Vanhoozer on Reading Culture

Susan Wunderink interviews Kevin Vanhoozer about the recent book he edited, Everyday Theology: How to Read Cultural Texts and Interpret Trends (Cultural Exegesis).

Everyday Theology is a collection of essays that present a Christian way of analyzing culture. Ranging from "The Gospel According to Safeway" (see excerpt) to "Between City and Steeple: Looking at Megachurch Architecture," each chapter dissects an aspect of North American culture through a biblical lens.
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Kevin Vanhoozer, the chief editor of the book, has been teaching a class called Cultural Hermeneutics at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School since 2001. Everyday Theology emerged out of those classes.
Vanhoozer spoke with CT about the book and his exegetical approach to culture.

Entitled Reading the World, the interview poses the following questions to Vanhoozer:

1. Can you explain what this collection of essays is about?
2. How would you define cultural exegesis?
3. So why do you think people need this book, Everyday Theology?
4. You mention theology often when you write about cultural exegesis. Do you understand theology to be broader than understanding God?
5. Would understanding culture shed light on the nature of God?
6. In the introduction, you asked, "How does one evangelize cultures that have already received the gospel only to revise or reject it?" I suppose you're talking about Western cultures?
7. What resources do people need to analyze their culture?

Everyday Theology: How to Read Cultural Texts and Interpret Trends (Cultural Exegesis)

Comments

[Jonathan Dodson]

The first chapter is worth the whole book. Vanhoozer turns his hermeneutical and linguistic savvy (cf. Is There Meaning in This Text?) to developing a framework for interpreting culture.

On the downside, Vanhoozer imports too much lingusitic terminology for everyday readers (locutionary, perlocutionary, illocutionary) to communicate his framework, which could be presented with more accessible language. He also notes the importance of using the creation-fall-redemption storyline in interpreting cultural text and trends, but does not deliver on how or why this is important. Though far from “everyday” in places, overall he presents a cultural hermeneutic that is compelling and intriguing.

[Pete Williamson]

my copy should be here on Monday...can't wait.

completely separate note...bro, when are you going to give us your favorite album for '06?

[Wes Crawford]

Perlo-who-tionary? (shameless Zoolander reference)