“Are monsters always evil?”
In Monsters, Faith and Pop Culture class, taught by Dr. Seth Pierce, the answer is no.
“A monster is any entity that we consider ‘other,’” said Pierce. “The purpose of this class is to look at the monstrous in scripture, Christian history and Christian life, as well as how pop culture uses monsters to shape our worldviews.”
Monsters, Faith and Pop Culture was offered for the first time during the spring 2022 semester. Around 50 students from a variety of different majors registered for the class. The class is taught from a Seventh-day Adventist perspective, showing how the monsters of Daniel and Revelation, the Satanic panic of the 1980s and the monsters in contemporary culture affect our denomination.
Although Christianity and monsters have always been connected, scholars did not begin studying the relationship between the two until relatively recently. The American Academy of Religion is currently in a five-year symposium examining the roles that monsters and the monstrous play in religion. Several guest lecturers presented to the class, including Dr. Heather Macumber, author of “Recovering the Monstrous in Revelation;” Dr. Emily Zarka, host of the PBS show “Monstrum;” and Dr. Brandon Grafius, author of “Reading the Bible with Horror.”
Pierce believes learning about the role monsters play in our world is important for Christians. He said, “You’ll see the monstrous in our evangelistic materials and in medieval Christian speculation on monsters that continues to have an influence on how people perceive God. It is important to address monsters from a Christian worldview to understand them better.
“In class we look at the horrible things that happen when we falsely label other people monsters,” said Pierce. “We have to be very careful with who we label as monsters and understand the social consequences of doing so.”
Monsters, Faith and Pop Culture will be offered again next school year.
Original source can be found here.
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