Joss Whedon and Religion

Anthony R. Mills received his Ph.D. in theology and culture and lives in St. Paul, Minnesota. He contributes to www.poptheology.com and blogs at transgressivespaces.blogspot.com . John W. Morehead is an independent scholar who specializes in new religious movements, the intersection of religion and popular culture, and interreligious conflict. He lives in Syracuse, Utah. J. Ryan Parker received a Ph.D. in religion and the arts from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, and a Master of Divinity from Wake Forest University. He works in film marketing and publicity, is the founder and executive director of the Mississippi Film Society and the creator of Pop Theology, www.poptheology.com. He lives in Jackson, Mississippi.

“This volume compiles essays from various authors with various religious backgrounds on religious themes in the work Joss Whedon, a self-described ‘angry athesist’”—Reference & Research Book News.

• Table of ContentsForeword—K. Dale KoontzPreface—Anthony R. MillsIntroduction—Anthony R. MillsVarieties of Conversion: Spiritual Transformation in the Buffyverse—Jeremy R. RickettsThe Harrowing of Hell: “Anne” and the Greek Paschal Tradition in Conversation—Hope K. Bartel and Timothy E. G. BartelMary and Buffy Walk into a Bar: The Virgin Deity and Buffy the Vampire Slayer—Valerie Mayhew“Oh ... My ... Goddess”: Witchcraft, Magick and Thealogy in Buffy the Vampire Slayer—Jason Lawton WinsladeApocalypse Now and Again: The Apocalyptic Paradigm and the Meaning of Life and (Un)Death in Buffy the Vampire Slayer—Roslyn WeaverWho’s Afraid of the Big Black Wolf? Racial Identity and the Irrationality of Religious Belief in Firefly and Serenity—Desirée de Jesus“You’re welcome on my boat, God ain’t”: Ethical Foundations in the Whedonverse—Dean A. KowalskiActives, Affectivity and the Soul: Interpreting Dollhouse through the Phenomenology of Michel Henry—J. Leavitt PearlJust to Love and Be Loved in Return: Identity and Love in the Dollhouse—Julie Clawson“There’s no place I can be”: Whedon, Augustine and the Earthly City—Susanne E. Foster and James B. SouthTo Assemble or to Shrug? Power, Responsibility and Sacrifice in Marvel’s The Avengers—Russell W. DaltonNational Treasures: Joss Whedon’s Assembling of Exceptional Avengers—John C. McDowellAs It Ever Was ... So Shall It Never Be: Penal Substitutionary Atonement Theory and Violence in The Cabin in the Woods—J. Ryan Parker“I’m sorry I ... ended the world”: Eschatology, Nihilism and Hope in The Cabin in the Woods—W. Scott PooleAbout the ContributorsIndex