Religion and Popular Culture in America, Third Edition

The connection between popular culture and religion is an enduring part of American life. With seventy-five percent new content, the third edition of this multifaceted and popular collection has been revised and updated throughout to provide greater religious diversity in its topics and address critical developments in the study of religion and popular culture.

Ideal for classroom use, this expanded volume

• gives increased attention to the implications of digital culture and the increasingly interactive quality of popular culture
• provides a framework to help students understand and appreciate the work in diverse fields, methods, and perspectives
• contains an updated introduction, discussion questions, and other instructional tools

Auteur

Bruce David Forbes is Professor of Religious Studies at Morningside College. He is the author of Christmas: A Candid Histor*y and *America's Favorite Holidays: Candid Histories and coeditor of Religion and Popular Culture in America.

Jeffrey H. Mahan holds the Ralph E. and Norma E. Peck Chair in Religion and Public Communication at the Iliff School of Theology. His books include Religion, Media, and Culture: An Introduction, Shared Wisdom, and American Television Genres.

Contenu

Preface to the Third Edition Introduction: Finding Religion in Unexpected Places Bruce David Forbes PART I. RELIGION IN POPULAR CULTURE 1. The Origin(s) of Superman: Reimagining Religion in the Man of Steel Dan W. Clanton Jr. 2. The Oriental Monk in American Popular Culture Jane Naomi Iwamura 3. Adventure Time and Sacred History: Myth and Reality in Children's Animated Cartoons Elijah Siegler 4. Monstrous Muslims: Historical Anxieties and Future Trends Sophia Rose Arjana 5. The Weight of the World: Religion and Heavy Metal Music in Four Cases Jason C. Bivins PART II. POPULAR CULTURE IN RELIGION 6. Christmas Is Like a Snowball Bruce David Forbes 7. Mipsterz: Hip, American, and Muslim Kristin M. Peterson Nabil Echchaibi 8. Megachurches, Celebrity Pastors, and the Evangelical Industrial Complex Jessica Johnson 9. People of the Picture Book: PJ Library and American Jewish Religion Rachel B. Gross 10. Meditation on the Go: Buddhist Smartphone Apps as Video Game Play Gregory Price Grieve PART III. POPULAR CULTURE AS RELIGION 11. It's About Faith in Our Future: Star Trek Fandom as Cultural Religion Michael Jindra 12. Shopping, Religion, and the Sacred "Buyosphere" Sarah McFarland Taylor 13. Losing Their Way to Salvation: Women, Weight Loss, and the Religion of Thinness Michelle M. Lelwica 14. The "Godding Up" of American Sports Joseph L. Price 15. Celebrity Worship as Parareligion: Bieber and the Beliebers Pete Ward PART IV. RELIGION AND POPULAR CULTURE IN DIALOGUE 16. Yoga in Popular Culture: Controversies and Conflicts Shreena Niketa Gandhi 17. Mirror, Mirror on Ourselves: Disney as a Site of Religio-Cultural Dialogue Stephanie Brehm and Myev Rees 18. Can Watching a Movie Be a Spiritual Experience? Robert K. Johnston 19. Rap Music and Its Message: On Interpreting the Contact between Religion and Popular Culture Anthony B. Pinn 20. Broadswords and Face Paint: Why Braveheart Still Matters Curtis D. Coats and Stewart M. Hoover Contributors Index