Mark Johnson begins his monograph with a preface of “gentle advice” for his readers: his book is a shallow overview of punk in 1970s Britain with a focus on its seditious elements, and an equally shallow exploration of Jesus as seditious prophet and leader (ix). His hope is for readers familiar with one set of knowledges to learn from the other and for those unfamiliar with both to “enjoy the read and feel you have encountered something new” (ix). In any case, Johnson suggests that punk aficionados, religious studies scholars, and committed Christians can engage in “imaginative re-identification,” borrowing David Brown's sense of allowing analogies between two obviously dissimilar sets of texts to illuminate both (4).
Seditious Theology is divided into two parts, the first offering an overview of 1970s British punk. He notes that one locus of British punk was the clothing shop run by Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne...
