New Logo!

Just a little update:  What we have here is the brand new logo for Wednesday Theology, designed by the wonderful John S. Troutman.

Troutman, Troutman...why does that name sound vaguely familiar?  Well, Troutman is the creator of The Gospel of Carol, a comic which I absolutely love.  Plus, it was the main focus of my AAR paper I presented last year, The Disruption of Christian Patriarchy in The Gospel of Carol and Other Comic Books.

So, a big thanks to John for the logo, and be sure to check out his Troutcave Comics site.  His books, including the Gospel of Carol, are also available on ComiXology.  I highly recommend it!

Video Games and the American Academy of Religion

The September 2016 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Literature contains a rather intriguing article about religious studies and video games. Entitled “Gaming Religionworlds: Why Religions Studies Should Pay Attention to Religion in Gaming,” the article is actually a “roundtable” that consists of several short pieces from several authors.

What this article is not: an in-depth, widespread exploration of theological themes and narratives within video games.

What this article is: essentially several authors detailing that preliminary scholarship over the past few years concerning religion and gaming confirms the legitimacy and relevancy of the scholarship. They then, in their own ways, propose ways and means that such scholarship should and must continue.

The Disruption of Christian Patriarchy in The Gospel of Carol and Other Comic Books

Once again I tainted the hallowed halls of Luther Seminary and brought shame upon academic respectability by rambling about comic books at the Upper Midwest joint conference of the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature.  It was a really fun time had by all.  Or, at least had by me, since I was rambling about comic books.  Here, presented for your pleasure, or agony, is that paper.

Also, much gratitude to John S. Troutman for letting me bug him so much about The Gospel of Carol.  If you want a fun read, you can snag all the issues from comiXology on the cheap.

Graphic Doubt: The Disruption of Faith in Comic Books and Graphic Literature

On April 17th, 2015, I attended the Upper Midwest Regional Conference of the American Academy of Religion.  During this event, I presented the following paper about faith and doubt in comic books.  Essentially, I sat in a room with respectable religious scholars and professors and talked about comic books for twenty minutes or so.

And of course they selected me to go first.  Which wasn't intimidating at all for someone who was pretty much the least educated person in the room.

Anyway, if you've followed Wednesday Theology for the past year or so you will recognize a lot of these themes.  Doubt has, in a way, become my main message, my strongest expression of my faith, and comic books have facilitated that expression and exploration.  So, I hope you enjoy the following.  I hope you appreciate the proper citations.

But why do this?  Why go to the trouble to write such a thing and present it to only a select few?  Well, this is pretty much an example of the culmination of everything Wednesday Theology strives to be: a legitimation, scholarly or otherwise, of the exploration of the intersection of theology and comic books.

Plus, it also gives me a sense of purpose to my life.