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 Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...

, and cultural commentator. He is dean of the College of Fine Arts and Production at

Grand Canyon University Grand Canyon University (GCU) is a private for-profit Christian university in Phoenix, Arizona. Based on student enrollment, Grand Canyon University was the largest Christian university in the world in 2018, with 20,000 attending students on c ...

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the on ...

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 ...

graduate from Davidson College with a B.A. in English. He went on to receive a Master of Fine Arts 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 Fuller Theological Seminary is an interdenominational Evangelical Christian seminary in Pasadena, California, with regional campuses in the western United States. It is egalitarian in nature. Fuller consistently has a student body that compr ...

. 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 ...

La Mirada, California La Mirada ( Spanish for "The Look") is a city in southeast Los Angeles County, California United States, and is one of the Gateway Cities. The population was 48,527 at the 2010 census, up from 46,783 at the 2000 census. The La Mirada Theatre f ...

. Detweiler also served as professor of communication at

Pepperdine University Pepperdine University () is a private research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California. Pepperdine's main campus consists of 830 acres (340 ha) overlooking the Pacific Ocean and th ...

Malibu, California Malibu ( ; es, Malibú; Chumash: ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate and its strip of the Malib ...

. In 2016,

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

recognized Detweiler as the Mentor of the Year.

Screenplays

As a screenwriter, he has written over ten feature-length screenplays, including '' The Duke'' (1999) for Buena Vista and the road trip comedy ''

Extreme Days ''Extreme Days'' is a 2001 comedy-romance film about four boys on a roadtrip that they have been planning their whole lives. Their dreams are to participate in many extreme sports, but they are stopped short due to many circumstances. Plot Four c ...

'' (2001). In 1996, he directed a documentary, ''Williams Syndrome: A Highly Musical Species'', which premiered at the Boston Film Festival.

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 Starting with the 2000 United States presidential election, the terms "red state" and "blue state" have referred to U.S. states whose voters vote predominantly for one party — the Republican Party in red states and the Democratic Party in b ...

red state Starting with the 2000 United States presidential election, the terms "red state" and "blue state" have referred to U.S. states whose voters vote predominantly for one party — the Republican Party in red states and the Democratic Party in b ...

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 territori ...

. 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