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The American cinema is one of the great myth-making machines of the last century and has been used to craft defining narratives of race. Films like Birth of a Nation and Gone with the Wind have promoted racist stereotypes and films like Get Out and BlacKkKlansman have worked to tear those same stereotypes down. Greg Garrett's new book suggests that looking to religious traditions can help us discern and correct our national narratives of race and ultimately lead to reconciliation in a meaningful and lasting way.
In Living with the Living Dead, Greg Garrett shows that the zombie apocalypse has become an archetypal narrative for the contemporary world, in part because zombies can represent a variety of global threats, from terrorism to Ebola, from economic uncertainty to mental illness. But paradoxically this narrative also offers human beings a chance to find emotional and spiritual comfort; these apocalyptic stories about individuals facing the imminent prospect of grisly death also offer us wisdom about living in community, present us with real-world ethical problems, and invite us into a conversation about what it means to survive.
Nowadays references to the afterlife-angels strumming harps, demons brandishing pitchforks, God enthroned on heavenly clouds-are more often encountered in New Yorker cartoons than in serious Christian theological reflection. Speculation about death and its sequel seems to embarrass many theologians; however, as Greg Garrett shows in Entertaining Judgment, popular culture in the U.S. has found rich ground for creative expression in the search for answers to the question: What lies in store for us after we die? The lyrics of Madonna, Los Lonely Boys, and Sean Combs; the plotlines of TV's Lost, South Park, and The Walking Dead; the implied theology in films such as The Dark Knight, Ghost, and F...
Second volume of the In Conversation series Insights into the art of listening from former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and author Greg Garrett How is God speaking into our lives today? How do Christians discern what they’re being called to do? How do literature and culture intersect with the Scriptures and our tradition? And what might the work of the artist teach us about both spiritual practice and the vocational tasks of preaching and teaching? Be a fly on the wall and listen in as dear friends—one who happens to be the past Archbishop of Canterbury, the other, “one of the Episcopal Church's most engaging evangelists” (Barbara Brown Taylor)—discuss their longtime pas...
This book captures the author’s efforts to find his way out of a spiral of depression – a tortuous path through mental anguish and suicide attempt(s) into the grace that brought him spiritual rebirth, sanity and a life of service to others. Crossing Myself will speak to those who have come through depression and those who still struggle with it. It can be appreciated by men and women, adults or teens for its literary style and personal insights of redemptive faith.
In this new book in the Gospel According To series, Garrett looks at the theological elements in dozens of classic Hollywood films, including a discussion about what the new openness to spirituality in the movies might mean for the future of American cinema and American religion. (Biblical Studies)
According to recent surveys, many Americans associate the label "Christian" with judgmental attitudes, hypocrisy, a fear of hell, and a commitment to right-wing politics. Author Greg Garrett suggests another way, arguing that a faith that focuses solely on personal morality and the afterlife misses much of the point of Jesus' message. This other way of following Christ is not concerned with an array of commandments or with holding the "right" beliefs. Rather it is centered on loving each other and loving God, what Garrett calls "love where the rubber meets the road, where faith meets the world." Personal and moving, the book relates Garrett's experiences growing up in--and leaving--a disapproving conservative church and then finding his way back into a different kind of Christian community, one that is communal, missional, just, and loving. Garrett draws on popular culture to illustrate his spiritual points, showing how authentic Christian truth can be found in unlikely places.
One of the most beloved stories in history, J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series topped the best-seller charts and inspired the highest-grossing film series of all time. But what is it about this story that has ignited such fandom and struck such a chord with people around the world?As English professor, culture critic, and Potter devotee Greg Garrett explains, these novels not only entertain but teach deeply held truths about ourselves, others, and the world around us. Unlocking the thematic intricacies behind the Harry Potter narrative, Garrett reveals Rowling’s magical formula—one that, he contends, earns her a place right next to the literary giants of old.
John Tilden's glory days are far behind him.. He certainly thought there'd be more to it than his ramshackle Oklahoma farm and a mundane job coaching basketball. He loves his wife, but the marriage has settled into complacency.Now his twentieth high school reunion looms. Will John finally stop moping about what might have been and discover all God has given him?
Who among us has not experienced hearing a song that moved us deeply, that spoke to us in a truly spiritual way? Millions of fans around the world have found that inspiration in the music of U2, arguably the biggest band in the world today. Now, on the heels of their latest studio album No Line on the Horizon, comes this engaging and informative examination of the spirituality that drives the band and its music. The author, who as a teen interviewed the fledgling band on their first U.S. tour, takes us from their upbringing in war-torn Northern Ireland, to their dominance over the music scene in the early 1990s, and then to their role as spiritual ambassadors to post-9/11 America. Throughout we get a picture of the spirituality that flows out of U2's music and how their influence has spread beyond music into issues such as AIDS activism, debt relief for developing nations, and the crisis in Darfur.