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Catholic

Chad Thomas Johnston

Select a Category A. G. Harmon Alissa Wilkinson Allison Backous Art Authors Brad Fruhauff Bradford Winters Bryan Bliss Caroline Langston Chad Thomas Johnston Chris Hoke Christiana N. Peterson Culture D.G. Myers D.L. Mayfield Daniel Bowman Jr. David Griffith Elizabeth Duffy Faith Film Greg Wolfe Guest Contributor Interview Jan Vallone Jeffrey Overstreet Jessica Eddings-Roeser Jessica Mesman Griffith Kelly Foster Lindsey Crittenden Morgan Meis music Natalie Vestin Nick Olson Peggy Rosenthal Personal Reflection Poetry Friday Reflection Relationships Review Richard Chess Richard Cole Sara Zarr Shannon Huffman Polson Sonya Bilocerkowycz Tania Runyan Tony Woodlief Topical Categories Uncategorized Vic Sizemore Writing

Select a Month October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 February 2008

July 2018

July 17, 2018

Fast Food Funeral Procession

The line lurched forward one vehicle at a time, halogen halos radiating from headlights. Although...

October 2015

October 22, 2015

Blessed Are the Tentmakers

For my daughter, Evangeline Sofia, who celebrated her first birthday on the second day of...

November 2014

November 20, 2014

The Treasure in the Trash

As much as I associate Kansas with The Wizard of Oz, I have yet to...

December 2013

December 04, 2013

The Afflicter of the Comfortable

Last December, a woman at church used Jedi mind tricks, or something very much like...

November 2013

November 07, 2013

Daniel Amos’s “Dig Here Said the Angel”

Dedicated to Billy Corgan, who challenged Christians to “make better music” and branch out beyond...

October 2013

October 15, 2013

Why Should Darkness Seem Truer Than Light?

In her memoir, Pieces of Someday, my friend and periodic "Good Letters" guest writer Jan...

September 2013

September 18, 2013

The Choir: Children of Krakatoa

On August 26, 1883, the people of Perth, Western Australia, paused to register what historians...

August 2013

August 16, 2013

Fast-Food Funeral Procession

The line lurched forward one vehicle at a time, halogen halos radiating from headlights. Although...

July 2013

July 30, 2013

A Feast for Hungry Eyes: An Interview with Sam Phillips, Part 2

Continued from yesterday. Chad Thomas Johnston: The website for The Long Play shut down on...

July 29, 2013

A Feast for Hungry Eyes: An Interview with Sam Phillips, Part 1

Many songsmiths have struggled to navigate the commercial wilderness that arose in the aftermath of...

July 10, 2013

Smiling Skulls: On Death and Diversion

With sinister skulls on their black Metallica and Megadeth T-shirts, the teenagers who snaked alongside...

June 2013

June 09, 2013

Nebuchadnezzar, Nevermore

Immediately what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from people...

May 2013

May 22, 2013

Before the Fall of Baseball

As a child, school did not rank high on my priority list, which meant my...

April 2013

April 30, 2013

Of Parsonages and Pirates

For Cathy Warner, Literary Editor of IMAGE Journal’s “Good Letters” Blog But Jesus called the...

April 10, 2013

On Roger Ebert and Cinematic Stockholm Syndrome

For Chaz Ebert When I was a child in the ‘80s, a stranger who resembled...

March 2013

March 21, 2013

The Heart, a Home under Construction

In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have...

March 04, 2013

The Day My Parents Were Raptured

In the spring of 2002, my sister Alyssa and I left college behind for a...

February 2013

February 11, 2013

Jesus Died for Somebody’s Sins (But Not Mine)

For Pastor Matt, who hopes to convert my skeptical ears to belief in bluegrass, and...

January 2013

January 16, 2013

A Requiem for Rejects

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering....

December 2012

December 04, 2012

Constructive Disruption: On Derek Webb’s Mind Ctrl Part Two

Continued from yesterday. McDonald’s employees allegedly assaulted human cyborg Steve Mann in Paris, France on...

December 03, 2012

Constructive Disruption: On Derek Webb’s Mind Ctrl Part One

On his 2009 album, Stockholm Syndrome, in a song titled “Freddie Please,” singer-songwriter Derek Webb...

November 2012

November 01, 2012

The Scatological Opportunist

Train up a child in the way he should go. Even when he is old...

October 2012

October 11, 2012

Blessed Are the Tentmakers

For my daughter, Evangeline Sofia, who celebrated her first birthday on the second day of...

September 2012

September 14, 2012

The Armchair Astronaut Packs for Mars

This post is adapted from my manuscript, The Stained-Glass Kaleidoscope: Essays at Play in the...

August 2012

August 23, 2012

The Rock-afire Explosion and Pizza Parlor Tricks

Pay no attention to the man—or rather, the band—behind the curtain. Like Dorothy and her...

August 03, 2012

Shouting “Meaningless!” at the Devil: On Mötley Crüe and Ecclesiastes

This blog post is adapted from my manuscript, The Stained-Glass Kaleidoscope: Essays at Play in...

July 2012

July 16, 2012

Living Fossils: Discovering Undercover’s Branded

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found...

June 2012

June 14, 2012

Half Man, Half Alley Cat

Upon hearing Sun Kil Moon's newest record, Among the Leaves, I pictured Mark Kozelek as...

May 2012

May 24, 2012

My Rainbow Connection, Disconnected

It was a Saturday night and my wife, Becki, wanted to stream the documentary, Being...