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….
Pop Culture and Theology 