Sound in the Land

Here’s my abstract for Sound in the Land, a conference where I’ll be presenting on June 4, 2009.

Writing the Anabaptist Bestiary Project

This workshop will explore the interconnections between academic theology, rock and roll, and spirituality in three interrelated sections. The works of artists like Bruce Cockburn, The New Pornographers, Rilo Kiley, Rainer Maria and My Bloody Valentine will be considered theologically and spiritually. The use of original rock and roll as a vehicle for communicating theology will then be explored, with particular emphasis on the Anabaptist Bestiary Project, a research and musical project of Bluffton University students overseen by Trevor Bechtel. The workshop will conclude with a detailed exegesis of one of songs from the Anabaptist Bestiary Project.

blogging

seems people like joel garver and susie shaefer are starting to blog again. i wonder if its nostalgia for the old days or if with the advent/onslaught of twitter people are realizing that sometimes the like to talk in burst longer than 140 characters or alternately that they realizing that social networking in a virtual body is a newly stable feature of human life. for me, i’m nostalgic for the way i used to butcher the language, like in that last sentence.