What stories do evangelicals tell?

Can evangelicals become known as those who tell the story of Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God, those who tell good news?
In American Cultural Studies the authors Campbell and Kean study American culture largely by analyzing texts. They go beyond the national canon of novels, short stories, and poems that are included in high [...]

Christmas: Family, Food, Jesus, and Consumerism

 
     As the Christmas season quickly approaches, my thoughts move towards happy thoughts of family, food, Jesus, and consumerism.  Yeah, consumerism.  Growing up in rural Texas, I can appreciate Neil Campbell and Alasdair Kean’s discussion, in American Cultural Studies, of the city as the center of excitement and happening.  It is also the center of buying stuff.  [...]

Are Myths Needed in America?

In Neil Campbell and Alasdair Kean’s book, American Cultural Studies: An Introduction to American Culture, there is an interesting quote by Lynne Cheney about what history books should be like,

“As Cheney wrote in 1988, history textbooks needed to be like those of the ‘early decades of the century… filled with stories – the magic [...]

The Columbus effect

Last month America celebrated Columbus Day.  This holiday shines a light toward a strong American myth and this myth’s dark history.  Columbus Day is the beginning of America’s idea of “Manifest Destiny” which starts to infuse itself into American culture since Columbus ran into North America.  These ideas that we as Americans are suppose to [...]

Tears of Validation

One of the hallmarks of Jesus’ ministry was the inclusion of the outsider and the marginalized back into the folds of community life. Case in point, Zacchaeus (c.f., Luke 19:1-9). Great odds where stacked against Zacchaeus from ever being welcomed into the community: he was a tax collector (actually the “Chief”or “Head” toll collector which [...]

Just an Ethnocentric State of Mind

Many times I get the feeling the United States has a problem with ethnocentrism.  We kind of make this obvious with all our talk about American being the greatest country in the world.  How did we get this way?  Well, I have two ideas on why we are like this.  I’m sure there are many [...]