Type of Document Master's Thesis Author Leopard, Mitchell L Author's Email Address mleopard1@gsu.edu URN etd-04302007-181623 Title Loose Canon On Deck: How Contemporary Christians React To Media Portrayals of Faith, Beliefs, and Rituals Degree Master of Arts Department Religious Studies Advisory Committee
Advisor Name Title Timothy Renick Committee Chair Christopher White Committee Member Kathryn McClymond Committee Member Keywords
- Movies
- Mass media
- The Passion of the Christ
- The Da Vinci Code
- Religious beliefs
- Spirituality
- Jesus films
- The cinema
- Mel Gibson
- Belief systems
- Film history
- Film industry
- Religion
- Christianity
- Controversy
Date of Defense 2007-04-27 Availability unrestricted Abstract Throughout much of Christian history, the church had predominant control over religious ritual and belief. As early as the 1st Century, institutions representing "orthodoxy" were banning, forbidding or destroying the "heretical", separating it from what eventually would become canon and religious practice. The 21st Century provides new ways for spiritual knowledge to spread, bypassing traditional methods. Modern Martin Luthers can nail a manifesto to an internet door while the media's obsession with non-canonical texts provides no shortage of material for movies and television. A multi-media barrage challenges orthodox concepts and scriptural definition, often blurring the line between religion and entertainment. The initial clash between the churches and media has evolved over the last century to a point where the media may now produce beneficial results, educating many who may have either left the church or never joined it.Files
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