people and links: this weekend I was in Grand Rapids visiting my wife’s family. While there I was able to have breakfast with James K.A. Smith who teaches at Calvin College and recently published a book (Speech and Theology) with Radical Orthodoxy. I first heard about him through his article at the ooze concerning the ecomonics of the emerging church. I had a great time with him discussing the Emerging Church, Radical Orthodoxy, and the relation of both. also, he has started blogging and I think you all should know about it, so check it out here.

also, postmodern culture has come out with a new issue. I recommend looking though it (and past issues). In particular there is a review of slavoj zizek’s newest book which investigates the relation of “dialectic materialism” and “theology” toward a critique of “deconstructionism.” Zizek is basically saying that Deconstruction is simply the lastest liberal/capitalist ideology.

anyway, (thanks to stephen long) i’ve been reading through Zizek trying to figure out his relation to Christianity, and what we can learn from him, and this book is next. but I’ll write more about my interest in Zizek soon.