Beyond the Best
13 dispatches from the forgotten frontiers, crooked paths, and cul-de-sacs of religion reporting in America. By Jeff Sharlet Last week, I rounded up my favorite religion-related stories of 2008, and, over at Religion Dispatches, my favorite religion-related books of 2008, along with "best of" lists from a number of Revealer contributors. For the quiet week between Christmas and New Year's Day, here's a list of 2008's 13 best Revealer links to the margins of faith, as found in compost, Tulsa, and other people's conversations. In chronological order: 1. "The Sodfather" -- I'm here to capture the rapture and the resurrection," says master composter Tim Dundon, self-proclaimed "guru of doo-doo." By Daniel Chamberlain, in Arthur. 2. "One Nation Under Elvis" -- "Elvis is God" stories are a staple of "wacky religion reporting. Contrarian prose-psalmist Rebecca Solnit dispenses with kitsch to seriously explore the theological paradoxes of rockabilly religion. In Orion. 3. "Master of the Orgasm" -- Gideon Lewis-Kraus resurrects Wilhelm Reich for Nextbook. 4. "God is a Monster" -- Gabriel McKee on sin and redemption in J.J. Abram's monster movie, Cloverfield, in Religion Dispatches. McKee's SF Gospel is the best source for religion in sci-fi/horror/superhero movies we know. 5. "Only Visiting This Planet" -- S. Brent Plate remembers when Christian rock was weird, on The Revealer. 6. "Fetal Rock" -- in which I argue here on The Revealer that Christian rock is getting weird again, with illustrations from Flyleaf and an album called Silent Screams. 7. "Bad Moon Rising" -- If Don Delillo had taken a lot of acid and grown a funny bone before he wrote Mao II, John Gorenfeld's fabulous investigation of the Reverend Moon is the book he might have come up with. Excerpted on Alternet. 8. "Blasphemous Lollipop" -- a Bloggingheads.tv "diavlog" with Daniel Radosh about his book, Rapture Ready, and sacred suckers. 9. "An 'Ooga Booga' Cleanse" -- NPR reporter Jennifer Sharpe describes a pleasant immersion in the cult of Father Yod. With musical slideshow. 10. "Tulsa, City of (Somebody's) Dreams" -- Akshay Ahuja on tour with Indian death metal band Cremated Souls. On Guernica, one of my favorite new online magazines. 11. "Can I Borrow a Feelin'?" -- God and the worst album covers ever, in the Florida Sun-Sentinel. 12. "Private Conversation" -- Kio Stark mistakes the most personal of intimacies for religion, and much more, on her fascinating new blog, Municipal Archive. 13. "Ann Coulter Takes Peyote and Channels Patty Hearst, Our Evil Robot Future, and the Bug in Her Brain." Via Townhall.
This post is archived, some links or media may be broken. Please report any issues to info.crmnyu@gmail.com.
13 dispatches from the forgotten frontiers, crooked paths, and cul-de-sacs of religion reporting in America.
By Jeff Sharlet
Last week, I rounded up my favorite religion-related stories of 2008, and, over at Religion Dispatches, my favorite religion-related books of 2008, along with “best of” lists from a number of Revealer contributors. For the quiet week between Christmas and New Year’s Day, here’s a list of 2008’s 13 best Revealer links to the margins of faith, as found in compost, Tulsa, and other people’s conversations. In chronological order:
1. “The Sodfather” — I’m here to capture the rapture and the resurrection,” says master composter Tim Dundon, self-proclaimed “guru of doo-doo.” By Daniel Chamberlain, in Arthur.
2. “One Nation Under Elvis” — “Elvis is God” stories are a staple of “wacky religion reporting. Contrarian prose-psalmist Rebecca Solnit dispenses with kitsch to seriously explore the theological paradoxes of rockabilly religion. In Orion.
3. “Master of the Orgasm” — Gideon Lewis-Kraus resurrects Wilhelm Reich for Nextbook.
4. “God is a Monster” — Gabriel McKee on sin and redemption in J.J. Abram’s monster movie, Cloverfield, in Religion Dispatches. McKee’s SF Gospel is the best source for religion in sci-fi/horror/superhero movies we know.
5. “Only Visiting This Planet” — S. Brent Plate remembers when Christian rock was weird, on The Revealer.
6. “Fetal Rock” — in which I argue here on The Revealer that Christian rock is getting weird again, with illustrations from Flyleaf and an album called Silent Screams.
7. “Bad Moon Rising” — If Don Delillo had taken a lot of acid and grown a funny bone before he wrote Mao II, John Gorenfeld‘s fabulous investigation of the Reverend Moon is the book he might have come up with. Excerpted on Alternet.
8. “Blasphemous Lollipop” — a Bloggingheads.tv “diavlog” with Daniel Radosh about his book, Rapture Ready, and sacred suckers.
9. “An ‘Ooga Booga’ Cleanse” — NPR reporter Jennifer Sharpe describes a pleasant immersion in the cult of Father Yod. With musical slideshow.
10. “Tulsa, City of (Somebody’s) Dreams” — Akshay Ahuja on tour with Indian death metal band Cremated Souls. On Guernica, one of my favorite new online magazines.
11. “Can I Borrow a Feelin’?” — God and the worst album covers ever, in the Florida Sun-Sentinel.
12. “Private Conversation” — Kio Stark mistakes the most personal of intimacies for religion, and much more, on her fascinating new blog, Municipal Archive.
13. “Ann Coulter Takes Peyote and Channels Patty Hearst, Our Evil Robot Future, and the Bug in Her Brain.” Via Townhall.