A Matrix of Meanings: finding God in pop culture (Engaging Culture)
A Matrix of Meanings: finding God in pop culture (Engaging Culture)
Ross and Rachel had a baby, Britney and Justin broke up, and Time magazine asked if Bono could save the world. From the glittering tinsel of Hollywood to the advertising slogan you can’t get out of your head, we are surrounded by popular culture. In A Matrix of Meanings Craig Detweiler and Barry Taylor analyze aspects of popular culture and ask, What are they doing? What do they represent? and What do they say about the world in which we live? Rather than deciding whether Bono deserves our admiration, the authors examine the phenomenon of celebrity idolization. Instead of deciding whether Nike’s “Just do it” campaign is morally questionable, they ask what its success reflects about our society.
A Matrix of Meanings is a hip, entertainin
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Flipping the Script,
(Note: This review not only attempts to review the book, but also engage some previous reviews.)
What Detweiler and Taylor have done here is what Detweiler calls “reversing the hermeneutical flow” (a.k.a. “flip the script”, to quote “8 Mile”). In other words, rather than taking the Bible and looking at (a.k.a. criticizing) Pop Culture through what we think the Bible says, they take a thorough look at pop culture and use than as a method of viewing – or at least presenting – the God of the Bible. For any who have a hard time with that, read on.
As one reviewer has already stated, from the outset this book states that it’s primarily for people that already like Pop Culture and have wondered how to reconcile that with their Christian worldview. Furthermore, the authors ask tough questions of the Church. If the majority of the world connects with Pop Culture way better than they do with the Church, then why is that and what are we to do about it? Sorry, but the “they’re fallen beings” excuse isn’t gonna cut it anymore. Detweiler and Taylor take us beyond the “seeker-sensitive” approach and genuinely challenge the Church to engage Pop Culture in a respectful, dynamic way. Even in the profane, God is talking and it’s time we recognized holy ground when we saw it. It’s a different and (I think) more accurate version of things than we typically hear from the evangelical pulpit. God is talking through culture with or without the Church’s approval!
For those who have “reservations” about whether Christians should be as comfortable with culture as the book suggests, I offer this thought. The Bible was not written in a cultural vacuum, nor was Jesus born into one. Inspired? Sure. Absolutely devoid of any cultural influence? I think not. Read John 1 to those who haven’t grown up in the church (or even those who have) and most would have a blank expression on their face because it was written to appeal to those influenced by the contemporary hot worldview: Stoicism. Parables were the movies of the day. There are four different Gospels in order to present Jesus slightly diffently to four different cultures. Paul understood culture enough to address it in Athens at the tribute to the “unknown god” (note that he didn’t try to disprove their other gods before making the connection for them). These guys presented God (and, I would argue, understood God) through the lens of their culture. Why are we so affronted by others suggesting we do the same?
“There’s nothing new under the sun”, and God is still looking for those who will help meet Pop Culture where it’s at and make those connections. This book does it in a whole different sort of way. Rather than giving easy examples (“this movie means this”) that you can use in your next Bible study, they attempt to form a worldview that takes in all of culture and finds where God is working (“teach a man to fish”, etc). Bottom line: most of us still need to have our “scipt flipped”. For me, this book, and the thought behind it, was the best place to do that.
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|Looking at God through the lens of pop culture,
In a time when individualism can slide into solipsism and alienation, and community can slip into the masses, we need books like this to keep us mindful of the real value of “mass” media for each one of us as God’s children.
Overall, I’m impressed with the penetrating and embracing analysis of pop culture as the expression of the deepest yearnings of the human heart. I’m used to and sick of Christian’s rejection of pop culture and read each chapter with huge sighs of relief. The encyclopedic overview, the scores of references and quotes from books, magazines, websites, and the great minds of the past are an embarrassment of riches. I am also impressed with the balance and fair-mindedness given to the full spectrum of faith expressions, from the conservative to the radical. And also that the authors take on areas that are rarely dealt with in these kinds of books, like fashion or sports or celebs.
Coincidentally, I just read Kreitzer’s books, referenced in the intro, on reversing the hermeneutical flow with film, fiction and the two testaments, and I’m also a big fan of Johnston and his work on Reel Spirituality. I also have been reading up on Bresson and was led by it to Tarkovsky’s brilliant work, Sculpting in Time. Glad to see that work and director getting his due in this book.
And I would never have thought the chapter on sports would touch me the way it did. I had a dismally bad experience with sports as a kid — and then moved to Dallas of all places, where I felt like I was in a sports prison and every other sermon had a team sports analogy to God. I’m glad to see that extreme sports are on the rise (I’m going to copy the Dilbert cartoon for a teenager in our apartment complex who has been restricted by our new Draconian managers from skateboarding in the driveway) and I’m glad to see that team sports are on the demise. Nothing against team sports, but I side with the millions of disgusted fans and, with that bad experience in my past, take a “sick” pleasure in seeing them tank.
One personal negative: although this is a book, the authors do not consider books as an area of investigation, although thanks to Oprah and Amazon, reading is back. And although they bring the ‘net in on the chapter about TV, I think it got short shrift in comparison to its importance to the children of the (technological) revolution. But perhaps they will put up a website that deals with the internet more fully. They will surely find their best audience online.
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|Read the preface and introduction,
Some in haste to dismiss this book might fail to recognize the starting point the authors readily admit they are coming from.
“We acknowledge that the entertainment industry generates plenty of products worth criticizing…we believe that the “sins” of pop culture have received ample coverage in previous books. Our book will concentrate on what’s right with pop culture.” (pg. 9)
“We congratulate those who have sought to frame cultural engagements as a test of personal purity…For those hoping to find clear prescriptions for what Christians should or shouldn’t watch and listen to, this is not your book. Instead, we write for students who have decided to live out their faith with feet planted firmly in the world.” (pg. 9)
With a proper understanding of the context the authors are coming from, this is a quietly engaging book with deep insight into the many mundane and profane works of God.
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|Disappointing,
What a disappointment. My wife and I have loved the information from other books by LP (India/SE Asia on a Shoestring, Taiwan, and China), but this book is nowhere near the same level. Upon moving to Colorado, we thought this would be a great way to introduce us to the area and give ourselves a heads-up on the local happenings. Unfortunately, there are many glaring omissions in the sights and events and the information that is included, well it leaves you NEEDING more. It’s ok as a companion to another guide or other information source, but if you’re looking for a LP quality guide, this ain’t it.
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|Solid intro to the land of the Rockies,
I got this to accompany me on a week-long visit, and it lived up to my expectations and LP’s high standards. It had sound information on all the places I went to, and it was interesting to read up on some of the parts of Colorado (there is a lot to see there) that I didn’t make it to. Coming into a new territory for a few days, I knew that it would help me to find some of the area’s highlights – and it did. This is not an in-depth guide to all aspects of Colorado living, but it is a good general introduction to the state’s outstanding features. Lonely Planet continues to be my favorite non-human traveling companion.
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|More offbeat than the other Colorado guidebooks (in a good way),
Overall, this guidebook served me very well. It contained a wide range of information on the entirety of the state, which is quite large. Further, there were numerous suggestions, sites, and hotels that were somewhat more offbeat and “independent” in nature that were listed, especially compared to many of the other Colorado guide books from other companies (especially Frommer’s). The only aspect of the guidebook I wish I could have changed was the information related to skiing and the various resorts. The guidebook contained some basic information, but since skiing and snowboarding are such a big reason that people will travel to Colorado, the book could have used a lot more information about the resorts, the types of terrain, who they cater to, trail information, etc. Overall, though, this is a valuable tool to help maximize your travels to Colorado.
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