Jesusland

Jesusland Stories from the upside down world of Christian pop culture

Joelle Kidd

Book - 2025

"An empathetic, funny, and sharply critical collection of essays exploring the Christian pop culture of the 2000s and its influence on today's politically powerful evangelicalism In 1999, after three years of secular living in Eastern Europe, Joelle Kidd moved back to Canada and was enrolled in the strange world of an evangelical Christian school. In Jesusland, Joelle writes about the Christian pop culture that she was suddenly immersed in, from perky girl bands to modest styling tips, and draws connections between this evangelical subculture and the mainstream, a tense yet reciprocal relationship that both disavows the secular while employing its media markers. But none of this was just about catchy songs: every abstinence quiz i...n a teen magazine was laying the foundation for what would become a conservative Christian movement that threatens women's healthcare, attacks queer and trans rights, and drives present-day political division. Through nine incisive, honest, and emotional essays, Jesusland exposes the pop cultural machinations of evangelicalism, while giving voice to aughts-era Christian children and teens who are now adults looking back at their time measuring the length of their skirts, and asking each other if their celebrity crush was Christian enough. With care and generosity, Jesusland shows us how the conservative evangelical movement became the global power it is today by exploring the pop culture that both reflected and shaped an entire generation of young people."--

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Subjects
Popular culture > Religious aspects > Christianity.
Christianity in mass media.
Essays.
Genres
Essays
Published
Toronto, Ontario : ECW Press [2025]
Language
English
Main Author
Joelle Kidd (author)
Physical Description
342 pages ; 22 cm
Issued also in electronic formats
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN
9781770417793
  • Introduction
  • Chapter 1. Wow, Not What I'd Call Music
  • Chapter 2. Boy's Bible, Girl's Bible
  • Chapter 3. Jesus at the Box Office
  • Chapter 4. Pledges and Purity Rings
  • Chapter 5. Declarations of War
  • Chapter 6. First There Was Nothing, and Then it Exploded
  • Chapter 7. The Root of All Evil
  • Chapter 8. Clean Comedy
  • Chapter 9. Armageddon Outta Here
  • Notes
  • Acknowledgments
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

The convergence of Christianity, pop culture, and conservative politics gets a comprehensive, at times penetrating overview in this debut study from journalist Kidd. The book has three main threads: Kidd's own frustration with Christianity, especially its conservative branch; an exploration of Christian pop culture in the early 2000s and how several of its representatives have since turned politically rightward; and observations on how Christian pop culture has affected Canadian politics, especially Stephen Harper's time as prime minister (from 2006 to 2015) and the trucker convoy protests of 2022-23. The passages on Kidd's own experiences neatly describe her ideological evolution and personal coming of age, which included enrollment in a Christian school. When the book turns more general it loses some steam, retreading well-worn territory without much new to add to the discourse over the postapocalyptic Left Behind books or purity ring culture. The passages where Kidd addresses Canada specifically are the most intriguing and have the most depth. They include Kidd's savvy comparison of British Columbia's Trinity Western University to Virginia's Patrick Henry College--both have nurtured the careers of conservative political staffers--and her discussion of Winnipeg's Springs Church and its resistance to Covid-19 containment efforts. It's a valuable contribution to the literature on conservative Christianity's growing mainstream influence. (Aug.)

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