American Idol(atry): A Religious Profanation

It may seem as though religion, and along with it the prophetic voice, is and has long been on a steady decline in terms of wider societal and spiritual significance in our increasingly postmodern Western culture. This paper will provide a theoretical counterpoint to this prevailing ethos by means of reflection upon the reappearance and recontexualization of the perennial Western theological notion of idol(atry). The resurrection of this theme by means of the “reality” television show American Idol will serve as an entrance point into (popular) music culture in an attempt to distill potential religio-theological implications for contemporary culture.