Dr. Pierce interviews Dr. Kowert about how video games are often turned into the "boogey man" for religious and societal issues.  Show Notes Video Series | Psychgeist from Rachel Kowert - https://rkowert.com/psychgeist/

Moses Hull was a silver tongued Adventist evangelist who gave up his faith in favor of dialoging with the dead. His fall from grace has become a fearful narrative deployed by Adventists to keep away from slippery slopes that might lead to Spiritualism. But do we have the whole story? In this episode Seth invites Matthew Lucio, Greg Howell, and Shawn Brace to explore one of Adventism's cautionary tales related to talking with the dead.  Show Notes Podcast | Adventist Pilgrimage with Greg Howell and Michael Campbell - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/adventist-pilgrimage/id1558388185; Podcast | Adventist History Podcast with Matthew Lucio - https://www.adventisthistorypodcast.org/; Shawn Brace’s Substack, Reimagining Faith -  https://shawnbrace.substack.com

"Voodoo" is often used as a pejorative term by Christians for indigenous belief systems, as well as a scapegoat for why bad things happen. It's also connected with Western media's fascination with the figure of the "zombie". Outside of jokes about less than vibrant faith communities, is there an actual religious history connection between the classic horror monster and religious belief? On this episode Seth welcomes back Dr. Emily Zarka from PBS's Monstrum to discuss the faith of zombies. Show Notes Show | PBS Monstrum - https://www.pbs.org/show/monstrum/ 

What do Christian deliverance ministries and Hollywood have to do with each other? Some might sggest that we need deliverance from Hollywood movies' demonic infleunce. However, Joseph Laycock and Eric Harrelson's new book, The Exorcist Effect, demonstrates that deliverance ministries have shaped their theoogy around the monstrous movies they condemn. In this episode, Seth chats with Laycock and Harrleson about their work and reflects on the implications for faith-based communities.  Show Notes Book | The Exorcist Effect: Horror, Religion, and Demonic Belief by Joseph Laycock and Eric Harrelson - https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-exorcist-effect-9780197635391 

No new episode today, but we will be back soon!

J.R.R. Tolkien is known for his literary fantasies and the multitude of media they inspire. What isn't as well known, is his Catholic faith that inspired his works, including some of the creatures that populate Middle Earth. In this episode, Seth talks to Dr. Holly Ordway, Christian thinker and Tolkien scholar about the "things" that inhabit Middle Earth and what they reveal about faith and storytelling. Show Notes Website | Holly Ordway - https://hollyordway.com 

Covid-19 was a creature that wreaked havoc on the human race. The experience of a pandemic will haunt many facets of life for years to come, particularly as humanity grieves so much loss. In tthis episode, we continue our conversation with Dr. Mikles and look at her new book, Shattered Grief: How the Pandemic Transformed the Spirituality of Death in America. Listeners will find solidarity and some new insights as they continue to process all that took place int he early 2020s. Show Notes Book | Shattered Grief: How the Pandemic Transformed the Spirituality of Death in America by Natasha Mikles | https://a.co/d/35D898e Website | Natasha Miles - https://www.natashamikles.com Book | Encountering Religion: Responsibility and Criticism After Secularism - https://www.amazon.com/Encountering-Religion-Responsibility-Secularism-Insurrections/dp/B015X4BXOE Article | “The Study of Religion on the Other Side of Disgust” by Robert Orsi - https://bulletin.hds.harvard.edu/the-study-of-religion-on-the-other-side-of-disgust/

"Thoughts and prayers" is a phrase that creeps around the internet. People wince at its presence as it seems to make light of human suffering. In this second part of the interview with Dr. Peckham on the subject of suffering, the subject eventually turns to Peckham's new book on prayer. In addition to frameworks that help us make meaning of our suffering, how can prayer help us face down the forces of darkness? If you wrestle with the problem of pain in the world you won't want to miss this episode! Show Notes Book | Theodicy of Love: Cosmic Conflict and the Problem of Evil |  https://a.co/d/1dpNFR6 Website | John Peckham - https://johncpeckham.com 

The problem of pain is the horror that haunts people of faith most. The presence of suffering often scares people away from a picture of a loving all-powerful God. How can we hang on to religious hope living in a reality with monstrous miseries? Dr. John Peckham, research professor of Christian theology and philosophy at Andrews University, and author of Theodicy of Love and Why We Pray, joins Dr. Pierce to examine the never-ending nightmare of why bad things happen to good people. Show Notes Website | John Peckham - https://johncpeckham.com 

We can't ignore frightening pictures of God or scary stories in sacred texts. How should we approach works that push against our worldviews in ways that make us nervous? Seth and Brandon continue the conversation around Esther Hamori's book God's Monsters and gives pracyical advice for how to approach texts of terror. Show Notes Article | "But the Snake Told the Truth!" | AdventistToday - https://atoday.org/but-the-snake-told-the-truth/ Brandon Grafius | https://sojo.net/biography/brandon-grafius Book | Reviewed in this series | God's Monsters: Vengeful Spirits, Deadly Angels, Hybrid Creatures, and Divine Hitmen of the Bible by Esther J. Hamori - https://a.co/d/818uyKN Book | Reading the Bible with Horror by Brandon Grafius - https://a.co/d/90CLkH4

The Bible is a book of monsters - and God is the biggest one of them all... At least, that's the contention of a popular new book entitled "God's Monsters: Vengeful Spirits, Deadly Angels, Hybrid Creatures, and Divine Hitmen of the Bible." To help unpack this challenging text, Dr. Brandon Grafius, associate professor of Hebrew Bible at Ecumenical Seminary, and horror and theology expert, joins Seth on the podcast. The issues challenge, and possibly horrify, people of faith... Show Notes Brandon Grafius | https://sojo.net/biography/brandon-grafius Book | Reviewed in this series | God's Monsters: Vengeful Spirits, Deadly Angels, Hybrid Creatures, and Divine Hitmen of the Bible by Esther J. Hamori - https://a.co/d/818uyKN Book | Reading the Bible with Horror by Brandon Grafius - https://a.co/d/90CLkH4

Making merry with the macabre is a Disney hallmark. It may seem inapproriate to some to make silly that which is scary. However, as we conclude our interview with Dr. Lindvall, we see there is a reason to deal with death in a way the de-fangs it. This episode reaffirms some forgotten concepts from the Christian faith when dealing with the "enemy" of death. Show Notes CW Lewis Institute | Terry Lindvall Book | Disney Gothic Shadows

Was Walt Disney a Christian? If so, how does that help explain the dark elements in Disney's media? Dr. Terry Lindvall, C.S. Lewis Chair of Communication at Virginia Wesleyan, draws on his background in Tolkien, Lewis, and communication to set the stage for how we might engage Disney's Dark side. Show Notes CW Lewis Institute | Terry Lindvall Book | Disney Gothic Shadows

Are Disney Parks haunted by unseen forces? Well, sort of. In this second episode of Dark Disney, Seth and Jeffrey explore the iconic Haunted Mansion, what actually lurks in the shadows of Disney's haunted atraction, and what it can teach us about life and faith this side of the grave. Show Notes Central Michigan University | Jeffrey Weinstock   - https://www.cmich.edu/people/JEFFREY-A-WEINSTOCK    Book | Disney Gothic: Dark Shadows in the House of Mouse by Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock - https://a.co/d/3t7no3g   

Is Disney in league with the Devil? That's an accusation that is heard in some Evangelical corners. While it can't be denied that Disney has some dark content, is it in the service of Satan or something else? In this first of four episodes exploring Dark Disney, Dr. Pierce interveiwes, Dr. Jeffrey Weinstock, one of the editors of a new book entitled Disney Gothic: Shadows in the House of Mouse. Dr. Weinstock is a professor of English language and literature at Central Michigan Univeristy, associate editor for horror for the Los Angeles Review of Books, and and a specialist in the gothic. Show Notes Central Michigan University | Jeffrey Weinstock   - https://www.cmich.edu/people/JEFFREY-A-WEINSTOCK    Book | Disney Gothic: Dark Shadows in the House of Mouse by Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock - https://a.co/d/3t7no3g 

Are you strange and unusual? That seems to be the case not only for the heroine of Beetlejuice but for anyone, especially a Christian, who has an interest in the darker things of life and faith. This episode continues the discussion of horor and faith with Kutter Callaway, taking a special look at the film Beetlejuice in light of the upcoming sequel. What, if anything, is there for religiously minded people to learn from bizarre horror-comedies such as this?   Listen to Kutter Callaway's podcast from Christianity today, Be Afraid! https://www.kuttercallaway.com

Beetlejuice has returned from the dead after nearly 40 years. But can Christianity and Horror media co-exist? Seth interviews Dr. Kutter Callaway,  the host of Christianity Today's new horror podcast, "Be Afraid!" The conversation explores how and why people of faith engage with a genre that seems antithetical to the Way of Jesus.   Listen to Kutter Callaway's podcast from Christianity today, Be Afraid! https://www.kuttercallaway.com

Monster Season is back. Season 2 of Beast and Bible drops Sept 2.

Hey Monster Hunters! You might like our sister podcast They Also Served, which explores the untold stories of women who impacted American Christianity, Adventism, and the world.  Subscribe over on the They Also Served feed so you don't miss when the first episodes drop in Summer 2024!  Subscribe now: Apple | Spotify |  Google | Podbean App

For years, Christians have tried to create positive alternatives to Halloween. In some cases they have been traumatic, such as the Hell or Judgment House. Other times they have made it cringey by preaching anti-Halloween sermons with misinformation. Yet, some churches have found a way to reach out and have fun. In this final Halloween episode, Dr. Pierce talks with Pastor Michael Halfhill on his church’s popular event known as “Light Up the Dark.” This is the fourth and final episode of the 2023 Halloween Special.