Popular Culture
Sitewide Banner Message
The Well Bookstore is open for in-person shopping Monday, Tuesday & Thursday 9am-4pm, Wednesday 9am-7pm and on Sundays from 8:30am-12:45pm (curbside pickup not available). All orders placed online or over the phone after 1:00 p.m. on Thursdays will not be processed until the following Monday.
One of Library Journal's Best Books
ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Award Finalist
Midwest Publishing Association Honorable Mention
Thousands of people start each day with a shot of Coffee with Jesus, the enormously popular online comic strip. Irreverent at times, yet always insightful, this volume features classic entries and all new, exclusive material that was born out of artist David Wilkie's frustration with the polarized political climate in America.
Originally created as a one-off, single-panel comic on my blog, utilizing old advertising clip art for the main characters and Sunday school clip art for the person of Jesus, I simply enjoyed the notion of Jesus appearing at table with these people (dressed as they were and sharing coffee with them) to refute their claims of how he might vote on any particular issue, to convince them that they cannot confuse their flag with their God--to set them straight, as it were, explains Wilkie.
But it didn't stop here. Soon the Jesus of Coffee with Jesus could be seen offering counsel to a recurring cast of characters on their personal and work lives. The characters--Carl, Lisa, Ann, Kevin and Joe--all honestly engage with Jesus about their successes and failures and wants and needs, effectively showing what conversation with God--or prayer--might look like.
Poignant, pointed, and rife with good theology, Coffee with Jesus is organized around six themes: getting to know Jesus, spiritual disciplines, relationships, culture, church, and the challenges of life. With exclusive material like twelve-panel mega-strips and behind the strip reflections on life, faith and art, Wilkie inventively poses answers to the perpetual Christian speculation, What would Jesus do?
From Twilight to Breaking Dawn: Religious Themes in the Twilight Saga
Gospel According to Bob Dylan: The Old, Old Story for Modern Times
This book will thrill movie buffs and casual fans alike. In an engaging style, author Greg Garrett looks at the theological elements in dozens of classic and new classic Hollywood films, including a discussion about what the new openness to spirituality in the movies might mean for the future of American cinema and American religion.
In this thorough and engaging book, Gabriel McKee explores the inherent theological nature of science fiction, using illustrations from television shows, literature, and films. Science fiction, he believes, helps us understand not only who we are but who we will become. McKee organizes his chapters around theological themes, using illustrations from authors such as Isaac Asimov and H. G. Wells, television shows such as Star Trek and The Twilight Zone, and films such as The Matrix and Star Wars. With its extensive bibliography and index, this is a book that all serious science fiction fans--not just those with a theological interest--will appreciate.
Gospel According to the Simpsons: Bigger and Possibly Even Better! Edition
Nothing But the Blood: The Gospel According to Dexter
Praying the Movies II brings together the ancient tradition of praise and prayer with a contemporary passion for the movies. Noted author and speaker Ed McNulty presents another collection of thirty-one devotionals--one a day for a month--that connect movies with the spiritual life of moviegoers. Each devotional contains passages from Scripture, an introduction to a scene from a popular film, a description of the scene, and a meditation on the themes in the scene and Scripture. Also included are questions to encourage further reflection, a suggestion for a hymn, and a brief prayer. Ideal for individual or group study, Praying the Movies II will bring the seemingly disparate worlds of the Bible and film together, helping readers to understand each in new ways.
Religion in the Handmaid's Tale: A Brief Guide
Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale captivates readers with its disturbingly prescient vision of the future and haunting insights into the world as we know it. Religion--especially elements of the Christian faith--pervades every inch of the world as Atwood imagines it. Gilead's leaders use perverse forms of Christianity to sustain their authority and privilege, making understanding religion an integral part of understanding Gilead. In the face of the inextricable role of religion in the novel, readers are left to puzzle out religious references and allusions on their own.
From the significance of names to twisted uses of religion to the origins of the Ceremony, this book answers all the questions you might have about religion in this prophetic novel. For anyone who's ever googled a biblical precedent or religious phrase after encountering Atwood's dystopia, this essential guide explains it all and gives readers a fascinating look into the novel and its world. Read it and understand The Handmaid's Tale like never before.