Cultural Theology of Salvation

There aren't many serious works of systematic theology which engage with Breaking Bad, The Big Bang Theory, Crazy Heart, theories of capital and positive psychology, as well as the Isenheim Altarpiece and Handel's Messiah. This lively, contemporary study of salvation does precisely that. Christian doctrine cannot simply repeat what has gone before, even as it recognises the value and richness of the traditions Christianity carries with it. CliveMarsh acknowledges this in exploring how doctrine interweaves with life experience and cultural consumption.A Cultural Theology of Salvation considers how salvation is to be understood and articulated now, when the theme of 'redemption' appears outside of Christianity in the arts and popular culture. Marsh also assesses whether contemporary interest in 'happiness' has anything to do with salvation. The first part of the book sets the enquiry in the context of how theology operates as a discipline, and the cultural climate in which theology has to be done. The second part offers a number ofcase-studies (in art, music, TV, film, positive psychology, and economic life) exploring how the concerns of a doctrine of salvation are addressed directly and indirectly in Western culture. The third part distils the results of the case-studies in formulating a contemporary exposition of salvation, andconcludes by showing what this means in practice.

Clive Marsh's A Cultural Theology of Salvation is an eminently accessible and richly reflective exploration of how Western society today might find the Christian account of salvation both relevant and appealing., Well-written, offering a synthesis of the way how salvation has been perceived in the cultural space during the time and also underlining its relevance for areas like philosophy, sociology, aesthetics, philology or economy, Clive Marsh's book..is not only an useful tool for the theologians who want to find ways of dialogue with people coming from other areas of research, but also an interesting lecture for a curious reader or for a researcher who wants to deep a topic like the salvation and to understand it in a holistic way., Marsh's study is typically the work of a bridge builder. He knows his classics in systematic theology, but he knows his Western context as well. He places Christ and culture in critical dialogue and is fully aware of the risky character of his enterprise. Therefore, my conclusion is: it is a courageous book. Well done!, Clive Marsh proves to be an engaging and able advocate ... it has positive practical implications that might just save salvation from the threat of cultural incoherence — or even irrelevance.

Clive Marsh is Academic Head of the Vaughan Centre for Lifelong Learning at the University of Leicester and International Research Consultant and Research Fellow at the Queen's Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education in Birmingham.