Thursday, November 13, 2008

Podcast Review


Spirit Blade Underground




This is a weekly 30-minute podcst focusing on geekiness from a Christian point of view, and Christianity from a geeky point of view. It is produced by Paeter Frandsen, who is both a geek and a Christian.

The podcast follows a 3-part structure. Paeter begins by updating listeners on the progress he has made in producing audio dramas, which he defines as "Christian Sci Fi and Fantasy that is unsafe, unsterilized ... and unleashed upon your ears and imaginations." His first effort, the 3-hour Spirit Blade, is available free in the podcast archives. His latest project, "Dark Ritual," is available for purchase on http://www.spiritblade.net/, the first 40 minutes of which are available free as a preview. Note that these are not for the faint of heart, but if you find that prairie romances are not your cup of tree, check it out.

The second part of the podcast is Paeter's take on geek culture -- TVs, movies, games, books, and comics. Every now and then an interview with a Christian in the geeky arts is included. Paeter's reviews are interesting in that they rate works on both "quality" and "veracity," allowing him to separate out the spiritual aspects of a work from its artistic merit.

The third part of the podcast is a Bible Study, ususally following a chapter-by-chapter format. I find these studies well-researched and well-reasoned, and after listening to more than 60 podcasts, I could not guess where he fits into the theological or denominational spectrum. And that's a good thing.

I enjoy the Spirit Blade Underground podcast and recommend it to culture-savvy, modern Christians. It is one of the best-produced podcsats I've run across, and I personally find the content enjoyable.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

sounds cool -- I'll def check it out.