American Soundings

American Soundings

Rodney Clapp explores the religious dimensions of popular culture

There's a word for it

A collection of neologisms
Apr 07, 2009 by Rodney Clapp
New inventions often result in new words, or neologisms. Radar, for instance, emerged as an acronym for a “radio detection and ranging” device. Cultural developments also evoke new words and phrases, such as cyberspace (originating from science fiction), soccer mom (from the world of politics) or prequel (from movies and pop culture).

Bad news evangelicals

Reactionary evangelicalism needs to be born again
Mar 10, 2009 by Rodney Clapp
For a practice to qualify as “evangelical” in the functional sense means first of all that it communicates news. It says something particular that would not be known and could not be believed were it not said.

In tune with the universe

The staple food of the soul
Feb 10, 2009 by Rodney Clapp
For Christians (as for religious people of various sorts), music is a basic human activity. We cannot live without worshiping, and we cannot worship without making music. Smack in the middle of the Bible are the Psalms, the blues and praise songs of the ancient Hebrews. And the earliest confessions of the New Testament may have been lifted directly from hymns that rang out in corporate worship.

No problem after all

Better than "You're welcome"

Jan 13, 2009 by Rodney Clapp

In recent years, “No problem” has become a customary response to a “Thank you” rendered to wait staff, service providers, hosts and gift givers. By my observation, this practice of replacing “You’re welcome” with “No problem” began with the generation now in their thirties. “No problem” is now widespread enough that Judith Martin (Miss Manners) has thought it necessary to pronounce against it.

Celestial navigation

We have lost the sky
Dec 16, 2008 by Rodney Clapp
It was Marshall McLuhan, I believe, who first observed that the increased speed of transportation and communication had made the world a global village. That observation has become a commonplace. But we don’t usually focus on the aspect of the village metaphor that suggests we have become more, not less, parochial than our predecessors.