Dick Staub on "Pan's Labyrinth" and "Amazing Grace"

When I first met Dick Staub, he was a Christian radio talk-show host who knew how to perform compelling, gracious, unpredictable interviews.

Then I got hooked on his blog, where he ponders the state of Christianity and culture… Staublog.

Then he went off to start a whole new venture… The Kindlings Muse… leading conversations about faith, culture, politics, theology, and art, in the public forum of Hale’s Pub and Brewery in Seattle, Washington. And his new book is called The Culturally Savvy Christian.

Some things haven’t changed. He’s still one of the best interviewers I know. He has a personality that’s as big as his enormous heart. And he has a head full of wisdom and quotable quotes from C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, G.K. Chesterton, and other great Christian imaginations.

Last night, he hosted a public forum on faith and film, and it was a wonderful event. I had the privilege of meeting Stefan Ulstein, film critic for Christianity Today Movies, and his wife Jeanne. I was also reunited with Jennifer Spohr, who organized the recent University Presbyterian Film Festival in Seattle. We discussed the five films nominated for Best Picture, and gave our different interpretations of each. The audience seemed excited, and Staub was a great host.

I’ll have the podcast of the whole event for you soon. This kind of event is so exhilarating… to be part of a gracious, enthusiastic, insightful conversation about art amongst Christians who love art. I wish you could have been there.

In the meantime, here’s Dick Staub’s latest blog on Amazing Grace and Pan’s Labyrinth.