World Turned Upside Down, The: Finding the Gospel in Stranger Things

What could the supernatural world of Stranger Things have in common with the Bible?

The paranormal television series Stranger Things taps into the mysterious elements that have fueled spiritual questions for millennia. The otherworldly manifestations in Hawkins, Indiana offer compelling portrayals of important spiritual truths--and many of these truths are echoed in the supernatural worldview of the Bible.

For Michael Heiser, Stranger Things is the perfect marriage of his interest in popular culture and the paranormal. In The Unseen Realm, he opened the eyes of thousands, helping readers understand the supernatural worldview of the Bible. Now he turns his attention to the worldwide television phenomenon, exploring how Stranger Things relates to Christian theology and the Christian life.

In The World Turned Upside Down, Heiser draws on this supernatural worldview to help us think about the story of Jesus and discover glimpses of the gospel in the Upside Down. He argues that this celebrated series helps us understand the gospel in unique and overlooked ways. The spiritual questions and crises raised by Stranger Things are addressed the same way they are in the gospel, with mystery and transcendent power.

120 pages.

The World Turned Upside Down lies at the intersection of pop culture and Christian theology. If you liked the phenomenon that is Stranger Things, you’ll love how biblical scholar and fan of the series Michael Heiser draws out its meaning and application to our own lives in a way that aligns with Scripture. You can’t get enough of the nostalgic entertaining series and you can’t get enough of Heiser’s loving exploration of it.

–Brian Godawa, Hollywood screenwriter of To End All Wars and author of Hollywood Worldviews: Watching Films with Wisdom and Discernment.

Heiser shows little corners about the gospel we rarely think about very deeply. I am sure fans of the series Stranger Things will get a treat out of this comparison but all readers will have their eyes opened to reflect on the depth of the beauty and grace that is salvation.

–Darrel L. Bock, Executive Director of Cultural Engagement and Senior Research Professor of New Testament Studies, Dallas Theological Seminary

Contents

• Introduction
• As Lost as Will Byers
• Vale of Shadows
• From One Black Hole to Another
• Momma Wants to Talk
• Nobody Normal
• No More
• Never The Same
• Not a Normal Family
• We Keep Giving It What It Wants
• The Hive Mind
• I’ll Be Watching You