Page - 125 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 04/02

124 | Richard Goodwin www.jrfm.eu 2018, 4/2, 121–125 of an individual episode may be minimal, the cumulative effect of living with a particular TV show over months or years is bound to be more significant. This brings us to one of the most important contributions of the book, name- ly its discussion of the presence of the Spirit of God in the ritual practices of TV consumption. The optimistic take on the capacity of screen media to occa- sion the Spirit’s transformative activity will come as no surprise to those famil- iar with Callaway’s earlier work on film music, Scoring Transcendence.2 But here that notion is developed specifically with respect to the ritualisation so char- acteristic of the medium. Building upon the anthropological insights of Augus- tine, the authors advocate for a shift from a transmission view to a ritual view of communication (144). They then turn to the work of James K. A. Smith to demonstrate the power of ritual formation. The authors part ways with Smith slightly over the nature of desire; rather than seeing human passions as neutral and prone to misdirection, as per Smith, they prefer the more optimistic view of fellow-theologian William Dyrness that holds those passions to be potential sites of the Spirit’s activity (151). From there, the authors draw upon the revised take on general revelation advanced by Robert K. Johnston, in which “God’s wider presence” may be encountered in cultural artefacts and practices, like television (156). Callaway and Batali thus layer these theological resources to construct a robust argument for the possibility of the Spirit’s presence and ac- tivity in the ordinary patterns of TV viewing that typify contemporary life. Ordinarily, the discussion of ethics in this sort of book would hold minimal appeal for me. Not that ethics are not important – on the contrary, they are essential – but, in some cases, such conversations can feel a bit like a youth- group talk, aimed at the immature or just the plain puritanical. But, true to form, Callaway and Batali’s treatment of the ethics of TV watching is far more gener- ous, ambitious, and nuanced than most. They deliberately and explicitly move beyond the “big three” of content (sex, swearing, and violence) to consider ethical matters that are less obvious but potentially more insidious (166). Much of what they advocate boils down to the active avoidance of the silos and echo chambers that have become part-and-parcel of the modern, highly personalised mediascape. To that end, they point out the problematic nature of TV news that amounts to little more than entertainment (and the prophetic value of satirical news shows that expose it); the importance of diverse representation on TV; and the need to “curate” TV viewing habits to counteract the inevitable confir- mation biases that arise when consuming an exclusive diet of “recommended for you” suggestions generated by Netflix algorithms. Thanks to its accessibility and comprehensiveness, this book would be an ideal assigned text for classes on theology and television or required reading 2 Callaway 2013.