1st Edition

The Routledge Handbook of Christianity and Culture

Edited By Yaakov Ariel, Gregor Thuswaldner, Jens Zimmermann Copyright 2025
600 Pages 10 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

600 Pages 10 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

600 Pages 10 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

The centrality and importance of the intersection of Christianity and culture when it comes to English-speaking countries and particularly American culture, history, and politics is beyond doubt. The Routledge Handbook of Christianity and Culture is an outstanding reference source to the key topics, problems, and debates in this exciting subject. Comprising over 35 chapters by a team of... Read more

PART 1

Practicing Christianity

1.     Material Christianity

Minna Opas

2.     Christian Liturgy in Relation to Culture

Frank Senn

3.     Christianity and Education

David Smith

4.     Christianity and Missions

Robert Gallagher

5.     Christianity and Humanism

Jens Zimmermann

PART 2

Christianity and the Word

6.     Christianity and Hermeneutics

Jens Zimmermann

7.     Incarnation

Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen

8.     The Formation of the Christian Bible

Harold W. Attridge

9.     The Impact of Bible Translations on the English Language and Anglophone Cultures

Gregor Thuswaldner

PART 3

Social and Political Aspects of Christianity and Culture

10.  Christianity and Politics

Peter Meilaender

11.  Crusades, Holy War, and Chivalry

Alexandra Locking

12.  Christianity and Culture Wars in the US, Europe, and Australia

Jeffrey Haynes

13.  Christianity and Human Rights

Aaron Griffith

14.  The Christian Problem of Race

Reggie Williams

15.  Christianity and Law: Ten Enduring Contributions

Raphael Domingo

16.  Christianity and Social Action

David Bronkema

17.  Christianity, Sexuality and Gender

Karin Heller

18.  Christianity and the Secular

Michelle C. Sanchez

19.  Christianity and Science

Karl Giberson

PART 4

Christianity and Culture in a Global Context

20.  Ecumenism and Culture

Andreas Pangritz

21.  Christianity and Culture in Africa

James Amanze and Kenneth Ross

22.  Christianity and Culture in Asia

Allen Yeh

23.  Christianity in Latin America: Colonial Legacies and Cultural Transformations

Eric Hoenes del Pinal

24.  Christianity and Culture in North America

Dale Soden

25.  Christianity and Culture in Europe

Brent Nelsen and James Guth

26.  Christianity, Judaism and Culture

Yaakov Ariel

27.  The Logos Manifested: Theophany, Icon and Sacrifice in Twelver Shī’ism and Eastern Christianity

Francisco Jose Luis

28.  Christianity and Hinduism: German Views in the Long 19th Century

Sebastian Musch

29.  Christianity, Culture and Buddhism

Fr. Francis Tiso

PART 5

Christianity and the Arts

30.  Christian Art: An Overview

Diane Apostolos-Cappadona

31.  Christianity and Literature

Mark Eaton

32.  Christianity and Music

Steve Guthrie

33.  Christianity and Theater

Todd E. Johnson and Shannon Craigo-Snell

34.  Christianity and Film: The Spectacular and the Spiritual

Craig Detweiler

35.  Christianity and Architecture

David Bains

Biography

Yaakov Ariel is Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA.

Gregor Thuswaldner is Professor of World Languages & Cultures and former Provost and Executive Vice President at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington, USA.. He has written, edited, and co-edited nine books including the co-edited essay collection The Hermeneutics of Hell: Visions and Representations of the Devil in World Literature (2017).

Jens Zimmermann is.J.I. Packer Chair of Theology at Regent College/University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.

"This learned volume offers a singular introduction to Christian movements and their consequential relationship to culture. Every essay conveys complicated histories with clarity, introducing readers to Christian missionary and educational activities, quests for ecumenism and human rights, interreligious relations, and social violence. Gathering leading anthropologists, theologians, historians, and ethicists, this handbook models scholarly rigor and theoretical adroitness. Students of Christianity and contemporary politics will find this an indispensable orientation to the searing sensory worlds that religion continues to create." - Kathryn Lofton, Lex Hixon Professor of Religious Studies and American Studies and Professor of History and Divinity at Yale University

"It is inconceivable that religion can exist apart from culture and vice versa. But such connections are woefully misunderstood and understudied. Until now. The Routledge Handbook of Christianity and Culture is a marvel of an edited volume. Chapter after chapter keeps delivering eye-opening knowledge, enlightening us across a vast array of time and space, written by experts from around the globe. This is an essential and highly accessible work for anyone interested in religion, culture, history, or social development and change." - Michael O. Emerson, Chavanne Fellow in Religion and Public Policy, Baker Institute for Public Policy, Rice University, co-author of Religion Matters (Routledge)

“This book matches an audacious ambition – to present a thorough, learned, and relevant exploration of every imaginable aspect of the relationship of Christianity to culture – with an incredible achievement. In this volume, both Christianity and culture are examined in many compelling aspects of their historical, global, intellectual, and practical diversity. What emerges from these serious, readable, and illuminative essays is not only a rich investigation of the nature of Christian religion, but also a rewarding study of culture in its manifold and meaningful formations.” - Matthew Ichihashi Potts, Plummer Professor of Christian Morals at Harvard Divinity School and Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church at Harvard University