Theology and Prince

Abstract

Prince was a spiritual and musical enigma who sought to transcend race and gender through his words, music, and fashion. Raised as a Seventh-Day Adventist and later going door-to-door as a Jehovah’s Witness, he expressed his faith overtly and allegorically, erotically and poetically. Theology and Prince is an edited collection on theology and the life, music, and films of Prince Rogers Nelson. Written for academics yet accessible for the layperson, this book explores Prince’s ideas of the afterlife; race and social justice activism; eroticism; veganism; spiritual alter egos (with a deep dive into the dark character of “Spooky Electric”); a queer listening of the Purple Rain album; the theology of the Graffiti Bridge film (featuring interviews with co-star Ingrid Chavez and other collaborators), and a story from Texas of a Christian worship service designed around Prince’s music in the wake of his passing. Those interested in theology and popular culture; scholars of social justice, racial identity, LGBTQ+ studies, and gender studies; as well as Prince “fams” will find new ways of viewing Prince’s old and new works.