Religion & Liberty Online Archives

Cultural Commentary

April 23, 2025

When Alt Journalism Goes Bad

When British author Douglas Murray debated comedian Dave Smith and podcaster Joe Rogan on the latter’s show, many in the audience expressed frustration that Murray didn’t make certain points in defense of Israel he’s made in the past and could easily have brought up again. Continue Reading...
December 24, 2024

Bloody Sunday, Black Friday, and Christmas

In the opening track to their now-classic 1983 album, War, Irish rock band U2 sang about “Sunday Bloody Sunday.” I can’t believe the news today Oh, I can’t close my eyes and make it go away … Broken bottles under children’s feet Bodies strewn across the dead-end street But I won’t heed the battle call It puts my back up, puts my back up against the wall Bono was supposedly singing about the “Bloody Sunday” of January 20, 1972, in which 26 unarmed protesters were shot by British troops in Bogside in Derry, Northern Ireland. Continue Reading...
November 08, 2024

J.R.R. Tolkien on War

For his creation of Middle-earth, drenched in cultural and linguistic inventiveness, and rich in theological undertones, J.R.R. Tolkien is deservedly credited as one of the first and best creators of the modern fantasy genre. Continue Reading...
October 31, 2024

The Pastor Who Looked Evil in the Face

Hollywood multi-hyphenate Todd Komarnicki first burst onto the public’s radar in 2003 as one of the producers of the Christmas comedy classic Elf. From there he went on to demonstrate his versatility across several projects and genres, notably the dramatic screenplay for the much-acclaimed 2016 biopic Sully (based on the book by the late Jeffrey Zaslow). Continue Reading...
September 25, 2024

How ‘Eat the Rich’ Movies Hurt the Poor

Hollywood’s new wave of movies satirizing the wealthy and powerful are garnering plenty of money and critical acclaim. But they’re also perpetuating destructive myths about wealth and inequality that will harm the very marginalized class the industry claims to be defending. Continue Reading...