David Manning
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195182392
- eISBN:
- 9780199851485
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195182392.003.0061
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western
Martin Shaw has devoted himself to the cause of church music from the time he met Percy Dearmer, and they worked together to rescue English church music from the slough of despond into which the ...
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Martin Shaw has devoted himself to the cause of church music from the time he met Percy Dearmer, and they worked together to rescue English church music from the slough of despond into which the Victorian fondness for sacharine insincerity had led it. Shaw shows the way, not only by precept but by practice. His anthems and services are models of what such things should be; particularly, this chapter likes to give tribute of praise to his beautiful Passion Cantata, The Redeemer, which ought to be sung every year in every church by a competent choir, and thus replace the sentimentalities by composers with ridiculous names that at present mar their Lenten services. He is best known by his hymn tunes. The chapter also pays tribute to Joan Shaw, who stood by him for better or for worse through a long and arduous life.Less
Martin Shaw has devoted himself to the cause of church music from the time he met Percy Dearmer, and they worked together to rescue English church music from the slough of despond into which the Victorian fondness for sacharine insincerity had led it. Shaw shows the way, not only by precept but by practice. His anthems and services are models of what such things should be; particularly, this chapter likes to give tribute of praise to his beautiful Passion Cantata, The Redeemer, which ought to be sung every year in every church by a competent choir, and thus replace the sentimentalities by composers with ridiculous names that at present mar their Lenten services. He is best known by his hymn tunes. The chapter also pays tribute to Joan Shaw, who stood by him for better or for worse through a long and arduous life.
Edward L. Ayers
- Published in print:
- 1996
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195086898
- eISBN:
- 9780199854226
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195086898.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, American History: 19th Century
This book represents an abridgement of previous work, Promise of the New South, which tells the history of the American South between the 1870s and the 1900s. It offers a glimpse into a society ...
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This book represents an abridgement of previous work, Promise of the New South, which tells the history of the American South between the 1870s and the 1900s. It offers a glimpse into a society undergoing the sudden confrontation with the promises, costs, and consequences of modern life. Ranging from the Georgia coast to the Tennessee Mountains, from the power brokers to tenant farmers, the book depicts a land of startling contrasts—a time of progress and repression, of new industries and old ways. It takes us from remote Southern towns, revolutionized by the spread of the railroads, to the statehouses where Democratic “Redeemers” swept away the legacy of Reconstruction; from the small farmers, trapped into growing nothing but cotton, to the new industries of Birmingham; from abuse and intimacy in the family to tumultuous public meetings of the prohibitionists. It explores every aspect of society, politics, and the economy, detailing the importance of each in the emerging New South. Here is the local Baptist congregation, the country store, the tobacco-stained second-class railroad car, the rise of Populism. Central to the entire story is the role of race relations, from alliances and friendships between blacks and whites to the spread of Jim Crow laws and disenfranchisement. The book weaves all these details into the contradictory story of the New South, showing how the region developed the patterns it was to follow for the next fifty years.Less
This book represents an abridgement of previous work, Promise of the New South, which tells the history of the American South between the 1870s and the 1900s. It offers a glimpse into a society undergoing the sudden confrontation with the promises, costs, and consequences of modern life. Ranging from the Georgia coast to the Tennessee Mountains, from the power brokers to tenant farmers, the book depicts a land of startling contrasts—a time of progress and repression, of new industries and old ways. It takes us from remote Southern towns, revolutionized by the spread of the railroads, to the statehouses where Democratic “Redeemers” swept away the legacy of Reconstruction; from the small farmers, trapped into growing nothing but cotton, to the new industries of Birmingham; from abuse and intimacy in the family to tumultuous public meetings of the prohibitionists. It explores every aspect of society, politics, and the economy, detailing the importance of each in the emerging New South. Here is the local Baptist congregation, the country store, the tobacco-stained second-class railroad car, the rise of Populism. Central to the entire story is the role of race relations, from alliances and friendships between blacks and whites to the spread of Jim Crow laws and disenfranchisement. The book weaves all these details into the contradictory story of the New South, showing how the region developed the patterns it was to follow for the next fifty years.
Sylvia Walsh
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199208357
- eISBN:
- 9780191695728
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199208357.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology, History of Christianity
This chapter begins with a brief overview of the doctrine of incarnation and its interpretation in the nineteenth century to set a Christological reflection in historical and theological context. ...
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This chapter begins with a brief overview of the doctrine of incarnation and its interpretation in the nineteenth century to set a Christological reflection in historical and theological context. Then, it examines the concepts of paradox, Christ's divinity from history, the life of Jesus, Christ as the unity of God and an individual human being. It also explores the three forms of offence at Christ, Christ as a sign of contradiction, Christ's indirect communication, classical theories of atonement, Holy Communion, and how Christ atones for sin. The last section of the chapter differentiates two ways of relating to Christ: imitation and admiration. For Kierkegaard, the dual roles of Christ as redeemer and prototype of human beings, and Christ as the absolute paradox are central to his understanding of Christ.Less
This chapter begins with a brief overview of the doctrine of incarnation and its interpretation in the nineteenth century to set a Christological reflection in historical and theological context. Then, it examines the concepts of paradox, Christ's divinity from history, the life of Jesus, Christ as the unity of God and an individual human being. It also explores the three forms of offence at Christ, Christ as a sign of contradiction, Christ's indirect communication, classical theories of atonement, Holy Communion, and how Christ atones for sin. The last section of the chapter differentiates two ways of relating to Christ: imitation and admiration. For Kierkegaard, the dual roles of Christ as redeemer and prototype of human beings, and Christ as the absolute paradox are central to his understanding of Christ.
Robert Dannin
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195300246
- eISBN:
- 9780199850433
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195300246.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
The imported Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam, founded during the same period as the emergence of Noble Drew Ali’s Moorish Science Temple, was established by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad in 1888. Because Ahmad ...
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The imported Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam, founded during the same period as the emergence of Noble Drew Ali’s Moorish Science Temple, was established by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad in 1888. Because Ahmad believed that he was destined by the Holy Quran to be the “Promised Messiah” and “redeemer”, he was able to introduce contemporary evangelical measures into the Islamic dawa through inscribing the nature of Christian missions to the Indian culture. Brought about by Ahmad’s attempt to translate the doctrines of the Quran, the Ahmadiyya Movement was perceived to be unconventionally modern in terms of cultural and religious pluralism. Aside from introducing Maulana Muhammad Ali’s translation of the Quran, this chapter looks into the missions of sheiks and missionaries and how these were carried out.Less
The imported Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam, founded during the same period as the emergence of Noble Drew Ali’s Moorish Science Temple, was established by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad in 1888. Because Ahmad believed that he was destined by the Holy Quran to be the “Promised Messiah” and “redeemer”, he was able to introduce contemporary evangelical measures into the Islamic dawa through inscribing the nature of Christian missions to the Indian culture. Brought about by Ahmad’s attempt to translate the doctrines of the Quran, the Ahmadiyya Movement was perceived to be unconventionally modern in terms of cultural and religious pluralism. Aside from introducing Maulana Muhammad Ali’s translation of the Quran, this chapter looks into the missions of sheiks and missionaries and how these were carried out.
Melissa Daggett
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781496810083
- eISBN:
- 9781496810120
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781496810083.003.0010
- Subject:
- History, History of Religion
This chapter examines Henry Louis Rey’s tenure as a director of the Orleans Parish School Board. The Battle of Liberty Place, another bloody street confrontation, underscored the fragility of the ...
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This chapter examines Henry Louis Rey’s tenure as a director of the Orleans Parish School Board. The Battle of Liberty Place, another bloody street confrontation, underscored the fragility of the Republican government. The roles of Frederick Ogden, Octave Rey, former Confederate General James Longstreet, Governor Kellogg, and Superintendent Badger in this battle are discussed. Spiritual communications reflected the ongoing political turmoil. The official end of Reconstruction in Louisiana in 1877 heralded the arrival of a new political era in Louisiana, and the Redeemers now controlled the state government. Legal challenges to the dismantling of the interracial public schools foreshadowed the landmark Supreme Court decision of Plessy v. Ferguson. Fraternal organizations such as the Economy Society supplied a welcomed respite from the new postbellum normal. Rey is appointed secretary and wrote his first letter of condolence to the widow of his childhood friend, Joseph Lavigne. The Cercle Harmonique terminates in 1877.Less
This chapter examines Henry Louis Rey’s tenure as a director of the Orleans Parish School Board. The Battle of Liberty Place, another bloody street confrontation, underscored the fragility of the Republican government. The roles of Frederick Ogden, Octave Rey, former Confederate General James Longstreet, Governor Kellogg, and Superintendent Badger in this battle are discussed. Spiritual communications reflected the ongoing political turmoil. The official end of Reconstruction in Louisiana in 1877 heralded the arrival of a new political era in Louisiana, and the Redeemers now controlled the state government. Legal challenges to the dismantling of the interracial public schools foreshadowed the landmark Supreme Court decision of Plessy v. Ferguson. Fraternal organizations such as the Economy Society supplied a welcomed respite from the new postbellum normal. Rey is appointed secretary and wrote his first letter of condolence to the widow of his childhood friend, Joseph Lavigne. The Cercle Harmonique terminates in 1877.
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- June 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780804775632
- eISBN:
- 9780804781022
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Stanford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.11126/stanford/9780804775632.003.0007
- Subject:
- Literature, Criticism/Theory
The previous chapters examined Jeffers' construction of the American sublime under two principal aspects: as a privileged mode of access to the divine through the experience of natural grandeur, and ...
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The previous chapters examined Jeffers' construction of the American sublime under two principal aspects: as a privileged mode of access to the divine through the experience of natural grandeur, and as Oedipal praxis. This chapter considers a third aspect of the native sublime—the idea of America as a redeemer nation destined to give light to the world. In its Puritan incarnation, it represented a great collective enterprise composed of a myriad of self-enlightened, self-motivated individuals. This conception was sublimated into but hardly effaced by the secular republic created by the founding fathers. It manifested itself in the unresolved polarities of the American experience, at once materialist and millennialist.Less
The previous chapters examined Jeffers' construction of the American sublime under two principal aspects: as a privileged mode of access to the divine through the experience of natural grandeur, and as Oedipal praxis. This chapter considers a third aspect of the native sublime—the idea of America as a redeemer nation destined to give light to the world. In its Puritan incarnation, it represented a great collective enterprise composed of a myriad of self-enlightened, self-motivated individuals. This conception was sublimated into but hardly effaced by the secular republic created by the founding fathers. It manifested itself in the unresolved polarities of the American experience, at once materialist and millennialist.
Peter Schäfer
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- September 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780691181325
- eISBN:
- 9780691199894
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691181325.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
This chapter highlights the next prominent focal point of the Son of Man concept that originates from Daniel, the so-called Similitudes. The Similitudes are part of the Ethiopic Book of Enoch and are ...
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This chapter highlights the next prominent focal point of the Son of Man concept that originates from Daniel, the so-called Similitudes. The Similitudes are part of the Ethiopic Book of Enoch and are dated by most scholars at around the turn of the first century BCE to the first century CE. One of its main features is the interest in a messianic redeemer figure called the “Son of Man,” which is referred back to Daniel 7, or “the chosen one.” The chapter analyzes the “Head of Days” as the “Ancient of Days” or the “Ancient One” from Daniel, and the “one with the appearance of a man” as the “one like a human being” or “Son of Man” in Daniel. Enoch's question as to the identity and origin of this son of man is not directly answered, but the answer came somewhat later.Less
This chapter highlights the next prominent focal point of the Son of Man concept that originates from Daniel, the so-called Similitudes. The Similitudes are part of the Ethiopic Book of Enoch and are dated by most scholars at around the turn of the first century BCE to the first century CE. One of its main features is the interest in a messianic redeemer figure called the “Son of Man,” which is referred back to Daniel 7, or “the chosen one.” The chapter analyzes the “Head of Days” as the “Ancient of Days” or the “Ancient One” from Daniel, and the “one with the appearance of a man” as the “one like a human being” or “Son of Man” in Daniel. Enoch's question as to the identity and origin of this son of man is not directly answered, but the answer came somewhat later.
Ada Rapoport-Albert
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- February 2021
- ISBN:
- 9781906764807
- eISBN:
- 9781800343269
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3828/liverpool/9781906764807.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
This chapter highlights the most radical expression of Jacob Frank's predilection for inverting conventional gender norms as the reversal of sexual identity in the figure of the messianic redeemer. ...
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This chapter highlights the most radical expression of Jacob Frank's predilection for inverting conventional gender norms as the reversal of sexual identity in the figure of the messianic redeemer. It analyses Abraham Cardozo's tentative stipulation of a female herald of good tidings to Zion during the early stages of the Sabbatian movement. It also mentions the Noble Lady of Salonica, who maintained diplomatic relations with Jonathan Eybeschuetz and his sons even after Berukhyah's death. The chapter focuses on Sarah, Sabbatai Zevi's spouse, who believed herself to be the predestined spouse of the messiah. It explains how Sarah assimilated into her own person the mythical figure of the superior messianic bride.Less
This chapter highlights the most radical expression of Jacob Frank's predilection for inverting conventional gender norms as the reversal of sexual identity in the figure of the messianic redeemer. It analyses Abraham Cardozo's tentative stipulation of a female herald of good tidings to Zion during the early stages of the Sabbatian movement. It also mentions the Noble Lady of Salonica, who maintained diplomatic relations with Jonathan Eybeschuetz and his sons even after Berukhyah's death. The chapter focuses on Sarah, Sabbatai Zevi's spouse, who believed herself to be the predestined spouse of the messiah. It explains how Sarah assimilated into her own person the mythical figure of the superior messianic bride.
Erica Benner
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199653638
- eISBN:
- 9780191769405
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199653638.003.0027
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
The Prince’s final chapter exhorts someone to seize Italy and liberate her from the barbarians. But this liberating involves more than throwing out foreigners; it needs someone to impose new orders ...
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The Prince’s final chapter exhorts someone to seize Italy and liberate her from the barbarians. But this liberating involves more than throwing out foreigners; it needs someone to impose new orders that bring ‘good to the generality’ of Italians. Machiavelli recalls the examples of Cyrus, Moses, and Theseus from chapter 6 – leaving out Romulus – and invites readers to consider again whether their ‘high’ modes are more likely to save Italy than the down-to-earth, laborious, thoughtfully ordered actions discussed elsewhere. Italians long for God or some superhuman redeemer to pick them up. The Medici Pope Leo X now heads the Church; perhaps he and his family can save Italy. Or perhaps no one man and no princely family can do this saving alone. The Italian virtú that needs awakening is not that of one extraordinary man; it resides in many quite ordinary people.Less
The Prince’s final chapter exhorts someone to seize Italy and liberate her from the barbarians. But this liberating involves more than throwing out foreigners; it needs someone to impose new orders that bring ‘good to the generality’ of Italians. Machiavelli recalls the examples of Cyrus, Moses, and Theseus from chapter 6 – leaving out Romulus – and invites readers to consider again whether their ‘high’ modes are more likely to save Italy than the down-to-earth, laborious, thoughtfully ordered actions discussed elsewhere. Italians long for God or some superhuman redeemer to pick them up. The Medici Pope Leo X now heads the Church; perhaps he and his family can save Italy. Or perhaps no one man and no princely family can do this saving alone. The Italian virtú that needs awakening is not that of one extraordinary man; it resides in many quite ordinary people.
Saul M. Olyan
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780300182682
- eISBN:
- 9780300184228
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300182682.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
This chapter explores the relationship between friends and family members, including shared expectations, common obligations of kin and friends, and differing expectations and responsibilities. It ...
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This chapter explores the relationship between friends and family members, including shared expectations, common obligations of kin and friends, and differing expectations and responsibilities. It considers the evidence for gradations of friendship. The friend emerges as a distinct social actor through comparison with family members.Less
This chapter explores the relationship between friends and family members, including shared expectations, common obligations of kin and friends, and differing expectations and responsibilities. It considers the evidence for gradations of friendship. The friend emerges as a distinct social actor through comparison with family members.
Mitchell Snay
- Published in print:
- 1997
- Published Online:
- July 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780807846872
- eISBN:
- 9781469616162
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/northcarolina/9780807846872.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
The chapter focuses on the formation of Southern national ideology. Examining the creation of Southern religious nationalism provides another perspective for viewing the strong relationship between ...
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The chapter focuses on the formation of Southern national ideology. Examining the creation of Southern religious nationalism provides another perspective for viewing the strong relationship between the development of Southern separatism and religion. The chapter presents a comparative analysis between the writings of Northern and Southern clergymen and it is further stated that the rhetorical unity between them caused the development of Southern religious nationalism. Both Northern and Southern clergymen expressed similar views on religion and politics and provided a providential interpretation of history. During the secession crisis, they looked back to biblical history for guidance and justification. The political disunion threatening the Union was depicted as a result of judgment by God. The concept of the United States as the Redeemer Nation is presented. Finally, the chapter looks into the incompatibility of the Northern and Southern clergymen regarding the issue of slavery.Less
The chapter focuses on the formation of Southern national ideology. Examining the creation of Southern religious nationalism provides another perspective for viewing the strong relationship between the development of Southern separatism and religion. The chapter presents a comparative analysis between the writings of Northern and Southern clergymen and it is further stated that the rhetorical unity between them caused the development of Southern religious nationalism. Both Northern and Southern clergymen expressed similar views on religion and politics and provided a providential interpretation of history. During the secession crisis, they looked back to biblical history for guidance and justification. The political disunion threatening the Union was depicted as a result of judgment by God. The concept of the United States as the Redeemer Nation is presented. Finally, the chapter looks into the incompatibility of the Northern and Southern clergymen regarding the issue of slavery.
Pippa Holloway
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199976089
- eISBN:
- 9780199349760
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199976089.003.0004
- Subject:
- History, American History: 19th Century, American History: 20th Century
Between 1874 and 1882 all southern states (except Texas) amended their constitutions and revised their laws to disfranchise for petty theft. These revisions were part of a larger effort to ...
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Between 1874 and 1882 all southern states (except Texas) amended their constitutions and revised their laws to disfranchise for petty theft. These revisions were part of a larger effort to disfranchise African American voters and to restore the Democratic party to political dominance in the region. This expansion of disfranchisement took the form of statutory revision, constitutional amendment, and judicial action. While Democrats celebrated the success of these laws in disfranchising African Americans, Republicans criticized their racial and partisan impact.Less
Between 1874 and 1882 all southern states (except Texas) amended their constitutions and revised their laws to disfranchise for petty theft. These revisions were part of a larger effort to disfranchise African American voters and to restore the Democratic party to political dominance in the region. This expansion of disfranchisement took the form of statutory revision, constitutional amendment, and judicial action. While Democrats celebrated the success of these laws in disfranchising African Americans, Republicans criticized their racial and partisan impact.
Elisheva Carlebach
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- October 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780300084108
- eISBN:
- 9780300133066
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300084108.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
This chapter talks about the Jews' central role in the Christian drama of the end of time, also known as the endtime. It first reveals that the Christians accused the Jews of claiming to be world ...
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This chapter talks about the Jews' central role in the Christian drama of the end of time, also known as the endtime. It first reveals that the Christians accused the Jews of claiming to be world redeemers, which subsequently affected the Christian perception of Jewish conversion. It then looks at the topic of Jews claiming to be false messiahs in the early contemporary German literature, penned by missionaries, converts, and Christian polemicists. It looks at failed Jewish messianic movements, Antonius Margaritha's example of a convert's polemic opposing the Jewish messianic beliefs, and the actions of Sabbatai Levi's messianic movement. The chapter concludes with a look at how Pietist founder Jakob Spencer reviewed (yet hardly did anything to realize) the mass Jewish conversion question.Less
This chapter talks about the Jews' central role in the Christian drama of the end of time, also known as the endtime. It first reveals that the Christians accused the Jews of claiming to be world redeemers, which subsequently affected the Christian perception of Jewish conversion. It then looks at the topic of Jews claiming to be false messiahs in the early contemporary German literature, penned by missionaries, converts, and Christian polemicists. It looks at failed Jewish messianic movements, Antonius Margaritha's example of a convert's polemic opposing the Jewish messianic beliefs, and the actions of Sabbatai Levi's messianic movement. The chapter concludes with a look at how Pietist founder Jakob Spencer reviewed (yet hardly did anything to realize) the mass Jewish conversion question.
Christopher Deacy
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780198754565
- eISBN:
- 9780191816192
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198754565.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society, Religious Studies
The particular focus of this chapter is on Christmas movies as key sites of religious and theological activity. Although organized religion plays almost no part in the plots, it is significant that ...
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The particular focus of this chapter is on Christmas movies as key sites of religious and theological activity. Although organized religion plays almost no part in the plots, it is significant that in Christmas films the supernatural, magical, and transcendental play an integral role and there will customarily be a conflation between the Christian drama of redemption and secular narratives of conversion and renewal. Drawing on Cupitt and Bultmann the chapter asks whether Christmas movies offer challenges to the theological task of exploring the roles, rituals, mythologies, and agencies of Christmas in the twenty-first century. Rather than dismissing them for their fantastic or escapist predilections, Christmas movies offer one of the most blatant challenges to the secularization thesis today and might not so much comprise secular paradigms of Christmas as function in their own right as new forms of religiosity and repositories of sacred activity in contemporary culture.Less
The particular focus of this chapter is on Christmas movies as key sites of religious and theological activity. Although organized religion plays almost no part in the plots, it is significant that in Christmas films the supernatural, magical, and transcendental play an integral role and there will customarily be a conflation between the Christian drama of redemption and secular narratives of conversion and renewal. Drawing on Cupitt and Bultmann the chapter asks whether Christmas movies offer challenges to the theological task of exploring the roles, rituals, mythologies, and agencies of Christmas in the twenty-first century. Rather than dismissing them for their fantastic or escapist predilections, Christmas movies offer one of the most blatant challenges to the secularization thesis today and might not so much comprise secular paradigms of Christmas as function in their own right as new forms of religiosity and repositories of sacred activity in contemporary culture.