Broken hallelujah as theological perspective

Let me unpack a bit why I draw on the song “Hallelujah” and especially this phrase, “Broken Hallelujah,” for thinking about pop culture in relation to faith. It is a shorthand way to point to a fundamental view of human life as a broken reality, and broken beyond our ability to fix. The Christian term for this is “sin” which many people today see as an antiquated and unenlightened idea. However, that cultural shrug in response to the idea of sin usually is a reaction to the idea of sin as sins. The shrug throws off the presumed legacy of a medieval and psychologically damaging introspection in relation to sinful acts and impulses which modern liberated society now knows are actually normal. Like: sex is supposed to feel good. Or drinking in moderation is good for you.

What’s next . . .

Welcome to what’s next in my thinking about faith and pop culture. I’ve written on faith and one of my favorite bands, U2. while writing that book, I kept a blog to chronicle the process and it was a blast (it was on blogger, however, which seems like a much less attractive platform compared to wordpress so I’m glad I switched!) I met lots of thoughtful and faithful people through the process and learned about faith and about U2 from people’s comments.

So why the new blog? A new book, that’s why. No, I don’t have a book yet, and I don’t have a publisher. but I’ve started writing and I need a forum for thinking out loud so that I hopefully spark some feedback. The topic is faith and pop culture. The book title is Broken Hallelujah: Faith in Pop Culture. Yes, you should hear a Leonard Cohen reference here.

If you like to think about faith and movies, music, or the arts generally, then stay tuned.

+anon.