Transforming Culture
A Model for Faith and Film in Hollywood
- Arts & Literature
- Publisher: Wipf and Stock
- Published: 2009
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Publisher's Description
This book introduces Jonahre-a Biblically-based, Prophetic Imagination cinematic genre. Jonahre can be implemented by following a three phase, interdisciplinary process that allows production teams to submit their content, intent, style and format to reflect a Biblical pattern of storytelling and establish an alternative consciousness with the audience. When implemented, this process creates a powerful tool for transforming culture by combining communication theory and theology into a mold for communicating Spirit-filled messages via moving-image media. The first in a trilogy of Jonahre films will be released November 2009.
Endorsements (9)
“Transforming Culture presents readers with a bold, provocative thesis that stirs one's imagination. Combining communication theory and cultural studies with Old Testament theology (particularly Brueggemann's model of prophetic/poetic imagination), it argues that Christian film producers, much like the writer of Jonah, can/should create an alternate consciousness in our culture. Their goal? Hopeful subversion of our reigning hegemony.”
“Filmmaker Christine Gunn-Danforth shows the power of prophetic imagination to evoke biblically informed meanings that are relevant and culturally transformative. Transforming Culture: A Model of Faith and Film in Hollywood is a prophetic voice in a postmodern world of dream-making and competing narratives.”
“"Christine Gunn-Danforth offers a prophetic approach to visual storytelling that captures age-old practices while addressing contemporary cultural opportunities. Her book will generate ideas for professional communicators, biblical scholars, teachers, cultural critics, and other symbol-makers.”
“The importance of this book is tying good storytelling to the Author of the greatest storytelling. It means choosing the right story to tell, in the first place! It points to the art of crafting the medium of storytelling, biblically for the transforming message of Truth. This is a call to film storytellers as they seek to bring to life that which warms the heart and touches the soul.”
“"Transforming Culture introduces a unique Christian moving-image communication model based on solid theological and communication theories. This is a very timely source of information for the film industry, which aims at relating moving image communication to faith. Implementing the model of Transforming Culture can be influential to the American Christian film industry and can help spearhead cultural transformation in a country such as South Africa, a young democracy diverse in culture and religion. The model is based on, and is an expansion of, the notion of prophetic imagination initially introduced by the renowned American theologian, Walter Brueggemann. It is a necessity on the bookshelf of the film producer, the communication academic and student, and the theologian.”
“In the rough and tumble of modern media and film, Danforth formulates a dynamic model to guide makers of Christian film and TV video in creating an alternative consciousness to dominant culture. The wide reach of her model evokes excitement for rebuilding Christian culture at the same time that it exhibits the conflicts and disagreements that gnaw at the divided Christianity of our time. This merger of Walter Brueggemann's understanding of the prophetic imagination with socio-rhetorical strategies of interpretation leaves no doubt for readers that they are encountering an energetic young scholar with a strong desire to make the 21st century a better place for humankind.”
“I find strong reason to believe that we need imagineers-like the prophets of old-to cultivate an alternative consciousness to that of the predominant, secular culture. Spirit-filled narratives and stories are the best bet for criticizing and energizing persons and communities to re-imagine life in a transforming way. Christian communicators in both Church and the moving-image media industry can use this model to bring about a transformation of our culture.”
“Christine describes effective Hollywood storytelling for faith film in a profoundly biblical sense that, if utilized, can impact our culture for God. He will take the ordinary everyday stories and let them take flight in the hearts of people so that they may relate His complete work in Jesus. Our hearts yearn to hear about the new creation in stories that we can relate to in our milieu.”
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