Pop Icons: The Top 101
Who are the men, women, films, TV shows, books, computer games and other pop culture icons from the past 60 years that have shaped us in theological ways? That’s the question Robert Johnston, Craig Detweiler and Barry Taylor sought to answer in their new book Don’t Stop Believin’: Pop Culture and Religion from Ben-Hur to Zombies.
Publisher Westminster John Knox Press is allowing YouthWorker Journal to share portions of the book with you. This week, we’re starting with the editors’ complete list of the top 101 theologically influential pop cultural icons from the 1950—2009.
Which selections do you agree with? Which would replace with candidates of your own? Which icons do you students know about?
From: Don’t Stop Believin’ Pop Culture and Religion from Ben-Hur to Zombies, edited by Robert K. Johnston, Craig Detweiler, and Barry Taylor (WJK, 2012)
The Fifties
Ben-Hur
Johnny Cash
Walt Disney
Charles and Ray Eames
Gojira (Godzilla)
Billy Graham
Alfred Hitchcock
C.S. Lewis
The Lord of the Rings and J.R.R. Tolkien
Mickey Mantle
Marilyn Monroe
Norman Vincent Peale
Pablo Picasso
Elvis Presley
The Sixties
Muhammad Ali
The Beatles
Miles Davis
“Doctor Who”
Bob Dylan
Aretha Franklin
John F. Kennedy
Corita Kent
Stan Lee and Marvel Comics
Malcolm X
Marshall McLuhan
“Star Trek”
The Super Bowl
John Updike
Volkswagen Ads
Andy Warhol
The Seventies
Hank Aaron
Adventure
Woody Allen
Neil Diamond
Clint Eastwood
Marvin Gaye
The Godfather
Billie Jean King
Bruce Lee
Bob Marley
Mary Tyler Moore
Mother Teresa
Pele´
Mister Rogers
Star Wars
The Eighties
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Tom Cruise
Amy Grant
Thomas Kinkade
Stephen King
Calvin Klein Ads
Les Miserables, the Musical
The Little Mermaid and Fairy Tales
Macintosh
Madonna
Nike Ads
Oprah Winfrey
Ronald Reagan
Salman Rushdie
“The Simpsons”
Steven Spielberg
U2
Andrew Lloyd Webber
The Nineties
Deepak Chopra
Dalai Lama
Ellen Degeneres
Doom
Goth
Damien Hirst
Michael Jordon
Left Behind Series
Nelson Mandela
The Matrix
Mitford Series and Jan Karon
Philip Pullman and His Dark Materials
Rent
“SimCity”
Quentin Tarantino
Tupac Amaru Shakur
Joss Whedon
“The X-Files”
The Oughties
Banksy
David Beckham
“The Daily Show”
“Extreme Makeover”
Facebook
Got Milk? Ads
Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling
iPod
“Lost”
Dr. Phil
Pixar
“Project Runway”
“South Park”
“Survivor”
Twilight and Stephenie Meyer
Rick Warren
Wicked
Tiger Woods
“World of Warcraft”
Zombies
