Godly Heretics: Essays on Alternative Christianity in Literature and Popular Culture

275 Pages·2013·3.37 MB·English

by  Marc DiPaolo

Godly Heretics
ALSOBYMARCDIPAOLO
War, Politics and Superheroes: Ethics and Propaganda
in Comics and Film (McFarland, 2011)
Godly Heretics
Essays on Alternative Christianity
in Literature and Popular Culture
Edited by M D P
ARC I AOLO
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Jefferson, North Carolina, and London
ISBN978-0-7864-6780-8
softcover : acid free paper
LIBRARYOFCONGRESSCATALOGUINGDATAAREAVAILABLE
BRITISHLIBRARYCATALOGUINGDATAAREAVAILABLE
© 2013 Marc DiPaolo. All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying
or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publisher.
On the cover: Jesus Heals the Blind Man(courtesy
Restored Traditions archive of public domain religious art)
Manufactured in the United States of America
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Box 611, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640
www.mcfarlandpub.com
For Mom
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank the contributors to this volume, who
were kind enough to respond to my invitation to participate and
went on to produce some of the finest academic writing I’ve yet
encountered.
I owe thanks to Christina Wolf, Archivist & Special Collec-
tions Librarian at Oklahoma City University, for help acquiring
excellent artwork for this text.
I also appreciate the valuable time and feedback the following
manuscript reviewers offered: Marc Lucht, Thomas Bierowski,
James Røvıˆra˚, and Catherine DiPaolo.
Finally, I’d like to thank the organizers of the March 11, 2012,
Southwest Commission on Religious Studies conference—includ-
ing Katherine Brown Downey and Darren Middleton—who
helped introduce our work- in- progress to a larger audience of fel-
low scholars who reassured us that we were, indeed, onto some-
thing special with this project.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments vi
Introduction: Authentic vs. Imperialist Christianity in Literature and Film 1
Part I. Rewritten Bibles, Alternative Christs
Revolution by Other Means: Jefferson, the Jefferson Bible,
and Jesus (TIMH. BLESSING) 25
Portraying Jesus as Human: The Last Temptation of Christ
(KATHERINEBROWNDOWNEY) 43
Nietzsche and Tolstoy on Authentic Christianity (MARCLUCHT) 62
Amnesty for the Devil (GERALDS. VIGNA) 79
Lamb Unslain: Nonhuman Animals and Shelley’s Panentheism (RUTH
VANITA) 98
Shaw’s Subversion of Biblical Language
(GUSTAVOA. RODRÍGUEZMARTÍN) 114
Song of Myself: Teaching Whitman’s New Bible Today
(TRACYFLOREANI) 133
Part II. Angels and Demons Among Us: The Politics
and Economics of Heaven and Hell in Popular Culture
The Gospel According to Comic Strips: On Peanutsand The Far Side
(ERICMICHAELMAZUR) 143
Religious Discourse in Lostand Battlestar Galactica (VALNOLAN) 162
vii
viii Table of Contents
The Radical Theology of Krzysztof Kieslowski’s Decalogue
(MATTHEWYDE) 180
Fanaticism and Familicide from Wielandto The Shining
(DARADOWNEY) 199
From Bedford Falls to Punxsutawney: Refashioning
A Christmas Carol (GRACEMOORE) 221
Reclaiming the Relation of Religion, Politics, and Economics
(JOERGRIEGER) 239
About the Contributors 255
Index 259
Introduction: Authentic vs. Imperialist
Christianity in Literature and Film
I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to
do, because I notice it always coincides with their own desires.—
Susan B. Anthony
Theology without love is the theology of the demons.—Symeon the
New Theologian
It may not be true where you live, but in the rural regions of New York,
Pennsylvania, and Oklahoma where I have resided, there is no shortage of
preachers and cultural commentators on the local radio and television stations
casting aspersions upon public figures and private citizens for not being suffi-
ciently Christian. Certainly, such authoritarian figures can be found on
national radio and television programming as well, and many of them make
a lucrative living out of decrying the evils of secular humanism and fair-
weather Christianity regardless of the denomination they themselves are
members of. They are often known to wag their fingers at guests on their
shows (or at absent, headline- making figures) and exclaim:
“You’re not a real Christian because your social views are too trendy.”
“You’re not a real Christian because you don’t go to church enough.”
“You’re not a real Christian because you are too interested in the historic
Jesus.”
“You’re not a real Christian because you’re not into persecuting heretics
and demonizing non– Christians.”
“You’re not a real Christian because your sect of Christianity isn’t valid.
All members of your sect are destined for hell, sad to say. Nice knowing you.”
or
1