Series: Culture Watch

Church & Ministry Leadership Development

5 Questions about New Ideas

By Joe Boyd Springtime always stimulates new ideas for me. But I”ve learned I should pursue only some of them.Â There is something about springtime that makes all things new. Winter can be a cold and gray marathon to endure, especially for those of us on the East Coast and in the Midwest. But then comes life. Every April and May I find myself full of new ideas. And I should say that I love new ideas. They are like catnip for my soul. As a movie producer, I have no shortage of people pitching story ideas to me. Some

April 26, 2017

Culture & Public Square Politics & Government

A New Politic

By Joe Boyd In the early 1980s, Speaker of the House of Representatives Tip O”Neill popularized a phrase that has stayed in the American lexicon ever since: “All politics is local.” I find that phrase moderately comforting at this time in American history when our political dialogue seems to have gone off the rails. I”m an advocate for individuals being politically active at national, state, and municipal levels. I also respect those who are less active for calculated reasons. That said, I have come to believe the church cannot afford to be inactive in the most local of contexts. This

March 24, 2017

Where Has All the Shopping Gone?

By Joe Boyd Traditional retail is struggling. What might this mean to local churches in the United States?Â A giant of the American economy is slowly dying. You may not notice it yet because giants die at such a sluggish pace. Traditional American department stores are struggling. Over the last year Macy”s has closed nearly 100 stores and laid off 10,000 employees. Sears is also closing more than 100 stores after a 2016 holiday shopping season that dropped more than 12 percent from 2015. Kohl”s closed 18 stores and laid off more than 1,500 people in 2016. This isn”t Forbes

February 13, 2017

Devotionals

St. Valentine

By Joe Boyd I am pretty good about remembering my wife”s birthday and our anniversary. Christmas is hard to overlook. But Valentine”s Day always sneaks up on me. If you”re like me, your February 14th may involve a frantic stop at the flower shop to overpay for roses and chocolates. The cynics among us like to claim that Hallmark invented these pop-up holidays to sell greeting cards. Our consumer culture undoubtedly pours a massive amount of gas on the Valentine”s Day fire. But is that all this is? Is there a bigger story at play here? (Hint: there is always

January 2, 2017

What Is a Christian Movie?

By Joe Boyd Among other things that I do for a living, I”m a movie producer. Rebel Pilgrim, my production company, was briefly mentioned on Fox News as one of several companies specializing in making “Christian movies.” As an independent producer, I”m happy to have my company mentioned on a national platform. Fox stated that we have six “Christian films” in development. That”s (sort of) true. We have six or so films in development at all times. I”m a Christian. Some of them overtly address God and faith. Some do not. It begs the question, What is a Christian movie?

December 25, 2016

Devotionals

Jesus and the Powers

By Joe Boyd We”ve all seen much attention this year given to power and those who possess it. But the church”s attitude toward power is different. Christmas, at its core, is about power. Who holds real power? Where does it come from? How do we get it? All the answers are in the Christmas story, buried under the sentimentality and tradition. The Christmas story shows us true power comes to earth in the humility of a dependent infant. Power comes in the form of an impoverished peasant child. A desperate refugee. A homeless wanderer. Power comes in weakness. This is

November 27, 2016

Binge Culture

By Joe Boyd I got sucked in. I”m at a busy season of my life. I have two kids in high school, a growing business, and a church plant I”m helping to launch. I will watch a little TV at night to unwind, but I”ve successfully avoided “binge watching” something on Netflix for a few months. I know how I am. Once I get locked in, I have to finish. I don”t remember who was the first of my friends to tell me, but a few months ago someone said, “You have to watch Stranger Things on Netflix.” They described

September 30, 2016

The Gospel of Star Wars

By Joe Boyd Star Wars was everything to me growing up as a child of the 1980s. It was more than just a series of three movies. It was an alternative world that consumed me. I spent hours alone and with friends playing with the action figures””creating new stories to add to the adventure and mythos of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Darth Vader, and Han Solo. I grew up but never outgrew the stories George Lucas created. I was more than excited to see three new “prequel” movies in the early 2000s. While the films fell short of my expectations,

August 26, 2016

Competition and Compassion

By Joe Boyd We live in a competitive culture. We see this at every turn, but are more aware of it every four summers when two cycles converge””the presidential election and the Summer Olympics. Both, in very different ways, show us that deep in our core we can”t help but compete. Of course, we don”t need these macro-events to know this. We”ve all been to a Little League game or a dancing competition where, seemingly, the kids are having a good time but the parents and coaches are driving the competitive fervor. It can seem we grown-ups spend a lot

August 8, 2016

Rushing to Blame

By Joe Boyd Not long ago in Cincinnati, where I live, a very unfortunate accident occurred at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. As you probably remember, a young boy somehow made his way into the gorilla habitat. Ultimately it resulted in the hard decision to kill Harambe, a powerful and beautiful western lowland gorilla, for the sake of the child”s life. Soon after that, the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history happened in Orlando, Florida. A gunman entered a gay nightclub and killed 49 people, injuring 53 others. (And some of the injured are still clinging to life as

July 2, 2016

Why Do We Love Superheroes So Much?

By Joe Boyd Summer means many things. Long days. Beach vacations. Baseball games and family reunions, neighborhood block parties and community fireworks””traditions that make summer great year after year. And, of course, the most consistent summer theme of all: the blockbuster superhero movie. 2016 continues the trend. Just look at the lineup: Batman v Superman, Captain America: Civil War, X-Men Apocalypse, Suicide Squad, and more. It begs the question. Why do we love superhero movies so much? I mean, we clearly do. Year after year, Hollywood spends millions of dollars making these films, and we respond by giving them billions

June 5, 2016

Church & Ministry Church Leadership Eldership

Advice from an Elder

By Joe Boyd We live in a youth-obsessed culture. A quick glance at the way we market and sell products makes that clear. While traditional cultures had a way of honoring their elders, most of us modern Americans tend to struggle with that. This, I would submit, is to our disadvantage. It”s countercultural today in America to honor our elders, yet they hold the wisdom we so desperately need. This was clear to me as I prepared this spring to return to Cincinnati Christian University, my alma mater, to be a commencement speaker. It may be the first time in

May 22, 2016

Culture & Public Square Politics & Government

Steps to Improve Political Discourse

By Joe Boyd I”ve been writing this column on culture for nearly a year now. The big idea is to look at what is happening in America to see what good or bad ramifications it may have for the local church. It”s not always easy to decide what to write about each month. Over the last several months I”ve been tempted to broach a specific subject, only to talk myself out of it. I can”t avoid it any longer. It”s politics. Though I”m sure some will look for clues to my political leanings in what I write, I”m not going

April 4, 2016

Is Baseball Really Dead?

By Joe Boyd Some of my favorite family memories are the yearly trips into Cincinnati from my home in eastern Kentucky to watch the Reds play baseball. There”s nothing like walking into a Major League Baseball stadium for the first time, turning a corner, and seeing that vast green grass ocean spread before you. Baseball is a throwback to an older, slower time. There is no clock. Games play out at their own pace. Unlike other popular sports, losses are expected. A team can lose 80 games and still win the World Series. The season is a marathon, long like

March 27, 2016

New Testament Theology & Bible

Facing the Future

By Joe Boyd What did the resurrection mean to the readers of the oldest Gospel? And how does that help us in our own confusing lives and complicated age?Â Most followers of Jesus are aware that there are four Gospels in the Christian Scriptures: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. All four of these accounts tell the story of Jesus, but, at times, from different perspectives. Most New Testament scholars agree that Mark”s Gospel is likely the oldest, dating a few decades after the life and death of Jesus. Looking at Mark”s story of the resurrection, one realizes it is brief

February 5, 2016

Happy New Year?

By Joe Boyd So, a few weeks into 2016, how”s it going? Will it be a happy year or not?Â Sometimes happiness is counterintuitive. At 42 years old, I have come to realize I can drift toward unhappiness. There”s a lot that plays into this for me. My personality type (INTP) tends toward melancholy with a chemical propensity to depression. But I”ve also found I can make choices that increase my capacity for happiness. Here are some practical steps I have taken over the last decade that have helped me. Maybe they will help you too. 1. Exercise. I know,

December 31, 2015

Discipleship & Spiritual Formation

The Spiritual Discipline of Play?

By Joe Boyd Last week I sat across from a good friend and trusted adviser at a LaRosa”s Pizzeria in Cincinnati. (He”s also a clinical psychologist, so I can sometimes get therapy for the price of a pizza.) I was telling him all the good things that were causing anxiety in my life: my growing kids, growing business, and growing church responsibilities. He looked at me and asked, “What are you doing for fun?” Almost without thinking, I replied, “I don”t have time for fun at this time in my life.” His look said it all. I knew the glaring

December 21, 2015

The Gift That Changed My Life

By Joe Boyd Our culture creates expectations around Christmas. One of the greatest of these is gift giving. When done out of compulsion, giving gifts can become an unhealthy habit. However, when done in love, a gift can change a life.Â About a dozen years ago my wife, Debbie, gave me the most transformative gift I have ever received. It changed the trajectory of my life (and hers) forever. I”m not setting you up to talk about the birth of my kids here. I am talking about a normal, regular old traditional Christmas gift that changed everything. She had no

November 20, 2015