Author Archives: awtraughber

All-Around War

Posted on March 31, 2017 by awtraughber

Two things.  One: the Planet of the Apes reboot of the last few years has been one of the best things to happen to summer cinema.  What could’ve been paint-by-number has been a creative and enjoyable (and saddening) adventure. Two: … Continue reading →

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Augustinian Call and Cappadocian Collapse

Posted on March 30, 2017 by awtraughber

Two of my favorite writers, James K. A. Smith and Alan Jacobs, had very different responses to The Benedict Option by Rod Dreher.  Both, though, started their reviews with historical anecdotes that work well together. Smith, who published first, opened … Continue reading →

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“Sometimes a Kind of Glory”

Posted on March 27, 2017 by awtraughber

From the thirteenth chapter of Steinbeck’s East of Eden: Sometimes a kind of glory lights up the mind of a man.  It happens to nearly everyone.  You can feel it growing or preparing like a fuse burning toward dynamite.  It … Continue reading →

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Today in Middle Earth

Posted on March 25, 2017 by awtraughber

It’s easy to forget that March 25th is quite the day of significance in J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings.  Here are a couple of clips concerning what “happened” today in Middle Earth history. and then I think … Continue reading →

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The Basic Question of the Benedict Option

Posted on March 22, 2017 by awtraughber

I finished Rod Dreher’s The Benedict Option.  As a friend recently said: if you’ve been reading Dreher’s blog for a while, you totally know what you’re getting in this book.  The only thing that really stood out from the book-version … Continue reading →

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Fellowship of Legends

Posted on March 21, 2017 by awtraughber

Tonight DC’s Legends of Tomorrow traveled to World War I and the Battle of the Somme to track down some literary help from JRR Tolkien.  The show has used the idea of the “Spear of Destiny” (the spear that pierced … Continue reading →

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Closer to the Dark Tower

Posted on March 20, 2017 by awtraughber

Talking about the theatrical version of The Dark Tower is almost impossible without giving away the ending of the series of novels by Stephen King.  Granted, I wasn’t really looking forward to the theatrical version until they announced that it … Continue reading →

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Amazing Race Back on Track

Posted on March 18, 2017 by awtraughber

After almost a year off the air, The Amazing Race is back on track at CBS.  The show will start its 29th cycle at the end of the month . . . with a twist that some have been asking … Continue reading →

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Dovetailing Dreher and Smith

Posted on March 16, 2017 by awtraughber

The last couple of weeks have brought a number of reactions to Rod Dreher’s eagerly-awaited book on conservative Christians in contemporary culture, The Benedict Option.  For many, it’s been an interesting litmus test for where particular “personalities” in the Christian … Continue reading →

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A Different Kind of Fellowship

Posted on March 14, 2017 by awtraughber

This first trailer for next week’s Legends of Tomorrow doesn’t give away much.  After traveling to the moon, the team looks to be heading back to World War I as they pursue the  Spear of Destiny.  What we don’t yet … Continue reading →

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