Plenary Address

John Lyden
Visiting Professor of Philosophy and Religion , Grand View University

From the Bible to Star Wars: Religion and Popular Culture

John Lyden was Professor of Religion at Dana College from 1991-2010, and is currently the Visiting Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Grand View University.  He is the author of Film as Religion: Myths, Morals, and Rituals (NYU Press, 2003).  He is also the editor of Enduring Issues in Religion (San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1995), and of the Routledge Companion to Religion and Film (Routledge, 2009).  He has also published numerous articles on interreligious dialogue, religion and culture, and religion and film, which have appeared in edited volumes as well as journals such as the Journal of Religion and Film, Dialogue and Alliance, Religion and Public Education, and The Journal of Ecumenical Studies. In 2007, he was interviewed for and appeared in the History Channel documentary, Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed. Dr. Lyden is currently the co-chair of the Religion, Film, and Visual Culture Group of the American Academy of Religion.  He was the 2008 recipient of the Spiritus Award for Outstanding Contributions to the study of Religion and Film.