Ostwalt, Conrad. Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press International,
2003. Pp xi + 231. $22.00 USD. (PB). ISBN: 1563383616.
[1] In this new work, Conrad Ostwalt presents a remarkable essay
on secularization in (post)modern American religion, specifically
Christianity in America, and its relationship to religion, religious
authority, and the various genres or forms of popular culture wherein
one may find religious content or functioning. One of the strengths
of the book is its clarity, which is evident early in the Introduction
when Ostwalt puts forth four themes to be discussed in the following
chapters. The first theme is that "secularization does not destroy
religion, that religion will persist across cultural forms" (5). This
assertion obviously contradicts much theoretical work since the mid-twentieth
century on the "secularization thesis." The second theme posited by
Ostwalt is that "secularization occasions a shift in the locus of
authority to express religious ideals," i.e., religious messages may
be found in various places such as new religious movements, civil
religion(s), or any of the various popular culture media (5). Ostwalt
bases this theme around the loss of authority traditional or institutional
religions have experienced in the postmodern world, as well as his
assumption that humans will always possess a religious impulse. Thus,
if that impulse cannot find an outlet in established avenues or is
not satisfied therein, it will seek other means of expression. The
third theme of the book is that secularization takes place in both
Europe and America, but in different ways. In Europe, for example,
religious institutions were afforded elite status and wielded much
political and even military power, whereas in America, the Establishment
Clause has prevented religions from enjoying such status. Instead,
Ostwalt‹building on the work of R. Laurence Moore‹argues that in America
religions have had to vie for their power and influence with not only
other religions but also with popular culture as well.
[2] The fourth and final theme of the work is, in my opinion, the
most innovative and serves as the organizing principle for the rest
of the book. Ostwalt argues that secularization takes place in two
interrelated directions in modern society. On the one hand, "there
is a tendency for religious institutions to employ secular and popular
cultural forms like television and the movies to make religious teachings
relevant for a modern audience" (7). On the other hand, Ostwalt notes
that with the loss of authority experienced by traditional religious
institutions, "religious concerns find expression in other cultural
forms so that cultural products perceived to be secular can carry
authentic and meaningful religious content and deal with sacred concerns"
(7). The former tendency Ostwalt terms the "secularization of the
sacred," the latter, the "sacralization of the secular."
[3] In the remainder of his work, Ostwalt examines these two directions
of the secularization process through three different lenses. In part
one, he focuses on space and place and examines the phenomenon of
"megachurches" as an example of the "secularization of the sacred,"
while the utopian town of Love Valley, NC, serves to illustrate the
"sacralization of the secular." The author shifts gears in part two
and discusses various texts and narratives. The lion's share of attention
in this section falls on the second direction of secularization (the
"sacralization of the secular"). In chapter five, Ostwalt discusses
the fiction of Clyde Edgerton, Lee Smith, Amy Tan, and Randall Kenan
to illustrate the ways in which religious issues and concerns are
addressed in so-called "secular" texts. Finally, in part three, Ostwalt
turns to a discussion of images, specifically film, in order to examine
how both "religious" and "secular" films deal with a particular religious
concern: the end of the world. Ostwalt reads such films as The Omega
Code, Megiddo, and Left Behind in chapter seven (157-188) to elaborate
on the "secularization of the sacred," i.e., how films purporting
to deliver a specifically "religious" message use the language of
"secular" cinema to do so. In this chapter, the author also discusses
"secular" films, including Waterworld, 12 Monkeys, and Independence
Day, to investigate how supposedly non-religious films deal with such
an important religious concern. Finally, in his concluding chapter,
Ostwalt provides a helpful summary of his main points as well as an
examination of his argument as it relates to "religious" and "secular"
music.
[4] Ostwalt's work is both theoretically astute and very accessible.
This is a work that can be read profitably by those interested in
the field of religious studies as well as laypeople and persons in
positions of religious authority. Ostwalt's discussion of the dual
directions of secularization is important because he takes time to
reflect on the repercussions of participation in these processes.
Rather than simply point out these developments, Ostwalt notes the
dangers and responsibilities inherent in, for example, religious institutions
adopting marketing techniques to obtain and retain members or utilizing
the tools of "secular" media to convey a religious message. The danger
for the church is that it runs the risk of losing the right to critique
society if it uncritically identifies too closely with it; it may
lose its prophetic voice. This is a pressing message, and in my opinion,
one that deserves to be heard.
[5] Invariably, a single volume will not be able to address all the
issues it raises, especially when that volume is as pregnant as Ostwalt's.
I would like to see his theoretical framework taken up and used by
scholars to address other religious traditions and their responses
to secularization, as well as a more in-depth consideration of the
role of television and the internet in the processes described by
Ostwalt. However, this volume provides a wonderful model for others
to follow, as well as a methodological paradigm to utilize. In sum,
Ostwalt's book should be read by anyone concerned with religion and
popular culture, as well as persons engaged in either of the processes
of secularization he describes.
Dan Clanton
Iliff School of Theology & University of Denver
dclanton@du.edu
