Liberty University Rawlings School of Divinity American God Story: Creating Shared Cultural Context with Popular Television A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of Liberty University’s Rawlings School of Divinity in Candidacy for the Degree of Doctor of Ministry by Timothy Joseph Rosenberger Jr. Lynchburg, Virginia November 2019 Table of Contents Chapter 1 - Introduction ......................................................................................................... 1 Ministry Context .................................................................................................................................. 4 Problem Presented ............................................................................................................................ 7 Purpose Statement ............................................................................................................................. 8 Basic Assumptions ............................................................................................................................. 9 Definitions .......................................................................................................................................... 10 Limitations ......................................................................................................................................... 11 Delimitations ..................................................................................................................................... 12 Thesis Statement ............................................................................................................................. 13 Chapter 2 - Literature Review ........................................................................................... 14 The Intersection of Religion and Popular Culture .............................................................................. 14 Religion’s Merger with Media Culture .................................................................................................. 17 Media Speaks to Pressing Socio-religious Questions ........................................................................ 19 Using Popular Media to Transmit Religious Messages .................................................................... 20 Religious Themes in Popular Culture ..................................................................................................... 22 Pop Culture and Religious Curiosity ...................................................................................................... 23 Pop Culture’s Influence on and Usefulness for Religion ................................................................. 24 Using Pop Culture to Evangelize ............................................................................................................. 25 Theological Themes in American Horror Story .................................................................................. 26 American Horror Story Engages Live Socio-Religious Conversations ....................................... 27 Fascination by and Distrust of Modern Media Culture ..................................................................... 28 Missing Divinity in Media Culture Reveals Longing ....................................................................... 30 Theological Foundations............................................................................................................... 31 Theoretical Foundations ............................................................................................................... 42 Chapter 3 - Methodology ..................................................................................................... 49 Intervention Design ........................................................................................................................ 49 Curated Object ............................................................................................................................................... 49 Venue ................................................................................................................................................................ 51 Cohort ............................................................................................................................................................... 53 Time Commitment ........................................................................................................................................ 54 Practical Considerations ............................................................................................................................. 56 Implementation of the Intervention Design .......................................................................... 68 Chapter 4 - Results ................................................................................................................ 76 Pre-Intervention Interview Themes ......................................................................................... 76 Post-Intervention Interview Themes ....................................................................................... 89 Formative anecdotes .................................................................................................................... 100 Reincarnation .............................................................................................................................................. 100 Selling a Soul .............................................................................................................................................. 101 A Personal Hell ........................................................................................................................................... 102 Childlike Faith ............................................................................................................................................ 103 Chapter 5 - Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 105 Appendix……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 116 ii Chapter 1 - Introduction Churches in America are declining in membership1 as they watch their impact and significance in the broader context of American culture erode. In a well-intentioned effort to remain faithful to the gospel, in a world that seems increasingly estranged from it, churches have eschewed active engagement with the popular culture2 and, subsequently, increasingly have difficulties bridging the cultural divide between unchurched populations and their own members. The political views, spiritual practices, and cultural consumption of persons who are active and engaged church members increasingly diverge from those of mainstream America.3 This makes it difficult, if not impossible, for unchurched people to feel welcome and invited to join in the body of Christ. Churches may want to provide meaningful service and outreach to their communities, but they lack the shared cultural touchpoints and frameworks with unchurched populations that would enable rich and meaningful dialogue and welcome. There is a “growing disconnect between how the church continues to speak formally concerning spiritual experience and how those who are not Christians speak of that same reality.”4 Without change, churches will continue to decline in numbers of attendees, cultural impact, and prominence in national dialogues. While some churches might rightly fear capitulation to culture in ways that diminishes their fealty to the gospel, 1 Andy Stanley, Deep & Wide: Creating Churches Unchurched People Love to Attend (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2016), 312; Stewart M. Hoover. and Knut Lundby, eds., Rethinking Media, Religion and Culture (Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, 1997), 3. 2 Tim Stevens, Pop Goes the Church: Should the Church Engage Pop Culture? (Knoxville, TN: Power Publishing, 2008), 72. 3 Ibid., 82. 4 Robert K. Johnston, “Can Watching a Movie be a Spiritual Experience?” in Religion and Popular Culture in America, eds. Bruce David Forbes and Jeffrey H. Mahan (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, third edition, 2017), 386. 1 willful ignorance of popular cultural trends and narratives make the church impotent rather than pure.5 Churches have recently embraced the idea that they, and their message, are countercultural. While there is something innately countercultural about the message of Christ, it is a message tied to the character of America, a nation broadly intended to take its culture from the traditions and folkways of Protestant Christians. The church has a responsibility to go and make disciples6 that supersedes any desire to be theologically pure or culturally insular. Churches that have recognized the importance of meaningful outreach and dialogue with their broader, secular communities are showing some signs of growth,7 but none seem to have unlocked a formula for broad cultural engagement and the successful creation of a common cultural language between churched and unchurched populations. The mediums across which churches now have opportunities to make disciples also lend themselves to an embrace of engagement with popular culture. For example, a major growth area for churches exists through social media and web presence – mediums dominated by popular, secular culture. Churches that once could conduct outreach only through scheduled, location-bound services and through the direct, personal outreach of members now have opportunities