Beast and Bible

Lord of the Things: Exploring Tolkien, Faith, and Monsters (with Holly Ordway)

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 

Death Dealers and Death Doulas: Covid-19 and the Monster of Grief (with Natasha Mikles)

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 God a Moral Monster? Part 2 (with John Peckham)

"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 God a Moral Monster? Part 1 (with John Peckham)

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 

Monster Book of Monsters Part 2 (with Brandon Grafius)

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

Monster Book of Monsters Part 1 (with Brandon Grafius)

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

The Dark Side of Disney 4: Light in the Shadows (with Terry Lindvall)

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

The Dark Side of Disney 3: Haunted Mouse (with Terry Lindvall)

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