By Matthew Brake I was talking the other day to a friend, and the topic of our spiritual journeys came up. This person told me about the burnout and discouragement they felt, not only being involved in different churches, but in the whole “Jesus thing” in general. I then relayed my own story: involvement in…
Author: matthewbrake84
Cobra Kai and the Fluidity of Religion
By David Armstrong There are certain ideas that, once you have them, it is excessively difficult to un-have them. Here are two. The first is that religions–treated as self-sufficient, insulated systems of belief, behavior, and belonging that are discrete from other such systems and that can be identified through zoning in on some sort of…
Call for Papers: Theology, Religion, and Dune
Title: Theology, Religion, and Dune Editor: Christopher A. Porter, Trinity College, University of Divinity A mention of Frank Herbert’s Dune conjures up visions of warring houses, giant spice worms, mysterious Fremen, and the crucial ‘spice’ melange. But within Herbert’s broad world building enterprise, his universe unashamedly embeds religious themes and theological frameworks in the narrative….
Jimmy Eat World’s 555 and the Lament Tradition of Prayer
By Thomas M. Fuerst As a white United Methodist pastor living in the American South, I have grieved for two years as Covid-19 has run through my city, my region, my nation, and our world. Fortunately, I pastor a congregation that largely takes masks and vaccines seriously, but I lament that I live in an…
A Last Blood Benediction: Anne Rice, Type O Negative, and Religious Imagery in Vampire Lore
By Lillah Lawson Many have explored the relationship between vampires and Christianity – scratch the surface of any well-written piece of vampire fiction, from Dracula to The Vampire Chronicles, from Salem’s Lotto Twilight, and you’ll find no shortage of vampiric characters bemoaning the fact that they are damned by God, drinking blood as an act…
2021: Top Five Posts
When I did this post last year, I stated that it had been a tumultuous year (a bit of an understatement). 2021 brought it’s own share of ups and downs and the world continues to struggle with the Covid-19 pandemic, the rise of authoritarianism, and the pervasiveness of conspiracy theories. I hope everyone is finding…
Call for Papers: Anime, Religion, and Theology
Call for Papers: Anime, Religion, and Theology Proposal Due Date: February 15th, 2022 First Submission Date for Contributors: August 15th, 2022 Editors: Roberto J. De La Noval and David Armstrong Today it is impossible to overlook the presence of Japanese animation, ‘anime’ for short, in the Western entertainment ecosystem. Since the 1990s, when many landmark…
Extended Call for Papers: Theology, Religion, and Wes Craven
Call for Proposals Title: Theology and Wes Craven Editor: David K. Goodin, McGill University Wesley Earl Craven (1939-2015), popularly known as simply Wes Craven, redefined the horror genre with such landmark and notorious films as The Hills Have Eyes (1977), A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988), The People…
Theology, Religion, and Pop Culture Series Sale!
Hello Friends! From now through 01/08/2022, Lexington books is offering a 35% off sale on all in-stock titles (forthcoming titles not included). You can find out more specifics about the sale by clicking here. You can use the discount by going to the book series website and using code 21JOYSALE when you checkout. You can…
Why Theology and Spider-Man?
By George Tsakiridis As I begin writing this I am listening to the song “Stressed Out” by Twenty-One Pilots. It states “Wish we could turn back time, to the good old days, when our momma sang us to sleep, but now we’re stressed out.” In the newest book in the Theology, Religion, and Pop Culture…
Pop Culture and Theology 