Be Afraid: What Horror Reveals About Facing the Darkness

by Kutter Callaway, Matthew Brake (Other)

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 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.

Kindle Edition

Expected publication September 29, 2026

About the author

Kutter Callaway (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is assistant professor of theology and culture at Fuller Theological Seminary. He is the author of Watching TV Religiously: Television and Theology in Dialogue and Scoring Transcendence: Contemporary Film Music as Religious Experience. Prior to teaching at Fuller, Callaway served in pastoral ministry for nearly a decade, focusing primarily on young and emerging adults. He writes for Christianity Today, Fuller's Reel Spirituality website and the Huffington Post.