Television, Religion, and Supernatural

Erika Engstrom is professor of communication studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She is the author of The Bride Factory: Mass Media Portrayals of Women and Weddings.Joseph M. Valenzano, III, is assistant professor and basic course director at the University of Dayton. He has co-authored two public speaking textbooks, The Speaker: The Tradition and Practice of Public Speaking and The Speaker’s Primer.

In summary, Engstrom and Valenzano provide a thorough and interesting investigation of this fan favorite that regularly draws two to three million viewers on the CW network. They clearly identify their methodologies and define their terms. Their knowledge of the show is extensive and many of their conclusions persuasive, though occasionally repetitive. For those researching the relationship between television and the supernatural, the book provides helpful context and information for comparison.... Engstrom and Valenzano demonstrate the value of Supernatural as a resource for teaching about religion, popular culture, media, and representations of the Apocalypse.

• ContentsChapter One: Introduction—Religion, Mass Media, and SupernaturalChapter Two: Plurality of ReligionChapter Three: Hegemony of ReligionChapter Four: Horsemen and HomiliesChapter Five: A Divinely Ordained Civil ReligionChapter Six: ConclusionReferences