Holy Terror: Understanding Religion and Violence in Popular Culture

The authors of religious scriptures had little difficulty enhancing sacred narratives with the rhetoric of violence. The phenomenon continues in the habitual linkage of violence and religion in contemporary film, music and literature. 'Holy Terror' brings together scholars of religious studies, biblical studies, film studies and sociology to examine the social function of violence in popular discourse. The book questions how violent rhetoric shapes belief and values, how audience empathy with violent protagonists can be understood, and the significance of the association of violence with particular religious groups and ideas. A range of phenomena are analysed, including terrorism in Scripture, apocalyptic texts in film and violence in sport.

Eric Christianson is Senior Lecturer in Biblical Studies and co-Director of the Centre for the Study of Religion and Popular Culture at the University of Chester, UK. He is the author of Ecclesiastes through the Centuries (Blackwell, 2007) and co-editor (with Peter Francis William Telford) of Cinema Divinite: Religion, Theology and the Bible in Film (SCM, 2006) and (with Christopher Partridge) of The Lure of the Dark Side: Satan and Western Demonology in Popular Culture (Equinox, 2009). Christopher Partridge is Professor of Religious Studies at Lancaster University and co-Director of the Centre for the Study of Religion and Popular Culture at the University of Chester, UK. His research and writing focuses both on new religions and also on popular culture. He has a particular interest in the relationship between popular music and religion. He is the author of The Re-Enchantment of the West, 2 volumes (2004, 2006), co-editor of the journal Fieldwork in Religio,, and the co-editor of the series Studies in Popular Music (Equinox). He is the editor of several volumes on religious belief in the contemporary world, including The World's Religions (2005), Encyclopedia of New Religions (2004), and UFO Religions (2003).