Extended Call for Papers: Religion and Peak TV Volume Editor: George Tsakiridis, PhD Abstract and CV Due: November 30, 2025 Initial Final Paper Due: June 30, 2026 Around the late 1990s/early 2000s a revolution in television began to take place, with HBO making waves with shows like The Sopranos and Deadwood, The Wire, and Entourage,…
Extended Call for Papers: Consequential Play – Theology, Video Games, & Culture
CFP: Consequential Play – Theology, Religion and Video Games Volume Editor: Trevor B. Williams Abstract + CV due: December 15, 2025 Video games have become a formative aspect of popular culture because they provide special opportunities for interactive storytelling, intense competition, leisure, and even artistic expression. Depending on how one defines the term “video games,”…
Call for Papers: Religion in Jack Kirby’s Fourth World and Beyond
Religion in Jack Kirby’s Fourth World and Beyond Editor: Matthew Brake Jack Kirby needs no introduction. He was one of the most prolific and creative figures in the history of modern mainstream superhero comics and few others have done more to influence the superhero genre in various media across decades. Plenty of ink has been…
Call for Papers: Religion and Peak TV
Volume Editor: George Tsakiridis, PhD Abstract and CV Due: September 30, 2025 Initial Final Paper Due: June 30, 2026 Around the late 1990s/early 2000s a revolution in television began to take place, with HBO making waves with shows like The Sopranos and Deadwood, The Wire, and Entourage, to mention a few. This wave turned into…
Call for Papers: Religion and AI in Science Fiction and Horror
Book Title: A (Holy?) Ghost in the Machine: Religion and Artificial Intelligence in Science-Fiction and Horror Editor: Gregory Stevenson, York University The genres of Science-Fiction and Horror have always been somewhat ahead of the curve in envisioning the possibilities and dangers of technology. With the rapidly increasing advancements in the field of artificial intelligence, those…
Call for Papers: Religious Emergence and The Sacred in Legends of Zelda
Volume Editor: Michael Barros This book will explore how religion and the sacred emerge from within the structure and narrative of The Legend of Zelda series, one of the most influential and enduring franchises in video game history. Zelda has greatly impacted multiple generations of players, and has an extremely loyal and dedicated fanbase. Rather than primarily comparing Zelda to existing…
Blue Lights, Insurmountable Debt, and the Affordances of its Erasure
By Justin Martin In The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity (2021), anthropologist David Graeber and Archeologist David Wengrow set out to offer a new way of thinking about the human origins of social complexity that is more in line with relatively recent scholarship and the preponderance of evidence as a whole. While…
Call for Papers: Theology, Religion, and Video Games
CFP: Theology, Religion and Video Games Volume Editor: Trevor B. Williams Abstract + CV due: Oct 1, 2025 Video games have become a formative aspect of popular culture because they provide special opportunities for interactive storytelling, intense competition, leisure, and even artistic expression. Depending on how one defines the term “video games,” it is estimated…
Call for Papers: Theology, Religion, and Middle Earth
Theology, Religion, and Middle Earth Edited by Scott Donahue-Martens, Ph.D., and Brandon Simonson, Ph.D. Few works have made such a lasting impact on the fantasy genre or captured the imagination as those of J.R.R. Tolkien. Tolkien’s fiction, essays, letters, and more are widely read and loved. His works, and his high fantasy setting known as…
Extended Call for Papers: Baseball and Ecclesiology
ECCLESIOLOGY AND BASEBALL: Exploring the Church Through America’s Pastime Call For Papers Editors: Daniel J. Cameron, Ph.D. & Johanna DeHaven, M.A. “Baseball is just a game. But like religion, it has rituals. I need rituals. I need traditions. I need something to believe in, whether I worship in a church or a stadium. I believe…
Extended Call for Papers: Theology, Religion, and Taylor Swift
Call for Papers: Theology, Religion and Taylor Swift Edited by: Alexis Bradford and Chris Swann Taylor Swift is a cultural icon. As such, she is often used as a case study and her success has been carefully examined in fields such as business, economics, anthropology, media studies, and even philosophy, but theology and religious studies…
Final Call for Papers: Theology, Religion, and Mad Max
Call for contributions Title: Theology, Religion, and Mad Max: Rising from the Ashes Edited by: Yael Thomas Cameron, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand; Vernon W. Cisney, Gettysburg College, and Jon Hoskin, Phd. Mad Max is a post-apocalyptic film franchise that first wormed its way into the black matter of popular culture back in 1979, becoming…
Extended Call for Papers: C.S. Lewis and Popular Culture
Volume Editor: George Tsakiridis, PhD Abstract and CV Due: June 10, 2025 Initial Final Paper Due: September 15, 2025 C.S. Lewis has captured the imagination of twentieth-century readers by presenting a resonating, approachable Christianity that speaks to the modern age. His work has been influential for both children and adults in a range of genres…
Extended Call for Papers: Theology, Religion, and LOST
Few commercial television series in recent memory have had as lasting an impact on audiences as has the series, LOST, which aired 2004–10, and is still available on streaming services. Its many themes still resonate today and are, indeed, timeless. Introduced in the pilot episode as a seemingly familiar “mystery/ action” drama that begins with…
Call for Papers: Baseball and Ecclesiology
ECCLESIOLOGY AND BASEBALL: Exploring the Church Through America’s Pastime Call For Papers Editors: Daniel J. Cameron, Ph.D. & Johanna DeHaven, M.A. “Baseball is just a game. But like religion, it has rituals. I need rituals. I need traditions. I need something to believe in, whether I worship in a church or a stadium. I believe…
It Is OK to Be a Jammette/Jamet (loose woman)—The Bible Said So!
By Princess O’Nika Auguste Last year, a friend posted on social media that Marion Hall, formerly known as Lady Saw, “taught all the girls to be jammettes/jamets.” I agreed, As a young girl I sang along to her songs: Give Me a Reason Sycamore Tree, Healing, I’ve Got Your Man, Good Wuk, tracks that people…
Call for Papers: C.S. Lewis and Popular Culture
Volume Editor: George Tsakiridis, PhD Abstract and CV Due: May 15, 2025 Initial Final Paper Due: September 15, 2025 C.S. Lewis has captured the imagination of twentieth-century readers by presenting a resonating, approachable Christianity that speaks to the modern age. His work has been influential for both children and adults in a range of genres…
Avengers: Infinity War, Losing an Election, and What Comes After
By Matthew Brake “I know what it’s like to lose. To feel so desperately that you’re right, yet to fail nonetheless.” Many of us recognize this quote from the peak of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After ten years of movies, and six years after his debut in a teaser at the end of the first…
Call for Papers: Theology, Philosophy, and Severance
Theology, Philosophy, and Severance Call for Papers Severance, created by Dan Erickson and Ben Stiller, has captured the imagination of the streaming world. Season 1, developed and filmed during the Covid-19 Pandemic and the backbone of the Apple TV+ streaming service, was nominated for 14 Emmys at the 74th Annual Emmy Awards in 2022 (two…
Call for Papers: Theology, Religion, and Taylor Swift
Call for Papers: Theology, Religion and Taylor Swift Edited by: Alexis Bradford and Chris Swann Taylor Swift is a cultural icon. As such, she is often used as a case study and her success has been carefully examined in fields such as business, economics, anthropology, media studies, and even philosophy, but theology and religious studies…
Extended Call For Papers: Religion, Popular Culture, and the Nineties
CFP: Religion, Popular Culture, and the Nineties Edited by Ilaria W. Biano Although initially dismissed as “a holiday from history” (Will), a “frivolous if not decadent decade” (Rich), and a “time of trivial pursuits” (Halberstam) (cf. Chollet and Goldgeier 2008), the 1990s have increasingly been recognized as a pivotal historical moment. Scholars have underscored its…
Jon Stewart, AOC, and MLK’s Critique of the White Liberal
I wish there was a bold opposition party to stand against the Trump administration. The Democratic Party is not that party. I have a large number of Republican family members, who consume a large amount of conservative media. It has struck me as funny for a couple of years now whenever one of them or…
Call for Papers: Religion and AI Romance in Popular Media
Title – Religion and AI Romance in Popular Media: Wired for Love Edited by: Amanda Furiasse, Nova Southeastern University As AI-driven love stories become increasingly central to cultural narratives, they provoke fundamental questions about love, intimacy, and human connection, challenging conventional understandings of personhood, the soul, and the nature of relationships. In light of these…
Call for Papers: Theology, Religion, and Mad Max
Call for contributions Title: Theology, Religion, and Mad Max: Rising from the Ashes Edited by: Yael Thomas Cameron, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand; Vernon W. Cisney, Gettysburg College, and Jon Hoskin, Phd. Mad Max is a post-apocalyptic film franchise that first wormed its way into the black matter of popular culture back in 1979, becoming…
Call For Papers: Religion, Popular Culture, and the Nineties
CFP: Religion, Popular Culture, and the Nineties Edited by Ilaria W. Biano Although initially dismissed as “a holiday from history” (Will), a “frivolous if not decadent decade” (Rich), and a “time of trivial pursuits” (Halberstam) (cf. Chollet and Goldgeier 2008), the 1990s have increasingly been recognized as a pivotal historical moment. Scholars have underscored its…
Wolfenstein: Playing the Jew?
By Dr. Frank G. Bosman We are in the year 1960. The Third Reich has solidified its political, cultural, and military dominance over Europe and North America since their 1946 victory over the Allied Forces by means of nuclear technology. All Entarteten are rounded up in concentration camps, racial laws rule the world, and only…
Call for Papers 2025: Censorship, Book Burning, and Separating the Artist from the Art!
Call for Papers 2025! Censorship, Book Burning, and the Separation of Artist from their Art! The ninth volume of the Pace University Journal of Comics and Culture is inviting authors, scholars, cartoonists, and comics creators to submit essays on banning and censorship of comics, contemporary or otherwise. Be it due to artist, content, religion, region,…
Embracing the Chaos: Lady Gaga’s ‘Disease’ and the Sacredness of the ‘Person-Body’
By Rev. Christopher N. West What makes us who and how we are in the world? Reductive approaches to personhood try to isolate a particular abstract aspect of our identities as our defining characteristic – an approach known as ‘essentialism’, as it seeks to reduce personhood down to a vital ‘essence’. For this reason, sacramental…
Call for Papers: Session “Visualizing conflicts and apocalypses. Religion and visual arts in a Polarized World”
Call for papers Session “Visualizing conflicts and apocalypses. Religion and visual arts in a Polarized World” Deadline 20 December International Society for the Sociology of Religion June 30 – July 4, 2025 Kaunas (Lithuania) Organized by Francesco Piraino – University of Bologna and Kees de Groot – Tilburg University For many years the relationship between…
Election Special: Lex Luthor, Donald Trump, and the Power of Pride
By Matthew Brake Brian Cronin wrote an interesting article on CBR about six years ago discussing John Byrne’s 1980s reboot of the Superman villain Lex Luthor. Historically depicted as a mad scientist, Byrne updated him for the 80s by reworking him into a corrupt businessman who loved to put his name on every building (regular…
Extended Call for Papers: G.I. Joe, Theology, and Cobra
EXTENDED Call for Chapter Proposals (21 January 2025) G.I. Joe, Theology, and Co-bra! Knowing (and Believing) is Half the Battle Series: Theology, Religion, and Pop Culture Editor: Dr Peter Admirand, Dublin City University G.I. Joe is celebrating its 60th year in 2024 with the success of the 6-inch G.I. Joe Classified Series, the comic license now owned…
Horror Comics and Religion: Beyond the Frames
By John W. Morehead I grew up in the 1970s and have fond memories of walking home from elementary school and cutting through the small local grocery store each day. Right near the entrance were a couple of magazine racks that featured the latest comic books and MAD magazine. With great eagerness we would spin…
Infestation, Oppression, Possession: The Conjuring Universe and American Consumerism
By Danny Anderson First, you stare down creaking stairs that descend into a cold and humid darkness. Then the musty smell of decay moldering under layers of dust overwhelms the rest of your senses. As your eyes adjust, you make the chilling discovery: you are surrounded by ghosts. There’s a reason so many horror films…
Hell on Earth: Discharge and the Need for Lament in a Time of War
By Jack Holloway On March 16, 1968, soldiers of the US Army entered the My Lai hamlet in the village of Son My in central Vietnam and systematically attacked and killed hundreds of noncombatant Vietnamese. The Army’s report stated “at least 175” people were killed, but a tablet at the memorial site in Vietnam lists…
Call for Papers: G.I. Joe, Theology, and Co-bra!
Call for Papers G.I. Joe, Theology, and Co-bra! Knowing (and Believing) is Half the Battle Series: Theology, Religion, and Pop Culture Editor: Dr Peter Admirand, Dublin City University G.I. Joe is celebrating its 60th year in 2024 with the success of the 6-inch G.I. Joe Classified Series, the comic license now owned by Robert Kirkland (The Walking…
CFP: Routledge Companion to Superhero Studies (Final Call)
The Routledge Companion to Superhero Studies [Final Call] Deadline for abstract submissions: 24th May 2024 Editors: Lorna Farnell and Carl Wilson The editors have already commissioned a substantial number of chapters for The Routledge Companion to Superhero Studies and are seeking the last few essays that specifically consider the following topics: · Superhero tourism (including Disney parks) · Merchandise and toys…
Brandi Carlile’s Theology of Belonging
By Beth Alford “I want to be a musical preacher for the rest of my life.” This seemingly throwaway comment by singer/songwriter Brandi Carlile has proven to be prophetic, and sums up how the award-winning artist uses her art to loudly proclaim her truth…as real and vital as any that comes by way of religion….
Comics and Culture Journal Call for Papers!
Call for Papers 2024! Comics! Comics Movies! Comics History! Comics Fandom! Comics Art! The eight volume of the Pace University Journal of Comics and Culture is inviting authors, scholars, cartoonists, and comics creators to submit essays on anything comics! This year’s issue is interested in bringing together a variety of diverse topics and a broad…
The Siren’s Soul: Dystopia, AI, and Ready Player Two
By Scott Donahue-Martens With the paperback release of Theology, Religion, and Dystopia in February 2024, I thought it was time to revisit the content in light of recent societal developments. On the one hand, it is incredible how much can change in the short interval between a final manuscript and a new published format. On…
Call for Papers: Theology, Religion, & Warhammer 40,000
Scott Harrower and Christopher Porter (eds) In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war… and religion. Lots and lots of religion. The world of Warhammer 40,000 presents a darkly nihilistic picture of the far future in perhaps one of the most popular, diverse, longest running, and firmly religiously-engaged science fiction settings….
Valentine’s Day Special Post! The Radical Liberal “Woke” Agenda of the 1980s Porky’s Franchise
By David K. Goodin Yes, you read that right. Yes, I am serious. Stop laughing. Well, let me backtrack my thesis even before it is presented. The sexual (let us say for the moment) hijinks of this infamous “boner comedy” are beyond the realm of good taste, basic human decency, and even contemporary statutory law. …
2023: Top Five Posts
Every year, we post links to the top five original posts for the year (check out our lists from previous years: 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022). Blogs from previous years and calls for papers certainly get a lot of views, but this list focuses specifically on the top views for this year’s original posts. If…
Call for Papers: Metaphysics and the DC Universe
Metaphysics and the DC Universe Editor: Matthew Brake The universe of DC Comics has existed for 85 years. During that time, numerous writers, artists, and editors have expanded and added to the lore of the DC universe. In doing so, a complex storyworld (what JRR Tolkien called a “subcreation”) has emerged, one with its own…
Call for Papers: Theology, Religion, and Ted Lasso
Title: Theology, Religion, and Ted Lasso Volume Editor: Daniel J. Cameron Abstract and CV Due: January 31, 2024 Initial Final Paper Due: April 30, 2024 Dr. Karen Eifler of the University of Portland published an article in March 2023 for the National Catholic Reporter entitled “Why Religion Needs Ted Lasso.” In her short article she…
The Defrosting of Mariah Carey and the Liturgical Seasons
By Jake Doberenz Every year, as the weather turns crisper, festive lights are strung up high, and Christmas inches closer, a unique phenomenon occurs in the world: the “defrosting” of Mariah Carey. Mariah Carey, popular for her earworm “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” represents the epitome of seasonally popular singers. She is so…
Call for Papers: Religion in Grant Morrison Comics
Call for Papers: Religion in the Grant Morrison Comics Editor: Matthew Brake Series: Religion and Comics (McFarland) In the 1980s, a movement known as the “British Invasion” saw a number of writers and artists from the UK join the ranks of American comics writers to produce some of the most popular and enduring work in…
St. Nektarios and Hagiography in Yelena Popovic’s “Man of God”
By Katherine Kelaidis As I wrote last year, “Advent” as such really isn’t a thing in the Eastern Christian tradition. That being said, in my mind, and all through my life The Holiday Season ™ began on November 9th, with the feast of St. Nektarios of Aegina. In 2021, Serbian filmmaker Yelena Popovic wrote and…
Theology and Horror: A Mirror for Current Events
By John W. Morehead I have roots in the conservative Evangelical Christian tradition, even though I see myself staking out more of a centrist position. When evangelicals “do theology,” whether biblical, systematic, or whatever form it takes, rarely is there an effort to wrestle with the darker aspects of the Hebrew and Christian Bible. For…
The Devil and Generational Conflict in 1968
By Danny Anderson The year is 1968 and two attractive young people find themselves seduced by a Devil-worshiping cult. The cult seeks the vitality of their youth and will stop at nothing in a plot to indoctrinate them as servants of Satan. This plot summary surely rings a bell for horror aficionados, but the fact…
A Happy Lovecraft Halloween!
By Austin Freeman It’s spooky season again–that time when the barrier between the living and the dead, the mortal and the damned, grows thin. Spectral shapes scratch at our bedroom windows. And we, sloughing off the illusions of our civilized and rational age, slink back into the mouldy embrace of pagan tradition. Halloween is coming….
Pop Culture and Theology 