Is “True Blood” the new Bible? Not exactly, but the vampire television series and its counterparts are becoming increasingly influential to viewers in today’s media-obsessed society.
And that might not be such a bad thing, an expert in media and religion told an SMU audience Thursday afternoon at a symposium on public life and personal faith hosted by the Perkins School of Theology.
Diane Winston, the Knight Chair in Media and Religion at USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, examined the blurred lines between entertainment and religion during her presentation in Elizabeth Perkins Prothro Hall, “Saving Grace: Ritual, Re-enchantment and Redemption in a Mediatized World.”
“The growing chasm between institutional religion and the American public … reflects, in part, the growing influence of media in our lives, specifically its challenge to traditional religious authority,” Winston said.
She likened “True Blood’s” Bill Compton to Moses to make her point.
“I really don’t think that Moses has anything to worry from vampire Bill,” Winston said. “But I wanted to make the point that an increasing number of people find more meaning and inspiration in popular entertainment than they do in religious texts.”
But instead of blasting the media for their role in this shift in values, Winston revealed a surprising thought: mediatized culture can be religious.
Mediatization, she said, is “the ongoing process in which media becomes more and more a part of our everyday life, society and culture.”
Winston says the positive side to this phenomenon is that the media provide an outlet for audiences to vent their spiritual struggles, as well as seek comfort in observing those of others.
“TV has entered a new age of storytelling that explores longstanding spiritual and ethical issues in today’s vernacular,” Winston said, highlighting TNT’s “Saving Grace” as an example.
According to Winston, the crime drama provides a case study of how a television show can “create community, present a spiritual narrative and offer illuminating questions, if not answers, for viewers.”
“‘Saving Grace’ speaks to viewers who believe in miracles but don’t belong to religious institutions or who belong to religious institutions but are not quite sure what they believe,” she said.
At the beginning of the series, protagonist Grace battles a deflated sense of purpose and self-worth. After calling upon God for guidance, Grace comes to accept herself, develop strong relationships and accept a power greater than herself. It is through this struggle that she becomes a relatable character to the audience, Winston said.
“Grace finds redemption on her own terms,” she said. “Thanks to the media, viewers may too.”
Cary M. Maguire University Professor of Ethics Robin Lovin, who served as a respondent at the lecture, agreed with Winston’s interpretation of the series.
“These TV dramas provide us with shared images by which to understand our experience and communicate it to others,” Lovin said.
However, Winston said it is important to examine how TV affects our relationship with religion and spirituality.
“My aim is to be more intentional about what we watch and how it influences what we believe, what we think and what we do,” Winston said.
Jaime Clark-Soles, SMU associate professor of New Testament and also a respondent at the event, reflected on Winston’s lecture.
“Dr. Winston is right about mediatization,” Clark-Soles said. “She is leading out regarding how to engage this reality well, and I, for one, intend to follow her.”
As a continuation of the Public Life/Personal Faith Symposium, Winston will give a lecture titled “Soup, Soap and Salvation: William Booth’s Legacy for the 21st Century” at a luncheon Friday from noon until 1:30 p.m. in the Umphrey Lee Ballroom.
