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