This essay contains spoilers from The Tree of Life, directed by Terrence Malick. Back in high school, when I was still a devout Christian, I scribbled a quote from Marilynne Robinson’s novel Gilead in the front cover of my Bible: I have been thinking about existence lately. In fact, I have been so full of admiration for existence thatContinue reading ““Train Dreams,” Terrence Malick, & the Transcendence of Secular Cinema”
Author Archives: jeshuahayden
You Don’t Want to Live Forever. Here’s Why.
It might be the greatest pickup line of all time. For twenty minutes, two young adults have been talking on a train. She’s French and he’s American. They met by happenstance, after the German couple in front of them began loudly bickering and a move to a quieter car became necessary. But now they’ve coveredContinue reading “You Don’t Want to Live Forever. Here’s Why.”
God, the Sea, and Me: How I Found Peace in the Chaos of Unbelief
I still love the sea, despite the fact that it almost ruined my life. On a windy day in the fall of 2017, while bodysurfing in the Indian Ocean, I was caught off guard by a huge wave that slammed my head against the seabed and swept the rest of my body over it. TheContinue reading “God, the Sea, and Me: How I Found Peace in the Chaos of Unbelief”
5 Things “Severance” Gets Exactly Right About Religious Deconstruction
This post contains spoilers from episodes 1–5 of Severance: Season 1. No spoilers from episodes 6–9 or from Season 2 are discussed. A powerful organization with deep historical roots, founded by a charismatic leader, that demands unquestioning obedience from its members, restricts access to information, stokes fears of the world outside its walls, and inspiresContinue reading “5 Things “Severance” Gets Exactly Right About Religious Deconstruction”
Close Your Bible, Save a Tree: Why Christianity is bad for the environment
What if it’s true? That would be amazing! I’m standing in front of the chimpanzee enclosure at my local zoo when this thought flits through my mind. For the past five minutes, I’ve been gazing at the young ape just beyond the fence — at the lines on his palms, the shape of his nose and mouth,Continue reading “Close Your Bible, Save a Tree: Why Christianity is bad for the environment”
Fire, Foes, & Failed Prophecy: Why Jesus was wrong about the end of the world
We were bound for the Badlands, and I couldn’t have been more excited. When I was a kid, many of my heroes were pulled straight from TV Westerns. There was Davy Crockett from Disney’s King of the Wild Frontier, grinning a grizzly bear into submission. There was True Grit’s Rooster Cogburn, riding into battle withContinue reading “Fire, Foes, & Failed Prophecy: Why Jesus was wrong about the end of the world”
Derek Webb’s “Survival Songs” is a Pride-Themed Masterpiece for Our Time
When I was in college, my favorite singer-songwriter was a guy named Rich Mullins. If you aren’t a member of Gen X or a millennial, or if you didn’t grow up in the evangelical church, that name probably won’t ring any bells. A gifted multi-instrumentalist, Mullins composed staples of contemporary worship music like “Awesome God,”Continue reading “Derek Webb’s “Survival Songs” is a Pride-Themed Masterpiece for Our Time”
C.S. Lewis’ Greatest Mistake
Many people, on encountering scenes of beauty, whip out their phones and begin snapping photos. I take mental pictures. Whether I’m gazing up at the watercolor wash of a sunset, watching rainwater pool beside streets and sidewalks, or stopping to appreciate the blossoms on a magnolia tree, I spend lots of time looking at thingsContinue reading “C.S. Lewis’ Greatest Mistake”
Spinning at the Crossroads: My Life With Religious OCD
A perilous beautiful move, choosing to throw yourself at the future, even if it means one day coming down in the sea. – Leif Enger, Virgil Wander I. I’m standing in the middle of a country intersection, drenched in rain, and the fields around me are singing. I can hear their music in the soundContinue reading “Spinning at the Crossroads: My Life With Religious OCD”
Maybe There Are Banshees: Friendship, Fault Lines, & the Fractured Conscience of American Christianity
In the opening shots of Martin McDonagh’s film The Banshees of Inisherin, we’re introduced to a fictional Irish town that, at first glance, seems totally idyllic. We descend from the sky, taking in the emerald sweep of pastureland. As the camera drifts along the seaside, we hear strains of an ethereal chorus sung in Gaelic.Continue reading “Maybe There Are Banshees: Friendship, Fault Lines, & the Fractured Conscience of American Christianity”
Words for Wayfarers 