Godly Heretics

Essays on Alternative Christianity in Literature and Popular Culture

Edited by Marc DiPaolo
$40 softcover (6 9) ISBN 978-0-7864-6780-8 Ca. 15 photos, notes, bibliography, index Ebook ISBN 978-1-4766-0240-0 2013

In an age of violent fundamentalism, in which certainty breeds so much hatred, it is good to be reminded of the continuing challenge posed by the figure of Jesus. Godly Heretics makes us realize how frequently those who claim to speak on behalf of Jesus are really engaged in preserving their own power and wealth, and denying access to his living message.Laurence Coupe, author of Myth. When computers freeze, they are rebooted to help get things moving in the proper direction again. Similarly, legendary thinkers throughout history have argued that Christianity should start over fresh by recapturing the humanitarian spirit of Jesus original message. These include such disparate individuals as Thomas Jefferson, Oscar Wilde, Charles Dickens, Walt Whitman, Friedrich Nietzsche, Leo Tolstoy, George Bernard Shaw, and the religious

leaders of the OccupyWallStreet movement. Surprisingly enough, even classic television shows and films meant to be entertainingLost, Battlestar Galactica, Its a Wonderful Life, Groundhog Day, Decalogue, and A Charlie Brown Christmasare attempts to apply the basic principles of Christianity to modern times. This book offers new essays by scholars of literature, film, history, theology and philosophy examining how various thinkers and storytellers over time have conceived of a reinvented Christianity. In confronting this controversial idea, this book examines how unorthodox interpretations of the Bible can be some of the most valid, how visions of Jesus as a revolutionary may be the most historically sound, and how compassionate Christians such as Origen have wrestled with the eternal questions of the exis- tence of evil, the gift of free will and the promise of universal salvation. Marc DiPaolo is an assistant professor of English and Film at Oklahoma City University. He is a frequent contributor to books and journals, the author of a book about screen adaptations of Jane Austens Emma, and serves on the editorial board of The Journal of Popular Culture.

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