Strong Religion, Zealous Media

Christian Fundamentalism and Communication in India

Pradip Thomas author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:SAGE Publications India Pvt Ltd

Published:16th Jun '08

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Strong Religion, Zealous Media cover

Strong Religion, Zealous Media: Christian Fundamentalism and Communication in India is the first in-depth cultural and social analysis of the growth of conservative forms of Christianity within the Protestant tradition in India and the many ways in which these new churches use the media. Arguing that Christian broadcasting needs to be seen as an essential aspect of a `muscular` Christianity that has increasingly colonised globalising cities such as Chennai, the book concludes with a strong validation of multi-religious India and the need for a robust inter-faith media response to combat religious fundamentalism. This is a highly recommended reading for students, researchers and social scientists involved in religion and media issues, religion departments, seminaries, civil society involved in inter-faith issues and all those who are interested in exploring the politics of religion in the subcontinent.

Thomas’s detailed study gives a very compelling survey of the current state of the relationship between the media and Christianity in India...There are excellent analyses of specific contemporary groups and events, and Thomas gives some enlightening case studies as illustrations...The book is an invaluable resource for anyone seeking a survey of current scholarship in the fieldand wishing to identify current gaps in this scholarship...There is no denying that this book represents a worthy and useful addition to this unduly neglected area of scholarship, both for India itself and the wider issues of the interplay between religion and media around the world
-- Media International Australia

This book is the first in-depth cultural and social analysis of the growth of conservative forms of Christianity within the Protestant tradition in India and the many ways in which these new churches use the media.

-- Mail Today

Taking head-on the delicate matter of minority fundamentalism, Thomas gives the reader insights into a less discussed phenomenon — the communication strategies adopted by the Pentecostalist traditions, old and new...he chronicles a fascinating history of the use of the media by the Protestant church in India...a good read for those interested in religious fundamentalism, the media and society.

-- Himal Southasian

The book…is a "wake-up call" to the traditional church in India to recognise the danger of fundamentalist incursions into a faith that is largely seen as beneficial and peaceful, surviving for several thousand years in a multicultural, multi-religious space, which this subcontinent has provided.

-- The Tribune

ISBN: 9788178298344

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 480g

220 pages