Bücher der Reihe Theology, Religion, and Pop Culture

Batman is one of the most recognized and popular pop culture icons. Appearing on the page of Detective Comics #27 in 1939, the character has inspired numerous characters, franchises, and spin-offs over his 80+ year history. The character has displayed versatility, appearing in stories from multiple genres, including science fiction, noir, and fantasy and mediums far beyond his comic book origins. While there are volumes analyzing Batman through literary, philosophical, and psychological lenses, this volume is one of the first academic monographs to examine Batman through a theological and religious lens. Theology and Batman analyzes Batman and his world, specifically exploring the themes of theodicy and evil, ethics and morality, justice and vengeance, and the Divine Nature. Scholars will appreciate the breadth of material covered while Batman fans will appreciate the love for the character expressed through each chapter.

In this book, scholars from various religious and theological backgrounds reflect upon the connection between theology and the Star Trek series and films.

The Spirit and the Screen explores pertinent pneumatological issues that arise in film and asks how Christian convictions and experiences of the Spirit might shape the way one thinks about films and film-making.

The Avett Brothers sing of a spiritual yearning present in modern culture. Without being overtly religious, theological underpinnings are prevalent in their music. The contributors in this book delve into the Avett Brother's explicit and implicit theology with an eye on how they help make sense of our secular age. Theology and the Avett Brothers offers a rich contemplation on how these brothers from North Carolina help listeners navigate the religious consciousness of today's world, exploring themes like the good life, virtue formation, empathy, ministry models, and dying.

Theology and the DC Universe contains fifteen scholarly explorations of the role of theology and religion in DC's comics, films, and television shows.

Dystopia, from the Greek dus and topos ';bad place,' is a revelatory genre and concept that has experienced a meteoric rise in popularity at the start of the twenty-first century. This book addresses approaches to the study of dystopia from the academic fields of theology and religious studies. Following a co-written chapter where Scott Donahue-Martens and Brandon Simonson argue that dystopia can be understood as demythologized apocalyptic, ten unique contributions each engage a work of popular culture, such as a book, movie, or television show. Topics across chapters range from the critical function of dystopia, social location and identity, violence, apocalypse and the end of everything, sacrifice, catharsis, and dystopian existentialism. This volume responds to the need for theological and religious reflection on dystopia in a world increasingly threatened by climate change, pandemics, and global war.

While still relatively unknown to the general public, early twentieth century American horror author H.P. Lovecraft left an indelible stamp upon popular culture. Images of tentacled horrors, forbidden tomes, and protagonists struggling against the insanity that comes with the revelation of the terrible truth of realityLovecraft pioneered all of these. Best known for his short story ';The Call of Cthulhu,' Lovecraft instantiated his philosophy of cosmicism into every one of his tales. This collection of fourteen essays is the first sustained academic engagement with horror author H.P. Lovecraft from a theological perspective. Covering the major themes of Lovecrafts work such as nihilism, xenophobia, dark cults, and unimaginable horrors beyond the stars, the book is divided into five sections corresponding to each of the divisions of theology: biblical, historical, systematic, practical, and comparative. With responses ranging from admiration to critique, the contributors explore the dark uncharted regions of Lovecraft's dark mythology in the service of theological truth.

Theology and Game of Thrones explores themes of religion, institutional norms, and power, Christian ecclesiology, Augustinian thought, religious pluralism and representation, and theology's relationship with sexual violence and death in the HBO television series and the original A Song of Ice and Fire novels.

Theology and the Marvel Universe combines cutting-edge scholarship on theology with the comic, film, and television stories of the Marvel Universe. Fourteen contributors from around the world engage these stories in a theological dialogue that highlights the significance of these stories as a vibrant part of our cultural mythology.

In Sports and Play in Christian Theology, ten Christian scholars and practitioners explore sport and play from theological, biblical, historical, and pastoral perspectives.

Through an exploration of theology and horror, this book explores how questions of spirituality, divinity and religious structures are raised, complicated, and even sometimes answered (at least partially) by works of horror.

Theology and the Marvel Universe combines cutting-edge scholarship on theology with the comic, film, and television stories of the Marvel Universe. Fourteen contributors from around the world engage these stories in a theological dialogue that highlights the significance of these stories as a vibrant part of our cultural mythology.

Engaging themes of sin, salvation, and creedal theology, the contributors to Theology and Spider-Man create a systematic and constructive theology of one of Marvel's most popular heroes.

Theology and Prince explores theology and the life, music, and films of Prince Rogers Nelson. Topics include Prince's ideas of the afterlife; race and social justice activism; eroticism; veganism; spiritual alter egos; a queer listening of the Purple Rain album, and the theology of the Graffiti Bridge film.

Dread and Hope brings early Christian hopes concerning the consummation of the cosmos and modern apocalyptic pop-culture into dialog. Drawing from a wide range of research and media, Joshua Wise examines how figures like Antiochus IV, Damien from The Omen, the Emperor Nero, and Winston Smith from Orwell's 1984 inform each other.