Religion and Mass Media Audiences and Adaptations

by Daniel A. Stout; Judith M. Buddenbaum

• ISBN13: 9780803971745
• ISBN10: 0803971745
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1996-03-21
• Publisher: Sage Publications

Summary

"This research on the uses of mass media across diverse Christian traditions is both original and provocative. By focusing on what audiences perceive and how they respond, Religion and Mass Media is able to illuminate the experience of faith at a time when devotion is seen as a dimension of individuality best suited to the privacy of one's home. Professors Daniel A. Stout and Judith M. Buddenbaum should be commended for helping advance the study of religion and mass communication in the United States." --John P. Ferrè, Associate Professor of Communication, University of Louisville How do religious audiences react to and use the mass media? Religion and Mass Media is an audience-centered examination that reveals how a variety of Christian traditions experience media news and entertainment--in the context of institutional religious influences and expectations. Drawing on social science theories and empirical research methodologies, the contributors explore responses from Roman Catholics, Fundamentalists, Evangelicals, mainline Protestants, and Mormons and a variety of other traditions. In the first section, contributors set the framework by describing recent theoretical developments in the sociology of religion and communication theory. Section two provides an overview of the particulars of certain religious beliefs, section three looks at audience behavior, section four describes specific case studies (including one on rap music), and section five looks at the changing information environment and the future. Students and professionals in communication, sociology, sociology of religion, and anthropology will find this volume to be both informative and insightful--an excellent supplement.

Table of Contents

PART ONE: THE CURRENT STATUS OF RESEARCH ON RELIGION AND MASS MEDIA - Daniel A Stout and Judith M Buddenbaum

Introduction

Toward a Synthesis of Mass Communication Research and the Sociology of Religion - Judith M Buddenbaum and Daniel A Stout

Religion and Mass Media Use

A Review of the Mass Communication and Sociology Literature

PART TWO: RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND MEDIA ORIENTATIONS: INSTITUTIONAL PERSPECTIVES - Ted G Jelen

Catholicism, Conscience, and Censorship - Judith M Buddenbaum

Mainline Protestants and the Media - Quentin J Schultze

Evangelicals' Uneasy Alliance with the Media - Margaret Lamberts Bendroth

Fundamentalism and the Media, 1930-1990 - Daniel A Stout

Protecting the Family

Mormon Teaching about Mass Media

PART THREE: THE ROLE OF RELIGIOSITY IN MASS MEDIA USE: COMPARATIVE STUDIES OF AUDIENCE BEHAVIOR - Tony Rimmer

Religion, Mass Media and Tolerance for Civil Liberties - Judith M Buddenbaum

The Role of Religion in Newspaper Trust, Subscribing and Use for Political Information - Judith M Buddenbaum and Stewart Hoover

The Role of Religion in Public Attitudes toward Religion News - Thomas R Lindlof

The Passionate Audience

Community Inscriptions of `The Last Temptations of Christ'

PART FOUR: CASE STUDIES - Sam G McFarland

Keeping the Faith

The Roles of Selective Exposure and Avoidance in Maintaining Religious Beliefs - JoAnn Myer Valenti and Daniel A Stout

Diversity from Within

An Analysis of the Impact of Religious Culture on Media Use and Effective Communication to Women - Judith M Buddenbaum

Use of Mass Media for Political Information in a Middletown Quaker Meeting - Sharon Hartin Iorio

How Mennonites Use Media in Everyday Life

Preserving Identity in a Changing World - Cheryl Renee Gooch

Rappin for the Lord

The Uses of Gospel Rap and Contemporary Music in Black Religious Communities - Daniel A Stout, David Scott, and Dennis G Martin

Mormons, Mass Media, and the Interpretive Audience

PART FIVE: THE FUTURE: RELIGION AND THE CHANGING INFORMATION ENVIRONMENT - Jorge Reina Schement and Hester C Stephenson

Religion and the Information Society