By Arthur Aghajanian Going to the movies may not seem like religious action, but it’s one of the most common ways we experience spiritual insight. Film impacts how we interpret life, and its mechanical apparatus is uniquely suited to provide glimpses of the divine in the signs and symbols of the everyday. Like religion, film…
Doom Theology: Black Sabbath’s Relentless Vision of Good and Evil
By Jack Holloway The 1960s was a decade brimming with hopes of revolution, an electric time for a zealous counterculture. The Vietnam War loomed in the background, a fraught international situation which fueled the counterculture’s pursuit of radical societal transformation. But 1969 would prove to be a decisive year, as the tide was turned by…
Harrowings of Hell in Sandman and Christianity
By David Armstrong Caveat Lector: Spoilers follow for Netflix’s The Sandman Season One. In The Sandman, Season One, Episode 4, “A Hope in Hell,” Morpheus, aka Dream of the Endless, Lord of the Dreaming, embarks on a harrowing of hell to retrieve his helm, one of three magical objects which contain and channel his creative…
Call for Papers: Religion and James Bond
Call for Papers: Religion and James Bond Volume Editor: George Tsakiridis, PhD Abstract and CV Due: November 30, 2022 Initial Final Paper Due: June 1, 2023 Click this link, and close your eyes…wait a few seconds and start reading… It’s hard to imagine a more iconic action hero from the past 60 years than James…
Saul Goodman (James McGill) finds a God of his Understanding: A Theological Reflection on Better Call Saul
By David K. Goodin The narrative world of the Breaking Bad has reached its conclusion. The original series (2008-2013) centered on the pyrrhic ascendency and tragic final days of drug kingpin Walter White. The follow-up movie El Camino (2019) added a postscript for the one seemingly redeemable character, Jesse Pinkman. Whereas the final episode of…
30% Discount on the Theology, Religion, and Pop Culture Series!
Up through May 04, 2023, Lexington/Fortress Press is offering a 30% discount on all books in the Theology, Religion, and Pop Culture series with discount code LXFANDF30. This discount includes not only hardcovers but ebooks and paperbacks as well (so definitely worth looking at the paperbacks for Theology and Prince and Theology and the Marvel…
Extended Call for Papers: Theology, Religion, and the Witcher
Title: Theology, Religion, and The WitcherEditor: Yael Cameron, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand Andrzej Sapkowski is author of the Polish fantasy novels and short stories following protagonist Geralt of Rivia, better known as The Witcher. Since the early days of publication The Witcher has had a remarkable reception. The Witcher and its lore came…
Theology, Religion, and Margaret Atwood: Contributors Needed!
We are once again extending the call for papers for the Theology, Religion, and Margaret Atwood volume. The editors are interested in theological and religious analyses of Atwood’s works, which includes her famous A Handmaid’s Tale, but also includes her other short stories, essays, and poetry. Of particular interest would be a critical essay dealing…
A Response to McGrath and Brake: Batman, Joker, and Nietzsche’s Overman
By John MacDonald On episode 36 of the Religion Prof Podcast, Dr. James McGrath and Matthew Brake shared their interpretations of Nietzsche’s overman in relation to the Batman mythos in popular culture. McGrath raises the point that it is young Bruce Wayne’s response to his family tragedy that raises him from the level of the…
Puss-in-Boots: An Allegorical Reading
By Daniel Bookman It is no secret that many tales that we read and enjoyed as children were oftentimes allegorical in nature. Who doesn’t know of Aesops fables or the Brothers Grimm and their many tales of morality? Likewise, there is a strong literary tradition of tales serving as Biblical allegories. Perhaps the most famous…
Pop Culture and Theology 