God and Nollywood: how Pentecostal churches have shaped Nigerian film
Evangelical filmmakers turned prayers into special effects and spiritual battles into dramatic storylines and created a new genre.
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Britain’s quarter century: Netflix, memes and the supposed Christian revival
A look at how entertainment, culture and religion have changed since 2001.
Japan’s constitutional dilemma: only men allowed on the Chrysanthemum throne
There have been eight women who ruled as empress, but Japanese culture has always prioritised maleness.
Four ways in which history and religion are being transformed by the metaverse and AI
From restoring ancient texts to immersive meditation, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
Twilight at 20: the theology of Stephenie Meyer’s vampire trilogy
Meyer’s vampires endure because they tell us something of what it means to be human.
White Lotus does Thailand dirty
Thai characters are few and far between and the country is depicted as beautiful and hedonistic Asian Las Vegas.
Muslim men have often been portrayed as ‘terrorists’ or ‘fanatics’ on TV shows, but Muslim‑led storytelling is trying to change that narrative
Post 9/11, brown and sometimes Black Muslim characters were portrayed as ‘good’ only when aligned with US state power. Muslim filmmakers are trying to change that.
Japan’s Shinto religion is going global and attracting online followers
An anthropologist of Japanese religion met followers of Shinto religion online and found how they were building a community and sharing instructions on practice.
Has the modern world discovered the ancient truths of Buddhism or simply invented a new version?
A look at whether modern Buddhists adhere to the faith’s original religious principles or simply guilty of a cherrypicking cultural appropriation that turns religion into a fad.
How 18th‑century Quakers led a boycott of sugar to protest against slavery
Eighteenth-century Quakers attempted to align their religious beliefs with what they purchased. These Quakers led some of the early campaigns against sugar being produced by enslaved people.
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