Free lecture examines Christians and Hollywood in the 1940s
During the first half of the 20th century, many conservative Christians considered the movies spiritually perilous, leading them to avoid the cinema house altogether. A free lecture offered by the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point explores this historical period of Christian hostility toward the film industry and considers how and why their attitudes changed in the second half of the century.
Shanny Luft, assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy, will present the sixth edition of the College of Letters and Science 2011-2012 Community Lecture Series on Thursday, March 8, at 7 p.m.
The presentation, “The Devil's Church: Evangelicals and Hollywood in the 1940s,” will be offered free to the public in the Pinery Room at the Portage County Library, 1001 Main St., Stevens Point.
“My study of evangelical Christian criticism of Hollywood explores how a religious community wrestled with the vast cultural changes affecting America in the first half of the 20th century. In addition, this project explores questions of how and why religion sometimes comes into tension with media and popular culture,” said Luft.
Luft received a master’s degree in religion and culture from Boston University and his doctorate in religion in America from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He teaches a variety of classes in religious studies at UW-Stevens Point, including courses on the New Testament, Religion in America, New Religious Movements, and Religion and Popular Culture. He moved to Stevens Point in 2009 with his wife, Kimberly, and their children, Simon and Ellie. The lecture is based on Luft’s dissertation, which he is currently developing into a book.
The entire College of Letters and Science Community Lecture Series schedule and previously recorded videos may be viewed online by visiting www.uwsp.edu/cols/lectureseries.
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