How should a follower of Christ engage the popular media culture? By becoming a mystic Sr. Nancy challenges Christians today to delve deep into the rich theological tradition of the church as the root and foundation for recognizing the beauty of God present in all that is truly human. The artists of popular culture sometimes unwittingly seek transcendence while grappling with some of humanity's most profound existential longings. The cultural mystics of today point out those needs of humanity in the culture's artifacts in order to enter into dialogue with those who seek something beyond what this world satisfies. The anthropological-sacramental-incarnational paradigm presented gives us this ability to take a sacred look of the culture and offer the joy of the Gospel, Christ who is the answer of all humanity's yearnings ""When you see words and phrases like 'cultural mysticism, ' 'transcendence, ' and 'TV as art' on the contents page, there is an urge to look further. Sister Nancy continues a fine US Christian tradition, both Catholic and Protestant: the quest for meaning in movies. She extends this search in this social media age to a wide range of communications and popular arts."" --Peter Malone, Cinema Desk, SIGNIS, World Catholic Association for Communication ""Sister Nancy's unique approach to popular culture and spirituality is a revelation. We so seldom think that we can all be theologians and mystics, but Nancy leads us to wonder about God's self-communication and presence in storytelling, and introduces ways of seeing our world that lead to contemplation, reflection, prayer, and action."" --Rose Pacatte, film critic, National Catholic Reporter ""Sister Nancy, in A Sacred Look: Becoming Cultural Mystics, offers a monumental contribution to the literature of spiritual formation and theology of film. . . . This masterful examination of entertainment art as theological source in the service of mysticism deserves wide circulation and a long shelf life."" --Scott Young, President, Culture Connection Sr. Nancy Usselmann is a Daughter of St. Paul and the Director of the Pauline Center for Media Studies in Los Angeles, California. She is a media literacy education specialist and theologian, a national speaker, blogger, and reviewer of films on bemediamindful.org.
