Cosplay in the pulpit and ponies at prayer: Christian faith and lived religion in wider fan culture

ABSTRACT

This article examines the way in which Christian fans of popular media franchises have incorporated their fan identity into a lived religious experience, producing religious fan works such as fan fiction, art, and fan-themed church services. Based around a series of interviews with fans in the United States and the UK, both lay and clergy, it suggests the powerful affective connections forged through fandom, and examines the way in which fandom operates as a shared language to engage the wider fan community with theological ideas. Fans viewed their fandom as an arena through which God communicated and developed personal faith, working through fan texts and fan works to encourage and develop their connection to the divine. This article, therefore, challenges academic positions that see fandom as a secular replacement for religion, or as a form of blasphemous excess.

KEYWORDS:

• Fandom
• lived religion
• popular culture
• religion and media
• evangelicalism

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Chris Deacy for his comments and suggestions on an earlier version of this article, and for helpful feedback from audiences at the Fan Studies Network and University of Manchester Religions and Theology Research Seminar.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. Juli L. Gittinger’s recent work on cosplay by Muslim women (2018, 2019) is a notable exception.

2. The term ‘brony’ is a portmanteau of ‘bros’ and ‘ponies’. Some female fans identify as ‘pegasisters’, although ‘brony’ is generally now used to refer to fans of all genders. For more on the background and gendering of the term see Gilbert (2015).

3. For readers unfamiliar with these shows, a very brief overview of their key concepts will be useful in understanding fan responses discussed below. Doctor Who (1963–1989, 1996, 2005-present) is a British science fiction show, in which an alien Time Lord named The Doctor travels time and space with human companions. The character can ‘regenerate’, changing faces, gender, and personality quirks, and has been played by 13 different actors within the main series. In subsequent interviews, fans, therefore, refer to the ‘Tenth Doctor’ or ‘Eleventh Doctor’ to differentiate particular incarnations.

4. For a discussion of the challenges and advantages of writing about fandoms, one is a member of, as an ‘aca-fan’ (an academic and a fan, see Brooker, Duffett, and Hellekson (2017, 63–65). My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (2010-2019) is a children’s cartoon that attracted an unexpected adult fanbase. The show is based in the magical land of Equestria, and generally focuses on six major characters: Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie.

5. The TARDIS is shaped like a 1950s London Police Box on the outside, but due to dimensional engineering, is literally ‘bigger on the inside’.

6. ‘Shipping’ in fan culture refers to placing two characters in a romantic or sexual relationship.

7. PMVs are short clips of My Little Pony edited together to form a new video for a popular song. The term developed from AMVs, or anime music videos.

8. Princess Luna and Sunset Shimmer were both originally villains who experienced redemption through friendship, and have become fan favourite characters.