Pop Culture Wars Paperback - 2006

From the publisher

Entertainment has long been a source of controversy in American life. On the one hand, American popular culture is enormously desired, captivating audiences around the world. On the other hand, more and more critics blame it for the breakdown of morals and even civilizations itself. Surely Christians and other religious citizens have something to contribute to what is, after all, a discussion of morality. But too often their contributions have been ill-informed, unreflective and reactionary. In this groudbreaking book, William Romanowski brings something desperately needed to the discussion: an informed, systematic and challenging Christian perspective. Comprehensive and historically revealing, Pop Culture Wars bids to accomplish nothing less than to reframe and render more constructive a crucial but angry cultural debate. William Romanowski has done our embattled society a remarkable favor by providing an impressively informed and passionately argued case for the immediate cessation of the culture wars. The energy exerted in verbal warfare should be redirected into critical and creative involvement with popular entertainment. He is to be commended for deconstructing the false polarization of high and low culture and for reconstructing the linkage of art with the mission of God in the world. SCOTT YOUNG, Codirector, City of Angels Film Festival A well-written history of film's and television's attempts to define themselves in our culture. It clarifies the many disparate views with which organized religions have approached the media. The author presents an excellent argument for media literacy and voices a strong view that religious leaders should be embracing and developing the media as the new literature of our time. JACK SHEA, Catholics in Media Associates Pop Culture Wars is historically solid, biblically insightful and exciting to read. Romanowski gives a sharp Christian vision for understanding popular art and entertainment today without oversimplifying their seductive complexity. CALVIN SEERVELD, Institute for Christian Studies William D. Romanowski is Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He has coauthored Dancing in the Dark: Youth, Popular Culture, and the Electronic Media as well as Risky Business: Rock in Film.

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