Be Afraid

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.



Kutter Callaway (PhD, Fuller) is the William K. Brehm Chair of Worship, Theology, and the Arts, associate professor of theology and culture, and associate professor of psychology at Fuller Theological Seminary. He writes and speaks on the interaction between theology and culture—particularly film, television, and online media—in both academic and popular forums. Callaway holds two PhDs, one in theology and the second in psychological science. He is the host of the Be Afraid podcast,and is author of Deep Focus, The Aesthetics of Atheism, Watching TV Religiously, and Scoring Transcendence. He lives with his wife and three daughters in LA.



Series IntroductionIntroduction



1. Fearing Rightly



2. What Horror Is and Who Watches It



3. When Neither Evil nor Goodness Is Safe



4. How to Be Skeptical of Our Supernatural Skepticism



5. Why Creepy Dolls and Fear Are Both Inescapable



6. How to Reckon with Our Fear of Abandonment



7. The Terror of a World not for Us



8. On the Sacredness of Bodies in a Violent World



Conclusion: Haunting the Future: Discipleship in an Age of Fear