Popcorn Theology

Each month, our beloved Patreon supporters get to choose one movie for us to cover in an episode of Popcorn Theology. When they heard that David had not yet seen The Goonies, their choice was quickly decided.  We did get around to chatting about The Goonies on this episode, but we may or may not have but definitely did start with Richard railing on Thanksgiving and David telling us what he got for...

Richard and David went straight from the Movie Theater to the microphone this week, chatting about Justice League mere moments after having watched it for the first time. That can lead to some scatter-brained thoughts, but we had a good time nonetheless! The movie prompted us to talk about a ton of things, ranging from the casual ( How did we feel about the film? Danny Elfman? The cast? Etc.), to...

Richard and David were psyched to sit down this week and talk about Stranger Things Season 2! What did we think of the new characters and new pairings of old characters? What themes did we see over the course of the nine episode show? Conversation ranges from why Sean Astin improves everything to the importance of not feeding your sin nature. We hope you enjoy this episode! If you like what you ar...

Richard and David got to watch Thor: Ragnarok this week, and went almost directly from the theater to the microphones. We talked about the difference in feel for this movie when compared with the other Thor films, the music and filmmaking choices as well as the particularly interesting cast, and more. Then we got into some of the meat that exists in this story; the idea of the church being a peopl...

This week, Richard and David were commissioned by the Patron Saints (our supporters on Patreon!) to talk about The Nightmare Before Christmas for our Halloween episode! David had never actually seen this film, so it was an awesome experience! We chatted about contextualization vs compromise, longing for something our world can't actually satisfy, the idea of 'arguing someone into the Kingdom' vs c...

This week, we chatted about the musical, animated film Sing! The movie is pretty star-studded and we found it to be a pleasant surprise. Conversation ranges from cultural critique of religious faith to the importance of valuing the giver of gifts above the gifts themselves. Check it out! We hope you enjoy this episode! If you like what you are hearing and want to help support us, consider supporti...

When we began our Patreon a few months ago, our goal was to release one exclusive episode per month chosen by and for our Patreon supporters. When we realized that was a little difficult on our schedules, our Patreon supporters graciously allowed us to begin releasing these exclusive episodes to the entire Podcast audience - while allowing them the ability to help us choose what to cover, once per...

This week, we got to celebrate our 100th Episode! Can you even believe we made it this far? Richard and David got to sit down and chat with Tim Challies of www.challies.com  to chat about his convictions regarding entertainment.  - Is there a good reason for cultural engagement, or not? - Should a believer watch content which includes hyper sexuality or scenes of nudity?  - What are some forms of...

This week we got to record a very special edition of Popcorn Theology, because we were joined by *filmmaker* Les Lanphere. You may know him as the host of the Reformed Pubcast, but now he has dropped an amazing documentary detailing the theology, origins, and resurgence of Calvinism. We want you guys to check it out, and we want you guys to hear this conversation where we got to chat him about abo...

This week, we were encouraged by our Patreon supporters to discuss The Iron Giant.  We chatted about the obvious Christian imagery present in the film (and whether or not it was mimicry of Christianity, or of Superman, or of both), as well as the tool that is technology and whether it is a good or evil thing. We also got into the nature of the Giant, discussing the idea of 'choosing not to be a gu...

Richard and David were joined (for the second week in a row) by James Harleman of Cinemagogue to discuss the newest offering in the Marvel Netflix line of shows, The Defenders! What did we think about this show - and given we didn't get an episode out on the previous show, what did we think of Iron Fist?  We discussed the themes that the show explored, the creative mis-steps it may have made as we...

Richard and David were joined by James Harleman of Cinemagogue to discuss one of his favorite flicks, Dark City. Both Richard and David were brand new to this film, so it was fun getting to chat about an older movie that we've just never gotten to interact with.  We discussed apologetics (what else is new?), the nature of reality, the nature vs nurture of our individual identities, and much more. ...

This week, our amazing supporters on Patreon voted that we ought to cover O Brother, Where Art Thou? for their monthly exclusive episode - and that is just what we did.  Although we are not uploading the full episode here (as it can only be obtained via our Patreon feed), we did want to let you guys hear a small preview of the conversation. If you want to hear the full episode - as well as last mo...

David is back! This week, Richard and David got to watch and then sit down to chat about Dunkirk, the new movie from Christopher Nolan. The film is definitely an interesting and unique take on things.  Conversation ranges from our opinions on the film, Nolan's use of time as a tool in his toolbox, the morality of telling lies for the good of another, the idea of true sacrifice vs forced heroism, a...

David is away for just one more week, and so this week Richard was joined be Eric Skwarczynski (fellow admin of the Popcorn Theology facebook group) to chat about The Founder! The Founder is available on Netflix and tells the story of the early days of McDonald's and the events that brought Ray Kroc to the head of the huge fast food business. What did Eric and Richard think about the movie? How me...

  In David's absence, Richard was joined by James Harleman of Cinemagogue to talk about the brand new Stephen King flick, The Dark Tower! This film has gotten some seriously negative reviews, but how did Popcorn Theology feel about it?  Conversation hits on the idea of good things become God things, seeking first the Kingdom of Heaven, the way in which the world tends to view those of strong faith...

This week, Richard and David aim to misbehave!  What did we think about the fan-demanded movie conclusion to Firefly, Serenity?  Conversation touches on issues such as: Pragmatism vs Conviction, Belief is a motivating force, the importance of having the proper object for our belief, disagreeing with others in a way that is helpful, and a lot more.  We hope you enjoy this episode! If you like what...

Even though David is out of town, he was able to join Richard this week via the magic of technology! We discussed the classic mid 90's flick, Forrest Gump! The movie provides the backdrop for conversations about unconditional love, fate vs chance, the anger that unbelievers have toward the God they don't claim to believe exists, and much more. We also discussed (and read your answers!) what histor...

Richard and David went straight from the theater directly to the recording studio (otherwise known as David's Spare Room) to chat about the phenomenal new Marvel flick, Spider-Man: Homecoming! This movie was a lot of fun, and in the area of discussion prompts it does not disappoint! We got to chat about what it means when we say that our bodies belong to the Lord, being content with roles and seas...

Richard and David are excited for the new Spider-Man flick, but before we get there.. we need to take a look at the classic series of Spider-Man films, beginning with the original.  The film presents us with many things to consider. Is this story, like any story worth telling, about a girl? Why should we do the 'right' thing - because it will go better for us, or simply because it is right? Who se...

This week, we got the honor of being joined by Summer White of Sheologians fame to discuss the film industry and feminism... No controversy there, right?  We learned what some of Summer's favorite films and shows are, then we got into a recent news story about the Cannes Film Festival involving comments made by Jessica Chastain.  Should the film industry go out of its way to make sure it has more...

Richard and David were joined once again by the viral internet sensation, known round the world for his excellent impressions, Jamie Costa! Jamie, as a Robin Williams super-fan, was excited to sit down with us to chat about one of Robin Williams classics - Mrs. Doubtdfire!  The conversation bounces around Robin Williams greatest movies, the nature of love as a choice or a feeling, the idea of self...

Richard and David were joined by the awesome James Harleman of Cinemagogue to chat about the newest offering in the world of DC Comics, Wonder Woman!  How did we all think the movie stacked up to the other DC movies and the rest of the comic book offerings that our culture has been baptized with in recent years? Does the movie promote a feminist agenda, or is that something that is more open to in...

It took us awhile to get around to seeing this film! 10 Cloverfield Lane provides Richard and David with content that springboards them into some good conversation. Can truth come from an undesirable source, and should we discount, accept, or be cautious of statements that come from suspect sources? How do unbelievers view God - how should we view Him? Does this film have anything to say about fam...

Richard and David were joined once again by Jonathan Pifer, this time to talk about Emilio Estevez's 2010 movie, 'The Way'. The movie itself proved to be a good discussion prompt for issues such as felt needs vs actual need, how to disagree with other believers in a healthy and helpful way rather than a toxic way, and a bunch of other stuff too. We hope you enjoy it!    If you'd like to learn more...