Christotainment: Selling Jesus through Popular Culture [Paperback]

Shirley R. Steinberg (Editor), Joe L. Kincheloe (Editor)

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Product Details

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Westview Press (Feb 3 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0813344050
ISBN-13: 978-0813344058
Product Dimensions: 22.6 x 15.2 x 2 cm
Shipping Weight: 363 g
Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #537,647 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

For more than two thousand years Christian expansion and proselytizing was couched in terms of “defending the faith.” Until recently in the United States, much of that defense came in the form of reactions against the “liberal” influences channeled through big-corporate media such as popular music, Hollywood movies, and network and cable television. But the election of Ronald Reagan as a Hollywood President introduced Christian America to the tools of advertising and multimedia appeals to children and youth to win new believers to God’s armies.

Christotainment examines how Christian fundamentalism has realigned its armies to combat threats against it by employing the forces it once considered its chief enemies: the entertainment media, including movies, television, music, cartoons, theme parks, video games, and books. Invited contributors discuss the critical theoretical frameworks of top-selling devices within Christian pop culture and the appeal to masses of American souls through the blessed marriage of corporatism and the quest for pleasure.

About the Author

Shirley R. Steinberg is an associate professor at McGill University in Montreal and the director of the Paulo and Nita Freire International Project for Critical Pedagogy. She is the founding editor of Taboo: The Journal of Culture and Education, and her numerous books include Media Literacy (with Donaldo Macedo); the award-winning Encyclopedia of Contemporary Youth Culture (with Priya Parmar and Birgit Richard); and Kinderculture and The Miseducation of the West (with Joe L. Kincheloe).

The late Joe L. Kincheloe was the Canada Research Chair of Critical Pedagogy at McGill University in Montreal and the founder of the Paulo and Nita Freire International Project for Critical Pedagogy. His books include Teachers as Researchers, City Kids, Kinderculture, and the Gustavus Myers Human Rights award–winning Measured Lies.

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Amazon.com: 3.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, May 21 2009

By rcragun - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: Christotainment: Selling Jesus through Popular Culture (Paperback)

The book purports to be an analysis of how Christianity and Christ have become part of popular culture in the US. I guess, in a sense, it is, but only in the sense that it's a book that mentions Christ and popular culture, not because the arguments are coherent or even provocative.

What is so problematic about the book? Well, it's not scientific. It seems to suggest that it is, but only because most of the authors are academics (mostly education and communications professors) and they use references. When you check the references you see that the authors cite "publications" that range from (1) their own books, (2) some journal articles from education and communications journals (scary!), to (3) blogs (including the Daily Kos). So, first off, the book is not really an academic book. It's, well, a pseudo-academic book.

Second, it's biased and inaccurate (that's coming from a nonreligious individual to boot). Here's a quote illustrating the bias, "This book wants to understand this merging of popular culture and Christian fundamentalism. In this context, we use a bricolage of methods to understand religious marketing, what such theotainment looks like, and its theological, cultural, social, and political effects. Our assertion is that such dynamics are changing the world in a dangerous and frightening manner." Well, they admit that they are critical theorists (meaning they reveal their biases). Okay, fine with me. But what's their evidence that it is dangerous and frightening? They don't mention the shooting of doctors who perform abortions. They don't mention Timothy McVeigh (even though his actions were mostly political, just inspired by Christianity). They don't mention any of the real threats of fundamentalist Christianity, just that it is around - on TV, in music, and sports. Ohh, the 700 Club is on - run for your lives!!!!

I could go on, but let me be succinct - don't bother.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended for both interested readers and scholars., May 21 2009

By J. Gochenour "spirituality scholar" - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: Christotainment: Selling Jesus through Popular Culture (Paperback)

Christotainment is lively, fascinating, clearly-presented, and well-researched account of the history, scope, and implications of the current proliferation of Christian books, Christian music, Christian movies, Christian festivals etc.. The book "unpacks" examples of each of these and helps the reader place them in the context of the surrounding culture. As a fan of popular culture, I appreciated reading and learning more about this sprawling, powerful but (until now) largely overlooked segment of the entertainment industry. As a citizen who observes and worries about the impact of "culture wars" on our national life, Christotainment provided real food for thought. As a practicing Christian, Christotainment (1) helped me think through the implications of what it may mean to "brand" and "commodify" Jesus, and (2) gave me a clearer understanding of the thought and theology behind an aspect of Christianity that I've seen grow by leaps and bounds. Finally, as a scholar of spirituality and culture, I was delighted to find that Christotainment turns attention to and competently addresses what has been a crying void in cultural, religious, and spirituality studies.

› Go to Amazon.com to see both reviews 3.0 out of 5 stars