Abstract
Religion and popular culture are often thought of as being at odds with one another. Christianity, however, has a history of utilizing popular culture as a tool to reach people outside of the faith – to stay relevant in culture. In modern times, this has included the introduction of popular music styles in the worship environment. U.S. pastors have also long enjoyed using clips from movies as sermon illustrations. Churches have held movie nights or other events involving screening films in public performances. Churches have continued to push the boundaries of showing films and incorporating them into sermons. These efforts not only blur the lines between sacred and secular but also the lines between legal and illegal regarding copyright protections. This creates an ethical dilemma for churches that want to reach their communities but not break the law. This ethical and legal dilemma is considered through relevant ethical approaches and U.S. case law.
Presenters
Ryan GeesamanAcademic Dean, Arts & Sciences, Communication & Media Arts, and Music, Worship & Performing Arts, Lancaster Bible College | Capital Seminary and Graduate School, Pennsylvania, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Intellectual Property, Religion, Marketing, Ethics, Law
