It's everywhere . . . all around us . . . so widespread it's almost part of the air we breathe. Some people love it, some people hate it, and some try to shrug it off or pretend it's not there. But, like it or not, notice it or not, popular culture plays a huge role in our day-to-day lives, often influencing the way we think and see the world.Some people respond by trying to pull away from pop culture altogether, and some accept it without question as a blessing. But Ted Turnau reminds us that the issue is not so black-and white. Popular culture, like any other facet of society, is a messy mixture of both grace and idolatry, and it deserves our serious attention and discernment.Learn how to approach popular culture wisely, separating its gems of grace from its temptations toward idolatry, and practice some popologetics to be an influence of your own.
Popologetics: Popular Culture in Christian Perspective
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"Ted Turnau does a great service toward helping Christians engage their culture with both conviction and open-mindedness . . . and offers excellent practical application for how to both appreciate pop culture and fairly critique it."
--Brian Godawa, Hollywood Screenwriter, Author of Hollywood Worldviews
"This is one of the freshest and most original books I have read in ages. . . . A fine blend of worldview apologetics and cutting-edge cultural analysis. . . . I thoroughly commend it."
--Richard M. Cunningham, CEO, Intervarsity UK
"A tour-de-force. Written incisively, with appropriate humor, and especially using up-to-date examples from the field of popular culture . . . there is nothing remotely like it in print today. I recommend it enthusiastically." --William Edgar, Professor of Apologetics, Westminster Theological Seminary
This is one of the freshest and most original books I have read in ages. . . . A fine blend of worldview apologetics and cutting-edge cultural analysis. . . . I thoroughly commend it. --Richard M. Cunningham, CEO, Intervarsity UK
A tour-de-force. Written incisively, with appropriate humor, and especially using up-to-date examples from the field of popular culture . . . there is nothing remotely like it in print today. I recommend it enthusiastically --William Edgar, Professor of Apologetics, Westminster Theological Seminary
--Brian Godawa, Hollywood Screenwriter, Author of Hollywood Worldviews
"This is one of the freshest and most original books I have read in ages. . . . A fine blend of worldview apologetics and cutting-edge cultural analysis. . . . I thoroughly commend it."
--Richard M. Cunningham, CEO, Intervarsity UK
"A tour-de-force. Written incisively, with appropriate humor, and especially using up-to-date examples from the field of popular culture . . . there is nothing remotely like it in print today. I recommend it enthusiastically." --William Edgar, Professor of Apologetics, Westminster Theological Seminary
This is one of the freshest and most original books I have read in ages. . . . A fine blend of worldview apologetics and cutting-edge cultural analysis. . . . I thoroughly commend it. --Richard M. Cunningham, CEO, Intervarsity UK
A tour-de-force. Written incisively, with appropriate humor, and especially using up-to-date examples from the field of popular culture . . . there is nothing remotely like it in print today. I recommend it enthusiastically --William Edgar, Professor of Apologetics, Westminster Theological Seminary
About the Author
Ted Turnau is a teaching fellow at the International Institute for Christian Studies. He currently teaches cultural and religious studies at Anglo-American University and cultural studies at the Social Science Faculty of Charles University in Prague.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is one of the clearest and well laid out book on how to engage popular culture from a Christian perspective. Ted Turnau cleverly combines "pop culture" and "apologetics" to produce a term called "popologetics" that essentially engages popular culture from a Christian apologetics perspective. It is an optimistic one that gives Christians an impetus to go out into the world to engage popular culture. It is also redemptive and puts a lot of faith in the naturally good part of the world. One can easily tell that Turnau begins with a "half-full" perspective of popular culture. Perhaps, the push to engage culture in apologetics may have tilted Turnau's hand in providing more optimism in his approaches. He seems to have a disdain over cultural critiques like Postman and McLuhan for reasons mentioned. If Turnau can be faulted, it will be his over-enthusiasm for the good in popular culture may have blurred his sensitivity over some of the nuances that McLuhan and Postman have written extensively about. For example, on the phobia of images, there is a particular principality that philosophers like Jacques Ellul have pointed out, that is on an offensive against Christianity and whatever good that Turnau has said. They are on the attack against truth. They are not misguided or passive elements in popular culture. Instead, they have an evil agenda. Turnau has described popular culture so optimistically that he may have underestimated this evil.
My feel about this book is that it has a strong redemptive element but puts up a weak defense against the principalities of evil. Having said that, it is an extremely readable book and is an excellent resource in terms of reading culture with positive eyes. However, let this book be read together with Neil Postman's or Marshall McLuhan's resources. After all, a country cannot simply survive on hospitals, caregiving units, or recreational centers. It needs a strong military too as a deterrent. Turnau has a good optimistic look on the goodness of people in the midst of popular culture. Unfortunately, such optimism risks understating the sinful inclinations that can easily sway popular culture into a culture of evil principalities.
Rating. 4.25 stars of 5
conrade
This book is provided to me free by P&R Publishing and NetGalley without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.
My feel about this book is that it has a strong redemptive element but puts up a weak defense against the principalities of evil. Having said that, it is an extremely readable book and is an excellent resource in terms of reading culture with positive eyes. However, let this book be read together with Neil Postman's or Marshall McLuhan's resources. After all, a country cannot simply survive on hospitals, caregiving units, or recreational centers. It needs a strong military too as a deterrent. Turnau has a good optimistic look on the goodness of people in the midst of popular culture. Unfortunately, such optimism risks understating the sinful inclinations that can easily sway popular culture into a culture of evil principalities.
Rating. 4.25 stars of 5
conrade
This book is provided to me free by P&R Publishing and NetGalley without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Popologetics is a word describing how Turnau believes Christians should critically engage popular culture. He encourages us to know our own faith well enough, as well as the worldviews that are competing against it. Thus, "the job of apologetics is to build a bridge between hope and the non-Christian" (Loc 795). We all know that popular culture profoundly influences the way that we think of ourselves and our world. But many of us are overwhelmed with what to actually do about it. It has caused a range of reactions from ignoring the problem to trying to isolate ourselves from its mediums. Ted Turnau comes to our rescue with this wonderful tool for discernment.
This is a very comprehensive book; it's like taking a mini-course on worldview, pop culture, and Christian apologetics. You can tell that Turnau is a teacher by the very organized and instructive way the book is formatted. He clearly defines all his terms, and even gives us visual learners a few pictures (my favorite is his worldview tree). He teaches us that in many ways, popular culture is like a mirror that reflects the popular imagination, but then further informs and shapes us. "Through this dialogue, this listening to and shaping the imagination of its audience, popular culture's influence runs deep (far deeper than we realize) and wide (it is nearly ubiquitous, like something in the air we breathe). And it affects us at the level of worldview, how we understand the reality around and in us. The influence on our worldview is simply undeniable" (Loc 526-537). Turnau's passion and style are very Schaeffer-esque. Francis Schaeffer's books introduced many of these ideas to me in my early college years, so I am very happy to see a modern-day approach targeted to the popular culture of our time.
After defining important terms, motivating the reader for this significant task, and giving us a strong theology of culture, Part 2 of the book addresses the different reactions Christians have regarding pop culture. With funny headings like, "Don't Touch that Dial: It's Dirty!" to "It's All Good," we see the reasons why some of us have taken these approaches, and are challenged to open our eyes to the bigger picture.
Part 3 gets to the business of engaging pop culture. He encourages us to use our "critical imagination...We need to listen to our culture and argue with it a bit before we are ready to speak creatively to it" (Loc 3720). And just like a good teacher, Turnau gives us five questions to ask ourselves in this process (stay tuned, I will be using them in my next article). They are very helpful and easy to remember. Just like Schaeffer, Turnau reminds us that the imaginative worlds that popular culture creates are trying to live in God's world, and as Christians we have both the privilege and responsibility to point out their inadequacies according to the real story. Not only does the author teach us a method, he practically applies it to some popular movies, songs, shows, and even the Twitterverse. Good stuff. Turnau ends the book with more practical tips on how to engage our peers, learning about their views, and having compassion on those we challenge.
While I have many praises for this book, I do have a bit of critique as well. I'm not sure that everyone is going to want the 300 level course that Turnau is offering. While it's not a difficult read, it is a long one--368 pages. The author's voice is not "professorly" but the footnotes are. One chapter had as many as 111. I understand that this topic requires a lot of research, and even enjoyed reading and learning from many of the footnotes, but there were times I felt like he was having a conversation with himself in some of them. I'm just afraid that many who would be interested in this topic will not want to invest in the book's girth of knowledge. That would be a real shame. While Part 2 is well written and informative, I'm wondering if condensing those chapters into summaries would have served a wider audience of readers. My suggestion for those who may be intimidated by the size is to read Part 1, the summary at the end of Part 2, and then all of Part 3. The book is well worth it. Part 2 is like a book on its own, and you can go back and read that as a bonus later.
This is a very comprehensive book; it's like taking a mini-course on worldview, pop culture, and Christian apologetics. You can tell that Turnau is a teacher by the very organized and instructive way the book is formatted. He clearly defines all his terms, and even gives us visual learners a few pictures (my favorite is his worldview tree). He teaches us that in many ways, popular culture is like a mirror that reflects the popular imagination, but then further informs and shapes us. "Through this dialogue, this listening to and shaping the imagination of its audience, popular culture's influence runs deep (far deeper than we realize) and wide (it is nearly ubiquitous, like something in the air we breathe). And it affects us at the level of worldview, how we understand the reality around and in us. The influence on our worldview is simply undeniable" (Loc 526-537). Turnau's passion and style are very Schaeffer-esque. Francis Schaeffer's books introduced many of these ideas to me in my early college years, so I am very happy to see a modern-day approach targeted to the popular culture of our time.
After defining important terms, motivating the reader for this significant task, and giving us a strong theology of culture, Part 2 of the book addresses the different reactions Christians have regarding pop culture. With funny headings like, "Don't Touch that Dial: It's Dirty!" to "It's All Good," we see the reasons why some of us have taken these approaches, and are challenged to open our eyes to the bigger picture.
Part 3 gets to the business of engaging pop culture. He encourages us to use our "critical imagination...We need to listen to our culture and argue with it a bit before we are ready to speak creatively to it" (Loc 3720). And just like a good teacher, Turnau gives us five questions to ask ourselves in this process (stay tuned, I will be using them in my next article). They are very helpful and easy to remember. Just like Schaeffer, Turnau reminds us that the imaginative worlds that popular culture creates are trying to live in God's world, and as Christians we have both the privilege and responsibility to point out their inadequacies according to the real story. Not only does the author teach us a method, he practically applies it to some popular movies, songs, shows, and even the Twitterverse. Good stuff. Turnau ends the book with more practical tips on how to engage our peers, learning about their views, and having compassion on those we challenge.
While I have many praises for this book, I do have a bit of critique as well. I'm not sure that everyone is going to want the 300 level course that Turnau is offering. While it's not a difficult read, it is a long one--368 pages. The author's voice is not "professorly" but the footnotes are. One chapter had as many as 111. I understand that this topic requires a lot of research, and even enjoyed reading and learning from many of the footnotes, but there were times I felt like he was having a conversation with himself in some of them. I'm just afraid that many who would be interested in this topic will not want to invest in the book's girth of knowledge. That would be a real shame. While Part 2 is well written and informative, I'm wondering if condensing those chapters into summaries would have served a wider audience of readers. My suggestion for those who may be intimidated by the size is to read Part 1, the summary at the end of Part 2, and then all of Part 3. The book is well worth it. Part 2 is like a book on its own, and you can go back and read that as a bonus later.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Popular culture is everywhere around. You may love or hate it, but escape it is difficult, It's a major carrier of (western) values and world view. And that's where it meets Christianity. What is our response to popular culture, whether it's a movie, social network, music, sculpture, painting or tv series. How relevant is popular culture to a Christian believer, and what's our relevance in shaping culture? How should we engage in a non-Christian culture? Ted Turnau tries to formulate answers in Popologetics: popular culture in Christian perspectives. Apologetics crossed popular culture.
First the author does some grounding: what are popular culture and world view? And what does theology says about popular culture? Creation, fall and redemption revisited. In the second part he gathers 5 possible, but not so helpful approaches to popular culture:
1. What, me worry? Issues concerning popular culture aren't even a blip on your radar screen. Problem? What problem?
2. Ew-yuck! Popular culture is a breeding ground for spiritual pollution. Stay away from the dirt!
3. We're all above that. Dismiss and criticize popular culture as trivial and inferior compared to "real culture."
4. Imagophobia. You don't reject popular culture because it is popular per se, but because you fear that an image-based culture will undermine our collective social and intellectual health.
5. Cheerleaders of the postmodern. It's all good. God and the Spirit move in mysterious ways. Let's listen to them speaking to us through popular culture, and forget about the #1 position of the Bible as only source of truth.
In part 3 Turnau puts his own cards on the table and presents a more balanced approach to popular culture. He has a method of how to watch (or play or listen to or read) popular culture, and how to respond apologetically. Calling that approach popologetics it gives a way to explore how we ought to relate our faith to popular culture as cultural consumers, and how to respond thoughtfully to the worldview challenges presented in popular culture.
1. What's the story?
2. Where in the world am I?
3. What's good, true and beautiful in this world?
4. What's false, ugly and perverse in this world (and how can I subvert it)?
5. How does the Gospel apply here?
Turnau practices concrete examples of popologetics by examining the rock song Heartache Tonight by The Eagles, the documentary Grizzly Man (2005) by Werner Herzog, the Japanese anime series One Piece, the blockbuster family movie Kung Fu Panda. And finally, a nonnarrative example, the online social network Twitter. Learn how to approach popular culture wisely, separating its gems of grace from its temptations toward idolatry, and practice some popologetics to be an influence of your own.
First the author does some grounding: what are popular culture and world view? And what does theology says about popular culture? Creation, fall and redemption revisited. In the second part he gathers 5 possible, but not so helpful approaches to popular culture:
1. What, me worry? Issues concerning popular culture aren't even a blip on your radar screen. Problem? What problem?
2. Ew-yuck! Popular culture is a breeding ground for spiritual pollution. Stay away from the dirt!
3. We're all above that. Dismiss and criticize popular culture as trivial and inferior compared to "real culture."
4. Imagophobia. You don't reject popular culture because it is popular per se, but because you fear that an image-based culture will undermine our collective social and intellectual health.
5. Cheerleaders of the postmodern. It's all good. God and the Spirit move in mysterious ways. Let's listen to them speaking to us through popular culture, and forget about the #1 position of the Bible as only source of truth.
In part 3 Turnau puts his own cards on the table and presents a more balanced approach to popular culture. He has a method of how to watch (or play or listen to or read) popular culture, and how to respond apologetically. Calling that approach popologetics it gives a way to explore how we ought to relate our faith to popular culture as cultural consumers, and how to respond thoughtfully to the worldview challenges presented in popular culture.
1. What's the story?
2. Where in the world am I?
3. What's good, true and beautiful in this world?
4. What's false, ugly and perverse in this world (and how can I subvert it)?
5. How does the Gospel apply here?
Turnau practices concrete examples of popologetics by examining the rock song Heartache Tonight by The Eagles, the documentary Grizzly Man (2005) by Werner Herzog, the Japanese anime series One Piece, the blockbuster family movie Kung Fu Panda. And finally, a nonnarrative example, the online social network Twitter. Learn how to approach popular culture wisely, separating its gems of grace from its temptations toward idolatry, and practice some popologetics to be an influence of your own.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
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Published 4 months ago by Vivian Turnau
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Must own book on that remains grounded in the Word of God while...
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Published 8 months ago by Dave J. Jenkins
5.0 out of 5 stars
THREE CHEERS FOR PRESUPPOSITIONAL APOLOGETICS!!
This book is a fine example of clear thinking and straightforward PRESUPPOSITIONAL apologetics applied to popular culture. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Doctor Jay
1.0 out of 5 stars
Poor foundation for a confessional Protestant theology of culture
For this book to have been successful, the author would have had to attempt a refutation of the major Christian critiques of popular culture--from conservative perspectives such as... Read more
Published 10 months ago by A reader
