A Matrix of Meanings: Finding God in Pop Culture

by Craig Detweiler, Barry Taylor

Overview

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, entertaining guide to the maze of popular culture. Plentiful photos, artwork, and humorous sidebars make for delightful reading. Readers who distrust popular culture as well as those who love it will find useful insight into developing a Christian worldview in a secular culture.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801024177
Publisher:	Baker Publishing Group
Publication date:	11/01/2003
Series:	Engaging Culture
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.74(d)

About the Author

Craig Detweiler (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is professor of communication at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. He previously served as codirector of the Reel Spirituality Institute at Fuller Theological Seminary. Detweiler has written scripts for numerous Hollywood films, and his social documentary, Purple State of Mind (www.purplestateofmind.com), debuted in 2008. He has been featured in the New York Times, on CNN, and on NPR.

Barry Taylor (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary), adjunct professor of popular culture and theology at Fuller, is a professional musician, painter, and the leader of New Ground, an alternative worship gathering in Los Angeles.

Table of Contents

	Preface	7
	Acknowledgments	13
	Introduction: Postmodernity in the Marketplace	15
1.	Methodology: A Matrix of Meanings	29
2.	Advertising: The Air That We Breathe	61
3.	Celebrities: Ancient and Future Saints	89
4.	Music: Al Green Makes Us Cry	125
5.	Movies: Look Closer	155
6.	Television: Our Constant Companion	185
7.	Fashion: Dressing Up the Soul	221
8.	Sports: Board Generation	243
9.	Art: Sharks, Pills, and Ashtrays	271
	Conclusion: A Top 10 Theology	293
	Notes	319
	Bibliography	341
	Index	343