Theodore Trost
University of Alabama - Tuscaloosa, Religious Studies, Faculty Member
- University of Alabama - Tuscaloosa, New College, Faculty MemberUniversity of Leeds, School of Philosophy, Religion and the History of Science, Department Memberadd
- Popular Culture and Religious Studies, Critical Theory, Frankfurt School, Music And Religion, Religion, Media, and Culture, Religion & the Public Sphere, and 30 moreReligion and Politics, Political Theology, Religion and Film, Religious Studies, Christianity, Justice, Walter Benjamin, 19th Century (History), Ecumenical Theology, 1960s, Ecumenism, Bible and Popular Culture, New Testament, Television Studies, American Religion, Religion and Popular Culture, Film and Theology, American serial television, Faith & Order ecumenism, Kierkegaard, The Theology of Søren Kierkegaard, Ezra Pound, Popular Music, Popular Music Studies, Neoliberalism, Popular Culture, Television Drama, Rock Music, American Religious History, and 1960s (U.S. history)edit
- Theodore Louis Trost is professor at the University of Alabama with appointments in both the Religious Studies depart... moreTheodore Louis Trost is professor at the University of Alabama with appointments in both the Religious Studies department and the New College. During the spring semester of 2022 he was a Nominated Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities at Edinburgh University and a Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Theology and Public Issues in the New College of Edinburgh University. Other fellowship positions were held at Leeds University, England, and Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada. He is the co-founder of the Music and Religion Group in the American Academy of Religion and served with Philip Stoltzfus for eight years (until 2015) as co-chair. He also served as chair of the Religious Studies department at Alabama from 2009 to 2013. Professor Trost studies how community is constructed and maintained through narrative and songs. His research focuses on religious--especially biblical--rhetoric, narrative, and symbol in popular media including music, television, and film.
email: ttrost@ua.eduedit
The first essay, Epiphany at the Capitol: Fight Songs for the Insurrection, offers an elaboration upon writing I had begun as part of the "Uncivil Religion" digital media project—a collaboration between the Department of Religious Studies... more
The first essay, Epiphany at the Capitol: Fight Songs for the Insurrection, offers an elaboration upon writing I had begun as part of the "Uncivil Religion" digital media project—a collaboration between the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Alabama and The Smithsonian Institute's National Museum of American History under the direction of Michael Altman and Jerome Copulsky. In this piece, I am interested in the claims about Christian identity that seem to be advanced in song by supporters of the "Stop the Steal" campaign. While this event takes place on January 6, the Feast of Epiphany (or the 12th day of Christmas) according to the Christian church year, there seems to be no awareness of this holy day's stature among the Christians who have sojourned from afar to gather together in the nation's capital. The inference of this disregard may itself suggest a kind of epiphany.
The second essay, Notes on The Beatles' 'White Album' in the Year 2022, considers the historical context and literary content of certain tunes from the Beatles' 1968 album that speak to the continuing problem of violence in America over half a century later. A surprising admixture of religion and gunplay, it is argued, appears in these compositions. This essay arose in relation to the insurrection in Washington in January 2021, the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and the series of mass shootings that were occurring across America during the spring and summer of 2022.
https://www.iash.ed.ac.uk/news/enduring-violence-america
The second essay, Notes on The Beatles' 'White Album' in the Year 2022, considers the historical context and literary content of certain tunes from the Beatles' 1968 album that speak to the continuing problem of violence in America over half a century later. A surprising admixture of religion and gunplay, it is argued, appears in these compositions. This essay arose in relation to the insurrection in Washington in January 2021, the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and the series of mass shootings that were occurring across America during the spring and summer of 2022.
https://www.iash.ed.ac.uk/news/enduring-violence-america
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The African Diaspora and the Study of Religion engages a variety of conversations at the forefront of contemporary scholarship in the study of religion and in African diaspora studies. These conversations include: the construction of... more
The African Diaspora and the Study of Religion engages a variety of conversations at the forefront of contemporary scholarship in the study of religion and in African diaspora studies. These conversations include: the construction of racial identity in diverse national settings (Brazil, Mexico, Britain, North America); new religious movements and nationalism; alternative religious narratives in the diaspora; literature read through the lens of diaspora; trans-Atlantic culture (the role of Denmark in Nella Larson's novel Quicksand, for example, or Ethiopia in Rastafarianism); and the role of the scholar and scholarship in the construction of religious and political meaning.
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The variety and complexity of its traditions make African American religion one of the most difficult topics in religious studies to teach to undergraduates. The sheer scope of the material to be covered is daunting to instructors, many... more
The variety and complexity of its traditions make African American religion one of the most difficult topics in religious studies to teach to undergraduates. The sheer scope of the material to be covered is daunting to instructors, many of whom are not experts in African American religious traditions, but are called upon to include material on African American religion in courses on American Religious History or the History of Christianity. Also, the unfamiliarity of the subject matter to the vast majority of students makes it difficult to achieve any depth in the brief time allotted in the survey courses where it is usually first encountered. The essays in this volume will supply functional, innovative ways to teach African American religious traditions in a variety of settings.
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In this first complete biography of Douglas Horton, we are introduced to an extremely important but surprisingly unheralded twentieth-century religious leader. Throughout his life, Horton worked tirelessly for church and world unity under... more
In this first complete biography of Douglas Horton, we are introduced to an extremely important but surprisingly unheralded twentieth-century religious leader. Throughout his life, Horton worked tirelessly for church and world unity under the banner of ecumenism, and his efforts bore fruit in a variety of venues. Horton introduced Americans to the work of Swiss theologian Karl Barth through his translation of The Word of God and the Word of Man (1928). He was the chief architect of the denominational merger that formed the United Church of Christ (1957). He also presided over the transformation of the Harvard Divinity School from a near moribund institution to a distinguished center of religious learning (1955–1959). Toward the end of his life, Horton coordinated the Protestant presence at the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965).
Research Interests: Religion, American History, Religious Education, American Religion, Protestantism, and 10 moreEcumenical Theology, Karl Barth, Second Vatican Council, Faith & Order ecumenism, Ecumenical and Interfaith Dialogue, American Religious History, Denominations, Ecumenism, Ecumenical Ecclesiology, and Seminary
This dissertation focuses on the theme of ecumenism as it is embodied in the career of the American Protestant church leader, Douglas Horton. The chapters delineate stages in the development of Horton's ecumenical commitments. First, as a... more
This dissertation focuses on the theme of ecumenism as it is embodied in the career of the American Protestant church leader, Douglas Horton. The chapters delineate stages in the development of Horton's ecumenical commitments. First, as a student at Hartford Theological Seminary, Horton partakes of the ecumenical ethos that permeates the seminary community in the aftermath of the 1910 Edinburgh Conference. Second, while serving as a Congregational pastor, Horton brings contemporary German theology to the awareness of a wide American audience through his translation of Karl Barth's The Word of God and the Word of Man. At the same time, his concern for a world torn asunder by war and economic depression draws him into the emerging ecumenical movement. Then, after a series of pastorates in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Chicago, he becomes the leader of the Congregational Christian Churches as they negotiate union with the Evangelical and Reformed Church to form the United Church of Christ. Next, as Dean of Harvard Divinity School, he presides over the inclusion of the first Roman Catholic onto the faculty and advocates for the development of a center for the study of world religions. During this period he also works to secure the advances made under his leadership in the United Church of Christ and in the Faith and Order movement. Finally, he is an active interlocutor in wide ranging theological conversations with the Roman Catholic hierarchy as a Protestant observers at the Second Vatican Council.
Research Interests: American History, Interfaith Discourse, Protestantism, Ecumenical Theology, Karl Barth, and 15 moreAmerican Protestantism, Second Vatican Council, Interfaith Dialogue, Ecumenical and Interfaith Dialogue, American Religious History, 20th century American cultural history, Ecumenism, Ecumenical Ecclesiology, Theology and History of Vatican II, Harvard University, World Council of Churches, Congregationalism, United Church of Christ, Ecumenical movement, and Faith and Order
The neaniskos of Mark 14.51 and 16.5 is the lens through which this study reads the Gospel of Mark. This MA thesis was submitted to the faculty of the Graduate Theological Union in partial fulfillment for the MA portion of a dual MA/MDiv... more
The neaniskos of Mark 14.51 and 16.5 is the lens through which this study reads the Gospel of Mark. This MA thesis was submitted to the faculty of the Graduate Theological Union in partial fulfillment for the MA portion of a dual MA/MDiv degree with San Francisco Theological Seminary.
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This chapter contrasts the myth of America as established in the Lewis Allen (Abel Meeropol) song "The House I Live In" (1936) with the parabolic or satirical songs of the early 1970s written by Randy Newman and presented on his albums... more
This chapter contrasts the myth of America as established in the Lewis Allen (Abel Meeropol) song "The House I Live In" (1936) with the parabolic or satirical songs of the early 1970s written by Randy Newman and presented on his albums "Sail Away" and "Good Old Boys."
Research Interests: American Studies, Popular Music, Popular Culture, Race and Racism, Popular Culture and Religious Studies, and 15 moreThe Sixties, Music And Religion, Humor/Satire, Race and Religion, Satire and Irony, Satire, Satire, Irony, Parody, Political Satire, Rock Music, Hippie counterculture in the US, Race and Popular Culture, myth of the American Dream, Singer-Songwriters, Race and American Identities, and Randy Newman
This chapter examines U2's POP album (1997) and argues that its experiments in sound and lyric offer a poignant theology in the secular age.
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“Jacking into the Matrix Franchise: Cultural Reception and Interpretation [is] a collection of meaty essays on The Matrix’s cultural meaning. Hailing from a range of scholarly disciplines, the contributors speak to the innumerable... more
“Jacking into the Matrix Franchise: Cultural Reception and Interpretation [is] a collection of meaty essays on The Matrix’s cultural meaning. Hailing from a range of scholarly disciplines, the contributors speak to the innumerable interpretations the films have inspired. This collection’s strength is that it doesn’t try to tell you that the Matrix films are good or bad movies. The writers are as interested in the films’ failures as in their innovations, and in the opportunities they offer to take the measure of the American mind. They ask intriguing questions. I came away from Jacking convinced that the Matrix films are more than action flicks. By provoking such passionate and thoughtful responses, from academics and water-cooler philosophers alike, the series has embodied the cyborg dreams, the fears and desires, of Americans at the turn of the millennium. And that’s something worth reading about.” – The Boston Phoenix, 9/11/04
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Notes on The Beatles' 'White Album' in the Year 2022, considers the historical context and literary content of certain tunes from the Beatles' 1968 album that speak to the continuing problem of violence in America over half a century... more
Notes on The Beatles' 'White Album' in the Year 2022, considers the historical context and literary content of certain tunes from the Beatles' 1968 album that speak to the continuing problem of violence in America over half a century later. A surprising admixture of religion and gunplay, it is argued, appears in these compositions. This essay arose in relation to the insurrection in Washington in January 2021, the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and the series of mass shootings that were occurring across America during the spring and summer of 2022.
"Notes on the Beatles' 'White Album' in the Year 2022," in Enduring Violence in America: Two Essays by Theodore Louis Trost," Occasional Papers of the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, Edinburgh, Scotland (March 2023): 17-25; 29-32. Also online: https://www.iash.ed.ac.uk/news/enduring-violence-america
"Notes on the Beatles' 'White Album' in the Year 2022," in Enduring Violence in America: Two Essays by Theodore Louis Trost," Occasional Papers of the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, Edinburgh, Scotland (March 2023): 17-25; 29-32. Also online: https://www.iash.ed.ac.uk/news/enduring-violence-america
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Epiphany at the Capitol: Fight Songs for the Insurrection, offers an elaboration upon writing I had begun as part of the "Uncivil Religion" digital media project—a collaboration between the Department of Religious Studies at the... more
Epiphany at the Capitol: Fight Songs for the Insurrection, offers an elaboration upon writing I had begun as part of the "Uncivil Religion" digital media project—a collaboration between the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Alabama and The Smithsonian Institute's National Museum of American History under the direction of Michael Altman and Jerome Copulsky. In this piece, I am interested in the claims about Christian identity that seem to be advanced in song by supporters of the "Stop the Steal" campaign. While this event takes place on January 6, the Feast of Epiphany (or the 12th day of Christmas) according to the Christian church year, there seems to be no awareness of this holy day's stature among the Christians who have sojourned from afar to gather together in the nation's capital. The inference of this disregard may itself suggest a kind of epiphany.
Epiphany at the Capitol: Fight Songs for the Insurrection," in Enduring Violence in America: Two Essays by Theodore Louis Trost," Occasional Papers of the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, Edinburgh, Scotland (March 2023): 1-16; 26-29. Also online: https://www.iash.ed.ac.uk/news/enduring-violence-america
Epiphany at the Capitol: Fight Songs for the Insurrection," in Enduring Violence in America: Two Essays by Theodore Louis Trost," Occasional Papers of the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, Edinburgh, Scotland (March 2023): 1-16; 26-29. Also online: https://www.iash.ed.ac.uk/news/enduring-violence-america
Research Interests: Religion, American Studies, Religion and Politics, Popular Culture and Religious Studies, Religion, Media, and Culture, and 8 morePolitics and Religion, American Civil Religion, American Popular Culture, Religion and Violence, Religion and Popular Culture, American Religious History, Religion and literature, film, media, and popular culture; global Christianity; postcolonial and cultural theory, and Religion and Popular Music
This essay reviews the “Reagan Era” (1980–1988) in the United States through works by Bruce Cockburn and, in particular, the legendary ensemble, The Call. It focuses on ways these artists use theological language to critique the dominant... more
This essay reviews the “Reagan Era” (1980–1988) in the United States through works by Bruce Cockburn and, in particular, the legendary ensemble, The Call. It focuses on ways these artists use theological language to critique the dominant politics of the era.
Research Interests: Popular Music Studies, Popular Music, Religion and Politics, Popular Culture and Religious Studies, Music And Religion, and 14 morePolitical Theology, Theology and Music, Religion and Popular Culture, Theology and Popular Culture, Popular Music and Culture, Theology and Religion, Cultural Theory, Theology and Music, Popular Protest Songs, American Popular Song, Essay on Popular Song Lyrics and Poetry, Religion and Popular Music, Popular Music, Religion and Popular Music, Bible and Popular Music, Popular Song, and Music and Theology
The career of 19th century German-American church historian, Philip Schaff, represents an early instance of cross-Atlantic endeavor that would be recognized by later historians as ecumenical. This article examines the pattern of... more
The career of 19th century German-American church historian, Philip Schaff, represents an early instance of cross-Atlantic endeavor that would be recognized by later historians as ecumenical. This article examines the pattern of proto-ecumenical endeavor that Schaff embodied and identifies some inheritors of his legacy, including S. Parkes Cadman, H. Richard Niebuhr, Douglas Horton, and Gabriel Fackre.
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The early 1980s represent a key moment in American culture when neoliberal politics and economic policy began to take hold under the presidency of Ronald Reagan. Airlines were among those corporations most affected by the weakening of... more
The early 1980s represent a key moment in American culture when neoliberal politics and economic policy began to take hold under the presidency of Ronald Reagan. Airlines were among those corporations most affected by the weakening of union power and the increased competition that resulted from deregulation. This article views these changes through the lens of the Quipper—an underground publication produced by flight attendants who worked for Pan American World Airways. After a brief survey of Pan Am’s history, with particular attention to the corporate lore that contributed to the airline’s legendary allure, the Quipper is reviewed as a site for managing a common identity through satire and sass, rumor and innuendo. Publication of the Quipper allowed its writers to perform a kind of emotional labor—both for themselves and vicariously on behalf of their colleagues—in the face of corporate decline.
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In an effort to entice un-churched or anti-church individuals toward membership, the United Church of Christ (previously Congregational Christian Churches + the Evangelical and Reformed Church) launched an "edgy" television advertising... more
In an effort to entice un-churched or anti-church individuals toward membership, the United Church of Christ (previously Congregational Christian Churches + the Evangelical and Reformed Church) launched an "edgy" television advertising campaign. Emphasis was placed on the "inclusive church." Branding included the adoption of the comma as a symbol for the denomination, in the spirit of a quote attributed to comedian Gracie Allen: "Don't put a period where God places a comma." Great publicity was generated for the denomination for a time. Ironically, the largest group of non-white church members, namely, the Puerto Rican Conference of the UCC, left the denomination over its radically inclusive agenda. This essay explores the contours of the campaign: its mission, ambition, cost, and consequences.
Research Interests: Religion, Television Studies, American Religion, Congregational Studies, Advertising and Media, and 15 moreProtestantism, Branding, Religion and Popular Culture, Mainline Protestants, Mass media, American Religious History, Denominations, Ecumenism, United Church of Christ, Advertising and Branding, Church and Racism, Religion and Mass Media, Multiculturalism and Mainline Protestantism, Mainline Churches, and Liberal Congregationalism
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This article argues that John Nevin's 1843 book The Anxious Bench encourages Lutherans to embrace the "system of the catechism" in opposition to the popular "system of the bench."
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Volume ! La revue des musiques populaires Watching Music 14/2 2017 pp. 270-272
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"HOORAY FOR OUR SIDE”: SONGS, IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION, AND SOUND DOCTRINE Books Reviewed in this Article: WHITE SOUL: COUNTRY MUSIC, THE CHURCH AND WORKING AMERICANS. By Tex Sample; APOSTLES OF ROCK: THE SPLINTERED WORLD OF CONTEMPORARY... more
"HOORAY FOR OUR SIDE”: SONGS, IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION, AND SOUND DOCTRINE
Books Reviewed in this Article:
WHITE SOUL: COUNTRY MUSIC, THE CHURCH AND WORKING AMERICANS. By Tex Sample; APOSTLES OF ROCK: THE SPLINTERED WORLD OF CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC. By Jay R. Howard and John M. Streck; BLUES AND EVIL. By Jon Michael Spencer; THE RISE OF GOSPEL BLUES: THE MUSIC OF THOMAS ANDREW DORSEY IN THE URBAN CHURCH. By Michael W. Harris; IF YOU DON'T GO, DON'T HINDER ME: THE AFRICAN AMERICAN SACRED SONG TRADITION. By Bernice Johnson; BLACK HYMNODY: A HYMNOLOGICAL HISTORY OF THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN CHURCH. By Jon Michael Spencer; HOW SHALL WE SING IN A FOREIGN LAND? MUSIC OF IRISH CATHOLIC IMMIGRANTS IN THE ANTEBELLUM UNITED STATES. By Robert R. Grimes; THE SOUND OF THE DOVE: SINGING IN APPALACHIAN PRIMITIVE BAPTIST CHURCHES. By Beverly Bush.
Books Reviewed in this Article:
WHITE SOUL: COUNTRY MUSIC, THE CHURCH AND WORKING AMERICANS. By Tex Sample; APOSTLES OF ROCK: THE SPLINTERED WORLD OF CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC. By Jay R. Howard and John M. Streck; BLUES AND EVIL. By Jon Michael Spencer; THE RISE OF GOSPEL BLUES: THE MUSIC OF THOMAS ANDREW DORSEY IN THE URBAN CHURCH. By Michael W. Harris; IF YOU DON'T GO, DON'T HINDER ME: THE AFRICAN AMERICAN SACRED SONG TRADITION. By Bernice Johnson; BLACK HYMNODY: A HYMNOLOGICAL HISTORY OF THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN CHURCH. By Jon Michael Spencer; HOW SHALL WE SING IN A FOREIGN LAND? MUSIC OF IRISH CATHOLIC IMMIGRANTS IN THE ANTEBELLUM UNITED STATES. By Robert R. Grimes; THE SOUND OF THE DOVE: SINGING IN APPALACHIAN PRIMITIVE BAPTIST CHURCHES. By Beverly Bush.
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https://religion.ua.edu/blog/2021/12/13/january-6-2021-call-it-epiphany/ To some, January 6th was an exercise in Christian Nationalism; to others, it was an act of insurrection. By providence or coincidence, the day of January 6th... more
https://religion.ua.edu/blog/2021/12/13/january-6-2021-call-it-epiphany/
To some, January 6th was an exercise in Christian Nationalism; to others, it was an act of insurrection. By providence or coincidence, the day of January 6th arises with great solemnity and also festivity as holiday in the calendar of many Christian churches, for January 6th has long been designated the Feast of Epiphany.
To some, January 6th was an exercise in Christian Nationalism; to others, it was an act of insurrection. By providence or coincidence, the day of January 6th arises with great solemnity and also festivity as holiday in the calendar of many Christian churches, for January 6th has long been designated the Feast of Epiphany.
Research Interests: Christianity, Popular Culture, Religion and Politics, Political Violence and Terrorism, Politics, and 9 morePopular Culture and Religious Studies, Religion, Media, and Culture, Political Theology, Bible and Popular Culture, Religion and Popular Culture, Religion and Media, American Religious History, Biblical Hermeneutics, and Christian Studies
This meditation appears on the Uncivil Religion web site: https://uncivilreligion.org/home/index. The article extracts three elements from the flow of events that took place at the Capitol Building on December 6, 2021, and subjects them... more
This meditation appears on the Uncivil Religion web site: https://uncivilreligion.org/home/index. The article extracts three elements from the flow of events that took place at the Capitol Building on December 6, 2021, and subjects them to scrutiny as religious curios—that is, as novel examples of convictions and concerns associated with religious practices and beliefs that currently circulate in American culture.
Research Interests: Religion, Christianity, Religion and Politics, Political Religion, Music and Media, and 9 moreMusic And Religion, Political Theology, Religion and Social Change, American Civil Religion, English and American Studies, Religion and Media, American Religious History, Religious Studies, and Christian Studies
This brief reflection anchors U2's WAR album in the proto-punk songcraft of The Stooges and points to the album's enduring pertinence during the summer of viruses, 2020.
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As the authorized lore goes, U2 regrouped after POP, returned to their roots, and started writing recognizable songs again. In short, they came to their senses. I see it differently. For me, POP is that extra push over the cliff, as... more
As the authorized lore goes, U2 regrouped after POP, returned to their roots, and started writing recognizable songs again. In short, they came to their senses. I see it differently. For me, POP is that extra push over the cliff, as Nigel Tuffnel once remarked. On this album, U2 “go up to 11.”