The Last of Us and Theology

"Even those of us less familiar with The Last of Us can appreciate the contribution this anthology makes to the study of theology in and through popular culture. It compiles a group of authors diverse in background and approach who fearlessly navigate the grim moral dystopia of The Last of Us with pressing questions for our own world, and who then raise important and incisive implications for the demands of ethics and the possibilities for redemption. --Matthew Ichihashi Potts, Harvard University In a world where the borders between film, television, video games and pop culture are as porous as ever, it becomes imperative to unpack the deep resonances we find between culture and theology, especially where they are highly relevant and profoundly appealing. This bountiful collection of essays assembled by Peter Admirand on the phenomenon of The Last of Us captured my attention as fully as the way my son is swept away for hours by video games. --Colby Dickinson, Loyola University Chicago It is hard to write a book about theology and ethics in relation to a video game/TV series/cultural phenomenon that is played and experienced by millions of people. Academic books like to ""tie it all together."" Narrative video games and narrative television tend to diffusion, shifting and spreading like fungal infections into each person's life and story. The Last of Us: Violence, Ethics, Redemption? manages to open up our interpretations instead of shutting them down. In so doing, these chapters remind us that our best theologizing and moral reasoning always happens in relation to the stories that absorb us most. --Kathryn Reklis, Fordham University Peter Admirand has organized a wonderful volume and a worthy addition to the Theology, Religion and Pop Culture Series. It covers important themes in The Last of Us, like hope, faith, meaning, love, and redemption. The essays are thoughtful and well-written, drawing on thinkers like Dostoyevsky, Buber, Levinas, Foucault, and Tillich to help the reader make sense of the philosophical and religious themes prevalent in the video games and HBO series. Fans of the source material will most certainly walk away with a deeper appreciation of the theological themes in Naughty Dog's work. --Charles Joshua Horn, University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point and editor of The Last of Us and Philosophy: Look for the Light Even those of us less familiar with The Last of Us can appreciate the contribution this anthology makes to the study of theology in and through popular culture. It compiles a group of authors diverse in background and approach who fearlessly navigate the grim moral dystopia of The Last of Us with pressing questions for our own world, and who then raise important and incisive implications for the demands of ethics and the possibilities for redemption. In a world where the borders between film, television, video games and pop culture are as porous as ever, it becomes imperative to unpack the deep resonances we find between culture and theology, especially where they are highly relevant and profoundly appealing. This bountiful collection of essays assembled by Peter Admirand on the phenomenon of The Last of Us captured my attention as fully as the way my son is swept away for hours by video games. It is hard to write a book about theology and ethics in relation to a video game/TV series/cultural phenomenon that is played and experienced by millions of people. Academic books like to ""tie it all together."" Narrative video games and narrative television tend to diffusion, shifting and spreading like fungal infections into each person's life and story. The Last of Us: Violence, Ethics, Redemption? manages to open up our interpretations instead of shutting them down. In so doing, these chapters remind us that our best theologizing and moral reasoning always happens in relation to the stories that absorb us most. Peter Admirand has organized a wonderful volume and a worthy addition to the Theology, Religion and Pop Culture Series. It covers important themes in The Last of Us, like hope, faith, meaning, love, and redemption. The essays are thoughtful and well-written, drawing on thinkers like Dostoyevsky, Buber, Levinas, Foucault, and Tillich to help the reader make sense of the philosophical and religious themes prevalent in the video games and HBO series. Fans of the source material will most certainly walk away with a deeper appreciation of the theological themes in Naughty Dog's work."