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Theology, Religion, and The Office: Beauty in Ordinary Things explores the enduring impact of the hit NBC series
The Office, which, seven years after its official end, remained the number one streamed TV show with a staggering 57 billion viewing minutes, outpacing its closest competitor by 45%.
The Office has made an indelible mark on popular culture, paving the way for beloved series like
Brooklyn Nine-Nine,
Parks and Recreation, and
The Good Place. Beyond its witty humor and memorable characters, this book questions whether the show's value extends beyond mere comedy, and delves into the deeper lessons and insights it offers. As an addition to the Theology, Religion, and Pop Culture series, the book invites readers to consider the theological and philosophical dimensions hidden within the ordinary settings of this fictional Pennsylvania paper company. This volume has gathered a diverse group of scholars from theology, religion, and related fields providing a unique theological and religious perspectives on
The Office.
List of contents
Introduction: The Office, the Ordinary, and the Otherwise Theological
Daniel J. CameronPart One: The Office and the Christian Life
Chapter One: A Little Slower in Scranton: The Notion of True Progress in
The OfficeJames SpencerChapter Two: There is No Such Thing as an Appropriate Joke, That is Why It Is A Joke: An Exploration of Diversity Day and Sexual Harassment.
Manon Ceridwen JamesChapter Three: Bring Your Faith to Work: The Constructive Possibilities of Pluralism in
The OfficeAmar D. PetermanChapter Four: Confessions in
The Office: Honesty in the Dishonest World of Branch Plant America
Robert Grant PriceChapter Five: We Have Wasted Too Much of Our Time Ignoring the Fact That We Belong Together:
The Office, Belonging, and the Body of Christ
Daniel RempelChapter Six: That's What She Said: On the Hidden and Underestimated Power of Women in
The Office and in the Church
Jennifer WotochekChapter Seven: An Office is a Place to Live Life to the Fullest: Michael Scott as a Prophet of Hope
Mary Dance Berry Chapter Eight: Patron Saints of Bears, Beets, and
Battlestar Galactica: Towards
The Office's Unlikely Communion of Saints
Carolyn Elizabeth BeardPart Two: The Office and Christian Thought
Chapter Nine: What is Wrong With Everybody:
The Office and the Christian Doctrine of Sin
Thomas H. McCall and
Isaac T. McCallChapter Ten: God Chose the Awkward Things to Confound the Wisdom of the Management
Mark BriansChapter Eleven:
The Mind of the Maker and
The Office: An Application of Dorothy Sayers' Analogy of the Trinity
Johanna De HavenChapter Twelve: He Can Heal Leopards: Barth and Bonhoeffer on Michael Scott's View of Redemption
Corey TuttleChapter Thirteen: Beauty in Ordinary Things: The Theological and Religious World of a Pennsylvania Paper Company
Daniel J. Cameron
About the author
Daniel J. Cameron serves as the Bible Department Head and Director of Spiritual Life at Chicago Hope Academy (IL, USA).
