This book explores the ways in which religion is observed, performed, and organised in skateboard culture. Drawing on scholarship from the sociology of religion and the cultural politics of lifestyle sports, this work combines ethnographic research with media analysis to argue that the rituals of skateboarding provide participants with a rich cultural canvas for emotional and spiritual engagement. Paul O’Connor contends that religious identification in skateboarding is set to increase as participants pursue ways to both control and engage meaningfully with an activity that has become an increasingly mainstream and institutionalised sport. Religion is explored through the themes of myth, celebrity, iconography, pilgrimage, evangelism, cults, and self-help.

This book offers a theoretically sophisticated and empirically rich study of the intersections of contemporary Christianity and youth culture, focusing on evangelical engagements with punk, hip hop, surfing, and skateboarding. Ibrahim Abraham draws on interviews and fieldwork with dozens of musicians and sports enthusiasts in the USA, UK, Australia, and South Africa, and the analysis of evangelical subcultural media including music, film, and extreme sports Bibles. Evangelical Youth Culture: Alternative Music and Extreme Sports Subcultures makes innovative use of multiple theories of youth cultures and subcultures from sociology and cultural studies, and introduces the "serious leisure perspective" to the study of religion, youth, and popular culture. Engaging with the experiences of Pentecostal punks, surfing missionaries, township rappers, and skateboarding youth pastors, this book makes an original contribution to the sociology of religion, youth studies, and the study of religion and popular culture.

What does it mean when a band is judged by how hard they pray rather than how hard they rock? Would Jesus buy "Jesus junk" or wear "witness wear"? What do Christian skate parks, raves, and romance novels say about evangelicalism -- and America? Daniel Radosh went searching for the answers and reached some surprising conclusions. Written with the perfect blend of amusement and respect, Rapture Ready! is an insightful, entertaining, and deeply weird journey through the often hidden world of Christian pop culture. This vast and influential subculture -- a $7 billion industry and growing -- can no longer be ignored by those who want to understand the social, spiritual, and political aspirations of evangelical Christians. In eighteen cities and towns throughout thirteen states -- from the Bible Belt to the outskirts of Hollywood -- Radosh encounters a fascinating cast of characters, including Bibleman, the Caped Christian; Rob Adonis, the founder and star of Ultimate Christian Wrestling; Ken Ham, the nation's leading prophet of creationism; and Jay Bakker, the son of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, and pastor of his own liberal, punk rock church. From Christian music festivals and theme parks to Passion plays and comedy nights, Radosh combines gonzo reporting with a keen eye for detail and just the right touch of wit. Rapture Ready! is a revealing survey of a parallel universe and a unique perspective on one of America's most important social movements.

Christy believes her engagement to Todd to be a dream come true, but instead they encounter turmoil and conflict.

Debra Robinson faced haunted houses, terrifying psychic encounters, shattered dreams, and a battle with evil. But nothing prepared her for the death of the two most important people in her life. And when, at an early age, she attracts something evil with a Ouija board, she embarks on a lengthy battle with darkness.

Surfing enthusiast Ben Marcus takes you as close to the waves as you can get without hitting the beach. Surfing is more than just a sport; it is a cultural phenomenon. From its mystical beginnings in Polynesia, surfing has evolved into a worldwide passion, establishing its own roster of legends and seeping into our society—in movies, in fashion, in music, and in language. Hawaiian Duke Kahanamoku, the “father of surfing,” helped elevate the sport beyond its Pacific Islands origins more than a century ago, and his torch has been carried on by a long line of surf heroes: Woody Brown, Mickey Dora, Laird Hamilton, Kelly Slater, and many, many others. During the 1950s and 1960s, surf culture and fashion exploded into movies and music. “Gidget,” the Beach Boys, and even Elvis Presley exposed surfing to the masses, and decades later, the sport and its proponents remain fixtures in pop culture and the media. Yet, through the years, surfing has maintained its reputation as a refuge for non-conformists; its often below-the-radar individualistic lifestyle defies a dry chronicle neatly tied up with a bow. In this comprehensive history of surfing, author Ben Marcus captures the glamour and excitement of this extreme sport. If you are still in awe of that first surfboard, still stoked by hanging ten, or still dreaming of that elusive wave, then this book is for you. Surfing: An Illustrated History of the Coolest Sport of All Time brings you up close and personal to the exciting world of surfing.