Lexington Books
Pages: 296
•
Trim: 6⅜ x 9
978-1-4985-1444-6 • Hardback • May 2018 • $136.00 • (£105.00)
978-1-4985-1446-0 • Paperback • August 2020 • $47.99 • (£37.00)
978-1-4985-1445-3 • eBook • May 2018 • $45.50 • (£35.00)
Anthony Hatcher is associate professor of communications at Elon University.
Introduction
Part One: Civil Religion
Chapter One. Moral Mondays in the South: God-Talk, Christian Activism, and Civil Disobedience in the Digital Age
Chapter Two. So Blessed by God: Adding the Almighty to the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag
Part Two: Religion and Entertainment
Chapter Three. God Wants His Stars Everywhere: The Media Mission of Actors, Models, & Talent for Christ
Chapter Four. Sacramental Pilgrimage: Catholicism, Humanism, Spirituality, and Community Along The Way
Part Three: Sacred and Profane Media
Chapter Five. Copyrighting God: Translating, Publishing, Marketing, and Selling the Bible
Chapter Six. Jesus Laughed: The Uses and Abuses of Religious Satire
Bibliography
Index
About the Author
Religion and the Media in America is a valuable contribution to our understanding of how media and religion have always been linked, and are present in generating social, cultural, and political forces today.— Reading Religion
Overall, Hatcher effectively reinforces how religious narratives touch upon our social experience as Christian voices engage media industries in a world of technological innovation and commodification. One is also reminded of how substantially religion is embedded in American politics. This book could be used to introduce students to specific cases of the various Christian actors whose voices shape America and its social history. I would especially recommend the first chapter on Barber and the last chapter on religious satire.
— Journal for Religion, Film and Media
Christian faith really is about media in the 21st Century. And Hatcher seamlessly outlines the paradox—a ubiquity of media options available to explore and understand one’s Christian faith, laid alongside a growing lack of grasp on where the subcultures of Christian faith experience came from. Yes, Christianity began in North America via the printed word stuffed in saddlebags of circuit-riding preachers. From the printed page it became radio, TV, film, eventually digital messages and social media. But what is Christian faith? And why do media and audiences respond to it as they do? Hatcher walks us into the mystery, suggesting some answers but beckoning us to better questions.— Michael A. Longinow, Biola University