Jesus and Metal Music Don’t Mix? The Controversy over the “Metal Mass” in Finland

Anna Saurama, Titus Hjelm

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

Abstract

In 2006, a Metal Mass—a regular Lutheran mass with accompanying metal music—was celebrated in Helsinki and created a controversy on several online forums. On the one hand, the focus was the appropriateness of metal music in the context of a Christian mass. On the other hand, the issue at stake was the appropriateness of Christianity in the context of metal music and culture. In this article, we concentrate on how the controversy over the boundaries of 'good' religion is constructed in discourse about the appropriateness of metal music in the context of a national church and its services. We argue that the controversy over the Metal Mass is a case of broader negotiation between the function and performance of religious actors in contemporary Finland, yet when it happens within a secularized context, the temporarily full pews turn out to be an anomaly rather than a sign of revival.
Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of Religion in Europe
Volume12
Issue number1
Pages (from-to)27-48
Number of pages22
ISSN1874-8910
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2019
MoE publication typeA1 Journal article-refereed

Fields of Science

  • 614 Theology
  • 6131 Theatre, dance, music, other performing arts

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