Books published by publisher LUTTERWORTH PRESS ENGLAND

Theology is inherently theatrical, rooted in God’s performance on the world stage and oriented toward faith seeking performative understanding in the theater of everyday life. Following Hans Urs von Balthasar’s magisterial, five-volume 'Theo-Drama', a growing number of theologians and pastors have been engaging more widely with theater and drama, producing what has been recognized as a "theatrical turn" in theology. This volume includes thirteen essays from theologians and pastors who have contributed in distinct ways to this theatrical turn and who desire to deepen interdisciplinary dialogue between theology and theater. The result is an unprecedented collection of essays that embodies and advances theatrical theology for the purpose of enriching theological reflection and edifying the church.

What’s Christian about Star Trek? Nothing. That’s the way most people see it and that certainly seems to be the way the franchise is intended. There’s no question that the Trek universe is based on a doggedly humanistic worldview and is set in a future time when religion has essentially vanished from Earth. If that’s the case, how can there even be a Gospel According to Star Trek? In The Gospel According to Star Trek, you’ll discover how the continuing voyages of Kirk and company aboard the Enterprise – from the Original Series to Star Trek Beyond – tell us more about our human quest for God than you ever imagined. You’ll learn how Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry’s own spiritual quest informed the franchise, what he and the series really have to say about God and religion, and the amazing image of Christ contained in Star Trek’s most popular character. You’ll also see how Star Trek can help us recover a deeper, more fully human gospel that embraces our humanity instead of denigrating it and echoes the call of both Spock and Christ: ‘Live long and prosper!’ (John 10:10).Table of ContentsForeword by John TenutoAcknowledgementsIntroduction: The Undiscovered CountrySection 1: Creator and Questor: The Restless Heart of Gene Roddenberry1 Creator2 Roddenberry, Religion, and a Malfunctioning Brain3 The Theology of Gene Roddenberry4 QuestorSection 2: The Gospel According to the Original Series1 More Than a Wagon Train to the Stars2 The Way to Eden: The Edenic Imagination of the Original Series3 Our Many Beliefs: Openness Toward Religion4 We Find the One Quite Adequate: God and God Figures5 False Gods, False Paradises, and False Religions6 Last Battlefields and Neighbor LoveSection 3: The Gospel According to the Animated Series1 Star Trek, Season Four2 Gods and Monsters3 Sympathy for the Devil: “The Magicks of Megas-Tu”Section 4: The Gospel According to the Original Series Films1 Star Trek: The Motion Picture2 Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan3 Star Trek III: The Search for Spock4 Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home5 Star Trek V: The Final Frontier6 Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered CountrySection 5: The Gospel According to the Kelvin Timeline1 Star Trek (2009)2 Star Trek Into Darkness3 Star Trek BeyondEpilogue: What Does God Need with a Starship?Bibliography