God in the Details American Religion in Popular Culture [Hardcover]

Exploring the blurred boundary between religion and pop culture, God in the Detailsoffers a provocative look at the breadth and persistence of religious themes in the American consciousness. This new edition reflects the explosion of online activity since the first edition, including chapters on the spiritual implications of social networking sites, and the hazy line between real and virtual religious life in the online community Second Life. Also new to this edition are chapters on the migration of black male expression from churches to athletic stadiums, new configurations of the sacred and the commercial, and post 9/11 spirituality and religious redemption through an analysis of vampire drama, True Blood. Popular chapters on media, sports, and other pop culture experiences have been revised and updated, making this an invaluable resource for students and scholars alike.

Acknowledgements.  Preface to the Second Edition . Introduction: Finding Religion in American Popular Culture Eric Mazur and Kate McCarthy  Part 1: Popular Myth and Symbol  1. Deliver Me from Nowhere: Bruce Springsteen and the Myth of the American Promised Land KateMcCarthy  2. True Blood: The Material and the Spiritual on HBO Leonard Primiano  3. A Fire in the Sky: Apocalyptic Themes on the Silver Screen Jon R. Stone  4. Sexuality, Blasphemy and Iconoclasm in the Media Age: The Strange Case of the Buddha Bikini James Mark Shields  Part 2: Popular Ritual  5. Blood in the Barbecue: Food and Faith in the American South Wade Clark Roof  6. Rituals of the African American Domus: Church, Community, Sport and Lebron James Vernon Andrews&nbsl£,