Mashup Religion: Pop Music and Theological Invention

Popular music artists are intentionally unoriginal. Pop producers find their inspiration by sampling across traditions and genres; remix artists compose a pastiche of the latest hits. These ＂mashup＂ artists stretch the boundaries of creativity by freely intermingling old sounds and melodies with the newest technologies. Using this phenomenon in contemporary music-making as a metaphor, John McClure encourages the invention of new theological ideas by creating a mashup of the traditional and the novel. What emerges are engaging ways of communicating that thrive at the intersection of religion and popular culture yet keep alive the deepest of theological truths.

John S. McClure is the Charles G. Finney Professor of Preaching and Worship at Vanderbilt Divinity School and editor of the journal Homiletic. His previous books include Other-wise Preaching: A Postmodern Ethic for Homiletics and Claiming Theology in the Pulpit. He lives in Nashville, TN.