How Engaging Horror Helps Us Fear Rightly Is it possible to be scared-in a good way? In Be Afraid, theologian and psychological scientist Kutter Callaway explores the surprising relationship between fear, 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 how our 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 on the 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 how that 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. Be Afraid argues that engaging with horror stories-whether in the media or in the Bible-can benefit our spiritual lives by teaching us how to fear rightly. The Bible calls on Christians to think about what is good, beautiful, and true. And sometimes, the truth is horrifying. About the Series The Discovering God in Pop Culture series seeks to demonstrate how Christian faith is enriched and made better by critical and creative engagement with pop culture. In each volume, readers explore a popular topic through the lens of the Christian faith.
"Horror art exists to confront what we deny, and Be Afraid fundamentally understands that. Kutter Callaway neither sanitizes nor exploits his subject, but rather treats it with moral and emotional seriousness. By engaging horror films as a medium of truth, this book offers a rare and thoughtful conversation between theology and terror, between faith and dread. Be Afraid insists that when faced honestly, fear can be the beginning of wisdom rather than an enemy to avoid."
Scott Derrickson, director of The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Sinister, and The Black Phone
"Horrors appear in the news, popular culture, and our Bibles. In this insightful, thought-provoking, and even funny book, Kutter Callaway helps us to come to grips with how fear and the genre of horror help us to process our experiences of God and the world around us."
Madison N. Pierce, lecturer in New Testament and early Christianity at the University of S
"There can be comfort in being afraid-at least at the movies. They allow us to vicariously experience the whole swath of human emotions, the darkest of which, if we're lucky, we rarely encounter in our real lives. But we can't turn away from the darkness. It keeps our faith honest, forcing us outside our comfort zones. Kutter Callaway understands this, and I applaud this deep dive into the many faces of horror, showing us how thoughtful engagement with this genre can deepen our lives, helping grow our empathy and compassion for others. That's certainly nothing to be afraid of."
Scott Teems, writer of Halloween Kills and Insidious: The Red Door
