"An intriguing look at the world of religious toys and games. Ably demonstrating the ubiquity of these objects and the manner in which they have been "An intriguing look at the world of religious toys and games. Ably demonstrating the ubiquity of these objects and the manner in which they have been integrated into a wide variety of religious cultures, this book is an excellent example of how material culture is full of religious belief and practice." --Douglas E. Cowan
"Noting how religion has become a commodity in modern Western society, Norris and Bado-Fralick here analyze the world of religious games and toys and the efforts by religions to market their own values within a competitive consumer culture. There is really nothing like this very thoroughly researched work." --John Lyden...more
God and television have been together from the start—from the theologically explicit “Lamp Unto My Feet” and “Life Is Worth Living” to the I-can-walk-again schmaltz of “Highway to Heaven” and “Touched By an Angel.” Small Screen, Big Picture, however, concentrates on more recent and complex examples of the partnership. This rich and compelling book describes the remarkable flowering of religious themes in the high-quality television melodramas of the new century. It discusses with both sanity and intelligence two subjects that are often discussed with neither. —Robert Thompson, Professor of Television and Popular Culture, Syracuse University
DAVID: I really like the way you define spirituality in your book. Regular readers of ReadTheSpirit know that we frequently describe “spirituality” as answering three questions: Why should I climb out of bed in the morning? How can I make it through another stressful day? And, at the end of the day, did anything I do really matter? And we’ve explained to readers that these really are questions that go back through Tolstoy and a host of other writers to the ancient questions about life. You’ve got a nearly identical definition of spirituality.
DIANE: To me, the most basic spiritual questions are: What am I doing here? How can I make a difference? And, what happens when I die? Those three questions are a great starting point for getting a discussion going in your small group about “Battlestar Galactica” or “Sopranos” or many of these other series. Diane Winston in an interview with ReadtheSpirit.com ...more
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