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xii Introduction In many cultures today, God appears differently and sometimes is for- bidden from being represented at all. Popular culture has been at play with the different ways of representing God and has even bucked the theologies that would argue that God should not be depicted at all. Do such “appear- ances” of God in popular culture bring honor or defame that which some people find holy? God appears throughout television and film, on FOX News and in The New York Times, on Twitter and beliefnet.com. In nearly every aspect of popular culture, God plays an unparalleled role in deter- mining the importance of storylines and moral reflection. Why do authors and directors use God as a vehicle to examine the human condition? What about God sparks such strong concern in news reports and political com- mentary? Who is the God depicted in comic books and music videos? Contemporary popular culture is fascinated by God at a time when main- stream churches are failing. Do we rely on culture to feed our imagination of the divine and discuss matters of ultimate meaning, rather than depend on doctrine and theology to determine the course of cultural expression? This set of volumes explores why popular culture needs God and why, in fact, God might need popular culture.