Far from being the domain of geeky teenage boys, comicbook superhero movies have become cultural phenonemon...and a commercial juggernaut. One wonders, why is that? What is the itch being scratched by these epic, larger-than-life battles between good and evil?

Just outside of Princeton, New Jersey, is the little town of Grover's Mill. There is not much there now, but locals say that if you look carefully at that old water tower, you can still see the buckshot markings from nearly a century ago. On October 30, 1938, Orson Welles broadcast on his radio show: a recording of War of the Worlds, a story about Martians who invade the earth. And when the show was broadcast, it was so realistic that people believed it was real news, not f

There is a story that comes from the early days of the church, a story about the Gauls and the peculiar custom they adopted for baptisms. When a converted warrior of Gaul was baptized in water, he would hold up one arm high in the air as he went under the water. This seemed a peculiar custom but the missionaries soon learned the reason for it. When the next battle or skirmish broke out, the warlike Gaul could proclaim: "This arm is not baptized!,” and grab his sword and

When to comes to addressing the pressing issues of the day, Christians are often accused of having nothing to offer, being “so heavenly-minded that we are no earthly good.” At the same time, we are routinely blamed for causing problems. This is especially puzzling when it comes to ecological destruction.

A Jewish man asked his rabbi, “Why do rabbis always answer questions with another question?” To which the rabbi replied, “Why shouldn’t a rabbi answer a question with another question?” Jesus seems to possess the same sensibility—and sense of humor—as this rabbi did. For, when the Temple officials—the chief priests and elders—ask him a question in today’s Gospel, Jesus answers their question with a question.