Handbook of Religion and Communication

YOEL COHEN is Professor Emeritus of Mass Communication, and former Chair of The School of Communication, at Ariel University, Israel. He is a chairperson of the Religion and Communication working group of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR). He is the author of God, Jews and the Media: Religion and Israel's Media; Media Diplomacy; and editor of Spiritual News: Reporting Religion Around the World.PAUL A. SOUKUP, S.J., is Professor and past Head of the Department of Communication at Santa Clara University, where he teaches courses in technology, communication, and theology. He is the author of Communication and Theology a Christian Communication: A Bibliographical Survey Media; and The Media Ecology of Theology: Communicating Faith Throughout the Christian Tradition, and co-editor of Mass Media and the Moral Imagination and Fidelity and Translation: Communicating the Bible in New Media.

• Contributors ixIntroduction 1Part I Theoretical Background 51 Academic Approaches to Communication, Media, and Religion 7Lynn Schofield Clark and Heidi Ippolito2 Communication, Media, and Religion Research: Theoretical Roots 23Stephen Garner3 Theology and Communication 39Paul A. Soukup S.J.4 Religious Traditions and Ethics in Communication 55Robert S. FortnerPart II Theological Perspectives 695 Christianity and the Mass Media 71Mary Catherine Kennedy Copyrighted Material6 Communication in Judaism and Islam 83Yoel Cohen and Hadi Enayat7 Religious Communication in Asia 99Anthony Le Duc and Keval J. Kumar8 African Religions and Communication 117Joseph Muyangata and Mark Fackler9 Atheism and the Media 131Teemu TairaPart III Religions as Actors 14510 Religious Broadcasting: An Overview, 2000–2021 147Jim McDonnell11 Religious Personalities and Televangelism 165Paul A. Soukup S.J.12 Public Relations and Advertising 181Carlo Nardella13 “Survival and Salvation”: Religious Situational Crisis Communication Strategies 197Gregory P. Perreault, Mildred. F. Perreault, and Monica Crawford14 Web Presence 213Amanda SturgillPart IV Individual Religious Communication 22915 Pastoral Ministry and Communication 231Daniella Zsupan-Jerome16 Piety, Religious Identity, and the Media 241Damian Guzek and Piotr S. Bobkowski17 Youth, Education, and Media 257Mary E. HessPart V Media Institutions 27118 Mediatization 273Knut Lundby19 Reporting Religion News 287Yoel Cohen20 Entertainment 301Allan Novaes21 Religion and Film 315Joel Mayward22 Documentary Film and Religious Faith in Historical Perspective 337John P. FerréPart VI Functional Perspectives 35123 The Role of Media in Creating Communities of Religious Belief and Identity 353Myna German24 Religion and Meaning 365Johannes Ehrat25 Religious Rituals, Pilgrimages, Festivals, and Media: Exploring the Interface 383Gnana Patrick26 Death, Spirituality, and Digital Afterlife 399Johanna SumialaPart VII Cultural Perspectives 41527 Incipient Diversity: Gender and Race in Media and Religion Research 417Chiung Hwang Chen28 Material Religion 433Felicia Katz-Harris29 The Sex–Religion Matrix 453Ruth Tsuria and Jason Bartashius30 Authority, Religion, and Media 469Míriam Díez Bosch and Alba Sabaté Gauxachs31 Religion and Development Communication 487Robert A. WhitePart VIII Approaches in New Technologies 50332 Internet, Mobile Technology, and Religion 505Miriam Díez Bosch and Josep Lluís Micó33 Online Religion 521Rohit ChopraIndex 537

“Overall, this new Handbook on Religion and Communication has excellently interwoven what it richly offers with what it promised to communicate and achieve. References are extensive, and the minimal overlaps in topics are explicable considering the depth of its content and scope. Akin to religion and communication, the handbook is certainly a mediated treasure.” – Religion and Social Communication, Vol. 21, No. 1 (2023), Journal of the Asia Research Center for Religion and Social Communication“…this book is a welcome addition to the study of religion and communication. Its chapters provide a useful entry point for those just beginning to explore this field of study, and, even for seasoned scholars, the book’s discussion of multiple relevant theories, theological perspectives, and practical areas, provide a good primer for expanding their research into new areas.” - Mass Communication and Society, Volume 26, Issue 4 (2023)“…This handbook makes an important contribution by accounting for the diversities that exist in the encounter between religion and communications. This is its core strength.” - Journal of Religion, Media and Digital Culture 12 (2023) 363-379“The editors have put together a brilliant collection of thought-provoking, well-written essays which appear to be the first comprehensive global collection of its kind.” – Communication Research Trends, Volume 42(2023) No. 4“Overall, The Handbook on Religion and Communication provides an excellent entry point into a rich subfield that is accessible for scholars at all levels. The breadth and depth of its coverage, inclusion of diverse of religious groups and practices, and abundant references for further reading (and viewing) make this book a vital text in religion and communication scholarship.” - Material Religion: The Journal of Objects, Art and Belief, © 2024 Kaitlyn Lindgren-Hansen“The collection fits nicely under the wider umbrella of communication discourse­an umbrella allowing the alignment of religious studies with sociology, anthropology, psychology, and other disciplines.” - Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 1-3, 2024