It is well established that knowledge without application is fruitless. Additionally, it is well understood that one can know of a subject, but not really know it. In the twenty-first century, it is critical that Christians learn not only about culture, but also how to interact with culture. The title currently under review attempts to set forth ideas of how Christians are to relate with contemporary culture. Foundational to any attempt to interact with culture is the hermeneutical understanding of texts and trends within that culture.

Usually, students, theologians, and pastors are well-trained in the task of biblical exegesis, but when it comes to understanding culture, there is often a great disconnect. In the second title under review, Kevin J. Vanhoozer (Research Professor of Systematic Theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School), Charles A. Anderson, and Michael J. Sleasman, edit essays that seek to explore the area of cultural exegesis – that is, reading and interpreting the texts and trends produced by culture. This title, Everyday Theology, is the first volume in a new Cultural Exegesis series. Each volume is intended to work within a specific cultural discipline, illustrating and embodying the theory behind cultural engagement. By providing the appropriate tools and methodology, this series seeks to equip the reader to engage and interpret the surrounding culture responsibly.

This book is intended to be used by Christians; it is the result of four years of coursework by the students of Vanhoozer, meaning that each chapter (following the excellent introduction by Vanhoozer) is a revised version of term papers submitted to Vanhoozer in his “Cultural Hermeneutics” class at TEDS. It is comprised of four parts: 1) an introduction that sets out the methodology to be employed, 2) essays that employ the methodology to interpret specific cultural texts, 3) essays that attempt to make sense of more complex trends and movements, and 4) a postscript that essentially summarizes the preceding chapters and leads the reader step-by-step through the interpretation process. The purpose of the book is to teach Christians to get the theological lay of the cultural land.

More specifically, in the introduction Vanhoozer proposes that we understand the world in, behind, and in front of a cultural text (drawing from Adler). Thereafter, one will find a series of essays that engage cultural texts and trends, from the gospel according to Safeway, the music of Eminem, the historical context in which the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights took shape, an exploration of Church architecture, the phenomenon of Internet blogs, to the transhumanist movement. As this selective list indicates, the essays herein are diverse and appealing.

Vanhoozer’s essay alone is worth the price of the entire text. Moreover, I appreciate the sidebars throughout the texts that contain editorial comments that unite the individual essays to the overall content of the title. Although most of this text is usable for every-day life, there is a significant reservation of my own, however. I am a theologian who uses the theological jargon, but most readers, presumably, of Everyday Theology will be just that – everyday people. As such, some of the terminology used by Vanhoozer will be cumbersome (e.g., he employs the terms locutionary, perlocutionary, and illocutionary to communicate his framework in the introduction). I find that this perceived flaw is limited to Vanhoozer’s essay, however. In sum, one will not go wrong in reading this title, as it highlights a burgeoning area of theological inquiry: cultural exegesis and hermeneutics. With it, may we go forth, crossing borders and doing everyday theology.

Reviewed by Bradford McCall

Editor’s note: Bradford McCall’s review of Everyday Theology was originally published on September 14, 2010 on the In Depth Resources page of the Pneuma Foundation website. Michael Muoki Wambua’s review of Everyday Theology was published in the Fall 2010 issue of Pneuma Review.

Everyday Theology deals with the daily encounters that influence people’s thoughts, those multitudes of encounters that no theologian can afford to ignore. The book considers popular cultural texts and trends that occupy the minds of Christians, aiming to create a methodology of interpreting them theologically. The authors contend that theology cannot be done in a vacuum; culture provides the platform for theologizing.

Vanhoozer and his counterparts see culture as an arena of interpretation where context must be understood. Culture is an objectification of the human spirit, ideas and essences made real. A major question dealt with is whether culture is profitable or detrimental to someone’s spiritual well being. If you find an aspect of your culture to be corrupted, should you run from it or try to cleanse it?

The book’s approach to interpretation is the text-context methodology where the context of the author, the context of the text, and the context of the reader are highly considered.

Everyday Theology is organized into four parts with contributions from various scholars. “Part 1: Introduction: Towards a Theory of Cultural Interpretation,” lays the foundation for the rest of the book. In this part Vanhoozer endeavors to answer the question; “why do a cultural interpretation?” He defines cultural hermeneutics, defends the rationale for doing cultural hermeneutics and then proposes a methodological approach towards cultural exegesis. “Part 2: Reading Cultural Texts” offers real life examples on how to read cultural texts and trends. In this section different cultural trends are explored. For example, Darren Sarisky offers a theological account of Eminem and David G. Thompson deals with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. “Part 3: Interpreting Cultural Trends” explores some major cultural trends within the society, while “Part 4: Concluding Untheoretical Postscript” concludes the book by offering a concrete example on how to apply knowledge gained in cultural exegesis to the contemporary life.

Everyday theology is not a theological discipline but rather the theological practice of every believer. Christians should read the Bible as well as their cultural “texts” and trends so that they can understand how their culture is influencing their own faith and those around them. What are theological takeaways from Rap culture? How should your theology affect your interactions concerning Human Rights in the Blogosphere? Can theologians afford to ignore such questions?

I appreciate how the book engages issues of both local American and international concern. This makes more room to ask how to do theology that connects with everyone. How should we challenge trends that are undermining Christian belief and values? By becoming more culturally literate, the Church will be able to advance her mission in the world effectively.

Reviewed by Michael Muoki Wambua

Read excerpts from Everyday Theology: http://assets.bakerpublishinggroup.com/processed/book-resources/files/Excerpt_Vanhoozer_EverydayTheo.pdf?1362590645