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Media Theory, Religion and Theology
Title:G
Total number of titles: 317
A Geography of Time: The Temporal Misadventures of a Social Psychologist, or How Every Culture Keeps Time Just a Little Bit Differently
Author: Robert V. Levine
ISBN: 9780465026425
Pages: 288
Summary: On time, out of time, time out, time is money--if our vernacular is any indication, the concept of time has certainly infiltrated American culture. Does "everybody" in the world share the same perception of time? In "A Geography of Time", psychologist Robert Levine puts time to the test by sending teams of researchers all over the world to measure everything from the average walking speed to the time it takes to buy a stamp at the post office. Levine scatters his findings among engaging accounts of his own encounters with the various perceptions of time in different cultures. From the history of clocks to how people tell time today, "A Geography of Time" is jam-packed with "timely" information.
The Gifts of the Jews: How a Tribe of Desert Nomads Changed the Way Everyone Thinks and Feels
Author: Thomas Cahill
ISBN: 9780385482493
Pages: 304
Summary: The author of the runaway bestseller "How the Irish Saved Civilization" has done it again. In "The Gifts of the Jews" Thomas Cahill takes us on another enchanting journey into history, once again recreating a time when the actions of a small band of people had repercussions that are still felt today.
"The Gifts of the Jews" reveals the critical change that made western civilization possible. Within the matrix of ancient religions and philosophies, life was seen as part of an endless cycle of birth and death; time was like a wheel, spinning ceaselessly. Yet somehow, the ancient Jews began to see time differently. For them, time had a beginning and an end; it was a narrative, whose triumphant conclusion would come in the future. From this insight came a new conception of men and women as individuals with unique destinies--a conception that would inform the Declaration of Independence--and our hopeful belief in progress and the sense that tomorrow can be better than today. As Thomas Cahill narrates this momentous shift, he also explains the real significance of such Biblical figures as Abraham and Sarah, Moses and the Pharaoh, Joshua, Isaiah, and Jeremiah.
Full of compelling stories, insights and humor, "The Gifts of the Jews" is an irresistible exploration of history as fascinating and fun as "How the Irish Saved Civilization."
God and Country: How Evangelicals Have Become America's New Mainstream
Author: Monique El-Faizy
ISBN: 9781582345192
Pages: 288
Summary: In this important, illuminating exploration of one of the most misunderstood phenomena of our day, former fundamentalist Christian Monique El-Faizy explains how evangelicals have been able to increase their influence by mimicking elements of mainstream culture. "God and Country" takes readers past the edges of the evangelical community into its heart, taking an in-depth look at megachurches, Christian rock, Christian publishing, celebrity preachers, and the day-to-day lives of evangelical Americans – who now constitute over 40% of our population. The book reveals the broad spectrum of evangelical practice and thought, at the same time tracing its history and considering its future. Far from the radical group they have often been painted to be by mainstream media, the majority of evangelical Christians are typical, middle-of-the road Americans, which is why they have been able attain a position of dominance in the country. They "are" the mainstream. They also have major political clout, as evidenced by the last presidential election.
Is there a backlash in the making? How does the power of this brand of Christianity affect us all? El-Faizy answers these and every other crucial question about this stunningly successful religious revival.
God in the Details: American Religion in Popular Culture
Author: Eric Mazur
ISBN: 9780415925631
Pages: 352
Summary: Seeking to explore the blurred boundary between religion and pop culture, "God in the Details" offers a provocative look at the breadth, diversity, and persistence of religious themes in contemporary American consciousness. Representing a diverse range of disciplines, the contributors criticaly assess the ways in which American popular culture reappropriates traditional religious symbols to serve the purposes of particular communities.
God in the Gallery: A Christian Embrace of Modern Art
Author: Daniel A. Siedell
ISBN:
Pages: 192
Summary: Is contemporary art a friend or foe of Christianity? Art historian, critic, and curator Daniel Siedell, addresses this question and presents a framework for interpreting art from a Christian worldview in God in the Gallery: A Christian Embrace of Modern Art. As such, it is an excellent companion to Francis Schaeffer's classic Art and the Bible. Divided into three parts--"Theology," "History," and "Practice"--God in the Gallery demonstrates that art is in conversation with and not opposed to the Christian faith. In addition, this book is beautifully enhanced with images from such artists as Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, Enrique Martínez Celaya, and others. Readers of this book will include professors, students, artists, and anyone interested in Christianity and culture.
God Is Not: Religious, Nice, "One of Us," An American, A Capitalist
Author: D. Brent Laytham
ISBN: 9781587431012
Pages: 152
Summary: God Is Not . . . takes on today's prevailing misconceptions about who God is by boldly stating who God is not. Rodney Clapp critiques pop culture's anthem to a slobby, ineffective "God like us," while D. Stephen Long, in "God Is Not Nice," questions our therapy-fed longing for a useful, nonthreatening deity. If God is not an American or a capitalist or "religious," as contributors Michael Baxter, Mike Budde, and William T. Cavanaugh go on to argue, then who is God? Laytham concludes with a stirring essay on who God is, calling the church to visibly demonstrate where its primary allegiance lies. Audacious without being rude, God Is Not . . . is a lively, necessary, and intelligently reverent read.
God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It
Author: Jim Wallis
ISBN: 9780060834470
Pages: 432
Summary: "New York Times" bestseller "God's Politics" struck a chord with Americans disenchanted with how the Right had co-opted all talk about integrating religious values into our politics, and with the Left, who were mute on the subject. Jim Wallis argues that America's separation of church and state does not require banishing moral and religious values from the public square. "God's Politics" offers a vision for how to convert spiritual values into real social change and has started a grassroots movement to hold our political leaders accountable by incorporating our deepest convictions about war, poverty, racism, abortion, capital punishment, and other moral issues into our nation's public life. Who can change the political wind? Only we can.
Good Taste, Bad Taste, and Christian Taste: Aesthetics in Religious Life
Author: Frank Burch Brown
ISBN: 9780195158724
Pages: 336
Summary: Christians frequently come into conflict with themselves and others over such matters as music, popular culture, and worship style. Yet they usually lack any theology of art or taste adequate to deal with aesthetic disputes. In this provocative book, Frank Burch Brown offers a constructive, "ecumenical" approach to artistic taste and aesthetic judgment--a non-elitist but discriminating theological aesthetics that has "teeth but no fangs."
While grounded in history and theory, this book takes up such practical questions as: How can one religious community accommodate a variety of artistic tastes? What good or harm can be done by importing music that is worldly in origin into a house of worship? How can the exercise of taste in the making of art be a viable (and sometimes advanced) spiritual discipline? In exploring the complex relation between taste, religious imagination, and faith, Brown offers a new perspective on what it means to be spiritual, religious, and indeed Christian.
Googling God: Searching for a Faith You Can Believe In
Author: John Cox
ISBN: 9780736921275
Pages: 288
Summary: When people search for God—as if they entered His name in Google—they sometimes can’t decipher the religious language or get past the inaccurate representations they find. With honesty, clarity, and unfailing hope, this fresh new look at the heart of the Christian message bypasses inaccurate stereotypes and presents the good news in a way that even spiritual cynics and fringe observers will appreciate: God is more wonderful than we have imagined, and He wants to share His life with us. Jesus is the most engaging Person who has walked the planet. Faith and science need not be mutually exclusive. Religion is everywhere, but only authentic spirituality sets people free. The Bible can be difficult to understand, but it is completely relevant to our lives today.
Skeptics and seekers alike will enjoy this enlightening exploration of God as revealed in Jesus Christ.
Googling God: The Religious Landscape of People in Their 20s and 30s
Author: Mike Hayes
ISBN: 9780809144877
Pages: 208
Summary: This is a highly readable, informative, balanced book. I'm picky about books on this topic; many of them lump all young adults together into the same category. I appreciate how this book acknowledges the different types of young adults (those who focus on social justice, those who are drawn to the sacraments, etc.) and offers concrete ways to minister to them. It's a wonderful read for those who minister to young adult Catholics, as well as anyone who is curious about how the "younger generations" of Catholics experience their faith.
Another unique feature of this book is the middle section, which offers in-depth profiles of a sampling of young adults. I'm someone who is fascinated by others' experiences of faith, so this section was a real treat. It's also a great way to put a "face" on the ideas discussed throughout the book.
One last reason I enjoyed this book: when I was getting my teaching credential, one of my professors told us to think about past teachers we'd had, and the teaching methods they'd used that had worked for us. She then told us that we needed to learn how to teach in a way that was totally the opposite of that. Her point was that kids learn in a variety of different ways, and that if we fixate only on the methods that worked for us, we won't reach a huge number of our students. This book makes the same point with regards to faith. Everyone engages with their faith in a different way, and if we want to effectively minister to young adults, we need to provide a variety of ways for them to connect with their faith community (sponsoring all-night Adoration, organizing volunteer trips to the soup kitchen, etc.). That's such a crucial message, and this book does a great job of communicating it.
The Gospel According to Starbucks: Living with a Grande Passion
Author: Leonard Sweet
ISBN: 9781578566495
Pages: 224
Summary: Introducing the life you’d gladly stand in line for
You don’t stand in line at Starbucks"®" just to buy a cup of coffee. You stop for the "experience" surrounding the cup of coffee.
Too many of us line up for God out of duty or guilt. We completely miss the warmth and richness of the experience of living with God. If we’d learn to see what God is doing on earth, we could participate fully in the irresistible life that he offers.
You can learn to pay attention like never before, to identify where God is already in business right in your neighborhood. The doors are open and the coffee is brewing. God is serving the refreshing antidote to the unsatisfying, arms-length spiritual life–and he won’t even make you stand in line.
Let Leonard Sweet show you how the passion that Starbucks"®" has for creating an irresistible experience can connect you with God’s stirring introduction to the experience of faith.
The Gospel in a Pluralist Society
Author: Lesslie Newbigin
ISBN: 9780802804266
Pages: 255
Summary: What is the Christian message in a society marked by religious pluralism, ethnic diversity, and cultural relativism? How does the prevailing climate of opinion affect, perhaps infect, Christians' faith? Newbigin addresses such questions in this incisive analysis of contemporary culture, and he suggests how Christians can more confidently affirm their faith in such a context.
Grace (Eventually) Thoughts On Faith
Author: Anne Lamott
ISBN: 9781594482878
Pages: 272
Summary: "Lamott has chronicled her wacky and (sometimes) wild adventures in faith in...the wonderful "Grace (Eventually)"." ("Chicago Sun- Times") In "Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith", the author of the bestsellers "Traveling Mercies" and "Plan B" delivers a poignant, funny, and bittersweet primer of faith, as we come to discover what it means to be fully alive.