Podcast #041 - Harry Whodunit #3!

"Harry Whodunit: The Mystery of the Nine Samsons"

Enjoy your Covid lockdown with this Harry Whodunit mystery audio adventure!

Back in Episode 31, we mentioned Harry Whodunit as one of our favorite little-known bits of Evangelical pop culture. 

And in Episode 32, we played a digitized version of one of the two cassette sets we own. And then in Episode 36, we played a digitized version of the other set we own.   

As we discussed last episode, creator Terry Scott Taylor recently put his entire audio archives up for sale, including the entire (4 adventures) Harry Whodunit collection! We were very excited to see that, and bought the collection.

And here is the third adventure we've posted, although it was the first one produced. And so, we proudly present "The Mystery of the Nine Samsons!"

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We would love to hear from you about this topic, or the podcast episode. Send e-mail feedback to dorknesstolight@gmail.com 

You can follow the network on twitter @DorknessToLight or Alan @ProfessorAlan

Podcast #040 - The Book of Ruth

"The Book of Ruth: An Original Graphic Novel"

Alan and Em discuss the original graphic novel The Book of Ruth, by Meredith Finch & Colin Dyer. The book retells the Old Testament story in the context of the Dust Bowl era. The discussion includes a deep dive into atonement theology, but somehow they manage to reference Babylon 5, Leverage ... and more!

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Link: The Book of Ruth Kickstarter
Link: Meredith Finch on Twitter
Link: The Harry Whodunit Collection
Link: Tomato Bird's Tumblr

We would love to hear from you about this topic, the podcast episode, or the podcast in general. Send e-mail feedback to dorknesstolight@gmail.com 

You can follow the network on twitter @DorknessToLight or Alan @ProfessorAlan

Podcast #036 - Harry Whodunit #2!

"Harry Whodunit: The Mystery of the Spitball Ghost"

Start the New Year right with this Harry Whodunit mystery audio adventure!

Back in Episode 31, we mentioned Harry Whodunit as one of our favorite little-known bits of Evangelical pop culture. And in Episode 32, we played a digitized version of one of the two cassette sets we own.

And here is the second (and last) one ... with maybe not the best results in digitization from a 20+ year old audio cassette ... we present "The Mystery of the Spitball Ghost."

Photos of the cards that came with the cassette can be found here. 

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We would love to hear from you about this topic, or the podcast episode. Send e-mail feedback to dorknesstolight@gmail.com 

You can follow the network on twitter @DorknessToLight or Alan @ProfessorAlan

Podcast #032 - Harry Whodunit!

"Harry Whodunit: The Phantom of the Barn Mystery"

As discussed on last episode, the Harry Whodunit series of audio mysteries was one of Em's favorite things growing up. And here ... with maybe not the best results in digitization from a 20+ year old audio cassette ... is "The Phantom of the Barn Mystery."

Photos of the cards that came with the cassette can be found here. 

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We would love to hear from you about this topic, or the podcast episode. Send e-mail feedback to dorknesstolight@gmail.com 

You can follow the network on twitter @DorknessToLight or Alan @ProfessorAlan

Podcast 25 - Angels

"Dorkness to Nightmare: Angels"

On this final (not so mini) installment of this mini-series, Em & Alan talk about those scariest of all spiritual beings -- Angels. They discuss what these monsters say about humanity, faith, & God.

Topics discussed include, Lovecraftian monstrosities, 5-dimensional beings, Thing Theory, angelic visitations, flaming swords, and what we believe.

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Link: "GLORIA" by Taylor Leong


We would love to hear from you about this topic, the podcast episode, or monsters in general. Send e-mail feedback to dorknesstolight@gmail.com 

You can follow the network on twitter @DorknessToLight or Alan @ProfessorAlan

Podcast 24 - Nephilim & Lillith

"Dorkness to Nightmare: Nephilim, Lilith & Old Testament Weirdness"

On this penultimate sixth mini-sode, Em & Alan talk about Lilith, unicorns, Nephilim, and other weird things that may (or may not) be in the Old Testament. They talk about what these stories say about humanity, and what they say about the Bible.

Topics discussed include Bible translation, myths and legends, the value of imagination to faith, and keeping Christianity weird.

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Link: The Nephilim Wars comic book Kickstarter  
Link: Paeter Frandsen's "Spirit Blade" audio drama
Link: Dark Ark: the comic book
Link: The book "Lucifer, Leviathan, Lilith, and Other Mysterious Creatures of the Bible"

We would love to hear from you about this topic, the podcast episode, or biblical monsters in general. Send e-mail feedback to dorknesstolight@gmail.com 

You can follow the network on twitter @DorknessToLight or Alan @ProfessorAlan

Bible Study, via Batman

In the recent DC Comics issue of Batman 38, the Caped Crusader stumbles across this note, while investigating a crime. 

 

There are some interesting things to note in this flier. Both the first and last paragraphs are reasonably solid theologically, and could have come from a number of legitimate Christian organizations. But it's the middle paragraph this is the problem.

Keen-eyed readers, especially those with a bit of Sunday School in their background, will note that there is no book in the Bible that abbreviates to "NED." And the words that Jesus is quoted as saying in NED 4:1 ... not even close.

To give Batman credit, he knows that as well, and quickly recognizes that entire paragraphis an elaborate clue. And ... spoilers ... Batman uses that information to save the day.

Comic Book Theology: Hellblazer

A recent issue of the DC Comics title The Hellblazer contained this panel, which contained an interesting take on afterlife theology. Or at least John Constantine's understanding of theology. 

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The statement "the great faiths will tell you the dirty flesh is just a vessel ... " is an inaccurate (although common) description of what orthodox historical Christianity teaches. As a matter of fact, this dualistic approach ("spirit is good, flesh is bad") is much more closer to Gnosticism, as heresy that was dealt with in the very early days of church, and dismissed as not having a plae in Christianity. 

Despite the anti-gnostic statements that fill the book of 1 John, there are places in the modern church where the heresy of gnosticism rears its ugly head.

All of that is to say this: Don't look to comic books for your theology. And most of all, don't look to John Constantine for your theology.

Podcast #011 - Religious Fandom & Spiritual Head Canon

"Religious Fandom & Spiritual Head Canon"

On this super-sized episode, Emily & Professor Alan talk about some of the similarities between religion and pop culture fandom.

Then they spend most of the episode talking about their own individual faith journeys, doubts, beliefs, questions, and oddball notions. 

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Link: The music of The Choir
Link: The music of Iona
Link: The music of Anderson Cale

We would love to hear from you about this issue, the podcast episode, or the podcast in general. Send e-mail feedback to dorknesstolight@gmail.com 

You can follow Alan on twitter @ProfessorAlan

Podcast #007 - Kingdom Come

"It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's A Podcast Crossover!"

In this episode, we continue a conversation that began on episode 243 of Michael Bailey's Views From the Longbox podcast. Over there, we covered the basic comic-book stuff in Alex Ross and Mark Waid's 1996 graphic novel "Kingdom Come."

In this episode, the three of us talk about the spiritual and religious aspects of the comics. We cover Reverend McKay's pastoral style, whether Superman should be presented as an analog of Jesus or of Moses, and whether an atomic bomb could really create a mushroom cloud in the shape of a cross.

Because we had a guest on this episode, we did not cover feedback from our terrific feedbackers. But please send in feedback on this episode, and we will cover it all on the next one!

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Link: Michael Bailey's View from the Longbox
Link: Anderson Cale's music 


We would love to hear from you about this issue, the podcast episode, or the podcast in general. Send e-mail feedback to dorknesstolight@gmail.com 

You can follow Alan on twitter @ProfessorAlan

Fox Mulder, Bible Scholar

In the X-Files Episode "3" (season 2, episode 7), vampire cult killers leave behind a message in their victim's blood.

John 52:54

Fox Mulder demonstrates his knowledge of Scripture by quoting the verse in full. "He who eats of my flesh and drinks of my blood shall have eternal life. And I will raise him up on the last day." He then makes a crack about "big-haired preachers" and their feeble literal grasp of the Bible.

One problem. The verse doesn't exist. What he quotes is in fact John 6:54, although the wording did not precisely match any popular English translation that I could find.

I'm not going to hypothesize on why the episode's writers decided to make up a Bible reference instead of using an actual one. But whatever the reason for referring to the words of John 6:54 as John 52:54, it stands out as a choice that is ... just weird. 

Yes, this was in the long ago days before Google and Bible Gateway made looking up verses really easy. But still ... aren't there fact-checkers in the organization somewhere? And the cynic of course wonders why nobody in the ENTIRE production crew noticed the mistake.

Again, they get Jesus' words correct, which I appreciate. They didn't make up words and put them in the Bible. But they made up the place in the Bible where those words are found.

It's just weird.