Prophetically Incorrect: A Christian Introduction to Media Criticism - Softcover

Woods, Robert H.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1587432765 ISBN 13: 9781587432767

Publisher: Brazos Press, 2010

Synopsis

The Bible includes prophetic speech and at times the church and its representatives are called to speak prophetically. But in our media-saturated age when many claim to speak for God, how can we evaluate the avalanche of supposedly prophetic speech? What does it mean to truly be prophetic? And when Christians should speak prophetically, how can they do so in a biblical and effective way? Using vivid examples, this book offers clear guidelines for creating, critiquing, and consuming popular media, as well as practical suggestions for faithful communication. It also helps readers think critically about communication technology. The book includes a foreword by Quentin Schultze and a preface by Clifford Christians.

About this title

About the Author

Robert H. Woods Jr. (PhD, JD, Regent University) and Paul D. Patton (PhD, Regent University) are both associate professors of communication at Spring Arbor University in Spring Arbor, Michigan. Woods is the coauthor of a widely adopted communications textbook, Media Ethics: Cases and Moral Reasoning, and is the coeditor (with Quentin Schultze) of Understanding Evangelical Media. Patton is a contributing author to Understanding Evangelical Media and is an accomplished playwright, actor, and director.

From the Back Cover

Media Criticism for Faithful Communicators

"Woods and Patton move easily between popular culture and prophetic tradition, doing so in a puckish, knowing manner that engages and delights. For the knowing reader, this prophetic foray echoes and replicates Jeremiah's savage truthfulness against the temple of his day; only now the temple exists in the liturgies of sitcoms, professional sports, advocacy news, and infomercials. The hunger for truth voiced here is an urgent one."--Walter Brueggemann, Columbia Theological Seminary

"In the debates on this side of heaven over presuppositions, over realism and relativism, over the aesthetics and ethics of popular culture, this book will turn heads and contribute a compelling voice."--Clifford G. Christians, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (from the preface)

"A characteristic fault of prophets is that they are so damn clear, and I use that theologically explosive word intentionally, for prophets speak uneasy truth to a complacent world slipping into damnation. Woods and Patton have crafted a cogent argument for the prophetic imagination. Prophetically Incorrect strikes with keen and accurate insight and disturbs our tiny universes."--Terry Lindvall, Virginia Wesleyan College

"As consumers and critics of the media, we must develop a prophetic voice, say Woods and Patton. This isn't a book for those who are given to knee-jerk reactions or bumper-sticker slogans. But for Christians willing to be courageously reflective, Prophetically Incorrect is a gem."--Em Griffin, Wheaton College; author, A First Look at Communication Theory

"Prophetically Incorrect presents the radical possibility that a moral accounting is and always has been inescapably human. Social health and personal wellbeing keep it at the very center of entertainment, storytelling, and education. In turn, Woods and Patton offer a powerfully consistent argument that leads readers to ask--whether about U2 or Lady Gaga--what's the moral point? Clear-headed and intellectually competent, these authors want seats at the Cynics' Cafe, the Debate of the Disenchanted, and the Church Council--all of which will be challenged by their presence."--Mark Fackler, Calvin College

Reviews

This academic volume is intended for Christian journalists and communicators, but might be more useful to pastors and ethicists wanting to engage contemporary culture critically. The authors, who teach at Michigan's Spring Arbor University, examine the mission and method of Old Testament prophets and propose ways modern-day Christians might embrace a similar message. The book's strength lies in its clear articulation of contemporary society's dominant consumer ethos: buying, using, and throwing things away. It explains that popular media, whether television, movies, or the internet, maintains and reinforces this consumerist ethos and that the technological tools at our disposal are not value-neutral. Writing for a church audience, Woods and Patton insightfully point out that evangelical emphasis on conversion leads to a veneration of technology, leaving little room for a critical or prophetic word. While the writing is sometimes clunky and the examples used occasionally miss the mark, the book is a useful and honest appraisal of how Christians might be more faithful to the ancient biblical messengers.
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Edition details

• Publisher: Brazos Press
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1587432765
• ISBN 13: 9781587432767
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 224