Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents v
3. Preface to the Third Edition ix
4. Introduction: Finding Religion in Unexpected Places 1
5. Part I. Religion in Popular Culture
6. Introduction 27
7. 1. The Origin(s) of Superman: Reimagining Religion in the Man of Steel 33
8. 2. The Oriental Monk in American Popular Culture 51
9. 3. Adventure Time and Sacred History: Myth and Reality in Children’s Animated Cartoons 71
10. 4. Monstrous Muslims: Historical Anxieties and Future Trends 85
11. 5. The Weight of the World: Religion and Heavy Metal Music in Four Cases 100
12. Part II. Popular Culture in Religion
13. Introduction 121
14. 6. Christmas Is Like a Snowball 127
15. 7. Mipsterz: Hip, American, and Muslim 144
16. 8. Megachurches, Celebrity Pastors, and the Evangelical Industrial Complex 159
17. 9. People of the Picture Book: PJ Library and American Jewish Religion 177
18. 10. Meditation on the Go: Buddhist Smartphone Apps as Video Game Play 195
19. Part III. Popular Culture as Religion
20. Introduction 217
21. 11. It’s About Faith in Our Future: Star Trek Fandom as Cultural Religion 223
22. 12. Shopping, Religion, and the Sacred “Buyosphere” 242
23. 13. Losing Their Way to Salvation: Women, Weight Loss, and the Religion of Thinness 262
24. 14. The “Godding Up” of American Sports 288
25. 15. Celebrity Worship as Parareligion: Bieber and the Beliebers 313
26. Part IV. Religion and Popular Culture in Dialogue
27. Introduction 331
28. 16. Yoga in Popular Culture: Controversies and Conflicts 337
29. 17. Mirror, Mirror on Ourselves: Disney as a Site of Religio-Cultural Dialogue 351
30. 18. Can Watching a Movie Be a Spiritual Experience? 373
31. 19. Rap Music and Its Message: On Interpreting the Contact between Religion and Popular Culture 390
32. 20. Broadswords and Face Paint: Why Braveheart Still Matters 413
33. Contributors 431
34. Index 437