"Religion and popular culture is a fast-growing field that spans a variety of disciplines. This volume offers the first real survey of the field to date and provides a guide for the work of future scholars. It explores: "key issues of definition and of methodology, religious encounters with popular
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culture across media, material culture and space, ranging from videogames and social networks to cooking and kitsch, architecture and national monuments, representations of religious traditions in the media and popular culture, including important non-Western spheres such as Bollywood." (Publisher description)
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"Part I presents general categories for thinking about the intersection between religion and film, as well as an argument for an emerging line of theoretical inquiry. The chapters in Part II examine the use of film in teaching religious traditions, whether movies are seen from the critical perspecti
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ve of particular religious traditions or are used to teach the traditions themselves. Part III focuses on the use of film in the religious studies classroom, where religion or theories of religion are more generally addressed. Part IV considers the promise and challenge of using films to teach critical perspectives on fundamental human values, whether films are seen as vehicles for bringing stories into the classroom or as powerful indicators of a culture's core values." (Publisher description)
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"Drawing a comparison between religion and cinema-going, this text examines a range of contemporary films in relation to key theological concepts. Cinema as a religion-like activity is explored through cognitive, affective, aesthetic and ethical levels, identifying the religious aspects in the socia
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l practice of cinema-going. Written by a leading expert in the field, "Theology Goes to the Movies " analyzes: the role of Cinema and Church in Western culture; the power of Christian symbols and images within popular culture; and, theological concepts of humanity, evil and redemption, eschatology and God." (Publisher description)
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"Brings together theologians, biblical scholars, film and media specialists, and experts in language and literature to look at how theology can work with film in a creative way. The book shows that theological debate is not the preserve of an elite but happens outside the Church as well as within it
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, between Christians and non-Christians, and in everyday conversations." (Catalogue Blackwell 1999)
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