Religion And Popular Culture in America

by Forbes, Bruce David

• ISBN13: 9780520246898
• ISBN10: 0520246896
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-10-31
• Publisher: Univ of California Pr

Summary

The connection between American popular culture and religion is the subject of this multifaceted and innovative collection. In fourteen lively essays whose topics range from the divine feminine in The Da Vinci Codeto Madonna's "Like a Prayer," and from the world of sports to the ways in which cyberculture has influenced traditional religions, this book offers fascinating insights into what popular culture reveals about the nature of American religion today. Revised throughout, this new edition features three new essays--including a fascinating look at the role of women in apocalyptic fiction such as the Left Behindseries--and editor Bruce David Forbes has written a new introduction. In addition to the new textual material, each chapter concludes with a set of suggested discussion questions.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Revised Edition	ix
Preface to the First Edition	xi
Introduction: Finding Religion in Unexpected Places	1	(20)
Bruce David Forbes
Part One RELIGION IN POPULAR CULTURE	21	(78)
The Oriental Monk in American Popular Culture	25	(19)
Jane Naomi Iwamura
Consecrating Consumer Culture: Christmas Television Specials	44	(12)
Robert J. Thompson
Re-Mythologizing the Divine Feminine in The Da Vinci Code and The Secret Life of Bees	56	(19)
Jennie S. Knight
Like a Sermon: Popular Religion in Madonna Videos	75	(24)
Mark D. Hulsether
Part Two POPULAR CULTURE IN RELIGION	99	(56)
Evangelicals and Popular Music: The Contemporary Christian Music Industry	103	(20)
William D. Romanowski
The Internet and Christian and Muslim Communities	123	(16)
Greg Peterson
The Cross at Willow Creek: Seeker Religion and the Contemporary Marketplace	139	(16)
Stewart M. Hoover
Part Three POPULAR CULTURE AS RELIGION	155	(78)
It's about Faith in Our Future: Star Trek Fandom as Cultural Religion	159	(15)
Michael Jindra
Losing Their Way to Salvation: Women, Weight Loss, and the Salvation Myth of Culture Lite	174	(21)
Michelle M. Lelwica
An American Apotheosis: Sports as Popular Religion	195	(18)
Joseph L. Price
The Church of Baseball, the Fetish of Coca-Cola, and the Potlatch of Rock `n' Roll	213	(20)
David Chidester
Part Four RELIGION AND POPULAR CULTURE IN DIALOGUE	233	(55)
The Disguise of Vengeance in Pale Rider	237	(15)
Robert Jewett
Rap Music and Its Message: On Interpreting the Contact between Religion and Popular Culture	252	(18)
Anthony Pinn
The Gender Dynamics of the Left Behind Series	270	(18)
Amy Johnson Frykholm
Conclusion: Establishing a Dialogue about Religion and Popular Culture	288	(9)
Jeffrey H. Mahan
Discussion Questions	297	(8)
Contributors	305	(4)
Selected Bibliography	309	(6)
Index	315