A rich collection that does much to lay out the range of work in the field. Claussen demonstrates a keen sense for the issues in this collection that includes a broad cross-section of method, theory, and writing style. . . . Well-structured, engaging, entertaining, and thought-provoking. It would serve [as] a substantive reader on the topic for an academic audience or as a text for senior/graduate level students in an appropriate course.
Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly
This edited volume provides several snapshot views of sexuality and religious content in the media, and locates them within a historical context of how American religious organizations and media entities have interacted with each other in the 20th century. Data sources tapped by its authors range from interviews with individuals to empirical surveys to content analysis of news, magazines, films, and music videos. This book is a fascinating read for anyone who seeks to understand sexuality in a cultural context, and it treats organized religion as a definite part of that context.
Archives of Sexual Behavior
Sex, religion, and the media are ubiquitous. But in the past, each has been studied individually. Therefore, a book such as this one that examines sex, religion, and the media together is a valuable contribution to the literature.
Journal of Media and Religion
A superb integration. [This] book is an unsurpassed reference source for sociology of religion. I will begin using it immediately in religious studies classes and in religion in media classes.
Allen Podet, University of Potsdam