TGC | Arts & Culture

It’s been a bizarre year for pop culture. The already fragile business model of Hollywood film/TV production is suffering ongoing blows from the current Writers Guild and Screen Actors Guild strikes. Expected box office hits were duds, and there are some signs the reign of superhero movies is coming to an end. It’s a disruptive, unpredictable time in media and entertainment—probably because it’s a disruptive, unpredictable time in society generally.

Consider this summer’s four biggest pop culture sensations. What does it say about our culture that Barbie was the overall box office champion, and that audiences chose a faith-based film about child sex trafficking (Sound of Freedom) over escapist fare like Indiana Jones and Mission Impossible sequels? What dynamics of division are driving the success of Taylor Swift on one end of the spectrum and Oliver Anthony on the other?

These are some of the questions I consider in my end-of-summer reflections for TGC. They’re not just interesting questions to ponder. As I note in the article, for Christians, they are instructive for mission: “Pop culture sensations have explanatory power—revealing the loves, longings, pain points, and paradoxes of the populace we’re called to reach with the gospel.”

As Christians look ahead to the fall season in pop culture, we can be sure it will be equally unpredictable. Let’s be discerning not only in what we choose to consume or avoid, but also in what insights the hits and flops reveal about our culture’s spiritual landscape.

BRETT MCCRACKEN
Senior Editor
Editor's Pick
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Taylor, Oliver, ‘Barbie,’ ‘Freedom’: Pondering 4 Summer Sensations
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Worth Your Time
1

New-release Christian songs I love: Jonathan Ogden’s “Without Love” (inspired by 1 Corinthians 13); Phil Wickham and Tiffany Hudson’s “Psalm 23“; Tekoa, Rory McKenna, and Mark Barlow’s “Matthew 6”; Chris Renzema and Jess Ray’s “Hereditary

2

The film adaptation of Surprised By Oxford (read my review) is finally coming out in theaters Sept. 27. See where it’s playing near you and plan to see it.

3

Check out the new album from One Glory, a husband-wife faith folk duo from Australia’s Gold Coast.

4

What does C. S. Lewis’s The Abolition of Man have to say after 80 years?

5

Mere Orthodoxy published a thoughtful take on Manchester Orchestra’s new EP, The Valley of Vision.

6

Explosions in the Sky has a new album releasing Sept. 15. I’m loving the first singles.

7

Rachel Wilhelm’s Jeremiah album is a lovely new example of Bible-based original music.

8

Andrew Voigt ponders a provocative question: Can theologically conservative Christians flourish in the arts?

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