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The Culturist

@the_culturist_

Apr 10

The Narnia books are deeply Christian — but as a child you probably misunderstood them entirely.

Aslan is a clear Christ figure, but it goes way beyond simple allegory.

C.S. Lewis's stories were written to profoundly awaken your imagination… (thread) 🧵

You read Narnia books as a child, or had them read to you, but you likely weren't aware of their spiritual depth.

C.S. Lewis infused them with important Christian ideas, often glaringly obvious ones…

Edmund, a stand-in for sin, eats the Turkish Delight before betraying his siblings to the White Witch, seduced by pride.

We see the poisonous influence of the Serpent in Eden.

Read 20 tweets

The Culturist

@the_culturist_

Apr 7

This 600-year-old altarpiece might be the most complex and deeply symbolic artwork in history.

It will change what you think a painting is capable of doing — because this isn't detail for detail's sake.

Step *inside* it and you'll see why... (thread) 🧵

Jan van Eyck's (and his brother Hubert's) Ghent Altarpiece was centuries ahead of its time in 1432.

When closed, it depicts the Annunciation in intentionally muted colors, anticipating what's to come...

Open it up, and color and light explode at you — out of the darkness comes revelation.

Everything that the Fall, prophets, and Annunciation led up to is revealed in the coming of Christ.

Read 19 tweets

The Culturist

@the_culturist_

Mar 28

Reminder: Tolkien hated Disney.

He called them "hopelessly corrupted" and knew they'd ruin any story they touched.

Why? Tolkien's storytelling philosophy was profoundly different… (thread) 🧵

The Hobbit was published a few months before the Snow White movie came out in 1937.

Tolkien watched it with his friend C.S. Lewis, and later insisted that Disney *never* adapt his own works…

Tolkien dedicated his life to the study and creation of myths and what he called "fairy-stories".

For him, age-old tales like Beowulf weren't just entertainment, but vehicles of profound truth, emerged from cultural soil over generations.

Read 16 tweets

The Culturist

@the_culturist_

Mar 21

JRR Tolkien hated Dune because its ethics are fundamentally wrong.

The Lord of the Rings is a profoundly different take on Good and Evil — and how to live a moral life.

Here's why… (thread) 🧵

Tolkien, in an unsent letter, said he disliked Frank Herbert's Dune "with some intensity".

Why? He didn't explain, but Dune's protagonists are directly opposed to the heroes of Middle-earth...

Dune, GoT and others adhere to the idea that good and bad actions are defined by their consequences.

Their characters are pragmatists, choosing the lesser of evils to forge a path they deem is good.

Read 21 tweets

The Culturist

@the_culturist_

Mar 14

America built the greatest train stations ever seen — and then demolished them.

Here's what the American railway was like at its peak.

And what destroying it says about us… (thread) 🧵

Right now, the US has more railway tracks than any other country (155,000+ miles).

Most of this, of course, is freight...

But Americans also once had the greatest passenger system in the world. Note the decline since the mid-20th century.

1962 vs. 2005:

Read 19 tweets

The Culturist

@the_culturist_

Mar 7

Lent marks Christ's 40 days in the Judaean Desert, where he's confronted by Satan.

Their clash is an epic philosophical showdown, and a masterclass in beating temptation.

Here's how it unfolds — and how to crush temptation yourself... (thread) 🧵

Christ's battle with temptation isn't only that — it's a battle for the soul of all humanity.

Satan tempts Jesus to:
• Make bread from stones to end his hunger
• Jump from a pinnacle to prove his divinity
• Bow to Satan and rule the world in return

But Jesus proves himself at each turn by flatly denying Satan.

The story is only brief in the Gospels, but John Milton's "Paradise Regained" expands it, exposing the nature of temptation — and how to destroy it for good.

Read 20 tweets

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