Rick Moore, professor and chair in the Department of Media, presented a research paper titled “Deconstructing the Icon” at the annual conference of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.
Moore’s research examines the racial characteristics of Jesus as he has been portrayed in recent popular films. Many journalists, film critics and academics have suggested the cinematic version of Christ tends to be blond haired and blue-eyed. Even so, Moore’s careful content analysis of the movies from the last 40 years revealed that, while this may have been the case in older films, contemporary portrayals are varied, with few revealing the northern European characteristics commonly referenced.
Moore discussed the implications of a wider variety of portrayals and questioned why popular and academic writers are unwilling to acknowledge this change, which many see as positive.