A guide to experts on religion and pop culture

Posted on April 24th, 2006

Archived in Arts, media & Web, Religion in American life

Film, television and radio

FILM

For more sources, see ReligionLink’s issues on film.

• George Aichele is a professor of philosophy and religion at Adrian College in Adrian, Mich., where he has written about connections between Scripture and film, and about culture, entertainment and the Bible. He says recent religiously themed films are “not just Bible movies” but have become a place where modern theology is expressed. Contact 517-265-3959, gcaichele@comcast.net.

• Roy Anker is a professor of English at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich., and author of Catching Light: Looking for God in the Movies (Eerdmans, 2004).Contact 616-526-6530, anker@calvin.edu.

• Diane Apostolos-Cappadona is an adjunct faculty member at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. She is an expert on images of women in contemporary religious film. Contact 202-687-0289, apostold@georgetown.edu.

• Alice Bach is an associate professor of Catholic studies at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. She has written about the Bible in popular culture and its translation into Hollywood films. Contact 216-368-1637, ahb5@case.edu.

• Gregory D. Black is a professor of communication studies at the University of Missouri, Kansas City. He is the author of two books on Catholics and film, including Hollywood Censored: Morality Codes, Catholics and the Movies (Cambridge University Press, 1994). Contact 816-235-1338, gdblack@cctr.umkc.edu.

• The Rev. Richard A. Blake is co-director of film studies at Boston College, a film historian and author of Afterimage: The Indelible Catholic Imagination of Six American Filmmakers (Loyola, 2000). Much of his writing has centered on religious themes and imagery in mainstream filmmaking. Contact 617-552-4295, blakeri@bc.edu.

• David S. Cunningham is the author of Reading Is Believing: The Christian Faith Through Literature and Film (Brazos Press, 2002), in which he argues that reading books and seeing movies can lead Christians to a deeper faith. He is a professor of religion at Hope College in Holland, Mich. Contact 616-395-7320, cunningham@hope.edu.

• Greg Garrett is an English professor at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. He is author of The Gospel According to Hollywood (Westminster John Knox, 2007) and Holy Superheroes! (NavPress, 2006). Contact 254-710-6879, Greg_Garrett@baylor.edu.

• Reg Grant is a professor of pastoral ministries at Dallas Theological Seminary. He can discuss the Star Wars film series’ Buddhist-style philosophy in the context of traditional Christian doctrine. Contact via Giles Hudson, A. Larry Ross Communications, 972-267-1111 ext. 223.

• Amir Hussain is a professor in the religious studies department at California State University, Northridge, but during the 2005-06 academic year, he is teaching in the theological studies department at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. He teaches courses on Islam and religion and film. Contact 818-677-2741, amir.hussain@csun.edu.

• Robert K. Johnston is a professor of theology and culture at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif., and an expert on film and faith who has written Reel Spirituality: Theology and Film in Dialogue (Baker Book House, 2000). He is director of Fuller’s Brehm Center’s Reel Spirituality Institute for Moving Images. Contact 626-584-5607, johnston@fuller.edu.

• Christopher Jordan is an assistant professor of film, video and media studies at Pennsylvania State University in University Park. He is the author of Movies and the Reagan Presidency: Success and Ethics (Praeger, 2003). Contact 814-865-2177, cjj6@psu.edu.

• John C. Lyden is a professor of religion at Dana College in Blair, Neb., and the author of Film as Religion: Myths, Morals and Rituals (New York University Press, 2003). Movies, he says, can function religiously, providing a ritualized form of “meaning-making activity” through stories that express values and beliefs about the world. Contact 402-426-7247, jlyden@dana.edu.

• Jeffrey Howard Mahan is a professor of ministry, media and culture at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver. He contributed an article called “Celluloid Savior: Jesus in the Movies” for the Journal of Religion and Film in 2002. Contact 303-765-3183, jmahan@iliff.edu.

• John R. May is a professor of philosophy and religious studies at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and editor of New Image of Religious Film (Sheed & Ward, 1997) and Image & Likeness: Religious Visions in American Film Classics (Paulist Press, 1992). Contact 225-578-3129, jmay2@lsu.edu.

• Eric Michael Mazur is an associate religion professor at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa. He is editor of the forthcoming Encyclopedia of Religion and Film (Greenwood, expected 2006). Contact 570-577-3525, mazur@bucknell.edu.

• Conrad Ostwalt Jr. is a professor of philosophy and religion at Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C. He has written extensively about religion in the movies, with an emphasis on depictions of the Apocalypse, and is the author of Secular Steeples: Popular Culture and the Religious Imagination (Trinity Press International, 2003). Contact 828-262-3089, ostwaltce@appstate.edu.

• S. Brent Plate is an assistant professor of religion and visual arts at Texas Christian University who has written about religion, art and visual culture. His most recent book is Blasphemy: Art That Offends (Black Dog Publishing, 2006) in which he discusses the religious fervor sparked by works of art ranging from the 14th to the 21st centuries. Contact 817-257-6444, b.plate@tcu.edu.

• Joseph L. Price is a professor of religious studies at Whittier College in Whittier, Calif. He teaches a course on religion and film. Contact 562-907-4803, jprice@whittier.edu.

• Theresa M. Sanders is an associate professor of theology at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and author of Celluloid Saints: Images of Sanctity in Film (Mercer University Press, 2002). Contact 202-687-6106, sanderst@georgetown.edu.

• Chris Seay is pastor of Ecclesia, a Christian community in Houston. Greg Garrett is an English professor at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and author of Holy Superheroes! (NavPress, 2006). Together, they are the authors of The Gospel Reloaded: Exploring Spirituality and Faith in ‘The Matrix’ (Pinon Press, 2003). Contact Seay at chris@ecclesiahouston.org and Garrett at 254-710-6879, Greg_Garrett@baylor.edu.

• W. Barnes Tatum is a professor of religion and philosophy at Greensboro College in Greensboro, N.C., and the author of Jesus at the Movies: A Guide to the First Hundred Years (Polebridge Press, 1997). Contact 336-272-7102 ext. 299.

• Richard Walsh is a professor of religion at Methodist College in Fayetteville, N.C., and the author of Reading the Gospels in the Dark: Portrayals of Jesus in Film (Trinity Press International, 2003), which compares Jesus films to the canonical Gospels. Walsh argues that Jesus films tell as much about the changes in American culture as they do about Jesus. Contact 910-630-7077, rwalsh@methodist.edu.

TELEVISION AND RADIO

For more sources, see ReligionLink’s issues on television.

• Joyce Antler is a professor of American Jewish history and culture at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass. She has written about images of Jewish women on television and in popular culture. Contact 781-736-3036, antler@brandeis.edu.

• Jeremy Biles wrote a paper about ritual and salvation in the television show The Swan while doing doctoral work in religion and literature at the University of Chicago Divinity School. He teaches philosophy at the Illinois Institute of Art. Contact 773-656-7479, jbiles@uchicago.edu.

• Judith Mitchell Buddenbaum is a professor emerita of journalism and technical communication at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. She specializes in religion and mass media, especially radio and television news broadcasts. Contact 970-491-6469, judith.buddenbaum@colostate.edu.

• Lisle Dalton is an assistant professor of religious studies at Hartwick College in Oneonta, N.Y. He has written about religion and The Simpsons. Contact 607-431-4936, daltonl@hartwick.edu.

• John Ferre is a professor of communications at the University of Louisville in Kentucky. He is the editor of Channels of Belief: Religion and American Commercial Television (Iowa State University Press, 1990). Contact 502-852-6976, jpferr01@gwise.louisville.edu.

• Tona Hangen is a visiting professor in American studies at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass. She is the author of Redeeming the Dial: Radio Religion and Popular Culture in America (University of North Carolina Press, 2002). She is an expert on the roots of religious broadcasting. Contact 781-736-3031, tjhangen@brandeis.edu.

• Suzanne Holland is an associate professor and chairwoman of the department of religious studies at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Wash. She has written about television and radio as public confessionals in the shows of Judge Judy and Dr. Laura. Contact 253-879-3750, sholland@ups.edu.

• Wendy Martin is a professor in the department of classics and religious studies at the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, Ontario. In 2004, she presented a paper on how television shows depicting the supernatural influence people’s belief systems. Contact wendymartin@yahoo.com.

• Kathleen Lowney is a professor of sociology at Valdosta State University in Valdosta, Ga. She has written about television talk shows and morality. Contact 229-333-5487, klowney@valdosta.edu.

• Jay Newman is a professor of philosophy at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, and the author of Religion vs. Television: Competitors in Cultural Context (Praeger Publishers, 1996). Contact 519-824-4120 ext. 53198.

• The Rev. Lesley A. Northup, associate professor of religion and culture at Florida International University, is an expert on religion and broadcasting. He says television shows in general confirm some of the more simplistic ideas rampant in religion – for example, that miracles will happen if you are good. Contact 305-348-2956, Northupl@fiu.edu.

• Leonard Norman Primiano is an associate professor of religious studies at Cabrini College in Radnor, Pa., who has written about the portrayal of the supernatural on American television. He has also served as a consultant for the CBS television show Touched by an Angel. Contact 610-902-8330, primiano@cabrini.edu.

• Sharon Pucker Rivo is executive director of the National Center for Jewish Film at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass., and an associate professor of Near Eastern and Judaic studies who teaches a course on Jewish film. Contact 781-736-8600, rivo@brandeis.edu.

• Quentin Schultze is a professor of faith and communication at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich. He has written about the relationship of Christianity and evangelicals to mass media, including television and computers. Contact 616-526-6290.

• Elijah Siegler is an assistant professor of religious studies at the College of Charleston in Charleston, S.C. He contributed “God in the Box: Religion in Contemporary Television Cop Shows” to the book God in the Details: American Religion in Popular Culture (Routledge, 2001). Contact 843-953-3910, sieglere@cofc.edu.

• Glenn Sparks is a communications professor at Purdue University in Indiana and has studied how television in the 1990s influenced people’s belief in UFOs and alien abductions. Contact 765-494-3316, gsparks@purdue.edu.

• Michael Suman is a communications professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, and editor of Religion and Prime Time Television (Praeger Publishers, 1997). Contact 310-825-3303.

• Robert J. Thompson heads the Center for the Study of Popular Television at Syracuse University in New York. He has said religion is the most “dramatic ground for storytelling,” so it is only natural that we should expect to see it appear in popular culture. Contact 315-443-4077, tvcenter@syr.edu.

• Carl Jeffrey Wright is the author of God’s Vision or Television: How Television Influences What We Believe (Urban Ministries, 2004), about African-Americans, television and religion. He is the president and CEO of Urban Ministries Inc. Contact via Julia Shaw, 917-501-6780, shawlit@aol.com.

WEB SITES / PUBLICATIONS

• William L. Blizek is the founding editor of the Journal of Religion and Film at the department of philosophy and religion at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Contact 402-554-3347, wblizek@mail.unomaha.edu.

• Phil Boatwright is a Christian movie critic whose work has appeared on his web site, The Movie Reporter. He is based in Tonganoxie, Kan. Contact 913-845-2020.

• David Bruce is the webmaster of Hollywood Jesus. An ordained minister, he offers critiques and essays on films from a Christian viewpoint. Contact david@hollywoodjesus.com.

• Peter Gilmour is on the faculty of the Institute of Pastoral Studies at Loyola University in Chicago, where he teaches a graduate course on Jesus in the movies. Gilmour maintains a web site of resource information called Jesus: Real to Reel, together with Richard Ascough, an associate professor at Queen’s Theological College at Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada. Contact Gilmour at 773-508-2320, pgilmou@wpo.it.luc.edu. Ascough can be reached at Queen’s Theological College, Kingston, Ontario, 613-533-6000 ext. 78066, rsa@post.queensu.ca.

• Mark Goodacre is a theology professor at the Duke University in Durham, N.C., where he maintains a web site called Celluloid Jesus with resources and information. Contact 919-660-3503, Goodacre@duke.edu.

• Steven D. Greydanus is a film critic for the National Catholic Register and a member of the Faith and Film Critics Circle. He runs Decent Films, a web site of Christian film criticism. He is based in New Jersey. Contact via his web site.

• Charles Henderson is a Presbyterian minister who operates GodWeb, a Christian search engine, which includes an essay on “Why Movies Matter” and pages of reviews, criticism and essays about religion in film. He is also president of the Society for the Arts, Religion and Contemporary Culture. Contact 212-864-5436.

• Steve Lansingh is editor of JoyOfMovies.com, which examines movies as a means of enriching spirituality. The site contains a link to an essay he wrote for Campus Life magazine about his spiritual quest in the movie theater. He is based in Seattle. Contact steve@joyofmovies.com.

• The Rev. Ed McNulty is a retired Presbyterian minister in the Cincinnati area and publisher of Visual Parables, a journal that examines faith in films. Contact 859-493-0286, mcnulty@fuse.net.

General/Cross-disciplinary

• Ted Baehr is chairman of the Christian Film & Television Commission, a ministry that has been publishing and broadcasting Movieguide: A Family Guide to Movies and Entertainment since 1985. He has a web site. Contact his home office in the Los Angeles area at 805-383-2000, Office@MovieGuide.org, or his office in Atlanta, run by Sandra Bell, at 800-883-3883 or 770-825-0084.

• The Rev. Kenda Creasy Dean is an associate professor of youth, church and culture at Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, N.J. She has written about young people’s spiritual interface with mass media, including television and film. Contact 609-497-7910, kenda.dean@ptsem.edu.

• William Dean is a professor emeritus of constructive theology at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver. He is the author of The American Spiritual Culture and the Invention of Jazz, Football and the Movies (Continuum, 2002). Contact 303-744-1287 or 303-759-5237, wdean@iliff.edu.

• David Fairchild and Drew Goodmanson are elders at Kaleo Church in San Diego. The church emphasizes the intersection of religion with pop culture in many of its services and events. The church’s web site contains a section on culture, including movie, music and book reviews. Contact 619-741-8153.

• Barbara Nicolosi is executive director of Act One, a nonprofit that trains Christians for careers in mainstream film and television. It is in Hollywood, Calif. Contact 323-464-0815, info@actoneprogram.com.

• Sister Rose Pacatte is a Daughter of St. Paul and director of the Pauline Center for Media Studies in Boston. The center maintains a web page of reviews of movies and books and essays on film. She moderates a Yahoo group of Catholic communications professionals interested in film and other media. Contact RosePacatte@aol.com.

• Christopher Partridge is professor at the University of Chester in the United Kingdom. He teaches and has written in the area of alternative spiritualities in the West and is interested in the expression of spirituality in popular culture, including film, music, and cyberspace. He is co-director of the Research Centre for Religion, Film, and Contemporary Culture and the author of numerous books, including The Re-Enchantment of the West: Understanding Popular Occulture, vols. I & II (Continuum International Publishing Group – T & T C, 2005 and 2006). Contact trs@chester.ac.uk.

• Stephen R. Prothero is associate professor of religion and philosophy at Boston University and author of American Jesus: How the Son of God Became a National Icon (Farrar Straus & Giroux, 2003), which looks at popular images of Jesus in film, television and print. Contact 617-353-4426, prothero@bu.edu.

• William Romanowski is a professor of communication arts and sciences at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich. He is the author of Pop Culture Wars: Religion and the Role of Entertainment in American Life (InterVarsity Press, 1996). Contact 616-526-8527, romw@calvin.edu.

• Erin Runions is an assistant professor of religious studies at Pomona College in Claremont, Calif. Runions has written about, and teaches a course on, the Bible, religion and film. Contact 909-607-0479, Erin.Runions@pomona.edu.

• Linda Seger has a master’s degree in religion and the arts and is a Hollywood script consultant who has consulted on more than 2,000 projects, including more than 30 produced television projects and 50 completed feature films. She has been a keynote speaker at conferences on religion and the media and is a recipient of a Candlelight award from Regent University for being “a light to the entertainment industry.” Contact 719-684-0405 or 719-684-0406, lsseger@aol.com.

• Dick Staub is a radio show host who runs Staublog, a blog in which he rates films, television and other forms of entertainment for its religious and moral value. He is based in Seattle. Contact dss@dickstaub.com.

Comics, comic books and comedy

For more sources, see ReligionLink’s issues on:

• Superheroes in film

• Religious humor

• Doug Adams is professor of Christianity and the arts at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, Calif. He wrote The Prostitute in the Family Tree: Discovering Humor and Irony in the Bible (Westminster/John Knox Press, 1997) and Humor in the American Pulpit: From George Whitefield Through Henry Ward Beecher (The Sharing Company, 1975). Contact 510-848-0528, dadams@psr.edu.

• Peter L. Berger is professor emeritus of sociology and theology at Boston University, where he also acts as director of the Institute on Culture, Religion and World Affairs. He wrote Redeeming Laughter: The Comic Dimension of Human Experience (Walter De Gruyter, 1997). Contact 617-353-9050, isec@bu.edu.

• Donald E. Capps is a professor of pastoral psychology at Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, N.J. He is the author of A Time to Laugh: The Religion of Humor (Continuum, 2005). Contact 609-497-6442.

• Robert Darden is editor at The Wittenburg Door, a religious satire magazine that takes special pleasure in skewering televangelists. Darden is an English professor at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Contact 254-710-6891, Robert_Darden@baylor.edu or dooreditor@earthlink.net.

• Buzz Dixon is the author of Serenity: Bad Girl in Town (Barbour, 2005), a comic book whose publisher believes it is the first Christian-themed manga, a form of Japanese comic book. Contact via Barbour publicity, 1-800-852-8010.

• Greg Garrett is an English professor at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and author of Holy Superheroes! (NavPress, 2006). Contact 254-710-6879, Greg_Garrett@baylor.edu.

• Mark Graham is an assistant professor of religious studies at the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio. He has written a paper on comedy and religious criticism. Contact 330-263-2138, mgraham@wooster.edu.

• Jean Graybeal is a professor at the Gallatin School of Independent Study at New York University. She wrote a chapter called “Cathy on Slenderness, Suffering, and Soul” for God in the Details: American Religion in Popular Culture (Routledge, 2001). Contact jean.graybeal@nyu.edu.

• John Heeren is a professor of sociology at California State University, San Bernardino. He has written about religion in the funny papers. Contact 909-537-5556, jheeren@csusb.edu.

• Joel Kilpatrick is editor and writer of LarkNews.com, a Christian satire web site in the style of The Onion. He is the author of A Field Guide to Evangelicals and Their Habitat (HarperSanFrancisco, 2006). Contact 805-494-0104, joelkilpatrick@hotmail.com.

• Kathleen S. Lowney is professor of sociology at Valdosta State University in Valdosta, Ga. She co-wrote “What Waco Stood For: Jokes as Popular Constructions of Social Problems” for the book Perspectives on Social Problems Vol. 8 (JAI Press, 1995). She analyzed what is called a “sick joke cycle,” all the jokes about the Branch Davidian siege in Waco that were posted to online humor sites. She then sorted the jokes and analyzed their meanings. Contact 229-333-5487, klowney@valdosta.edu.

• Fedwa Malti-Douglas is a professor of gender studies at Indiana University, Bloomington. She co-wrote Arab Comic Strips: Politics of an Emerging Mass Culture (Indiana University Press, 1994). Contact 812-855-0101, fmaltido@indiana.edu or gender@indiana.edu.

• John Morreall is a former professor of religious studies at the University of South Florida in Tampa. He is nationally known for his expertise in religious humor and now runs Humorworks in Virginia, a company that provides seminars and workshops on humor for corporations, universities and religious organizations. He says humor is used in all situations to overcome stress emotions, such as fear and anger. He wrote Comedy, Tragedy and Religion (SUNY Press, 1999). Contact 757-259-0029, morreall@humorworks.com.

• Alex Riggle is a devout Greek Orthodox from the Tacoma, Wash., area and creator of The Onion Dome, which pokes fun at Orthodox Christianity. Contact webmaster@theoniondome.com.

• Rabbi Joseph Telushkin is spiritual leader of the Synagogue for the Performing Arts in Los Angeles. He wrote Jewish Humor: What the Best Jewish Jokes Say About the Jews (HarperCollins, 1992). Contact 310-472-3500, sftpa2@aol.com.

• Steven Walker is a professor at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. He wrote the article “Humor in the Bible” for the journal Perspective (autumn 2003). He has also spoken extensively on the subject. Contact 801-422-3203, Steve_Walker@byu.edu.

Children’s literature and media

• Russell W. Dalton is an associate professor of Christian education at Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, Texas, and the author of Faith Journey Through Fantasy Lands: A Christian Dialogue With Harry Potter, Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings (Augsburg, 2003). Contact 817-257-6812, r.dalton@tcu.edu.

• John Granger of Port Hadlock, Wash., is the author of Looking for God in Harry Potter (Tyndale, 2004). Contact 360-379-5740, wow@olympus.net.

• Alan Jacobs is an English professor at Wheaton College in Illinois. An evangelical Christian, he wrote about how Harry Potter’s magic fits with faith in a January 2000 essay in First Things. Contact 630-752-5784, Alan.Jacobs@wheaton.edu.

• Connie Neal is the author of The Gospel According to Harry Potter: Spirituality in the Stories of the World’s Most Famous Seeker (Westminster John Knox Press, 2002) and What’s a Christian to Do With Harry Potter? (Waterbrook Press paperback, 2001). She also helps churches start Harry Potter Book & Bible Clubs for kids and youth, along with education for their parents. Contact 916-752-7805.

• Evelyn J.P. Weston, co-pastor of First Lutheran Church in Renville, Minn., serves under the screen name “HogwartsChaplain” as volunteer chaplain and prefect moderator at Chamber of Secrets Forum, a Harry Potter message board. Read her article “Religious Aspects of Harry Potter,” published in 2002 by Concord: A Journalistic Ministry of Students at Luther Seminary. Contact eweston@ecunet.org (plain text only) or eweston@luthersem.edu.

Literary fiction and science fiction

• Lisle Dalton is an assistant professor of religious studies at Hartwick College in Oneonta, N.Y. He has written about science fiction and religion and is interested in examining what science fiction says about the relationship between religion and science in American culture. Contact 607-431-4936, daltonl@hartwick.edu.

• Barbara Jane Davy holds a PhD in religion from Concordia University, Montreal, and is interested in the intersection of speculative fiction and contemporary paganism. She has written about the influence of authors Neil Gaiman and Charles de Lint on pagan ideas about “other” and the idea of “the otherland.” She is also the author of Introduction to Pagan Studies (2006), and has published in the areas of religion and ecology, environmental ethics. She lives in Ottowa, Canada. Contact 613-722-3821, barbdavy@sympatico.ca.

• Andrew Flescher is a professor of religious studies at California State University, Chico. He teaches a course on religion in literature. Contact 530-898-5534, aflescher@csuchico.edu.

• Bruce David Forbes is a professor of religious studies at Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa. He has written about the Left Behind series of books. Contact 712-274-5185, forbes@morningside.edu.

• Benedict Giamo is an associate professor of American studies at the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Ind. He has written about the spiritual in the works of Jack Kerouac and teaches a course about Kerouac and other Beat writers. Contact 574-631-7142, giamo.1@nd.edu.

• Jeanne Halgren Kilde is a visiting assistant professor in the department of religion at Carleton College in Northfield, Minn. She has written about the Left Behind series of books. Contact 507-646-4232 ext. 5953, jkilde@carleton.edu.

• Matthew Hedstrom is a Lilly Fellow in the Humanities and the Arts at Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Ind. He wrote his dissertation on the search for spirituality in mass-market books. Contact 219-464-6840, matt.hedstrom@valpo.edu.

• John Lardas is a visiting assistant professor of religion at Haverford College in Haverford, Pa., and the author of The Bop Apocalypse: The Religious Vision of Kerouac, Ginsberg and Burroughs (University of Illinois Press, 2001). Contact 610-896-1029, jlardas@haverford.edu.

• Darren Middleton is an associate professor in the department of religion at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. He has written about religion in the literature of Nikos Kazantzakis. He says more non-Christian publishers are producing books with religious themes and material. He calls this the “Mel Gibson-Dan Brown effect,” but also says it moves into the non-Christian religions in diaspora by showing up in the work of authors such as Jhumpa Lahiri and Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. Contact 817-257-6445, D.Middleton2@tcu.edu.

• James F. McGrath is an assistant professor of religion at Butler University in Indianapolis, where he teaches a course called “Religion in Science Fiction.” Read the syllabus and introduction, bibliography and links. Contact 317-940-9364, jfmcgrat@butler.edu.

• Joseph L. Price is a professor of religious studies at Whittier College in Whittier, Calif. He teaches a course on faith in Southern literature. Contact 562-907-4803, jprice@whittier.edu.

• Erin Smith is a graduate student at the University of Texas at Dallas. She has spoken on the subject of religious book clubs at a conference on religion and the culture of print. Contact erins@utdallas.edu.

• Ralph Wood is a professor of theology and literature at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. He has written about the religious themes of writers such as Flannery O’Connor, Walker Percy, P.D. James and others. Contact Ralph_wood@baylor.edu.

Music

For more sources, See ReligionLink’s issue on hip-hop.

• Ronnie Christian runs Christian Cowboys and Friends, a cowboy ministry through country music, in Blanco, Texas. Contact 830-796-7027, rcrodeo@christiancowboy.org.

• James Cone is a professor of systematic theology at Union Theological Seminary. He is an expert on black liberation theology and has written about the blues as an expression of African-American spirituality. Contact 212-280-1369, jcone@uts.columbia.edu.

• Erika Doss is a professor of art and art history at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She has written about popular culture religious expressions involving Elvis Presley. Contact 303-492-4483, erika.doss@colorado.edu.

• David Fillingim is the author of Redneck Liberation: Country Music as Theology (Mercer University Press, 2003), in which he discusses country music lyrics as the theological expression of a marginalized group, “the Rednecks.” He is a professor at Shorter College in Rome, Ga. Contact 706-233-7316, dfillingim@shorter.edu.

• Michael Gilmour is an associate professor of New Testament at Providence College and Seminary in Otterburne, Manitoba, Canada. He teaches a course on religious themes in popular music and is the author of Tangled Up in the Bible: Bob Dylan and Scripture (Continuum, 2004). He says some people find in music that draws on religious themes an alternative spirituality – a spirituality without the structures of organized religion. Contact 204-433-7488 ext. 291, michael.gilmour@prov.ca.

• Mark Hulsether is an associate professor of religious studies at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. He has written about religious imagery in music videos, especially in those made by the singer Madonna. Contact 865-974-2466, mhulseth@utk.edu.

• Maxine Grossman is a visiting assistant professor at the Center for Jewish Studies at the University of Maryland in College Park, where she teaches a course on religion and popular culture. She has written about religion and contemporary country music. Contact 301-405-4975, mgrossma@umd.edu.

• Julie Ingersoll is an associate professor of religious studies at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville. She has written about faith and values among Jimmy Buffett fans. Contact 904-620-1330, jingerso@unf.edu.

• Tommy Kyllonen, a.k.a. “Urban D,” is a hip-hop artist and lead pastor at Crossover Community Church in Tampa, Fla. The church’s ministry is to the hip-hop culture, and worship combines music, dance, visual arts and other media. He has recorded five albums, performs concerts and is writing his first book, about hip-hop and the church. Contact 813-935-8887, urband@flavoralliance.com.

• Kyle Matthews is a Dove Award-winning Christian songwriter whose works have been recorded by top Christian artists, including Point of Grace. He lives in Brentwood, Tenn. Contact via Christa Foss, 615-837-8624, or at kyle@kylematthews.com.

• Darren Middleton is an associate professor in the religion department at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. He has written about religious expression in reggae music. Contact 817-257-6445, D.Middleton2@tcu.edu.

• Felicia Miyakawa is an assistant professor of musicology at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. She is the author of Five Percenter Rap: God Hop’s Music, Message and Black Muslim Mission (Indiana University Press, 2005). Contact 615-904-8043, miyakawa@mtsu.edu.

• Andrea Most is the author of Making Americans: Jews and the Broadway Musical (Harvard University Press, 2004), in which she discusses how Jews used the Broadway musical as a means of assimilation during the second quarter of the 20th century. She is a professor of English at the University of Toronto. Contact 416-946-8972, andrea.most@utoronto.ca.

• The Rev. J. Clinton McCann is a professor of biblical interpretation at Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis. He has written about religion and popular music. Contact 314-918-2582, cmccann@eden.edu.

• Kate McCarthy is an associate professor of religious studies at California State University, Chico. She has written about religious expression in rock music, including the music of Bruce Springsteen. Contact 530-898-4485, kmccarthy@csuchico.edu.

• James Perkinson is an associate professor of religious studies and philosophy at Marygrove College in Detroit. He has written about religious expression in rap music. Contact 313-927-1531, jperkinson@marygrove.edu.

• Rick Recht is a pop singer and songwriter of Jewish music and secular music. In addition to concerts, he frequently plays Friday night services at synagogues across the country. Contact 314-991-0909, rick@rickrecht.com.

• Teresa L. Reed is the author of The Holy Profane: Religion in Black Popular Music (University Press of Kentucky, 2004), in which she links West-African musical and religious cultures and religious lyrics and themes in African-American blues, rhythm and blues, soul, funk and gangsta rap. She is an associate professor of music at the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma. Contact teresa-shelton@utulsa.edu.

• William Romanowski is a professor of communication arts and sciences at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich. He has written about evangelicals and their use of and relationship to Christian music. Contact 616-526-8527, romw@calvin.edu.

• David Rosen is a professor of Jungian psychology at Texas A&M University in College Station and author of The Tao of Elvis (Harvest Books, 2002), a book of reflections on Elvis and Taoist principles. Contact 979-845-2530, dhr@psyc.tamu.edu.

• Ted Swedenburg is a professor of cultural anthropology at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. He has done research on popular music, including Islamic and Middle Eastern influences on rap and hip-hop music, and he hosts a world music show on the radio. He can speak about the impact that Muslim young people are having in the world of music. Contact 479-575-6624, tsweden@uark.edu.

• Robin Sylvan is an adjunct professor of art and religion at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, Calif. He has written about religion and rave culture, popular music, rap and hip-hop. Contact 510-338-0264.

• Charles Reagan Wilson is the author of Judgment & Grace in Dixie: Southern Faiths from Faulkner to Elvis (University of Georgia Press, 1995). He is a professor of history and Southern studies at the University of Mississippi. Contact 662-915-5993.

Sports and games

• Rebecca T. Alpert is a rabbi and an associate professor of religion and women’s studies at Temple University in Philadelphia, Penn. She is currently at work on a book about African-Americans and Jews in baseball. Contact 215-204-7712, ralpert@temple.edu.

• William Baker is a professor emeritus of history at the University of Maine in Orono. He has written about Christ and the Olympics. Contact 207-581-1911, William.baker@umit.maine.edu.

• Jeremy Biles wrote a paper about ritual and monster trucks while doing doctoral work in religion and literature at the University of Chicago Divinity School. He teaches philosophy at the Illinois Institute of Art. Contact 773-656-7479, jbiles@uchicago.edu.

• Allen Bodner is a boxing historian and the author of When Boxing Was a Jewish Sport (Praeger Publishers, 1997). His father was a professional boxer. Bodner is an attorney in New York City. Contact 212-344-5633.

• Christina Cabeen is a doctoral student at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She has written a paper on Las Vegas and nuns. Contact cbcabeen@umail.ucsb.edu.

• William Herzog II is a professor of New Testament interpretation at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School in Rochester, N.Y. He is co-editor of The Faith of Fifty Million: Baseball, Religion and American Culture (Westminster John Knox Press, 2002). Contact 585-271-1320 ext. 220, bherzog@crcds.edu.

• Robert J. Higgs is the author of God in the Stadium: Sports and Religion in America (University Press of Kentucky, 1995) and co-author of An Unholy Alliance: The Sacred and Modern Sports (Mercer University Press, 2004). Contact via Mercer University Press, 478-301-2880.

• Allen E. Hye is the author of The Great God Baseball: Religion in Modern Baseball Fiction (Mercer University Press, 2004). He is a professor of Danish and German at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and a member of the Society for American Baseball Research and the Popular Culture Association. Contact 937-775-2739, allen.hye@wright.edu.

• Tony Ladd and James Mathisen are professors of kinesiology and sociology, respectively, at Wheaton College in Aurora, Ill. They are co-authors of Muscular Christianity: Evangelical Protestants and the Development of American Sport (Baker Books, 1999). Contact Ladd at 630-752-5748, tony.ladd@wheaton.edu. Contact Mathisen at 630-752-5059, james.a.mathisen@wheaton.edu.

• Joseph L. Price is a professor of religious studies at Whittier College in Whittier, Calif. He is the author of From Season to Season: Sports as American Religion (Mercer University Press, 2005). A new book on baseball as religion is due in June 2006. Contact 562-907-4803, jprice@whittier.edu.

• Steven A. Riess is a professor of history at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago and editor of Sports and the American Jew (Syracuse University Press, 1998). Contact S-Riess@neiu.edu.

Computers, video games and other technology

• Brenda Brasher is a lecturer in the sociology department at the University of Aberdeen in Aberdeen, Scotland. She is an expert on religion as it is expressed and practiced online. Contact +44 (0) 1224 272731, b.brasher@abdn.ac.uk.

• Robert Geraci is an assistant professor of religious studies at Manhattan College in New York City. He has written a paper on robotics and artificial intelligence and the idea of the sacred. Contact 718-862-7419, robert.geraci@manhattan.edu.

• Rachel Wagner is an assistant professor of religion and philosophy at Ithaca College in Ithaca, N.Y. She has taught courses on religion and video games and is interested in the ways video and computer games depict rituals and sacred space, such as churches and cemeteries. Contact 607-274-3249, rwagner@ithaca.edu.

Arts and crafts

• Kathy Cueva is the president of The Prayer Quilt Ministry, commonly known as Prayers & Squares, an international ministry that performs quilting as a form of intercessory prayer. She lives in San Diego, Calif. Contact prayerquiltpres@cox.net.

• Barbara Brewer Davis is the co-author of With Sacred Threads: Quilting and the Spiritual Life (Pilgrim Press, 2000) and an avid quilter. Contact 614-487-7216, barbdavis@columbus.rr.com.

• Tara Jon Manning is a Buddhist, a knitter and the author of Mindful Knitting: Inviting Contemplative Practice to the Craft (Tuttle Publishing, June 2004) and Compassionate Knitting: Finding Basic Goodness in the Craft of Our Hands (Tuttle Publishing, 2006). She holds “mindful knitting retreats” around the country. Contact info@tarahandknitting.com.

• Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi is a quilter whose work is included in the Smithsonian Museum’s collection. She is the founder and director of the Women of Color Quilters Network. She was the co-curator of a quilt show titled “Threads of Faith” at the American Bible Society in New York City. She lives in Columbus, Ohio. Contact DrMAZ4WCQN@aol.com.

• Bernadette Murphy is the author of Zen and the Art of Knitting: Exploring the Links Between Knitting, Spirituality and Creativity (Adams Media Corp., 2002). She is a fiction writer and lives in Los Angeles. Contact 818-956-7522, bernadet@lafn.org.

• Linda T. Skolnik and Janice MacDaniels are the authors of the author of The Knitting Way: A Guide to Spiritual Self-Discovery (Skylight Paths, 2005). Skolnik is the owner of Patternworks, a knitting company, in Center Harbor, New Hampshire, and MacDaniels was the store manager. Contact via Skylight Paths publicity, 802-457-4000.

Other

• Dane Claussen is an associate professor in the department of journalism and mass communication at Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Pa. He is an expert on Promise Keepers and other “masculine Christianity” movements. Contact 412-392-3412, dclaussen@pointpark.edu.

• Donna Freitas is an assistant professor of religious studies at St. Michael’s College in Colchester, Vt. She has written about the spirituality of dating and chastity. Contact 802-654-2489, dfreitas@smcvt.edu.

• James Lewis is a lecturer in religious studies at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in Stevens Point, Wis. He is an expert on religion and UFOs. Contact 715-346-3803, jlewis@uwsp.edu.

• Gordon Lynch is professor of religion and culture in the Department of Theology and Religion at Birmingham University in the United Kingdom. He is the author of Understanding Theology and Popular Culture (Blackwell, 2005). Contact G.A.Lynch@bham.ac.uk.

• Karal Ann Marling is a professor of art history at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis-St. Paul. She has written about religion and Disney, the American highway, Elvis, Christmas and the Vietnam Memorial. Contact 612-624-5595, marli001@umn.edu.

• David Morgan is a professor of humanities and art history at Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Ind. He is the author of Visual Piety: A History and Theory of Popular Religious Images (University of California Press, 1999). Contact 219-465-7839, David.Morgan@valpo.edu.

• Patrick A. Polk is a lecturer in the Department of World Arts and Cultures at the University of California, Los Angeles in Los Angeles, Calif. In 2004, he was the guest curator of an exhibit at the Fowler Muesum on roadside religious displays found throughout Los Angeles. Contact 310-825-8171, polk@arts.ucla.edu.

• Sally Promey is a professor of American art at the University of Maryland in College Park. She is at work on a book about the public display of religion in the United States. Contact 301-405-7720, sp80@umail.umd.edu.

• Rich Remsberg is a documentary photographer who lives in North Adams, Mass., and is the author of Riders for God: The Story of a Christian Motorcycle Gang (University of Illinois Press, 2000). Contact 413-664-4516, rich@remsbergphoto.com.

Background

GENERAL

• The Brehm Center for Worship, Theology and the Arts at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif., has institutes dedicated to film, dramatic arts, music and expressions of “visual faith.” Each of the institutes has a web page with essays, reviews and criticism.

• Damaris CultureWatch is a U.K.-based organization that offers Christian reflection on film, television, music, books and art.

• The Journal of Religion and Popular Culture is a web-based peer-reviewed journal based in Canada. It is edited by Mary Ann Beavis at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. Contact 306-966-8948, maryann.beavis@usask.ca.

• Ministry and Media is a web site designed to be “a storehouse of pop culture information and programming ideas that will help youth workers use media to relate the gospel to teenagers.” It contains reviews of movies, music and videos.

• Plugged In online is the online version of Focus on the Family’s entertainment review magazine, which looks at film, television, books and videos from a conservative Christian perspective.

FILM, TELEVISION AND RADIO

• William L. Blizek edits The Journal of Religion and Film at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. The main web site has links to many articles and authors.

• Christian Spotlight on Entertainment is a web site that rates film, television and other forms of entertainment for its compatibility with Christian principles.

• The Decent Films Guide is a web site that reviews films from a Christian perspective.

• The Dove Foundation reviews movies to see how they coincide with “the Christian worldview” and offers warnings about those that do not meet its criteria.

• The Faith and Film Critics Circle is an organization of Christian film critics who want to expand the definition of “Christian criticism.”

• Presbyterian minister Charles Henderson operates GodWeb, which reviews movies.

• Maxine Grossman is an assistant professor of Jewish studies at the University of Maryland in College Park, Md. She can discuss the Bible as it is depicted in current television and film. Contact 301- 405-4980, mgrossma@umd.edu.

• Hollywood Jesus is the film review web site of minister David Bruce.

• Interfilm is an international network of people interested in film, theology and church.

• Scot McKnight is a professor of religious studies at North Park University in Chicago, Ill. He specializes in films about Jesus and writes a blog about Jesus studies and the Orthodox faith, which routinely examines depiction of Jesus in popular culture. Contact 847-362-4904, smcknight@northpark.edu.

• Intervarsity Christian Fellowship runs 2100 Productions, a film review web site aimed at Christian college students.

• Movieguide is “a ministry dedicated to redeeming the values of the mass media according to biblical principles, by influencing entertainment industry executives and helping families make wise media choices.” It is published by Ted Baehr, chairman of The Christian Film & Television Commission.

• MovieMission.com is a web site “dedicated to helping People of Faith view their relationship with Hollywood as a unique missionary opportunity.” It asks people to go to movies and pray for the producers, actors and directors.

• The Movie Theology web site lists movie reviews, movie theology blogs, film discussion groups and articles on faith and film. It comes from Canadian Mennonite University.

• The Pauline Center for Media Studies maintains a web page of reviews of movies and books and essays on film.

• The Text This Week is a web site of resources for study and liturgy based on the Revised Common Lectionary. It includes a movie concordance of film scenes pastors can use to illustrate their sermons and lessons. It is run by Jenee Woodard of Jackson, Mich.

• Read a study from the Parents Television Council about the treatment of religion on television during the 2003-04 season.

A guide to experts on religion and pop culture

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