Graduation Year
Spring 2014
Document Type
Campus Only Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Religious Studies
Reader 1
Gaston Espinosa
Terms of Use & License Information
Rights Information
© 2014 Douglas W.L. Peterson
Abstract
God never died as scholars of secularization theory from the 1960s and 1970s proposed that he eventually would, but He rather reappeared within the context of Pop music. This work analyzes the lives and music of Yusuf Islam a.k.a. Cat Stevens, Kanye West, Bob Dylan, and George Harrison in order to see how their inner quest for peace brought upon by religious conversion affected their supreme message. Once the artists realized the phenomenal peace found in experiencing personal relationships with the Divine, their music changed so as to inspire others to seek the same greater freedoms from which they benefited upon turning within. These four elite members of secular society did not privatize their faiths, and by sharing their new found beliefs with the world, they turned the minds of millions Godwards.
Recommended Citation
Peterson, Douglas W.L., "Liberation Pop Theology: An Exploration Of The Different Ways Pop Musicians Have Led Individuals To Greater Salvation" (2014). CMC Senior Theses. 949.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/949
This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.
