Theology and Prince

Edited by Jonathan H. Harwell and Rev. Katrina E. Jenkins - Contributions by Rev. Dr. Suzanne Castle; Racheal Harris; Zada Johnson; Emily McAvan; Stefan Sereda; Will Stockton; Erica Thompson and Joseph Trullinger

Prince was a spiritual and musical enigma who sought to transcend race and gender through his words, music, and fashion. Raised as a Seventh-Day Adventist and later going door-to-door as a Jehovah’s Witness, he expressed his faith overtly and allegorically, erotically and poetically. Theology and Prince is an edited collection on theology and the life, music, and films of Prince Rogers Nelson. Written for academics yet accessible for the layperson, this book explores Prince’s ideas of the afterlife; race and social justice activism; eroticism; veganism; spiritual alter egos (with a deep dive into the dark character of “Spooky Electric”); a queer listening of the Purple Rain album; the theology of the Graffiti Bridge film (featuring interviews with co-star Ingrid Chavez and other collaborators), and a story from Texas of a Christian worship service designed around Prince’s music in the wake of his passing. Those interested in theology and popular culture; scholars of social justice, racial identity, LGBTQ+ studies, and gender studies; as well as Prince “fams” will find new ways of viewing Prince’s old and new works.

Lexington Books / Fortress Academic

Pages: 194 • Trim: 6⅜ x 9½

978-1-9787-0417-6 • Hardback • November 2019 • $105.00 • (£81.00)

978-1-9787-0419-0 • Paperback • June 2021 • $41.99 • (£35.00)

978-1-9787-0418-3 • eBook • November 2019 • $39.50 • (£30.00)

Series: Theology, Religion, and Pop Culture

Subjects: Religion / Theology, Music / Genres & Styles / Pop Vocal, Social Science / Gender Studies, Social Science / Popular Culture, Social Science / LGBT Studies / General

Theology and Prince

Hardback

Paperback

eBook

Summary

Prince was a spiritual and musical enigma who sought to transcend race and gender through his words, music, and fashion. Raised as a Seventh-Day Adventist and later going door-to-door as a Jehovah’s Witness, he expressed his faith overtly and allegorically, erotically and poetically. Theology and Prince is an edited collection on theology and the life, music, and films of Prince Rogers Nelson. Written for academics yet accessible for the layperson, this book explores Prince’s ideas of the afterlife; race and social justice activism; eroticism; veganism; spiritual alter egos (with a deep dive into the dark character of “Spooky Electric”); a queer listening of the Purple Rain album; the theology of the Graffiti Bridge film (featuring interviews with co-star Ingrid Chavez and other collaborators), and a story from Texas of a Christian worship service designed around Prince’s music in the wake of his passing. Those interested in theology and popular culture; scholars of social justice, racial identity, LGBTQ+ studies, and gender studies; as well as Prince “fams” will find new ways of viewing Prince’s old and new works.

Details

Lexington Books / Fortress Academic

Pages: 194 • Trim: 6⅜ x 9½

978-1-9787-0417-6 • Hardback • November 2019 • $105.00 • (£81.00)

978-1-9787-0419-0 • Paperback • June 2021 • $41.99 • (£35.00)

978-1-9787-0418-3 • eBook • November 2019 • $39.50 • (£30.00)

Series: Theology, Religion, and Pop Culture

Subjects: Religion / Theology, Music / Genres & Styles / Pop Vocal, Social Science / Gender Studies, Social Science / Popular Culture, Social Science / LGBT Studies / General

Author

Jonathan H. Harwell is head of collections and systems and associate professor at Rollins College’s Olin Library.

Rev. Katrina E. Jenkins is dean of religious life at Rollins College.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 “Could Have Sworn It Was Judgment Day”: Prince, Eschatology and Afterlife

Racheal Harris

Chapter 2 “Dear Mr. Man”: The Socially Conscious Music of Prince as Black Prophetic Fire

Zada Johnson

Chapter 3 I Am Something That You’ll Never Comprehend: A Queer Theological Reading of Purple Rain

Joseph Trullinger

Chapter 4 “Flesh of My Flesh”: Prince’s Theology of Eros

Emily McAvan

Chapter 5 Parables from the (Animal) Kingdom

Will Stockton

Chapter 6 Dance with the Devil: The Paradox of Prince’s Spooky Songs

Stefan Sereda

Chapter 7 Graffiti Bridge: Prince’s Sacred Triumph over the Profane

Erica Thompson

Chapter 8 When God Appears, Everything Changes: Prince and Pentecost

Rev. Suzanne Castle

Reviews

Harwell and Jenkins have successfully pulled together a scholarly Prince tribute band that traces the waves of Prince’s work into each member’s unique field of study. Like Prince’s music, Theology and Prince is a complex, multifaceted fusion of ideas and approaches. This volume presents an original contribution to the field of cultural studies utilizing the music and life of Prince to explore contemporary theological themes and the impact of faith on artistic practice.

— Reading Religion

Theology and Prince is a rare punch of pop culture scholarship. Impeccably researched and head-noddingly insightful, but packaged in a pair of purple leopard-print spandex pants. This is a book about Prince told from the perspectives of people whose lives would not have been the same without him. It’s touching, personal, and gosh-danged funny. It pulled me in and shook me out, much like the way Prince still draws me in from whatever funky galaxy he’s currently gracing with his presence. Prince lovers, lusters, likers, and the Prince-curious, this book is 4 U.
— Erin Gallagher, University of Florida

Prince is perhaps the most singular pop musician of his generation, and his unapologetic faith marked him a transgressive for both the music and church worlds. Theology and Prince assembles an array of brilliant voices to illustrate that Prince was not liminal, but creative. He didn't inhabit a space between two worlds, but created something new, something that often burst from the old wineskins. You hold a book that may very well inspire you to see possibilities where before there were only borders and boundaries. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go party like it's 1999.
— JR. Forasteros, author of Empathy for the Devil