Netflix's Black Mirror: looking at screens versus looking at Christ
Niv Lobo
W.H. Auden, the 20th century poet, once said: "Every man carries with him through life a mirror, as unique and impossible to get rid of as his shadow." It’s a striking metaphor, describing the personal impact of how we see ourselves.
Auden proposes a "parlour game for a wet afternoon — imagining the mirrors of one’s friends." But in the 21st century, we don’t have to imagine.
What we can learn from Larry Sanger's journey to faith
Niv Lobo
On February 5, just last week, Larry Sanger — a former philosophy professor and a co-founder of Wikipedia — announced his conversion to Christianity. He accompanied it with a long account of how that happened.
What’s going on? A vibe shift? A revival? A surprising rebirth of belief? Whatever is happening at a cultural level, I give thanks for Sanger’s testimony. Reading it was a delightful, encouraging experience; there were moments in Sanger’s story which struck me with a wonderful freshness, as well as others which resonated with my own coming to faith. It’s long, but I recommend reading it for yourself.
Iryna Zarutska, Charlie Kirk & the cross
Here’s one of the least wholesome and most shocking experiences in 21st century life: one is scrolling unknowingly, perhaps even unthinkingly, on one’s phone, and suddenly sees an act of murderous violence as a video plays automatically.
Particularly in the last few weeks, with footage of the murder of Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte, North Carolina, recently released; and then with the assassination of Charlie Kirk - political activist and committed Christian - while speaking at a campus event in Utah. We may be an ocean away, but we're connected enough for these tragedies to feature in our cultural conversation, not least when they are played and replayed on our screens.