ABSTRACT Jesus on the Radio: Theological Reflection and Prophetic Witness of American Popular Music Meredith Anne Holladay, Ph.D. Mentor: Christopher Marsh, Ph.D. The image of God in humanity is the image of the creator, the creative spirit, the imagination, manifest in our ability to understand, appreciate, and reflect on the beauty of God in creation. Therefore, the spirit of imagination, beauty, and creativity is intrinsic to the fullness of a life of faith. Art is a boon to a life of faith; additionally art and creativity allow for and create a space for genuine theological reflection. Arguments made about art in general can be applied to forms of popular culture. The foundation for this project explores the nuances between definitions of “popular culture”, and asserts that popular culture can be and often is meaning-making and identity-forming. The theological significance of popular culture is couched in terms of theological reflection and prophetic witness. The implicit assumption that anything dubbed “Christian” maintains theological depth, and creations lacking that distinction are ‘secular,’ or ‘profane,’ and therefore devoid of any moral good or theological import, is false, and a distinction this project serves in dissolving. The third chapter asserts a strong link between theological and prophetic tasks, one flowing from the other. Genuine theological reflection must result in an outward and public response. Theological reflection connects to the truth of one’s lived experience, and speaks honestly about the human story; out of that experience, voices of prophetic witness speak truth to power, out of and in solidarity with lived experiences. By way of example, the fourth and fifth chapters highlight Over the Rhine, and the sixth and seventh chapters focus on the Indigo Girls. These chapters offer examples of how both theological reflection and prophetic witness are linked and manifest in forms of popular culture; they serve as ‘ideal cases,’ offering breadth and depth of long careers and prolific material to explore these themes. The dissertation makes the case that popular culture, as it is consonant with artistic, creative expression, serves as a location for both theological reflection and prophetic witness on its own terms. Moreover, the participatory nature of popular culture as forms of consumption, relies on an audience to buy, watch, attend, interact with music, film, television, etc., and thus is able to create a space for others to participate in these tasks. By identifying the theological as lived, narrative, and contextual, I seek to democratize the potential for theological reflection and the resulting prophetic witness. Jesus on the Radio: Theological Reflection and Prophetic Witness of American Popular Music by Meredith Anne Holladay, B.A., M.Div. A Dissertation Approved by the Institute of Church-State Studies ___________________________________ Christopher Marsh, Ph.D., Director Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Baylor University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Approved by the Dissertation Committee ___________________________________ Christopher Marsh, Ph.D., Chairperson ___________________________________ Peter L. Berger, Ph.D. ___________________________________ Gregory T. Garrett, Ph.D. ___________________________________ Jeannette M. Denton, Ph.D. ___________________________________ James Kendrick, Ph.D. Accepted by the Graduate School August 2011 ___________________________________ J. Larry Lyon, Ph.D., Dean Page bearing signatures is kept on file in the Graduate School. Copyright © 2011 by Meredith Anne Holladay All rights reserved TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................. vi DEDICATION ................................................................................................................. viii CHAPTER ONE: Introduction .......................................................................................... ..1 CHATPER TWO: Literature Review ................................................................................ 20 Culture Theory, Religion, and Popular Culture Theological Aesthetics Religion and Popular Culture: The Developing Discipline CHAPTER THREE: Theological Reflection and Prophetic Witness ............................... 64 Introduction & Preliminary Questions What is Theology? The Nature of Theology Theology is Contextual Theology is Lived Theology is Narrative Theology Addresses What it Means to Be Human Types of Theological Questions Connecting the Theological and the Prophetic The Nature of Prophetic Witness Biblical Interpretation The Prophetic and the Creative: Brueggemann’s Prophetic Imagination Do the Prophets Need to Recognize Themselves as Prophets to Speak Prophetically? Prophetic Witness as Protest, Dissent, Proclamation Defining the Prophetic Witness Conclusion CHAPTER FOUR: Over the Rhine—Part I: 1989-2002 ................................................ 120 Over the Rhine: Introduction Till We Have Faces Patience Eve Good Dog Bad Dog The Darkest Night of the Year Films for Radio CHAPTER FIVE: Over the Rhine—Part II: 2003-2010 ................................................. 162 OHIO Drunkard’s Prayer Snow Angels Trumpet Child Conclusion iv CHAPTER SIX: Indigo Girls—Part I ............................................................................. 233 Introduction The Sacred in the Everyday CHAPTER SEVEN: Indigo Girls—PART II .................................................................. 260 Activism & Prophetic Witness Conclusion CHAPTER EIGHT: Conclusion ...................................................................................... 315 Summary of Findings Areas for Further Research Pastoral Functions of Theological Reflection & Prophetic Witness in Popular Culture APPENDIX A: Over the Rhine Discography and Song Listing ..................................... 325 APPENDIX B: Indigo Girls Discography and Song Listing .......................................... 333 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................... 341 v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost I offer thanks for my family. Especially my grandparents, Martha and Elmo Martin, without whom this process would have been a greater fiscal burden. Also to my mom and my sister, Patty Martin Salyer, and Emily Holladay, who have been tireless supports, offering their endless pride. Most especially, my dad, Jim Holladay, who has read every page—multiple times, through the truly rough drafts—and has been my conversation partner. This dissertation has greater depth because of his contribution. Further, I must acknowledge a rotating cast of housemates with whom I have shared space, meals, drinks, and “real world” conversation when I was otherwise wrapped up in my own head: Ashley Gill, Meredith Story Williams, Lindsay Gafford, Jennifer Dougherty, and Holland White. Thanks to my fellow Dawson Institute students and colleagues—Stephanie Wheatley, Jon Mizuta, Mandi Burton, and especially Amy Edmonds and Jennifer Murray Kent. Over countless plates of tacos and pints, we have maintained each others’ perspective and served as encouragers. I feel beyond blessed to have discovered wonderful friends among such intellectually admirable colleagues. To the Dawson Institute faculty and staff for being steady supports: Pat Cornett, Janice Losak, Dr. Charles McDaniel, and most of all Suzanne Sellers, who always knows how to track down the answers to our questions. Further, I am deeply indebted to my committee—Peter Berger, Jeannette Denton, James Kendrick, and especially Chris Marsh and Greg Garrett—who trusted me with my vi vision and supported my interdisciplinary research, unique, even for the Dawson Institute. I would also be remiss if I did not mention Dr. Wallace Daniel, for whom I served as graduate assistant during my two years of coursework. He embodies the role of mentor, he has and continues to go above and beyond in his encouragement of me and my scholarship. Many of these pages would not have been written if not for my fellow music and poetry lovers who share their own path of greater wisdom, understanding, and reflection, and reminded me of why I wanted to write this in the first place: Jennifer Adams (who also read many of these pages), Jennifer Dougherty, Courtney Drew, Leah Grundset, Ashley Gill, Ann Pittman, Charles Conkin, Kat Adams, Tim Hughes, Katie Walsh, Kevin Boswell, Joshua Cleveland, Emily Hull. I owe obvious thanks to the artists about whom I’ve written in the following pages. To Karin Bergquist and Linford Detweiler of Over the Rhine, and Emily Saliers and Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls, thank you for your art, your poetry, your righteous indignation and your inspiration. Finally, the remaining cheerleaders are too numerous to be exhausted, but others whose names I feel I must mention include: Jaime McGlothlin and Miranda Zapor (who both offered to read pages “for fun”), and to Kurt Smith, Maggie Gillespie, Dorisanne Cooper, Michelle Stokes, Erin Hayes, Shannon Smythe, Kristine Aragon-Bruce, Stina Busman, and Linnea Duckworth. vii To those who refuse to put limits on where God can be found, who believe in the power of song, and never cease expecting the Incarnation. viii CHAPTER ONE Introduction Gerard Manley Hopkins wrote: The world is charged with the grandeur of God It will flame out, like shining from shook foil; It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil