Page - 193 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 05/02

Grace Chiou Book Review Anthony Hatcher: Religion and Media in America Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2018, 296 pp., ISBN 978-1498514446 By considering cultural phenomena including protest, politics, production, pil- grimage, publishing, and parody, Anthony Hatcher establishes how the medi- atization of religion furthers a religious thread in public life and what he calls the “Christian effect” (xiv) in the United States. He examines how “Christianity both adapts to and is affected by new media forms” (ix) by investigating the in- dividuals and organizations that subsidize, create, and distribute content relat- ed to religion and spirituality, particularly to Protestant Christianity. Actors and audiences reinforce certain ideologies and resist and confront church practices. Hatcher’s three genres of inquiry are civil religion, religion and entertainment, and sacred and profane media. The book covers how both liberal and conserv- ative political movements pursue and receive mainstream news coverage; how religious actors enter the entertainment field and author content; and when the topic of religion is a subject of inquiry and surveillance. Hatcher constructs why some might call the United States a Christian nation by tracing the cultural, political, and faith-based motivations of various actors in politics and popular culture. Citing Lynn Schofield Clark’s “Protestantization” argument regarding the culturally dominant set of values derived from the Prot- estant Reformation and William D. Romanowski’s discussion that some Chris- tians view themselves as God’s co-creators of culture, Hatcher demonstrates how Christianity has a prominent presence in the public sphere. Hatcher articu- lates that evangelicalism in particular has a desire to publicly demonstrate faith and cultural transformation, to “Christianize” public secular culture despite plu- ralism (ix), and has proactively utilized media technologies. Throughout the text, Hatcher reinforces the myriad interconnections be- tween politics, rituals, and news and entertainment rhetoric. As politics is news- worthy, the Christian Right has strategically employed press coverage and used media to gain political and cultural power. From the left, Reverend William Bar- ber II’s engagement of social media and subsequent media coverage amplified DOI: 10.25364/05.05:2019.2.11 Book Review: Religion and Media in America | 193www.jrfm.eu 2019, 5/2, 193–197