracy of the birth narrative, or Christmas traditions, or what day we celebrate the Incarnation, I really don’t care and you probably shouldn’t either."

Wednesday - On Sports Movies and Winning
"I’m a sucker for sports movies. This probably isn’t that shocking since I’m a guy who enjoys sports and has an overly romanticized view about the power of communal bonding. Then again, who doesn’t love Remember the Titans and Rudy and Hoosiers?"

Thursday - On Twinkies and Hobgoblins
"I remember Twinkies being delicious. I remember wanting to eat tons and tons of Twinkies. So on this occasion, my spirits were high, floating along, thinking about the halcyon days of snack cake yore. Then I ate the Twinkie…and I was depressed."

Friday - Thank You (My Christmas Letter)
"This is the time of year where responsible people send out Christmas cards or even Christmas letters. They tell you about their year, remind you that they care, and in some cases simply remind you that they still exist. Since I am in no way a 'responsible person' and only an 'adult' by technical definitions of the term, I don’t do any of these things."

This week's Song of the Week comes from the massive Christmas collection released by Sufjan Stevens this year. Hat tip to Charlie Seaton for sending me the song. It's perfect for the last few days of Advent this year. I hope you enjoy it! Here's "Justice Delivers Its Death (Silver & Gold)" by Sufjan Stevens:

Peace,
Ben

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