Viewpoint - The Bible and Culture
Hosted by pastors Brendan Anderson and Joe Infranco, this podcast is produced by Highlands Church in Scottsdale, Arizona. I participated in an episode entitled “Should Christians Watch That?” (recorded earlier in July).
In this podcast, we examine the Christian’s entertainment choices in light of the two greatest commandments: 1) love the Lord your God will all your heart, soul, and mind, and 2) love your neighbor as yourself.1 Both commands have implications for our visual diet.
I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Brendan for decades; he and I share a love for instrumental motion picture scores (what a lot of people refer to as “soundtracks”), and we connected in the mid-nineties on the Filmtracks message board. Furthermore, Brendan composed the music for an independent film I worked on, which was released in local theaters in 2005. I hadn’t met Joe until being on this podcast, but it was edifying to hear him speak with such wisdom and clarity. It was a blast getting to talk with both of these men.
AP (Australian Presbyterian)
AP is the National Journal of the Presbyterian Church of Australia (PCA), its immediate audience being the evangelical/reformed community, but also the larger “public square” that visits via the internet. AP’s podcast is hosted by Mark Powell, the teaching elder at Cornerstone Presbyterian Church in Hobarta, Australia. He is also a member of the National Journal Committee (NJC) of the PCA.
Inspired in part by my most recent Gospel Coalition piece, this episode of the AP podcast, entitled “Porn and Modern Entertainment,” explores “how porn [has] become so pervasive and how Christians in particular should respond.” We went down a rabbit trail while geeking out over movies (and the film Twelve Angry Men in particular), but most of our discussion addressed the “porn aesthetic” that has infiltrated practically every form of visual media. It was an honor to speak with Reverend Powell on this topic.
(A Few) More than Two
My podcast circuit hasn’t been exactly prolific, but there are a few additional podcasts where I’ve been privileged to be a guest. For my newer readers, I’ve listed them below.
Pop Culture Coram Deo. Pastors Jeff Wright and Jared Moore explore various products of pop culture (typically movies) “in light of God’s self-revelation.” In episode 55, Jeff interviewed me about my newly-published online course (originally titled “Sex and Cinema,” but which I later renamed). This episode of the PCCD podcast is entitled, “Cap Stewart on Sex in Cinema - A New Approach for Christian Engagement with a Pornified Culture.”
Change My Mind. Author
interviews various individuals who have changed their mind on a particular issue, whether trivial or important. In Episode 14 of Season 1 of this podcast, entitled “From ‘Personal Purity’ Movie Guy to #MeToo Movie Guy,” Harrington and I talk about my convictions regarding onscreen sexuality.Fantastical Truth. Hosts E. Stephen Burnett and Zackary Russell “explore fantastical stories for God’s glory and apply their wonders to the real world Jesus calls us to serve.” In episode 41, “Should Christians Boycott Popular Culture Like Halloween or Netflix?,” we pragmatically address the effects of boycotts on our culture—and on our own hearts.
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:37-40).
Will certainly look into some of these—thank you!