Watching TV Religiously: Television and Theology in Dialogue

by Kutter Callaway, Dean Batali, William Dyrness (Editor), Robert Johnston (Editor)

Overview

Helping Christians Understand the Power and Meaning of TV

Since its inception, television has captured the cultural imagination. Outside of work and sleep, it is now the primary preoccupation of most Americans. Individuals consume upward of five hours of TV daily, even more when taking into account viewing done online and on mobile devices. TV is so ingrained in the fabric of everyday life that it can't help but function as one of the primary means through which we make sense of our lives and the world.

This book shows that television—as a technology, a narrative art form, a commodity, and a portal for our ritual lives—confronts viewers theologically. Whether its content is explicitly spiritual or not, TV routinely invites (and sometimes demands) theological reflection. This book articulates something of the presence and activity of God in the golden age of TV and forges an appropriate response to an ever-changing cultural form. It constructs a theology of television that allows for both celebration and critique, helping Christians more fully understand and appreciate the power and meaning of TV. A supplemental website provides additional resources, conversations, and close readings of TV programs.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801030734
Publisher:	Baker Publishing Group
Publication date:	11/15/2016
Series:	Engaging Culture
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Kutter Callaway (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is assistant professor of theology and culture at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, where he teaches at the Brehm Center for Worship, Theology, and the Arts. He is the author of Scoring Transcendence: Contemporary Film Music as Religious Experience.

Dean Batali is an experienced head writer for popular TV shows with over twenty years of experience in the industry. He is a regular speaker and teacher at film festivals, at media conferences, and in college classrooms.

Table of Contents

Contents
Introduction: Turning Us On
1. The Pilot Episode: What Is TV?
2. Becoming TV Literate: Formal Analysis
3. Becoming TV Literate: Process and Practice
4. The Telos of TV
5. A Very Brief History of the Church and TV
6. Channeling Theology: TV and God's Wider Presence
7. Ethics: Is There Anything Good on TV?
Conclusion: The Season Finale: To Be Continued
Appendix: Theology from TV
Glossary of TV Terms
Index

Editorial Reviews

10/10/2016
Callaway, an assistant professor of theology and culture at Fuller Theological Seminary in California, opens this Christian “theology of television” with a reference to Lost and the uncanny ways the series echoes the tragic disappearance of Malaysian Flight 370. Yet the beloved series concluded in 2010, and the reference makes this latest installment of Baker Academic’s Engaging Culture series seem dated from the start. “We need a new vision and a new critical paradigm for assessing the ethics of television,” Callaway writes—one that explores “the theological significance” of TV as well as the “practice of TV watching.” Following this, he discusses changes to viewing habits, the various narrative and technical elements of a show, and how to write a series, giving the chapters a textbook feel, before moving on to the purpose of television and a Biblically based assessment of which shows inspire healthy reflection and which watching habits should be avoided. Callaway draws on a range of popular series to illustrate his points, including Glee, House of Cards, and Twin Peaks. This is a book for classes on pop culture and Christianity and for TV fans looking for a Christian justification of their viewing addictions. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly