Table of Contents

Preface to the Third Edition Introduction: Finding Religion in Unexpected Places Bruce David Forbes PART I. RELIGION IN POPULAR CULTURE 1. The Origin(s) of Superman: Reimagining Religion in the Man of Steel Dan W. Clanton Jr. 2. The Oriental Monk in American Popular Culture Jane Naomi Iwamura 3. Adventure Time and Sacred History: Myth and Reality in Children's Animated Cartoons Elijah Siegler 4. Monstrous Muslims: Historical Anxieties and Future Trends Sophia Rose Arjana 5. The Weight of the World: Religion and Heavy Metal Music in Four Cases Jason C. Bivins PART II. POPULAR CULTURE IN RELIGION 6. Christmas Is Like a Snowball Bruce David Forbes 7. Mipsterz: Hip, American, and Muslim Kristin M. Peterson Nabil Echchaibi 8. Megachurches, Celebrity Pastors, and the Evangelical Industrial Complex Jessica Johnson 9. People of the Picture Book: PJ Library and American Jewish Religion Rachel B. Gross 10. Meditation on the Go: Buddhist Smartphone Apps as Video Game Play Gregory Price Grieve PART III. POPULAR CULTURE AS RELIGION 11. It's About Faith in Our Future: Star Trek Fandom as Cultural Religion Michael Jindra 12. Shopping, Religion, and the Sacred "Buyosphere" Sarah McFarland Taylor 13. Losing Their Way to Salvation: Women, Weight Loss, and the Religion of Thinness Michelle M. Lelwica 14. The "Godding Up" of American Sports Joseph L. Price 15. Celebrity Worship as Parareligion: Bieber and the Beliebers Pete Ward PART IV. RELIGION AND POPULAR CULTURE IN DIALOGUE 16. Yoga in Popular Culture: Controversies and Conflicts Shreena Niketa Gandhi 17. Mirror, Mirror on Ourselves: Disney as a Site of Religio-Cultural Dialogue Stephanie Brehm and Myev Rees 18. Can Watching a Movie Be a Spiritual Experience? Robert K. Johnston 19. Rap Music and Its Message: On Interpreting the Contact between Religion and Popular Culture Anthony B. Pinn 20. Broadswords and Face Paint: Why Braveheart Still Matters Curtis D. Coats and Stewart M. Hoover Contributors Index

About the Author

Jeffrey H. Mahan holds the Ralph E. and Norma E. Peck Chair in Religion and Public Communication at the Iliff School of Theology. His books include Religion, Media and Culture: An Introduction, Shared Wisdom, and American Television Genres. Bruce David Forbes is Professor of Religious Studies at Morningside College. He is the author of Christmas: A Candid History and coeditor of Religion and Popular Culture in America.