Personal Jesus

Pop music is now an ever-present force shaping citizens in the West. Even at funerals, pop music is often requested over hymns. But how does popular music work? And what roles does it play for listeners who engage it? This new addition to the critically acclaimed Engaging Culture series explores the theological significance of the ways pop music is listened to and used today.

The authors show that popular music is used by religious and nonreligious people alike to make meaning, enabling listeners to explore human concerns about embodiment, create communities, and tap into transcendence. They assess what is happening to Christian faith and theology as a result. The book incorporates case studies featuring noted music artists of our day--including David Bowie, Michael Jackson, Sigur Rós, Pete Seeger, Bruce Springsteen, and Lady Gaga--and includes practical implications for the church, the academy, and daily musical listening. It also includes a foreword by Tom Beaudoin, author of Virtual Faith.

Clive Marsh (DPhil, University of Oxford) is senior lecturer at and director of the Institute of Lifelong Learning, University of Leicester, in Leicester, England. He is the author of many books, including Cinema and Sentiment: Film's Challenge to Theology and Theology Goes to the Movies: An Introduction to Critical Christian Thinking. Vaughan S. Roberts (PhD, University of Bath) is rector at the Collegiate Church of St. Mary in Warwick, England, and an active writer on topics of religion and contemporary culture.