On Praise and Worship Music: An Essay to its Cultured Despisers
“Praise and worship” music is one of the most oft-evoked and heavily contested markers of evangelical Protestantism in the United States. Its most vocal advocates herald praise and worship and its meteoric rise since the 1960s as nothing less than the rebirth of Western Christianity, citing its unique ability to attract an entire generation of “lost sheep” into the fold. On the other hand, its most virulent critics condemn praise and worship as dangerous or blatantly... Read More
CCM, Heavy Metal, and the Lure of Possibility
Just last week, I was reading Deena Weinstein’s landmark 1991 study Heavy Metal: A Cultural Sociology and I was nearly stopped in my tracks by the final chapter, which deals with metal’s “detractors” from across the political spectrum. While conservative criticisms of heavy metal are well-known through the work of groups like the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC)––most often centered on its lyrical proclivities for violence, sexuality, and images of Satanic ritual––the... Read More
James Blake and Marks of Specters
The idea of “deconstruction” has achieved a somewhat surprising ubiquity in our current culture. In addition to relatively long-standing applications in literary and cultural criticism, deconstruction has also found a home in political punditry and haute cuisine (what does it mean to “deconstruct” a meatloaf anyway?). But perhaps most enamored with the idea of deconstruction are music critics, particularly those alternative critics who cover the broadly-defined... Read More
Rogue Women and a World Upside Down
The recent proliferation of movies starring a strong, take-no prisoners, independent female as the lead in an action role should give us pause. And though such films are not necessarily new to Hollywood, they are increasingly prominent, today. Some movies that come to mind are Hanna, Colombiana, Haywire, and (to some extent) The Debt. Each of these films stars a women playing a very pronounced action figure. We are used to seeing brooding, dark, sexy, mysterious men play... Read More
The “Birthers” & The Growth Of Christianity
Rhetorically speaking, it’s unbelievable that the media has recently directed (nearly) all of its attention to the “Birthers,” a group which is currently championed by author, businessman, and television personality, Donald Trump. Then again, this is America. So maybe it’s not so “unbelievable” after all! For those of you who are unfamiliar with the highly publicized issue (by the way, if you are, you’ve missed little to nothing),... Read More
I “Like” Christianity
When Mark Zuckerberg (and others) developed Facebook some 7 years ago, part of the vision behind its creation was to transform the way people related and interacted. The newly developed Facebook was a venue of sorts, which afforded people an opportunity to openly give and receive information. It is more than obvious that Zuckerberg has succeeded in his efforts (though one may challenge the use of the word “succeed”). In any event, Facebook has (almost) singlehandedly... Read More
Jon Stewart, Media’s Corruption, & Evangelical Responsibility
On September 29th, 2010 Fresh Air host, Terry Gross interviewed The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart at the 92nd Street Y in New York City.i Though September 29th, 2010 seems ages ago (in media time), some of the content from that interview has lasting significance and relevance concerning our perspective on media and (in parallel) on the Church. About halfway through the interview, Gross inquired as to whether or not Stewart felt more politically engaged due to his involvement with... Read More
Comments