Be Afraid: What Horror Reveals About Facing the Darkness (Discovering God in Pop Culture)

In Be Afraid, theologian and psychological scientist Kutter Callaway explores the surprising relationship betweenfear, horror, and Christian faith. Drawing from film, psychology, and theology, this book engages popular horror narratives to ask what our deepest fears reveal about what we truly love, long for, and believe. Be Afraid explores howour Christian faith is made better when we engage with the horror genre. According to Callaway, Christian life isn’t about eliminating fear, it’s about redirecting it. This book offers a fresh, often funny, and deeply honest theological reflection onthe shared fears and anxieties of our culture that is as engaging in a classroom as it is in a book club. By exploring the genre of horror through the lens of Christian faith, Be Afraid: demonstrates howthat faith is enriched by engaging with horror; offers theological insight into our culture's fascination with the terrifying; helps readers learn how to redeem real world fears; and includes discussion questions for individual or group reflection. Scripture itself contains many stories filled with horror and gore: Jael and Sisera, John the Baptist's beheading, and even the crucifixion of Jesus.