I'm Back!

And I have some catching up to do...

Welcome to The Empathetic Imagination! This newsletter was born out of my interest in the relationship between the arts and spiritual formation, particularly the cultivation of empathy (which also led to my book). In this weekly newsletter, we will look at the connections between art, theology, and the hard work of being a loving, truthful human being. Thank you to all who subscribe, especially those who have opted for a paid subscription. This helps me to continue to do this work! Along with writing on the arts and theology, I will be offering some (non-credit) go–at–your-own–pace courses on these topics for paid subscribers.

Hi friends,

Thanks for being patient with me as I have spent the last few weeks moving, traveling internationally, and attending and speaking at a conference. I am currently in Oxford, England sitting on the couch in the main sitting room of C.S. Lewis’s home, The Kilns. I will be at The Kilns for a week to do some research for chapter on Kierkegaard’s Works of Love and Lewis’s Till We Have Faces for the forthcoming Routledge Companion to C.S. Lewis. Before coming to The Kilns, I attended and spoke at Hutchmoot UK, an incredibly enriching arts and faith conference.

Hutchmoot Conference Attendees at The Hayes Conference Center in Derbyshire, England.

But enough about me! Let’s get back to talking film!

LAST WEEK’S FILM:

Because of the move and travels, I have not made a video for the dystopian film Children of Men. I still very much recommend that you watch it when you have time. In lieu of a lecture or discussion, you can read an article I have written on it HERE.

Here are a few more resources on the film:

• Philosopher Slavoj Zizek on Children of Men

• Francis Fukuyama on Children of Men

• From director Alfonso Cuarón: “Did Children of Men Predict Populism Today?”

• On that incredibly long shot near the end of the film

• Alfonso Cuarón on directing Children of Men

THIS WEEK’S FILM:

This week’s film is Austrian director Michael Haneke’s Code Unknown (2000). It can be found on Amazon, Youtube, and Apple. I will be sending out a more detailed newsletter about this film tomorrow (Tuesday). And we will be meeting to discuss it via Zoom at 2 pm ET/ 7 pm UK time this Saturday, May 18th. We will be joined by Dr. Arlie Tagayuna and Dr. Ruth Wienk, two sociologists who teach at Lee University. They are also dear friends—and I know that this will be an enlightening conversation!

Thanks for reading, friends! I will be sending more info on Code Unknown tomorrow.

Stay tuned…