Craig Detweiler (born 1964) is a

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

, filmmaker, and

cultural commentator A cultural critic is a critic of a given culture, usually as a whole. Cultural criticism has significant overlap with social and cultural theory. While such criticism is simply part of the self-consciousness of the culture, the social positions o ...

. He is dean of the College of Fine Arts and Production at Grand Canyon University in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

Early life and career

Detweiler grew up in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

. He is a

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

graduate from

Davidson College Davidson College is a private liberal arts college in Davidson, North Carolina. It was established in 1837 by the Concord Presbytery and named after Revolutionary War general William Lee Davidson, who was killed at the nearby Battle of Cowan� ...

with a B.A. in English. He went on to receive a

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admini ...

from the University of Southern California's School of Cinema/TV. Later he received a Masters of Divinity and PhD in theology and culture at Fuller Theological Seminary. While at Fuller, he co-founded the Windrider Forum, a "vehicle to promote the presentation and exploration of the human story through film and visual media". He served as associate professor and chair of the Mass Communication Department at

Biola University Biola University () is a private, nondenominational, evangelical Christian university in La Mirada, California. It was founded in 1908 as the Bible Institute of Los Angeles. It has over 150 programs of study in nine schools offering bachelor's, ...

in La Mirada, California. Detweiler also served as professor of communication at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. In 2016, Variety recognized Detweiler as the Mentor of the Year.

Screenplays

As a

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

, he has written over ten feature-length screenplays, including '' The Duke'' (1999) for Buena Vista and the

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comedy '' Extreme Days'' (2001). In 1996, he directed a documentary, ''Williams Syndrome: A Highly Musical Species'', which premiered at the

Boston Film Festival Boston Film Festival (BFF) is an annual film festival held in Boston in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It has been held annually since 1984, usually in early September. The Boston Film Festival premiered such notable films as '' The Last Kiss'' ...

Books

Detweiler's first book, co-written with Barry Taylor, was ''A Matrix of Meanings: Finding God in Pop Culture'', dealing with relationships between

advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...

, movies, music, TV and the divine. Other Detweiler books include: ''Into the Dark: Seeing the Sacred in the Top Films of the 21st Century'' (2008), discussing contemporary film from a social, cultural, and theological perspective; ''A Purple State of Mind: Finding Middle Ground in a Divided Culture'', a companion piece to his documentary film ''Purple State of Mind''; ''iGods: How Technology Shapes our Spiritual and Social Lives'' (2013), a theology of technology, internet and social media. ''Selfies: Searching for the Image of God in a Digital Age'' (2018) received an Award of Merit for the best books in Culture and the Arts from ''Christianity Today''. He has also edited two collections of essays, ''Halos and Avatars: Playing Video Games with God'' and ''Don't Stop Believin': Pop Culture and Religion from Ben-Hur to Zombies''.

Films

In 2008, Detweiler produced and directed a documentary, ''Purple State of Mind'' which explores the blue state/ red state tension in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. In 2013, Detweiler produced and directed a documentary, ''unCommon Sounds'' which brought musicians to Lebanon and Indonesia to build sustainable peace through music. It premiered on ABC's "Visions and Values" series.

Selected works

*Deep Focus: Film and Theology in Dialogue, with Robert K. Johnston and Kutter Callaway, Baker Academic, 2019 *Selfies: Searching for the Image of God in a Digital Age, Brazos Press, 2018 *iGods: How Technology Shapes Our Spiritual and Social Lives, Brazos Press, 2013 *Don't Stop Believin': Pop Culture and Religion from Ben-Hur to Zombies—Co-editor, Westminster John Knox, 2012 *Halos and Avatars: Playing Video Games with God—Editor, Westminster John Knox, 2010 *Into the Dark: Seeing the Sacred in the Top Films of the 21st Century—Baker Academic, 2008 *A Purple State of Mind: Finding Middle Ground in a Divided Culture—Conversant Life, 2008 *A Matrix of Meanings: Finding God in Pop Culture, co-written with Barry Taylor—Baker Academic, 2003 *"The Wire: Playing the Game" in Small Screen, Big Picture: Television and Lived Religion -- Diane Winston, editor, Baylor University Press, 2009 *"Christianity and Film" in Routledge Companion to Religion and Film—John Lyden, editor, 2009

Affiliations and awards

*American Academy of Religion, "Religion, Film and Visual Group," steering committee, 2007–2012 *Audience Award, "Purple State of Mind," Tallahassee Film Festival, 2009 *Best Spiritual Film, "Purple State of Mind," Breckenridge Festival of Film, 2008 *Finalist, Book of the Year, Into the Dark, Collide Magazine, 2008 *Finalist, Gold Medallion in Theology, A Matrix of Meanings, 2004 *Cine Golden Eagle, "Williams Syndrome", 1996 *Silver Award, Feature Documentary, "Williams Syndrome," WorldFest Charleston, 1996 *Crystal Heart Award, "Williams Syndrome," Heartland Film Festival, 1996

References

Biola University faculty profile

External links

Craig Detweiler at WorldCat Identities
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Purple State of Mind blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Detweiler, Craig 1964 births Living people Writers from Charlotte, North Carolina American male screenwriters Davidson College alumni USC School of Cinematic Arts alumni Fuller Theological Seminary alumni Pepperdine University faculty Biola University faculty Screenwriters from California Screenwriters from North Carolina