Noah Christiansen

4 days ago | losangelesblade.com | Noah Christiansen

It is rare to step into a room where the walls ripple with Icelandic wind, hum with the volcanic heat of Hawaii, and pulse with a wide-eyed color of an Amsterdam trip. This June, West Hollywood becomes a gateway to this world with the arrival of Through the Brush, a pop-up solo exhibit by Los Angeles-based painter Andrew Max Modlin.

4 days ago | medium.com | Noah Christiansen

Everything is one substance — and that substance is GodBaruch Spinoza (1632–1677) was a Portuguese-Jewish philosopher from Amsterdam. As a child, he received a traditional Jewish education, learning Hebrew and studying sacred texts. However, in 1656, he was excommunicated from the Jewish community for persistently challenging religious authority and orthodoxy. This expulsion led him to pursue philosophy rather than solely focusing on theology.

2 weeks ago | losangelesblade.com | Noah Christiansen

It’s that time of year again, when everyone’s ranting about getting their perfect summer body ready for beaches and pool parties. While working out to feel good is great, let’s be honest – the societal standard for a hot summer body leans heavily toward being thin and having a lack of body hair. Singer-songwriter Tom Goss counters this narrative through his new single “Bear Soup,” featuring Brooklyn-based rapper Chris Conde.

1 month ago | medium.com | Noah Christiansen

The role of dogmatism in CatholicismAt the time of this writing, a new pope was elected today. Although I have not yet read the second chapter of Judith Butler’s Who’s Afraid of Gender? — which is titled Vatican Views — the timing felt appropriate to reflect on and write about the Catholic Church’s normative stance on gender and sexuality. This is not an exploration of the newly elected pope’s views, but rather a critical analysis of how the Church has historically approached gender and sexuality.

1 month ago | medium.com | Noah Christiansen

The ultimate criticism of papal indulgencesThe other day, while teaching a class, one of my students mentioned that they were learning about a famous religious figure in another class. He stated that he had learned about the renowned German monk and professor of theology, Martin Luther (1483–1546). This comment caught my attention, as it had been some time since I last read Luther’s most famous work — the 95 Theses. Intrigued, I decided to revisit Luther and reflect on his historical significance.