Discussion Questions for Soc 334: Week 3

William Romanowski: “Evangelicals and Popular Music”

  1. Romanowski argues that the synthesis of evangelism and marketing ledto co-optation. What does he mean and how did this happen?
  2. What is an “art world”?
  3. When did Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) emerge and why?
  4. What makes CCM different from contemporary secular music (a.k.a “general market music”)?
  5. Romanowksi argues that CCM was originally supposed to reach non-Christians yet it failed. Why? What was the result of this failure?
  6. What affect did Amy Grant have on the industry? Did everyone in the evangelical subculture celebrate her success? Why or why not?
  7. What might the future hold of CCM? Will it continue to grow as a genre? Why or why not?
  8. What does Romanowski seem to be arguing in this article? Does he successfully argue his point(s)? Why or why not?
  9. What part of the cultural diamond is Romanowski interested in? Why?

Gregor Goethals: “The Electronic Golden Calf”

  1. What role has Calvin and Zwingli had on American religious architecture and imagery?
  2. What are rituals and what is their purpose/function?
  3. Goethals argues that space, time, and attentive participation are three components/elements of sacred ritual. Explain what each of these are and how and why they are important.
  4. How might this essay be considered a “functionalist” essay?
  5. On page 132, Goethals writes “the electronic medium, perhaps more than any other, has amplified and reshaped the ritualistic dimensions of our worldly experience.” How so? What implication(s) has this had for religion in the U.S.?
  6. How has television extended the boundaries of time and space according to Goethals? What implication(s) has this had for religion in the U.S.?
  7. How has television in general and secular television formats (like the Merv Griffin show) influenced the formats of Christian television programs produced by televangelists like Pat Robertson and Oral Roberts?
  8. What does Goethals seem to be arguing in this article? Does she successfully argue his point(s)? Why or why not?
  9. What part of the cultural diamond is Goethals interested in? Why?

Stewart Hoover: “The Cross at Willow Creek”

  1. What is a “megachurch” and what are “seekers?”
  2. On page 154, Hoover asks “are commodified symbols in some way less powerful because of their place in the logic of the contemporary cultural marketplace?” What do you think? What does he suggest? Why does he suggest this?
  3. On page 155, Hover argues “If… the religious practice of today is rooted in the cultural practice of the marketplace, then the symbolic practices of the marketplace should be apparent in the world of lived religion.” What does he mean by this statement and why is it important?
  4. What does Hoover seem to be arguing in this article? Does he successfully argue his point(s)? Why or why not?
  5. What part of the cultural diamond is Hoover interested in? Why?

Colleen McDannell: “Christian Retailing”

  1. How much, in annual sales, does the Christian retailing and entertainment industry (CREI) generate each year?
  2. How did the merchandise produced by the CREI come into being?
  3. What trends can be seen in the production of CREI?
  4. Why did general market (secular) companies stop producing Christian cultural objects? What was the result of this decision?
  5. What influence did the Gospel Trumpet have on the CREI?
  6. What role did the Christian bookstore play in distributing Christian cultural objects? When (roughly) did this happen? Who or what was the main distributor(s) of Christian cultural objects before the ascendance of Christian bookstores?
  7. Who were the Jesus People and what influence, according to McDannell, did they have on what was created and produced by the CREI?
  8. Why do CREI producers generally copy secular trends? What implication has this had on the goods that are produced by the CREI?
  9. What are some of the contemporary trends within the industry?
  10. Why, according to McDannell, do Christians buy and use the cultural objects produced within the CREI?
  11. What does McDannell seem to be arguing in this article? Does he successfully argue his point(s)? Why or why not?
  12. What part of the cultural diamond is McDannell interested in? Why?

Chuck Brown: “Musical Responses to Oppression and Alienation”

  1. Which approach does the author seem to be taking, Traditional Humanities, PCA, or Social Science? Explain.
  2. Which method (formulaic analysis, content analysis, review of the literature, or surveys/interviews) does the author use to collect h/her data?
  3. What musical styles are talked about in the Brown article?
  4. Brown looks at several elements in the musical styles he analyses in order to understand their meaning. One element is musical structure. What are the other elements that he looks at?
  5. Why were Blues & spirituals created according to Brown? What data does he use to support his argument?
  6. Why was speed/thrash metal created according to Brown? What data does he use to support his argument?
  7. Can music reflect something about its audience? What?
  8. Could one analyze other styles of music much like Brown did? What style would you analyze?
  9. What does Brown seem to be arguing in this article? Does he successfully argue his point(s)? Why or why not?
  10. What implication(s) does Brown’s argument have for religion in the U.S.?
  11. What part of the cultural diamond is Brown interested in? Why?