CCBlogs thinking critically, living faithfully

Matt Shafer's blog

A discussion initiated by a friend of mine has brought to my attention the controversy in New York right now over whether to allow a mosque to be built a few blocks away from Ground Zero. Apparently this is a pretty high-profile issue the city at the moment.

I find it hard to conclude that the city government would be in the wrong, at least politically speaking, to deny permission to build the mosque, given the emotions conjured up by this issue and the repercussions that such a move could have.

That said, I believe that were NYC to decide, after appropriate deliberation and some semblance of consensus, that the mosque construction could go forward, it would constitute a tremendous act of moral courage and, in fact, a tremendous act of patriotism.... READ MORE.

Matt Shafer's blog

I went to see Watchmen last night, having read the comic book graphic novel some months back. The novel is a work of art; it’s richly interlayered, accomplishing literary effects and conveying subtleties of meaning that are impossible in straight prose. It was of course impossible for the movie to live up the original, but the film nevertheless was well done. And incidentally, though many fanboys will protest over the film’s changed ending, I thought it made the finale stronger.

Like any narrative of artistic merit, Watchmen, as both film and graphic novel, raises profound theological questions. Lengthy papers could be written on the “Theology of Watchmen“, but this post will seek merely to briefly consider and draw attention to a few of the issues the story raises.... READ MORE.