Hello all.
I’m excited to announce that The Other Journal is staring a new series in conjunction with the final eight episodes of Breaking Bad. We will be reviewing and discussing the show weekly, after each episode airs, in hopes of cultivating a fruitful and beneficial conversation about theology, culture, media and all things Breaking Bad.
The Other Journal has always valued cultural engagement and considered it to be a primary task of Christians living in the twenty-first century. We have found, though, that conversations regarding cultural engagement often tend towards reductionism and misconstrued conclusions. Rather than engaging in overly simplistic critiques of the show, this interaction will function charitably; that is, we will let Breaking Bad speak for itself. We will create a space to deal with the show on its own grounds rather than merely inserting our own prejudices into the commentary.
This sort of a conversation is necessary and beneficial for a number of reasons. To begin with, much like the overarching thrust of The Other Journal itself, this series seeks to provide a thoughtful and critical, distinctly Christian commentary on one of the most successful shows in recent history. We will be examining and exposing the ideological presuppositions of the show and its characters, and we will interact with the show on the level of medium, as television series are rapidly transforming into hyper-interactive, provocative and affecting forces of film. We will also seek to let the genius of Breaking Bad call us into question as viewers, ultimately for the sake of informing our theologies and ideologies.
Breaking Bad airs on Sunday nights starting this Sunday (August 11), and we will post our conversations the following day by noon. We will be publishing these discussions here, on The Other Journal’s ‘Mediation’ blog, as this blog serves as the locus of the journal’s cultural mediation and interactions.
We have carefully assembled a unique group of writers and thinkers to engage in this conversation, and we excited to introduce them:
My name is Zachary Thomas Settle. I hold a BA in philosophy and theology from Union University. I am a graduate student at the University of Denver, studying the philosophy of religion under Dr. Carl Raschke. I am currently working as an assistant theology editor for The Other Journal.
Lauren Wilford holds a BA in Aesthetics and Narrative Studies from Seattle Pacific University. She has served as editor-in-chief of SPU’s literary journal, interned at Image journal and done curatorial work in SPU’s art gallery. She has written on film for The Other Journal and Filmwell and pursues screenwriting in her spare time.
Zach J. Hoag is an author, blogger, and minister from Burlington, VT. His first book, Nothing but the Blood: The Gospel According to Dexter, released last year with Gray Matter Books. He writes frequently on his personal blog, The Nuance, and occasionally for The Huffington Post. As you might imagine, he loves watching TV.
Andrew Norman holds a BA in philosophy from Union University and is currently working on his MA at the University of Denver under Dr. Carl Raschke. He currently serves as the creative director of the Society for Critical Imagination in Denver, CO.
Join us as we converse, interact with and respond to Walter White’s final descent in Vince Gilligan’s masterpiece, Breaking Bad. Watch with us and look for our discussion on Monday.