By Rex Reed 10/09/12 7:46pm

theater

Shannon, Arrington, Rudd and Asner in Grace.

For Grace, To Err is Divine: Entrenched in Suburbia, A Religious Cold War Sputters On

Polished and uniformly riveting, the four actors in Grace, a new play on Broadway by Craig Wright, directed by Dexter Bullard at the Cort, provide the grace an otherwise benign and disappointing play does not. The playwright had a runaway success off-Broadway with Mistakes Were Made. History and good fortune did not repeat themselves uptown. However, the estimable Michael Shannon has graced both plays, and for that, Mr. Wright can count his blessings. That goes for the rest of us too.

A treatise on theology and faith, with all the doubt and distrust, hope and salvation such weighty subjects inspire, Grace picks at scabs instead of fully addressing them. If you’re looking for answers to earth-shattering questions raised by Sunday-morning television evangelists looking to raid your soul for profit, you will go away empty. But you will spend 90 edgy minutes (without intermission) in the company of a few vainglorious actors, good and true, while you make up your mind. Read More

By Foster Kamer 3/21/12 2:07pm

TIMSANITY

Tim Tebow Jets

Holy Sh*t! Godless New Yorkers Trash ‘Jesus Freak’ Tim Tebow’s Move to the Big Apple

On the occasion of Tim Tebow’s arrival to New York, we are reminded of Matthew 5:29: “If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.” Judging by the early reactions of New York sports fans to the news that Tim Tebow is headed to the New York Jets, he may in fact have to gouge his eyes out. Read More

By The Editors 8/02/11 7:37pm

opinion

Ironing Out Where to Purpose 9/11′s Iconic Steel Cross

It is, for many people, one of the iconic images of 9/11: The remnants of a steel beam shaped like a cross, standing amid the smoke and ruins of Ground Zero. It was an eerie and, for some, a faith-affirming presence at the site during the weeks following the attacks

As the city prepares to Read More

By Rex Reed 7/12/11 8:00pm

movies

2

Evangelical Send-Up Salvation Boulevard Unwittingly Proves That There is a Hell: Sitting Through It

On the wobbly heels of the disastrous atheist film The Ledge comes another hopeless flop about the hypocrisy and homicidal passions of evil born-again Christians, called Salvation Boulevard. I’m not taking sides. I’m just telling you it’s a stupid farrago of aborted ideas, misguided actors, lame direction, submental writing and follow-the-dots plotting that never Read More

By Rex Reed 7/05/11 7:50pm

movies

Hunnam.

Movie Review: The Ledge Takes A Leap Of Faith, And Comes Up Short

It’s rare to see difficult, controversial issues explored in a contemporary narrative film, and The Ledge, written and directed by Matthew Chapman, is fearless about the danger of commercial failure it obviously faces. At a time when most movies are not about anything important, this one deserves credit for tackling unpopular themes like religion-fueled homophobia Read More

By Nate Freeman 9/03/10 5:48pm

God is not Great

Hawking's Book Shoots to Top of Amazon Sales After He Denies God's Existence

Yesterday, The Times of London printed excerpts from Stephen Hawking’s new book The Grand Design — excerpts in which the renowned author and physicist casually called God “redundant” and explained how his existence is not essential to explaining creation. This caused quite the commotion among some members of God-centric religions. And as it often does, Read More

By Eliot Brown 2/16/10 11:24pm

Oh, God, No

In the world of New York Presbyterians, the decision last month by a city agency to designate an Upper West Side church a landmark landed with a thud. With the church facing a repair bill for its iconic red sandstone building at 86th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, a bill far greater than any Read More