Table of Contents

Contents: Media, religion and culture: an introduction, Peter Horsfield. Part I The Cultural Perspective: Reconceptualizing religion and media in a post-national, postmodern world: a critical historical introduction, Lynn Schofield Clark; Theology, church and media - contours in a changing cultural terrain, Peter Horsfield; Because God is near, God is real: symbolic realism in US Latino popular Catholicism and Medieval Christianity, Roberto S. Goizueta; Notes on belief and social circulation (science fiction narratives), Juan Carlos Henríquez. Part II Mediated Christianity: Pentecostal media images and religious globalization in sub-Saharan Africa, J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu; Identities, religion and melodrama: a view from the cultural dimension of the Latin American Telenovela, Germán Rey; Visual media and Ethiopian Protestantism, David Morgan; From morality tales to horror movies: towards an understanding of the popularity of West African video film, Jolyon Mitchell; Religion and meaning in the digital age: field research on internet/web religion, Stewart M. Hoover and Jin Kyu Park. Part III Media Culture And Christian Institutions: Making religious media: notes from the field, Adán M. Medrano; Rescripting religious education in media culture, Mary E. Hess; Changes in the Thai Catholic way of life, Siriwan Santisakultarm; The US Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal: a media/religion case study, Frances Forde Plude. Part IV An Overview: Major issues in the study of media, religion and culture, Robert A. White. Bibliography; Index.

About the Author

Mary E. Hess and Peter Horsfield

Reviews

'Belief in Media provides an extremely important glimpse of the role of media in the light of globalized modernization and the re-enchantment of the present. Its base in recent research and its world wide scope - of authors and topics - give it both gripping texture and breadth of insight. Religion and media are inextricably related in the modern period and this book goes a long way in helping us think about what this means, both for academics and practitioners.' William A. Dyrness, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena 'This book reflects the interdisciplinary discourse that is so imperative if Christian Faith is to integrate in life-giving ways with our media-saturated culture. The wisdom and insights here can mediate the encounter in ways that will enhance both Christian Faith and media culture.' Thomas Groome, Professor of Theology and Religious Education, Boston College, USA 'As a veteran broadcaster, now working in church communications, I can recommend this book to journalists and religious leaders as well as religious educators. The wide range of experience of the contributors provides excellent examples and understanding of how media and religion have worked together in the past and how that relationship has been impacted by cultural change and construct. This is a definite read for those involved in religion, media and culture. It brought insight and focus to my experiences.' Frank Morock, President, Catholic Academy for Communication Arts Professionals, USA 'Belief in Media: is a long overdue guide to understanding both religion and media from a cultural perspective. It advances the perspective that both media and religion are formed and informed by the cultural community in which they exist and evolve. The reader is left with a clear understanding of the inter-relationship between theory and practice and the need to define cultural frameworks in the context of understanding issues related to religion, culture and the media. Valuable to academics, religious leaders and communication practitioners, this book has every potential to become a much thumbed resource for anyone seeking to understand the interfaces between religion and media in the construction of meaning and communicative practice. A must read.' Randy Naylor, General Secretary, World Association for Christian Communication, UK 'Here is a book to savour and enjoy. The multi-faceted relationships between religion and the media are explored in a diversity of cultural and historical contexts. Each author has challenging and often surprising things to tell us. This interdisciplinary and wide-ranging book opens up an agenda for future work.' John Eldridge, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, University of Glasgow 'Belief in Media will be essential reading in the field for some time to come.' John P. Ferre, University of Louisville, USA '... offers a variety of perspectives in an emerging dialogue between belief and media cultures.' Religious Studies Review '... provides a fresh window on the subject of media and Christianity.' Heythrop Journal