popular culture

Stories of sexual abuse and misconduct are, of course, nothing new. The matter changes. So do the punishments and the means of restoration or reconciliation. When Oedipus, the legendary Greek king…

The love between Donald Trump and white evangelical Protestants remains strong according to a new poll from the Public Religion Research Institute. Nearly three-quarters of all white evangelical…

In London, Black Pete travels to children’s houses in a cab with tinted windows. His boss Sinterklaas could walk the streets and be taken for either a peculiar Santa or a strange dress-up saint, but…

What inspired you to write Why Horror Seduces? The book is based on years of research, but it grows out of personal curiosity and fascination. What’s with all the monsters and scary stories in popular…

There are three things I have learned never to discuss with people: religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin. - Linus van Pelt The Trump era changes everything, including how I view Halloween cartoon…

The United States is suffering through an epistemic crisis. From day to day it seems increasingly difficult to know the truth with real certainty. The nation’s leadership came to power atop a wave of…

In the wake of catastrophic destruction in Puerto Rico Lin-Manuel Miranda, the force behind Hamilton, has used theological rhetoric, declaring that Trump was “going straight to hell” for his lack of…

Nobody’s perfect. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Paul wrote to a Christian community in Rome. It’s an important verse in American evangelical Christianity. Because all have…

Thinking about the place of violence in American civil religion helps solve a perplexing theme in the debate over professional athletes’ protests.

Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale triumphed at the Emmys last night, capping a culture-grabbing comeback for Margaret Atwood’s 1985 dystopian novel. But if we’re still casting about for literary maps of what…