Are you uncomfortable with the stories of Esther and Tamar, two women of Scripture who manipulated powerful men's sexual desire as part of their strategies? Was that "wrong" of them to do? To get the answer to this question, we've got to look at the stories: How does God talk about these two ladies? Turns out they're both described as virtuous heroines who saved the entire human race -- if Esther and Tamar hadn't had the "courage of their convictions", the Messianic line would have failed. God's storytelling always messes with our preconceived notions -- Tamar, for example, is the first woman listed in the New Testament. Learning to read the stories of the Bible correctly is the point of saying "Stories Are Soul Food." Oh, and speaking of uncomfortable stories, the next Look at Moving Pictures Club (LAMPC) pick is Angel Studio's "Sound of Freedom," by popular request. Get to the theater and watch the indie film that beat Indiana Jones. #StoriesAreSoulFood #SASF #Esther #Tamar #MessianicLine #ReadtheStory #UncomfortableBibleStories #SoundofFreedom #AngelStudios #LAMPC

Some have accused Brian of being pretentious. More have accused Nate of pretension. But the most have accused SASF of being "pretentious" when they criticize Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings. The guys set out to dispel the myth of pretension and to answer charges leveled against them fairly and honestly. Yes, thirteen-year-old Brian loved Aragorn hacking orcs. However, if you don't understand why PJ's LOTR would make Tolkien vomit, listen to this episode. Ep. 123 also functions as a follow-up to earlier episodes on taste and sophistication. Plus you'll get solid reasons for what the movies did well (Gandalf, Gollum, setting), what they did poorly (Aragorn, Frodo, Tony-Hawk Legolas, oliphaunts, the Dead), and what they did abysmally (Faramir, Eowyn, no cleansing of the Shire) -- and why they get graded harder for it. All around a fun episode about why Brian and Nate refuse to bury this particular hatchet. #LOTR #LordoftheRings #SASF #StoriesAreSoulFood #Aragorn #Legolas #Tolkien #JRRTolkien #TheHobbit #Gandalf #Gollum #PeterJackson #WetaWorkshops

You must approach the crazy moment we're living in right now with courage, determination, and a breadth of skills. Unfortunately, many young people and adults around the country have chosen apathy instead. The SASF guys take on another studio audience of more than a hundred high schoolers visiting Moscow for New Saint Andrews College's Called Conference. They start with some (gentle) teasing of novel pitches the students sent in for consideration and then move on to the meat of the discussion: comparing the difference between David and Samuel (a king of Israel and the faithful prophet who anointed him) with Jeroboam and Abijah (another king of Israel and the faithful prophet who anointed him). David remained faithful to God over the course of his life, and Jeroboam led the northern kingdom astray. What do you do with the fact that there's a clock above your head, counting down the days left in your life? How do you seize the moment you're in? What happens when you see someone lose their leg in a car wreck, as Nate just did? #SASF #StoriesAreSoulFood #NDWilson #NSA #NewSaintAndrewsCollege #MoscowID #CalledConference

New Saint Andrews College hosts the SASF podcast with a live studio audience of a hundred and fifty high schoolers visiting Moscow for NSA's Called Conference. The kids take full advantage of the opportunity, asking questions ranging from "what do I do if my friend has been working on a novel for eight years and won't show anybody" to "why do Peter Jackson's LOTR movies suck" and many other pressing questions. #SASF #StoriesAreSoulFood #NDWilson #NSA #NewSaintAndrewsCollege #MoscowID #CalledConference

Huge excitement for this episode as the guys have up-and-coming director Francis Annan on to discuss his movie "Escape from Pretoria" (which all must watch...really, do it!). Francis describes what it was like to get the film made, including challenges from local governments to talent and, ultimately, to a virus shutting theaters down four days into his movie's launch. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as do most things given by a good Father. This episode is extra long as the conversation covers all steps of the directing process, from inspiration to adapting from a book to working with A-list talent like Daniel Radcliffe and the real-life heroes behind the film. You'll find that there was a conscious decision behind everything the film portrays. And you'll hear the real-life pressure-cooker situation behind shooting the infamous "gum" scene. #SASF #StoriesAreSoulFood #NDWilson #FrancisAnnan #EscapefromPretoria #SASFLAMPC #director #directing

The guys discuss gangsters today, specifically the Godfather and why there's something compelling about the big happy Italian mob families portrayed -- at least until the murders start. But first: Nate's kids correct Brian's error that Jojo Rabbit won an Oscar. It was only nominated -- Parasite won in 2019. At this point, the guys wander into a discussion of violent portions of world history, foraying into ancient Israel and King David. Brian recently finished "Blood Meridian" by Cormac McCarthy, and explains why that book was so unpleasant and violent (it's about the Glanton gang of scalp-hunters on the Tex-Mex border). Nate never wants an episode to be too unobjectionable, so they stray into a discussion of why Untouchables is such a loser of a movie -- Elliot Ness/Kevin Costner is killing people over alcohol? And we thought our current tyranny was bad... Lest this episode be too Italian, the guys mix Ireland into the discussion with "Banshees of Inisherin" and "The Irishman" (also nominated for an Oscar in 2019). #SASF #StoriesAreSoulFood #gangsters #Godfather #BloodMeridian #violence #AlCapone #Untouchables #Italians #Irishman (edited) 

Discussion on parenting dynamics, setting boundaries, and dealing with adult interactions in the context of raising children. Emphasis on the importance of discipline, self-awareness, and creating memorable experiences with kids. Exploring the blurred line between sacred and secular in everyday life, advocating for a balanced approach to incorporating both into family dynamics.

This episode begins with something you probably missed in Jojo Rabbit -- and it answers the question "what's up with Yorki?" Brian thinks he has figured it out: The answer is that Adolf isn't the only imaginary character in Jojo Rabbit -- Yorki is also only in Jojo's head. Listen to the arguments and see if Nate is convinced. This episode is how to handle holocaust in stories, exaggeration and characterization, the strengths of caricature and its weaknesses, and why Taika Waititi chose this subject and this way of telling his story. For a movie that's so funny, Jojo Rabbit packs quite an emotional punch, set up perfectly with shoelaces. Yes, the guys also discuss the fabulous Klinzendorf, Taika's mockery of pre-WW2 Germany, and how in the world Taika thought of ending the movie with a David Bowie dance scene. If, like the guys, you grew up watching WW2 movies (Schindler's List, Boy with the Striped Pajamas, Inglorious Basterds, Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers, etc.) or reading WW2 books like All the Light We Cannot See, The Book Thief, or Snow Treasure, this episode will be a great listen. #JojoRabbit #Yorki #imaginaryfriends #TaikaWaititi #SchindlersList #BoywiththeStripedPajamas #IngloriousBasterds #SavingPrivateRyan #BandofBrothers #AlltheLightWeCannotSee #TheBookThief

The start of this episode, as the guys suggest improvements to Narnia, when you should be fine with a dad bod, and that time Nate almost died, is not to be missed. They also touch base on parenting submissive but fearless boys, when not working out is a good sacrifice (and when it's lazy), postmillennialism, and why the Narnia Chronicles as as series would be "much better" if "The Last Battle" was a better book. Then they finally get to the long-awaited Jesus Revolution episode: What is a "faith film"? What do "Chariots of Fire" and "Jesus Revolution" and Terrence Malick have in common? How is Jesus Rev organized? What's up with Lonnie Frisbee? How does the Spirit work in times of chaos, and does God care about the carpets? How can organizations use young people? How can hippies and squares co-exist? Ultimately Jesus Revolution is the story of parents reconciling with their children when they both find the Truth: because He is powerful. #JesusRevolution #ChariotsofFire #NDWilson #sasf #StoriesAreSoulFood #SasfLampC #watchingmovies #filmcriticism #TerrenceMalick #Narnia #TheLastBattle #CSLewis

Brian argues that murder mysteries are the worst genre for doing what literature does best. Nate disagrees, and the guys launch a discussion of whodunnits (which are actually a favorite reading snack of both). You'll learn why Agatha Christie isn't re-readable, how Father Brown is like a fig newton at your grandmas, what happens at the intersection of good and evil, why Raymond Chandler is one of the top writers in English; why detectives are so often atheists (it has to be that way if you don't want an incredibly devout protagonist!). And yes, you'll also hear which genre(s) Nate thinks are actually the worst. #sasf #storiesaresoulfood #AgathaChristie #RaymondChandler #FatherBrown #SherlockHolmes #murdermysteries #lotr #twokingdoms #ndwilson