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WORK TITLE: Watching TV Religiously
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE:
CITY:
STATE:
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
http://fuller.edu/academics/faculty/faculty-profiles/callaway,-kutter/ * http://fuller.edu/academics/faculty/2015-new-faculty/kutter-callaway/ * http://www.fuller.global/uploadedFiles/Siteroot/Academics/Faculty/Faculty_Profiles/Callaway-CV-June2015.pdf
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.: n 2012046080
Personal name heading:
Callaway, Kutter, 1979-
Found in: Scoring transcendence, 2013: E-Cip t.p. (Kutter Callaway)
data view (b. 1979)
================================================================================
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS AUTHORITIES
Library of Congress
101 Independence Ave., SE
Washington, DC 20540
Questions? Contact: ils@loc.gov
PERSONAL
Born 1979; married Jessica; children: Callie, Mattie.
EDUCATION:University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, B.S., 2001; Fuller Theological Seminary, M.A.T., Ph.D., 2010.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer, ordained Baptist minister, and educator. Woodmen Valley Chapel, Colorado Springs, CO, pastor, 2006-07; Jaxon Engineering, Colorado Springs, CO, operations manager, 2009-11; Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA, director of church relations, 2011-15, affiliate assistant professor, 2011-15, assistant professor, 2015—.
AVOCATIONS:Playing music.
MEMBER:American Academy of Religion, Society of Biblical Literature, Society for Pentecostal Studies.
WRITINGS
Contributor to books, including Halos and Avatars, Don’t Stop Believin’, God in the Movies. Contributor to publications and Web sites, including the Huffington Post, Christianity Today, Religions, St. Mark’s Review, Journal of Religion and Film, and Reel Spirituality.
SIDELIGHTS
Kutter Callaway is an ordained Baptist minister, writer, and educator. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, and a Ph.D. from Fuller Theological Seminary, where he now serves as an assistant professor. Callaway has also served as the director of church relations at Fuller. Previously, he worked as an operations manager at Jaxon Engineering and as a pastor at Woodmen Valley Chapel, both located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Callaway has contributed chapters to books and has written articles that have appeared in publications and on Web sites, including the Huffington Post, Christianity Today, Religions, St. Mark’s Review, Journal of Religion and Film, and Reel Spirituality. Much of his work focuses on religion and its connection to films, television, and music. In an interview on the Fuller Theological Seminary Web site, Callaway stated: “I have always been fascinated with the ways in which God is present and active in the world, especially in those moments when I have personally encountered God in and through various cultural forms. Most of my academic work has been an extension of a more fundamental experience with the Spirit of God through music, film, and other cultural forms.”
Scoring Transcendence
Callaway is the author of the 2013 book Scoring Transcendence: Contemporary Film Music as Religious Experience. In this volume, he emphasizes the importance of the role of music in films, arguing that it has the ability to greatly heighten the experience of the viewer. Film music can even inspire transcendent or spiritual moments, Callaway suggests. He explains that religious experiences are not always intellectual. They can also be related to the senses, specifically that of hearing. To support his arguments, he cites theological theories from current scholars, as well as theologians from the past.
S.B. Plate offered a favorable assessment of Scoring Transcendence in Choice. Plate suggested: “It is an important contribution to Christian theological approaches to film.” Plate also categorized the book as “recommended.”
Watching TV Religiously
Callaway collaborated with Dean Batali to write Watching TV Religiously: Television and Theology in Dialogue: Engaging Culture. The volume was released in 2016. Callaway and Batali begin by discussing the popular television series Lost and connecting it with the real-life tragedy involving Malaysian Airlines Flight 370. They go on to advocate for changes in assessing ethics in television programs. Callaway and Batali explain technical aspects of the creation of television shows. They also offer suggestions for Christians in assessing their own television-watching choices and habits.
In a mixed assessment of the book on the Gospel Coalition Web site, Brett McCracken remarked: “Can’t God be present and working to form us in positive ways even through these secular liturgies? Callaway and Batali do fine work exploring the question in the well-established terrain of general revelation and common grace, though at times the importance of special revelation and saving grace feel unfortunately ancillary to their vision.” McCracken also stated: “Insofar as we see books like this as tools to sharpen our eyes to see general revelation, this one has its valuable contributions. But we must not spiritualize the secular to such a degree that the word ‘Spirit’ can mean anything and everything. Does the Spirit of God work through Stranger Things? Quite possibly. But we know for a fact that he works in the church, so why not encounter him there?” A reviewer in Publishers Weekly commented: “This is a book for classes on pop culture and Christianity and for TV fans looking for a Christian justification.” Stephen Bedard, contributor to the Hope’s Reason Web site, asserted: “This was such a good book.” Bedard concluded: “If nothing else, the book helps viewers to watch more thoughtfully.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Choice, December, 2013, S.B. Plate, review of Scoring Transcendence: Contemporary Film Music as Religious Experience, p. 654.
Publishers Weekly, October 10, 2016, review of Watching TV Religiously: Television and Theology in Dialogue: Engaging Culture, p. 76.
ONLINE
Brehm Center Web site, http://www.brehmcenter.com/ (July 18, 2017), author profile and interview.
Fuller Theological Seminary, http://fuller.edu/ (June 28, 2017), author faculty profile and interview.
Gospel Coalition, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/ (November 30, 2016), Brett McCracken, review of Watching TV Religiously.
Hope’s Reason, http://www.stephenjbedard.com/ (January 17, 2017), Stephen Bedard, review of Watching TV Religiously.
InterVarsity Press Web site, https://www.ivpress.com/ (July 18, 2017), author profile.*
Kutter Callaway moved as of July 1 from his role of director of Church Relations and an affiliate assistant professor to join the School of Theology regular faculty as assistant professor of theology and culture.
Kutter Callaway is the Director of Church Relations and an Affiliate Professor of Theology and Culture at Fuller Theological Seminary. His theological musings are often focused on contemporary culture. His book, Scoring Transcendence: Contemporary Film Music as Religious Experience, on the theological significance of music in film, is due out in January of 2013 through Baylor University Press. He also contributed to Halos and Avatars (2010), the first book on theology and video games, and Don't Stop Believin' (2012), a dictionary of religion and popular culture.
Kutter Callaway
Assistant Professor of Theology and Culture
Kutter Callaway moved as of July 1 from his role of director of Church Relations and an affiliate assistant professor to join the School of Theology regular faculty as assistant professor of theology and culture.
What are you especially passionate about in your work, and what led you to this passion?
I have always been fascinated with the ways in which God is present and active in the world, especially in those moments when I have personally encountered God in and through various cultural forms. Most of my academic work has been an extension of a more fundamental experience with the Spirit of God through music, film, and other cultural forms. My primary passion is to consider the ways in which these kinds of cultural encounters might inform the church’s engagement with culture and, in turn, teach the people of God something about who God is and who we are to be.
As an alum who has been serving at Fuller as director of Church Relations and an affiliate assistant professor, what does this change mean for you?
As the director of Church Relations, my main task was to find ways to make the resources of Fuller Seminary accessible to the church and our other ministry partners. Now that I am moving into a regular faculty role, I will be shifting my focus toward the classroom. As an alum, this move is particularly meaningful. The faculty who taught me as a student have had a profound impact on my life, my ministry, my sense of calling, and even my Christian discipleship. It is a real honor to be counted among the ranks of the women and men who have shaped me so discernibly. It is also quite humbling to now be in a position where I am asked both to teach and learn from the next generation of Christian leaders.
At this point in your journey, how—as School of Theology faculty—do you envision your call to God’s mission in the world?
I believe that I am called to create transformative visions for a people in exile. What this means may not be immediately evident, but at its core, I see my calling as an imaginative endeavor. That is, I hope to help students generate a way of seeing and being in the world that is not only faithful but also creatively interacts with the culture around us. The world has changed and continues to change at increasingly rapid rates. Indeed, change has changed, to such a degree that we simply cannot see beyond a few weeks or months from now. So if the seminary is doing its job well, it will be a place where we are preparing the Christian community for a world that doesn’t yet exist—one that looks more like exile than anything else. And to live faithfully in this circumstance requires equal parts creativity, imagination, and courage.
What else can you tell us to help us get to know you better?
I have a beautiful wife, Jessica, and two daughters, Callie and Mattie. Our third daughter, Maeve, is due in September. I am a musician and, in my spare time, like to write children’s picture books. Damien Rice is my favorite musician. On Being is my favorite podcast. American Beauty is my favorite film. And The Sun Also Rises is my favorite book. But if I were stranded on a desert island, and I could only take one with me, I wouldn’t choose any. I’d bring cookies instead because, well, I’m not sure I could live without cookies.
Kutter Callaway
Kutter Callaway (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is assistant professor of theology and culture at Fuller Theological Seminary. He is the author of Scoring Transcendence: Contemporary Film Music as Religious Experience and Watching TV Religiously. Prior to teaching at Fuller, Callaway served in pastoral ministry for nearly a decade, focusing primarily on young and emerging adults. He writes for Christianity Today, Fuller's Reel Spirituality website and the Huffington Post.
Kutter Callaway
Assistant Professor of Theology and Culture at Fuller Theological Seminary
Pasadena, California
Higher Education
Current
Fuller Theological Seminary
Previous
Fuller Theological Seminary, Jaxon Engineering, Woodmen Valley Chapel
Education
Fuller Theological Seminary
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Experience
Fuller Theological Seminary
Assistant Professor of Theology and Culture
Fuller Theological Seminary
September 2011 – Present (5 years 10 months)
Fuller Theological Seminary
Director of Church Relations
Fuller Theological Seminary
September 2011 – June 2015 (3 years 10 months)
Operations Manager
Jaxon Engineering
January 2009 – September 2011 (2 years 9 months)
Pastor
Woodmen Valley Chapel
January 2006 – September 2007 (1 year 9 months)
Publications
Scoring Transcendence: Contemporary Film Music as Religious Experience
Baylor University Press
January 2013
Films are the 'lingua franca' of western culture; for decades they have provided viewers with a universal way of understanding the human experience. And film music, Kutter Callaway demonstrates, has such a profound effect on the human spirit that it demands theological reflection. By engaging scores from the last decade of popular cinema, Callaway reveals how a musically aware approach to film can yield novel insights into the presence and activity of God in contemporary culture. And, through conversations with these films and their filmmakers, viewers can gain a new understanding of how God may be speaking to modern society through film and its transcendent melodies.
Authors:
Kutter Callaway
Watching TV Religiously
Baker Academic
October 2016
The reach and influence of television cannot be overstated. Since its inception, TV has captured the cultural imagination. Outside of work and sleep, it is now the primary preoccupation of most Americans. Individuals consume upwards of five hours of TV daily, even more when taking into account viewing done online and on mobile devices. TV is so ingrained in the fabric of everyday life that it can't help but function as one of the primary means through which we make sense of our lives and the world.
Watching TV Religiously shows that television--as a technology, a narrative art form, a commodity, and a portal for our ritual lives--confronts viewers theologically. Whether its content is explicitly spiritual or not, TV routinely invites (and sometimes demands) theological reflection. In a time when television is reshaping contemporary life in unexpected ways, this book articulates something of the presence and activity of God in the golden age of TV and forges an appropriate response to an ever-changing cultural form. It constructs a theology of television that allows for both celebration and critique, helping Christians more fully understand and appreciate the power and meaning of TV. A supplemental website provides additional resources, conversations, and close readings of TV programs.
Authors:
Kutter Callaway
Languages
German
French
Hebrew
Greek
Skills
Systematic TheologyPractical TheologyCultural StudiesPop CultureFilm StudiesMusic TheoryCreative WriterNon-fiction WriterPreachingTeachingReligionPastoral CareDiscipleshipTheologyBiblical StudiesSee 9+
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Education
Fuller Theological Seminary
Fuller Theological Seminary
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Theology/Theological Studies
2007 – 2010
University of Colorado Colorado Springs
University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Bachelor of Science (BS), Psychology
1997 – 2001
QUOTED: "I have always been fascinated with the ways in which God is present and active in the world, especially in those moments when I have personally encountered God in and through various cultural forms. Most of my academic work has been an extension of a more fundamental experience with the Spirit of God through music, film, and other cultural forms."
Kutter Callaway
Assistant Professor of Theology and CultureSchool of Theology
Contact Information
kuttercallaway@fuller.edu
626.584.5242
Education
BS, University of Colorado
MAT, Fuller Theological Seminary
PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary
Biographical Information
Kutter Callaway joined the School of Theology faculty in July 2015 as assistant professor of theology and culture. He has been actively engaged in writing and speaking on the interaction between theology and culture—particularly film, television, and online media—in both academic and popular forums.
Dr. Callaway’s current writing project is concerned with the aesthetic dimensions of atheism. His most recent book is a popular-level text forthcoming through IVP Books, tentatively titled Sex, Spouses, and Singleness. He is also the author of Watching TV Religiously: Television and Theology in Dialogue (Baker Academic, 2016) and Scoring Transcendence: Contemporary Film Music as Religious Experience (Baylor, 2013). He additionally contributed to Halos and Avatars (2010), the first book on theology and video games, and Don’t Stop Believin’ (2012), a dictionary of religion and popular culture.
Callaway has been a steering committee member for the Religion, Film, and Visual Culture group at the American Academy of Religion since 2013. He has also served on the Windrider Film Forum Advisory Board and on the steering committee for the Brehm Center’s Church in Contemporary Culture Initiative since 2011. His professional memberships include the American Academy of Religion, Society of Biblical Literature, Society for Pentecostal Studies, and AAR/SBL/ASOR Rocky Mountain and Great Plains Region. He is ordained as a Baptist minister.
Courses Taught
TC530: Theology and Film
TC533: Theology and TV
TC581: Worship, Theology, and the Arts Touchstone
TC588: Engaging Independent Film
TC567/867: The Aesthetics of Atheism
TC849: A Theology of General Revelation
TC860: Theology and Culture Methods
Areas of Expertise, Research, Writing, and Teaching
Theology and culture, theological aesthetics, public theology, media and technology, film, music, television and audiovisual culture, the church in contemporary culture
Publications
Books
Sex, Spouses, and Singleness: Why Marriage is Not Normative for the Christian Community. Grand Rapids: InterVarsity Press [in press, 2017].
Watching TV Religiously: Television and Theology in Dialogue. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2016.
Scoring Transcendence: Contemporary Film Music as Religious Experience. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2013.
Articles and Chapters
“True Grit.” In God in the Movies, edited by Robert K. Johnston and Catherine Barsotti. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2017.
“The Mission.” In God in the Movies, edited by Robert K. Johnston and Catherine Barsotti. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2017.
“Amadeus.” In God in the Movies, edited by Robert K. Johnston and Catherine Barsotti. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2017.
“Noah.” In God in the Movies, edited by Robert K. Johnston and Catherine Barsotti. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2017.
“Syncopated Beats and the History of Sadness: The Affective Fusion of Audience and Film Through Music.” Religions 8, no. 4 (2016).
“Music and the Mundane in American Beauty.” St. Marks Review 234, no. 4 (2015).
“Hearing/Listening, Film.” In Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception, edited by Dale C. Allison Jr., et al. Vol. 10. De Gruyter Press: Boston, 2015.
“The Sound of Silence: Westerns, Soundtracks, and Divine Presence through Absence.” In Blessed are the Eyes that Catch Divine Whispering: Silence and Religion in Film, edited by Freek L. Bakker, Mathilde Van Dijk, Leo Van Der Tuin, and Marjeet Verbeek. Marburg: Shuren, 2015.
Review of Paul Tillich and the Possibility of Revelation through Film, by Jonathan Brant. Journal of Religion and Film 17, no. 2 (2013).
“I Am Not A Hipster.” Journal of Religion and Film 16, no. 1 (2012).
“Finding North.” Journal of Religion and Film 16, no. 1 (2012).
Entries in Don’t Stop Believin’: Pop Culture and Religion from Ben-Hur to Zombies, edited by Robert K. Johnston, Barry Taylor, and Craig Detweiler. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2012: “Marilyn Monroe” (22-23), “Mickey Mantle” (20-21), “Muhammad Ali” (34-35), “Tiger Woods” (200-201), and “Woody Allen” (69-70).
“Wii are Inspirited: The Transformation of Home Video Consoles (and Us).” In Halos and Avatars: Playing (Video) Games with God, edited by Craig Detweiler, 75-88. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010.
“Matthew,” “Mark,” “Luke,” “John.” In Introduction to the New Testament: Global Module Studies 1, book 3. Colorado Springs: Global Action, 2006. (Translated into 14 languages).
Popular-audience Writing and Resources
“In a TV World, NFL is King: So What Will Christians Do about It?” Christianity Today, January 22, 2015, http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2015/january-web-only/in-tv-world-nfl-is-king.html?start=3
Alive Inside Discussion Guide and Resources, http://fuller.edu/ACR/Ministry-Leaders/Alive-Inside-Resources/
Interpreting Paul for the Future of the World Curriculum, http://fuller.edu/ntwright14-studyguide/
Noah: Resources for Engaging Culture through Film, http://fuller.edu/ACR/Ministry_Leaders/Noah_Resources/
Reel Spirituality Film Discussion Guides, http://www.brehmcenter.com/initiatives/reelspirituality/browse/
Son of God Inter-faith Dialogue Toolkit, http://www.brehmcenter.com/initiatives/reelspirituality/film/browse/interfaithdialogue-with-son-of-god
Kutter Callaway moved as of July 1 from his role of director of Church Relations and an affiliate assistant professor to join the School of Theology regular faculty as assistant professor of theology and culture.
What are you especially passionate about in your work, and what led you to this passion?
I have always been fascinated with the ways in which God is present and active in the world, especially in those moments when I have personally encountered God in and through various cultural forms. Most of my academic work has been an extension of a more fundamental experience with the Spirit of God through music, film, and other cultural forms. My primary passion is to consider the ways in which these kinds of cultural encounters might inform the church’s engagement with culture and, in turn, teach the people of God something about who God is and who we are to be.
As an alum who has been serving at Fuller as director of Church Relations and an affiliate assistant professor, what does this change mean for you?
As the director of Church Relations, my main task was to find ways to make the resources of Fuller Seminary accessible to the church and our other ministry partners. Now that I am moving into a regular faculty role, I will be shifting my focus toward the classroom. As an alum, this move is particularly meaningful. The faculty who taught me as a student have had a profound impact on my life, my ministry, my sense of calling, and even my Christian discipleship. It is a real honor to be counted among the ranks of the women and men who have shaped me so discernibly. It is also quite humbling to now be in a position where I am asked both to teach and learn from the next generation of Christian leaders.
At this point in your journey, how—as School of Theology faculty—do you envision your call to God’s mission in the world?
I believe that I am called to create transformative visions for a people in exile. What this means may not be immediately evident, but at its core, I see my calling as an imaginative endeavor. That is, I hope to help students generate a way of seeing and being in the world that is not only faithful but also creatively interacts with the culture around us. The world has changed and continues to change at increasingly rapid rates. Indeed, change has changed, to such a degree that we simply cannot see beyond a few weeks or months from now. So if the seminary is doing its job well, it will be a place where we are preparing the Christian community for a world that doesn’t yet exist—one that looks more like exile than anything else. And to live faithfully in this circumstance requires equal parts creativity, imagination, and courage.
What else can you tell us to help us get to know you better?
I have a beautiful wife, Jessica, and two daughters, Callie and Mattie. Our third daughter, Maeve, is due in September. I am a musician and, in my spare time, like to write children’s picture books. Damien Rice is my favorite musician. On Being is my favorite podcast. American Beauty is my favorite film. And The Sun Also Rises is my favorite book. But if I were stranded on a desert island, and I could only take one with me, I wouldn’t choose any. I’d bring cookies instead because, well, I’m not sure I could live without cookies.
1
CURRICULUM VITAE
Kutter Callaway
Assistant
Professor of Theology and Culture
Co
-
Director, Reel Spirituality
Fuller Theological Seminary
135 N. Oakland Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91182
626.584.5683
(o)
kuttercalla
way@fuller.edu
Educational Background
Ph.D.
Theology
and Culture
,
Fuller Theological Seminary, 2010.
M.A.T.
Biblical Studies/Theology, Fuller Theological Seminary, 2006.
B.S.
Psychology, University of Colo
rado
, 2001.
Current Faculty
and Editori
al Positions
Assistant
Professor of Theology and Culture
Fuller Theological Seminary
Editorial Board,
Book Review Editor
Journal of Religion and Film
Steering Committee: Religion, Film, and Visual Culture Group
American Academy of Religion
Current
/Fo
rthcoming
Research and Publications
Reel Spirituality
: Theology and Film in Dialogue
, 3
rd
ed
. Grand Rapids: Baker
Academic [Forthcoming, 2018].
“Interface is Reality.” In
The Html of Cruciform Love
, edited by
Eric Lewellen
and
John Frederick. Eugene, OR
: Pickwick [Forthcoming, 2018].
“Feed the Birds: Mary Poppins, Musicals, and Theopoetics.” In
The Oxford
Handbook of Theology and Film
, edited by Gerard Loughlin. Oxford, UK: Oxford
University Press [Manuscript submitted; forthcoming, 2017].
2
Sex,
Spous
es
, and Singleness: Why Marriage is Not Normative for the Christian
Community
. Grand Rapids: InterVarsity Press [Manuscript submitted; forthcoming,
2017].
“True Grit.” In
God in the Movies
, edited by Robert K. Johnston and Catherine
Bars
otti. Grand Rapids:
Baker Books [Manuscript submitted; forthcoming, Spring 2017]
.
“The Mission.” In
God in the Movies
, edited by Robert K. Johnston and Ca
therine
Barsotti. Grand Rapids:
Baker Books [Manuscript submitted; forthcoming, Spring 2017]
.
“Amadeus.” In
God in the
Movies
, edited by Robert K. Johnston and Ca
therine
Barsotti. Grand Rapids:
Baker Books [Manuscript submitted; forthcoming, Spring 2017]
.
“Noah.”
In
God in the Movies
, edited by Robert K. Johnston and Ca
therine
Barsotti. Grand Rapids:
Baker Books [Manuscri
pt submitted; forthcoming, Spring 2017]
.
Publications
Watching TV Religiously: Television and Theology
in Dialogue
. Grand Rapids:
Baker Academic, 2016.
“Syncopated Beats and the History of Sadness: The Affective Fusion of
Audience
and Film Through Mus
ic
.”
Religions
8, no. 4 (2016).
“Music and the Mundane in
American Beauty
.”
St. Marks Review
234, no. 4
(2015).
“Hearing/Listening
,
Film.” In
Encyclopedia of the Bible and its Reception
,
e
dited
by
Rhonda Burnette
-
Bletsch
. D
e G
ruyter Press:
Boston
, 2015.
Review of
Paul Tillich and the Possibility of Revelation through Film
, by
Jonathan Brant.
Journal of Religion and Film
19, no. 2 (2015).
“The Sound of Silence: Westerns, Soundtracks, and Divine Presence through
Absence.”
In
Blessed are the Eyes that Cat
ch Divine Whispering: Silence and Religion in
Film,
edited by Freek L. Bakker
, Mathilde Van Dijk, Leo Van Der Tuin, Marjeet
Verbeek
.
Marburg
:
Shuren
, 2015
.
Scoring Transcendence: Contemporary Film Music as Religious Experience
.
Waco
, TX: Baylor Universit
y Press,
2013
.
“I Am Not A Hipster.”
Journal of Religion and Film
16, no. 1 (2012)
.
“Finding North.”
Journal of Religion and Film
16, no. 1 (2012)
.
3
“Marilyn Monroe.” I
n
Don’t Stop Believin’: Pop Culture and Religion from
Ben
-
Hur
to Zombies
, edited by
R
obert K. Johnston, Ba
rry Taylor, and Craig Detweiler, 22
-
23.
Louisville:
Westminster John
Knox Press,
2012
.
“Mickey Mantle.” In
Don’t Stop Believin’: Pop Culture and Religion from
Ben
-
Hur
to Zombies
, edited by Robert K. Johnston, Barry Taylor, and Craig
Detweiler, 20
-
21.
Louisville:
Westminster John Knox Press, 2012.
“Muhammad Ali.
”
In
Don’t Stop Believin’: Pop Culture and Religion from
Ben
-
Hur
to Zombies
, edited by Robert K. Johnston, Barry Taylor, and Craig
Detweiler, 34
-
35.
Louisville:
Westminster Jo
hn Knox Press, 2012.
“T
iger Woods.
”
In
Don’t Stop Believin’: Pop Culture and Religion from
Ben
-
Hur
to Zombies
, edited by Robert K. Johnston, Barry Taylor, and Craig D
etweiler, 200
-
201.
Louisville:
Westminster John Knox Press, 2012.
“Woody Allen.
”
In
Do
n’t Stop Believin’: Pop Culture and Religion from
Ben
-
Hur
to Zombies
, edited by Robert K. Johnston, Barry Taylor, and Craig
Detweiler, 69
-
70.
Louisville:
Westminster John Knox Press, 2012.
“Wii are In
spirit
ed:
The Transformation
of Home Video Consoles (
and Us).” I
n
Halos and Avatars:
Playing (Video) Games with God
, edited by
Craig
Detweiler, 75
-
88.
Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010.
“Matthew,” “Mark,” “Luke,” “John.” In
Introduction to
the New Testament
:
Global Module Studies
1, book 3.
Co
lorado Springs: Global Action, 2006. (T
ranslated
into 14 languages).
Peer
-
Reviewed
Papers and Presentations
“On Level Ground: Pedagogical Advances in Religion and Film.” AAR/SBL
2015 Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA, November 20
-
24, 2015.
“The Journal of Rel
igion & Film: Past, Present, and Future
.” AAR/SBL 2014
Annual Meeting,
San
Diego, CA, November 22
-
25, 2014
.
“Creating Space to Breathe: Faith, Spirituality, and Public Theology at the
Sundance Film Festival.” 2014 Baylor
Symposium on Faith and Culture, Wa
co, TX,
October 23
-
25, 2014
.
“There is Nothing Free, Except the Grace of God: Film Music, Myth
-
Making, and
Religion in
True Grit
.” Music and the Moving Image Confere
nce, New York, NY,
May
30
-
June 1, 2014
.
“Hearing Images: Film Music, Meaning
-
Making, and
Lived Religion.” Presider
,
Organizer,
and Panelis
t. AAR/SBL 2013 Annual Meeting,
Balt
imore, MA, November
23
-
26, 2013
.
4
“The Sound of Silence: Westerns, Soundtracks, and Divine Presence throu
gh
Absence.” Keynote Lecture.
Moving Visions/Film en
Religie and
Film und Theologie,
University of Groningen, Ne
therlands, May
30
-
June
1
,
2013
.
“Film Music as ‘Echon:’
Religious Motifs in the Music of
There Will Be Blood
.
”
AAR/SBL 2011 Annual Meeting,
San Fran
cisco, CA, November 19
-
22, 2011
.
“The Emerging Spirit:
A
Pneumatological Contribution to the Emergi
ng Church’s
Cultural Engagement.
”
39
th
Annual Meeting of the Society for Pentecostal Studies
,
M
inneapolis, MN, March 4
-
7, 2010
.
“Parable: A Proposed Herm
eneutic for the Emerging Church.
” AAR/SBL/ASOR
Rocky Mount
ain and
Great Plains Regional Meeting, Omaha, NB, March 23
-
24, 2007
.
Research
Referenced
in Other Scholarship
Johnston, Robert K.
God’s Wider Presence
: Reconsidering General Revelation
. Grand
Rapids: Baker Academic, 2014.
Konecny, Brandon. Review of
Scoring Transcendence: Contemporary Film Music as
Religious Experience
, by Kutter Callaway.
Journal of Religion and Film
18, no. 1 (2014).
Laamanen, Carl. “Film, A Sacramental Art.” 2014 Baylor Symposium on Faith and
Culture, Waco, TX, October 23
-
25, 2014
.
_________
. Review of
Scoring Transcendence: Contemporary Film Music as Religious
Experience
, by Kutter Callaway.
Music, Sound, and the Moving Image
8, no. 1 (2014).
Laytham, D. Brent.
Ipod, Youtube, Wii play: Theological Engagements with
Entertainment.
Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2012.
Parker, Ryan J. “Choice Matters: The Evolution of Video Games as Locations for Ethical
and Theological Reflection,” AAR 2010 Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA, November 2010.
Popular
-
Level Writing and Resources
“Restoring Ho
pe: Being and Becoming Well,”
Fuller Magazine
, 2016.
https://fullerstudio.fuller.edu/restoring
-
hope
-
weak
-
becoming
-
well/
“In a TV World, NFL is King
,
”
Christianity Today
, J
anuary, 2015.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2015/january
-
web
-
only/in
-
tv
-
world
-
nfl
-
is
-
king.html?start=3
Alive Inside Discussion Guide and R
esources
http://fuller.edu/ACR/Ministry
-
Leaders/Alive
-
Inside
-
Resources/
5
Interpreting Paul for the Future of the World Curriculum
fuller.edu/ntwright14
-
studyguide/
Noah: Resources for Engaging Culture through Film
http://fuller.edu/ACR/Ministry_Leaders/Noah_Resources/
Reel Spirituali
ty Film Discussion Guides
http://www.brehmcenter.com/initiatives/reelspirituality/browse/
Son of God Inter
-
faith Dialogue Toolkit
http://www.brehmcenter.com/initiatives/reelspirituality/film/browse/interfaith
-
dialogue
-
with
-
son
-
of
-
god
Teaching Experience
Undergraduate
:
California State University
,
Fullerton
•
CPRL 411:
Religion and Film
Fullerton, CA
Global Action
•
NT 103:
Introduction t
o the New Testament
Global Module Studies Program
Chernihiv, Ukraine
Graduate
:
Fuller Theological Seminary
•
TC530: Theology and Film
Modalities: geo
-
physical, online, h
ybrid, and hybrid +
•
TC533: Theology and TV
Modalities: Online, and Fuller Live
•
TC581:
Worship, Theology, and the Arts Touchs
tone
Modalities: geo
-
physical, online,
and
Fuller Live
•
TC588:
En
gaging Independent Film
Modalities:
Hybrid online/immersive c
ourse at Sundance Film Festival
•
TC849/549: A Theology of General Revelation
CATS Seminar
•
TC860/560: Theology and Culture Methods
6
CATS Seminar
•
TC867/567: The Aesthetics of Atheism
CATS Seminar
Public Relations and Media
National Geographic, “The Story
of God with Morgan Freeman,”
April 3, 2016.
89.3 KPCC, AirTalk with Larry Mantle, “Faith Film ‘War Room’ makes big dent at the
box office,” September 3, 2015.
89.3 KPCC, Take Two
with Alex Cohen
, “
Saving the Planet: How Different Religions
View the Envi
ronment,” June 17, 2015.
89.3 KPCC, AirTalk with Larry Mantle, “What Christianity can Learn from SuperBowl
Ads,” May 27, 2015.
89.3 KPCC, AirTalk with Larry Mantle, “Opting Out: Fewer Millenials Calling
Themselves Chrisitans,” May 12, 2015.
The Washingt
on Post, “Sexy swingers club or ‘church’: Who gets to decide?,” by Heidi
Hall. April 30, 2015.
New Books on Religion Podcast, “Scoring Transcendence,” by Kristian Peterson.
February 12, 2015.
Deseret News National Edition, “This college helps Hollywood
tell ‘the greatest story
ever told,” by Chandra Johnson. August 1, 2014.
Pasadena Star News, “Effort in La Verne provides spiritual resource help to female
veterans,” by Imani Tate. May 18, 2014.
CNN, “The next chapter in faith films: comedy,” by Eric M
arrapodi. May 10, 2014.
Deseret News National Edition, “Christian pastors mine popular TV for sermon starters,”
by Mark A. Kellner. February 7, 2014
Deseret News National Edition, “Seminary students descend on Sundance, find meaning
in independent films
,” by Matthew Brown. January 23, 2014
Deseret News National Edition, “Films depict real, raw role of clergy interacting with
community,” by Matthew Brown. January 22, 2014.
Deseret News National Edition, “Superheroes and faith: How religion plays a role
in the
comic book industry,” by Herb Scribner. November 29
th
, 2013.
7
Pasadena Star News, “Fuller Students Engaging Independent Films,” by Mara Title.
January 10, 2013.
Other Relevant Experience
2011
-
2015: Affiliate Professor of Theology and Culture
Fu
ller Theological Seminary
2012
-
Present: Windrider Film Forum Advisory Board
2011
-
Present
:
Steering Committee: Church in Contemporary Culture Initiative
Brehm Center and
Fuller Theological Seminary
2011
-
present
: Adjunct Assistant Professor of Religion
California State University, Fullerton
2007
-
2010
:
Teaching Assistant
Fuller Theological Seminary
2006
-
2007:
Pastor: Pierced Chapel, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
2000
-
2006:
Pastor: Vanguard Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado:
Associate Pastor, Teach
ing Pastor
, Worship Leader, Creative Consultant.
Honors and Fellowships
2007, 2008, 2009: Fuller Theological Seminary
Academic Scholarship: Center for Advanced Theological Scholarship
Fellowship
2004, 2005, 2006: Fuller Theological Seminary Color
ado
Intended for Ministry Scholarship.
Professional Memberships
American Academy of Religion
Society of Biblical Literature
Society for Pentecostal Studies
AAR/SBL/ASOR Rocky Mountain and Great Plains Region
Ordained and Licensed
as a Baptist Mini
ster
QUOTED: "This is a book for classes on pop culture and Christianity and for TV fans looking for a Christian justification."
Watching TV Religiously: Television and Theology in Dialogue
263.41 (Oct. 10, 2016): p76.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Watching TV Religiously: Television and Theology in Dialogue
Kutter Callaway, with Dean Batali. Baker
Academic, $27.99 (288) ISBN 978-0-8010-3073-4
Callaway, an assistant professor of theology and culture at Fuller Theological Seminary in California, opens this Christian "theology of television" with a reference to Lost and the uncanny ways the series echoes the tragic disappearance of Malaysian Flight 370. Yet the beloved series concluded in 2010, and the reference makes this latest installment of Baker Academic's Engaging Culture series seem dated from the start. "We need a new vision and a new critical paradigm for assessing the ethics of television," Callaway writes--one that explores "the theological significance" of TV as well as the "practice of TV watching." Following this, he discusses changes to viewing habits, the various narrative and technical elements of a show, and how to write a series, giving the chapters a textbook feel, before moving on to the purpose of television and a Biblically based assessment of which shows inspire healthy reflection and which watching habits should be avoided. Callaway draws on a range of popular series to illustrate his points, including Glee, House of Cards, and Twin Peaks. This is a book for classes on pop culture and Christianity and for TV fans looking for a Christian justification of their viewing addictions. (Dec.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Watching TV Religiously: Television and Theology in Dialogue." Publishers Weekly, 10 Oct. 2016, p. 76. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA466616231&it=r&asid=37d02b3d057b0cc9a1c199f71c961c40. Accessed 11 June 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A466616231
QUOTED: "It is an important contribution to Christian theological approaches to film."
"recommended."
Callaway, Kutter. Scoring transcendence: contemporary film music as religious experience
S.B. Plate
51.4 (Dec. 2013): p654.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2013 American Library Association CHOICE
http://www.ala.org/acrl/choice/about
Callaway, Kutter. Scoring transcendence: contemporary film music as religious experience. Baylor, 2013. 253p bibl indexes afp ISBN 9781602585355 pbk, $29.95
51-2022
ML2075
2012-28958 CIP
This is a work of Christian theology and not so much, as the subtitle suggests, "religious experience." This orientation is made clear inside the book but, curiously, is kept hidden on the outside. With that caveat, it is an important contribution to Christian theological approaches to film. The author's focus on music within film productions offers a unique standpoint from which to raise questions about emotion and affect, and how these find their way into spiritual experiences, even at times encouraging "transcendent" experiences. Film music, both diegetic and nondiegetic, has a subtle but powerful impact on the way audiences perceive the audiovisual medium. Callaway (Fullet Theological Seminary) is able to draw on theories that enable a dialogue with theologians from the past and present. By paying attention to what is overheard, the book is suggestive of ways that spiritual experiences occur in and through the body: theology typically may be thought of as an intellectual exercise, but Callaway opens paths toward epiphanies in the darkened screening rooms. Summing Up: Recommended. ** Libraries with theology programs; upper-division undergraduates through researchers/faculty.--S. B. Plate, Hamilton College
Plate, S.B.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Plate, S.B. "Callaway, Kutter. Scoring transcendence: contemporary film music as religious experience." CHOICE: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, Dec. 2013, p. 654. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA393972500&it=r&asid=6c6ec130dc913dbc7ebcc5a38916a224. Accessed 11 June 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A393972500
QUOTED: "This was such a good book."
"If nothing else, the book helps viewers to watch more thoughtfully."
Watching TV Religiously – Review
January 17, 2017 / by Author Stephen Bedard
Watching TV Religiously
Sometimes when people ask me if I have seen a certain show, I reply “I don’t watch TV because I’m a Christian.” I’m being completely sarcastic, as there have been many shows that I have enjoyed immensely. My sarcasm is a reflection of how some Christians (rightly or wrongly) avoid TV as being worldly.
Watching TV ReligiouslyThe church certainly has had a long and confusing relationship. Everything from boycotting to attempting to impose Christian values to producing Christian content. That is why, I very much enjoyed reading Watching TV Religiously by Kutter Callaway and Dean Batali.
This was such a good book and I was never bored with it. The first half of the book is about TV in general. It looks at how TV began, its evolution and the nuts and bolts of how an episode is written. Examples are taken from TV’s entire history, going back to shows such as the Honeymooners and the Mary Tyler Moore Show to Lost and the Game of Thrones.
The second half of the book begins to introduce concepts of theology and ethics. Traditionally, Christians have judged shows on the big three (sex, violence, language). While not ignoring those aspects, the authors go deeper by looking at both the aesthetics and worldviews being presented.
While some of the TV shows I was largely unfamiliar with, there were many that I had watched. This book helped me to see those stories in a new light. If nothing else, the book helps viewers to watch more thoughtfully.
If you have an interest in television and theology, I highly recommend Watching TV Religiously.
QUOTED: "Can’t God be present and working to form us in positive ways even through these secular liturgies? Callaway and Batali do fine work exploring the question in the well-established terrain of general revelation and common grace, though at times the importance of special revelation and saving grace feel unfortunately ancillary to their vision."
"Insofar as we see books like this as tools to sharpen our eyes to see general revelation, this one has its valuable contributions. But we must not spiritualize the secular to such a degree that the word 'Spirit' can mean anything and everything. Does the Spirit of God work through Stranger Things? Quite possibly. But we know for a fact that he works in the church, so why not encounter him there?"
Arts & Culture, Reviews
Can We Find God in Pretty Much Anything On TV?
Brett McCracken / November 30, 2016
Television is being transformed. Long considered something of a low-art stepchild to cinema—both the fuel and fodder of mass culture in all of its capitalist glory—TV has decidedly matured. No longer bound to old broadcast models and the confines of “Mondays at 8/7 Central” timeslots, television’s very form is changing. But so is its reputation. Through shows like The Sopranos, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, The Wire, and many others, television is now considered a “prestige” medium attracting the best visual storytellers of the day.
Coinciding with the maturing of television has been a maturing of TV theory and criticism, including theological criticism from faith-based viewers and publications. Watching TV Religiously: Television and Theology in Dialogue reflects this trend. The academic volume combines the theological expertise of Kutter Callaway (assistant professor of theology and culture at Fuller Theological Seminary) and the industry insights of Dean Batali (TV writer on shows like That ‘70s Show and Buffy the Vampire Slayer) to create a “mutually enriching, two-way dialogue” between contemporary television and theology.
Desire and Secular Liturgies
The book’s first half is largely focused on TV literacy in terms of formal terminology (single vs. multi-camera, writers’ room, and so on), laying a helpful scholarly foundation on par with the best secular textbooks of television studies. Starting in chapter five (“A Very Brief History of the Church and TV”) the authors begin outlining the contours of their theological project, drawing from a variety of thinkers (from Robert Johnston and Craig Detweiler to Jacques Ellul and Malcolm Muggeridge) in summarizing various theological approaches before describing their own approach. They employ Augustine’s work on desire to claim that mediated experience is fundamental to embodied existence, more than in just an “information transmission” way. Communication and mediated forms like TV, they argue, shape our rituals and relationships and communities.
James K. A. Smith’s work on desire and cultural liturgies figures prominently into their approach, though they take issue with what they see as Smith’s “fundamentally antithetical” posture toward secular liturgies. Whereas Smith seems to restrict the Spirit’s presence to the forms of Christian worship, Callaway and Batali suggest “God’s wider presence” through the Spirit can also inhabit secular forms like TV. Their project is summed up when they ponder how they “might make use of Smith’s understanding of the formative nature of secular liturgies while, at the same time, move beyond his construal of those ritual practices as fundamentally distorted and distorting.”
They move beyond Smith by way of Martin Buber, George Steiner, and William Dyrness, whose “poetic theology” makes room for God’s activity in human desires even when those desires are admittedly “marshalled by capitalism and the ‘secular’ devotional practices it promotes.” Essentially their argument is that yes, secular liturgies (like binge-watching Stranger Things or ritually tuning in to Monday Night Football) can cultivate in us disordered desires and promote rival visions of human flourishing, but that doesn’t always have to be the case. Can’t God be present and working to form us in positive ways even through these secular liturgies? Callaway and Batali do fine work exploring the question in the well-established terrain of general revelation and common grace, though at times the importance of special revelation and saving grace feel unfortunately ancillary to their vision.
I’m with the authors when they ask, “What if, rather than rejecting modern capitalism as wholly depraved, we asked where the Spirit was present and active in our consumption?” That’s a good question and worthy of consideration, so far as it goes. But is there a point at which our exploration of “finding God in [insert popular TV series here]” becomes more compelling to us than “finding God in church” or “finding God in Scripture”?
Theological Freedom or Spiritualized Free-For-All?
The authors advocate a “theological freedom” that is both essential for this work and decidedly hazardous. They write:
If in fact the Spirit of God is present and active in cultural products and practices to such a degree that God can and does speak through them, then we are free to explore and even affirm culture without fear or trepidation.
But could this not provide justification for engagement with almost any product or practice? If God can work through Game of Thrones, Westworld, and The Walking Dead, could he not also work through an explicit reality TV series about porn actors or a sitcom about Satanism? What are the limits of this “theological freedom,” and who determines the spiritual value of its frontier pursuits?
Approaching popular culture with an awareness of its formative power is valuable (à la Smith) and doesn’t preclude a discerning Christian consumer from gleaning goodness, truth, and beauty from secular liturgies. But we must take care that our theologizing of pop culture isn’t forced or distracting, as if finding a roundabout Good Samaritan lesson in House of Cards (as the authors do in the book’s conclusion) is preferable to simply reading Luke 10 and discussing it in a church Bible study.
There’s a lot in Watching TV Religiously about how the Spirit works in shows to shape our moral imagination in terms of empathy and embracing the “other” amid their imperfections and stunted growth. For example, the authors suggest that Friends is an example of how TV characters (especially sitcoms) don’t really change, but that this is a good thing. “Our primary concern regarding TV characters,” they write, “is not so much whether they develop moral insight or transformation but whether the empathetic mirroring that takes place when a character’s attributes are slowly revealed forms us into more empathetic people.”
So Seinfeld and 30 Rock and Parks and Recreation have spiritually formative power since the lack of moral development in their characters inspires in us empathy? This strikes me as not only roundabout theological justification but also a reflection of the “brokenness = authenticity” problem currently plaguing society (and the church). Is the ability to empathize with broken people really a lacking skill in today’s average human? Do we really need Leslie Knope to reveal to us the depths of our moral failure? It seems like a more pressing need is models of people who grow and break out of the cycle of brokenness. Shouldn’t we seek out and celebrate TV shows whose characters model the sort of change fundamental to a flourishing life?
Callaway and Batali observe that in the post-Christian West the “historic practices of Christian worship that once served to shape our common ethic are no longer a part of the cultural imagination.” But is that a reason to advance the notion that TV is a suitable alternative for moral formation? It may be true that the Spirit can work in our consumptive habits, but Scripture is clear that the Spirit is uniquely present and visible in God’s people, the “temple” (1 Cor. 3:16) through which his presence is revealed to the world. It would be tragic if people read this book in a way that affirmed the de-churching trajectory of modern culture, wherein popular culture replaces the church as the new locus of “transcendence” (construed in the most spiritually vague sense of the term).
The rather uncompelling ecclesiology of Watching TV Religiously suggests church practice as something unavoidably embedded within (and thus tainted by) secular liturgies, thus neither special nor exclusive in its formative ability. The Spirit apparently doesn’t privilege the church as a site of supernatural power and divine encounter, such that the secular characters on The Big Bang Theory can illuminate the meaning of Paul’s interdependent body metaphor (1 Cor. 12), as the authors argue in the book’s conclusion. But was Paul’s body metaphor really about any group of misfits in community who collaborate and labor and struggle together?
No. Paul was talking specifically about the people of God in the church, the body of which Christ is the head (Eph. 1:22–23). Paul was talking about the Spirit as an empowering advocate given to members of Christian community for the common good (1 Cor. 12:7), to build up the church (Eph. 4:12), not just to have relationally healthy lives with roommates.
Careful Reading Required
Books like this sometimes seem so afraid of being lumped in with the “old way” of skeptical Christian approaches to culture that they err on the other side. They make no hint that special revelation in Christ is the answer to man’s desires, or that the Christian church’s liturgical practices are in any way superior to secular liturgies. They critique attempts of Christians to challenge or change culture and instead call the church to open her eyes to the movement of God in culture.
But it’s not an either-or. Christians can celebrate the joy of online fan communities of a show like Glee and learn from the metaphysical themes raised by a show like Lost, while adopting a critical posture that recognizes the dubious theological messages and underlying business motivations of both (for example, open-ended narratives that purposefully spark online theorizing to build a larger, more lucrative orbit of fandom).
Insofar as we see books like this as tools to sharpen our eyes to see general revelation, this one has its valuable contributions. But we must not spiritualize the secular to such a degree that the word “Spirit” can mean anything and everything. Does the Spirit of God work through Stranger Things? Quite possibly. But we know for a fact that he works in the church, so why not encounter him there?
Kutter Callaway and Dean Batali. Watching TV Religiously: Television and Theology in Dialogue. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2016. 288 pp. $27.99.