Bøger i Cultural Exegesis serien

This first volume in the Cultural Exegesis series offers illustrative examples of how to read and understand cultural practices and social trends.

A recognized expert employs a theological lens to provide a unique perspective on timely and controversial topics related to the "built environment."

A Hollywood screenwriter/producer and film professor explores forty-five of the twenty-first century's most popular films as vehicles of common grace.

Engaging the Nature of Language and Literature"In Beginning with the Word Roger Lundin explores modern literature's endless wrestling with Christian witness and biblical narrative with his customary thoughtfulness, passion, and personal commitment. He opens for us the ways that writers of the past two centuries reckon with an inheritance they cannot quite manage to receive or refuse."--Alan Jacobs, Honors College, Baylor University "I have loved all of Roger Lundin's books and am grateful that there is now another. There are very few critics one thinks of as enlarging one's life, much less making one more fit to live it. Roger Lundin, for this reader, is just such a writer."--Christian Wiman, poet; author of Every Riven Thing and My Bright Abyss; Yale University "Lundin writes with extraordinary fluency, grace, and delight. He moves seamlessly between literature and theology, poetry and prose, philosophy and cultural commentary in ways that will renew your confidence in the power of God's wisdom in God's world. Like his other books, Beginning with the Word is a remarkable achievement from a remarkable thinker."--Jeremy Begbie, Duke University "Beginning with the Word is an absorbing and lively Christian engagement with the naturalism of modern intellectual culture. It is a work of wide scope, written con brio, animated equally by seasoned literary intelligence and by a trust that Christian teaching provides a truthful reading of the world."--John Webster, St. Mary's College, School of Divinity, University of St. Andrews "Roger Lundin, a master interpreter of modern culture, works at the full stretch of his impressive capacities in Beginning with the Word. With no desire to damn or dismiss, he confronts the major thinkers and writers who have challenged the belief that the Word of God has become incarnate in Jesus Christ. Lundin replies not with grim rejoinders and loud laments but with surprising revelations that our modern literary masters, when rightly read, still enflesh words with the weight of hope and even glory."--Ralph C. Wood, Baylor University

The study of theology and film is fewer than three decades old. What, then, does the future hold for this evolving subject? In Reframing Theology and Film, Robert Johnston has drawn together more than a dozen scholars who regularly write and teach on the topic; their contributions explore how the discipline of theology and film can flourish and mature. The book also emphasizes the overlooked and undervalued aspects of theology and film. Contributors include: Craig DetweilerBarry TaylorGaye Williams OrtizSara Anson VauxGordon LynchTerry LindvallClive MarshRebecca Ver Straten-McSparranCatherine M. BarsottiJohn LydenMitch AvilaChristopher DeacyRose Pacatte, FSPGerard Loughlin>"Here is a fine collection of essays full of rich detail, engaging insights, and provocative suggestions. The impressive cast of authors points beyond many of the usual frames of study, offering original perspectives and new approaches. Without exception, the chapters make a valuable contribution to ongoing dynamic conversations. This is a 'must-read' for anyone with an interest in film and theology."--Jolyon Mitchell, senior lecturer, Edinburgh University; author of Media Violence and Christian Ethics and coeditor of The Religion and Film Reader "In this single volume, the field of theology and film has matured from infancy to adulthood. Robert Johnston has assembled a top-notch group of scholars to set the stage for emerging directions in the field. No future writing on the topic can ignore the categories reframed by the contributors here."--S. Brent Plate, editor of Representing Religion in World Cinema and coeditor of The Religion and Film Reader

Is contemporary art a friend or foe of Christianity? In God in the Gallery art historian, critic, and curator Daniel Siedell constructs a framework for interpreting modern art from a Christian worldview. He contends that art is not antithetical or hostile to Christianity but is in resonant dialogue with it. Siedell also examines the function of art criticism and the role of visual art in Christian worship and experience."Dan Siedell is an exceptionally thoughtful and articulate observer of the very difficult intersection of religious belief and contemporary art. The book is full of unexpected and promising confluences. Here a reader will find the principal secular theorists of modernism, but this book is also 'nourished by Nicene Christianity' and informed by a wonderful range of authors, from Florensky, Levinas, and Wyschogrod to Seerveld, Wolterstorff, Walford, and Dyrness. This is a tremendous book, a genuine effort at dialogue in an arena marked by the near-complete absence of open exchange."--James Elkins, E. C. Chadbourne Chair in the Department of Art History, Theory, and Criticism, School of the Art Institute of Chicago"God in the Gallery is a seminal work of interpretation, a guide for skeptics and faithful alike, in which Siedell offers a most profound, encouraging survey of contemporary art. An Emmaus Road encounter for those traveling on the path of contemporary art, Siedell's careful and loving attention paid to known and unknown artists will surely open our eyes. A must read for all of us laboring in the art world and in the arts academia."--Makoto Fujimura, artist; founder/creative director, International Arts Movement"Daniel Siedell's passionate appreciation for common grace is apparent on every page of God in the Gallery. This is a book that should be widely read not only for its penetrating account of the contemporary art world but also for its larger understanding of Christ and culture."--John Wilson, editor, Books & Culture