The Handbook of Religion and Communication

Description

Provides a contemporary view of the intertwined relationship of communication and religion The Handbook on Religion and Communication presents a detailed investigation of the complex interaction between media and religion, offering diverse perspectives on how both traditional and new media sources continue to impact religious belief and practice across multiple faiths around the globe. Contributions from leading international scholars address key themes such as the changing role of religious authority in the digital age, the role of media in cultural shifts away from religious institutions, and the ways modern technologies have transformed how religion is communicated and portrayed. Divided into five parts, the Handbook opens with a state-of-the-art overview of the subject's intellectual landscape, introducing the historical background, theoretical foundations, and major academic approaches to communication, media, and religion. Subsequent sections focus on institutional and functional perspectives, theological and cultural approaches, and new approaches in digital technologies. The essays provide insight into a wide range of topics, including religious use of media, religious identity, audience gratification, religious broadcasting, religious content in entertainment, films and religion, news reporting about religion, race and gender, the sex-religion matrix, religious crisis communication, public relations and advertising, televangelism, pastoral ministry, death and the media, online religion, future directions in religious communication, and more. Explores the increasing role of media in creating religious identity and communicating religious experience Discusses the development and evolution of the communication practices of various religious bodies Covers all major media sources including radio, television, film, press, digital online content, and social media platforms Presents key empirical research, real-world case studies, and illustrative examples throughout Encompasses a variety of perspectives, including individual and institutional actors, academic and theoretical areas, and different forms of communication media Explores media and religion in Judeo-Christian traditions, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, religions of Africa, Atheism, and others The Handbook on Religion and Communication is an essential resource for scholars, academic researchers, practical theologians, seminarians, mass communication researchers, and undergraduate and graduate students taking courses on media and religion. The Handbook on Religion and Communication Contents Contributors Introduction Part I Theoretical Background 1 Academic Approaches to Communication, Media, and Religion 2 Communication, Media, and Religion Research: Theoretical Roots 3 Theology and Communication 4 Religious Traditions and Ethics in Communication Part II Theological Perspectives 5 Christianity and the Mass Media 6 Communication in Judaism and Islam 7 Religious Communication in Asia 8 African Religions and Communication 9 Atheism and the Media Part III Religions as Actors 10 Religious Broadcasting: An Overview, 2000–2021 11 Religious Personalities and Televangelism 12 Public Relations and Advertising 13 “Survival and Salvation”: Religious Situational Crisis Communication Strategies 14 Web Presence Part IV Individual Religious Communication 15 Pastoral Ministry and Communication 16 Piety, Religious Identity, and the Media 17 Youth, Education, and Media Part V Media Institutions 18 Mediatization 19 Reporting Religion News 20 Entertainment 21 Religion and Film 22 Documentary Film and Religious Faith in Historical Perspective Part VI Functional Perspectives 23 The Role of Media in Creating Communities of Religious Belief and Identity 24 Religion and Meaning 25 Religious Rituals, Pilgrimages, Festivals, and Media: Exploring the Interface 26 Death, Spirituality, and Digital Afterlife Part VII Cultural Perspectives 27 Incipient Diversity: Gender and Race in Media and Religion Research 28 Material Religion 29 The Sex–Religion Matrix 30 Authority, Religion, and Media 31 Religion and Development Communication Part VIII Approaches in New Technologies 32 Internet, Mobile Technology, and Religion 33 Online Religion Index EULA