236. How Can Scary Stories Expose Human Sin? | Christian Horror with Mike Duran

Fantastical Truth

What’s the red-headed stepchild of Christian-made fiction? If you said science fiction, you’re partly right. But here’s a happy prediction: this other wandering genre is probably getting adopted! That might leave outside the other orphaned books—in the genre called horror. Is this one genre above others doomed to be rejected? Mike Duran, author of the nonfiction book Christian Horror, returns to challenge our preconceptions of spooky stories.

Special note: Share this podcast episode before Nov. 5 for a chance to win your free autographed copy of Christian Horror. Use the hashtag #ChristianHorror when you tag Lorehaven on Facebook, on Instagram, or on TwitterX.

Episode sponsors

1. Sky Turtle Nova: Rift by Steven James
2. DreadKing by David Liberto
3. The Jabin Kainos series by Vince Mancuso

Mission update

• Lorehaven Onscreen: ‘The Deliverance’ Shows Christ’s Power to Cast Out Evil and Reunite Families by Parker J. Cole
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This previous podcast episode explores the purpose of healthier horror fiction.

Quotes and notes on Christian-made scary stories

Search all Lorehaven for episodes, articles, and books labeled horror

• 39. How Might Bram Stoker’s Novel ‘Dracula’ Cast Light Against Modern Vampires? | with Geoffrey Reiter
• Don’t Let Halloween Flippancy Distract You From Real Horrors and Promises
• Find Light in Darkness With These Six Christian Paranormal Thrillers
• 132. Do Christians Really Need Horror? | Fiction’s Chief End, part 5
• 133. How Are New Fans Discovering the Horror and Holiness of ‘Dracula’?
• 184. How Can Nobledark Horror Explore the Problem of Evil? | with Marc Schooley
• 185. What Are the Scariest Ghost Stories in Scripture?
• 186. Does the Devil Deceive People into Real Witchcraft? | with Marian Jacobs
• How The Crucifix Shows Christ’s Salvation in Dark Fantastical Stories

Concession stand

• This may be your first time, yet we’ve often explored horror at Lorehaven.
• Some may view horror as a “stumbling block”; that’s a legit objection.
• Yet others find comfort in seeing a story that shows sin’s darkness.
• Scripture itself shows people rejoicing in God’s law that exposes evil.
• Today, many people need to believe Satan exists before they find Christ.
• That is just what the best horror tales, old and new, are designed to do.

Introducing guest Mike Duran

Mike Duran is a novelist, artist, and freelance writer. Mike writes fiction and non-fiction. His newest release is Keeper of the Woods (2024); he also wrote The Ghost Box (2014), which was selected by Publishers Weekly as one of the best 2015 indie novels—first in a paranoir series that continues with Saint Death (2016), and The Third Golem (2020). His nonfiction books Christians and Conspiracy Theories (2023) and Christian Horror (second edition, 2023) apply biblical truth to these fantastical topics.

• MikeDuran.com
• @‌MikeDuranAuthor on FB
• @‌MikeDuranAuthor on X

1. How do Christians avoid confronting real horror?

• Well-meaning Christians use “clean” or “family” fiction to cover over sins.
• When people are evil, we assume it’s because they were treated badly.
• We excuse supposed “acceptable” sins in our lives, churches, cultures.
• If our leaders sin, we claim it’s necessary for the greater good/the world.
• Or we may intentionally listen to deceptions of the world/Satan/flesh.
• Finally, we just ignore all of it; we get out our phones and play games.

2. Why might we wrongly obsess on horror images?

• Stephen saw an expensive lawn full of horror-for-its-own sake images.
• These weren’t warnings, or part of a story. There was no other context.
• It’s a sort of flippancy that tries to laugh at death, an unearned “victory.”
• This is the kind of purposeless horror that Christians rightly critique.
• Now a lot of people, overcorrecting for the “clean” stuff, may praise this.
• In some cases, they have likely gone from the frying pan into the fire.

Share this podcast episode before Nov. 5 for a chance to win your free autographed copy of Christian Horror. Use the hashtag #ChristianHorror when you tag Lorehaven on Facebook, on Instagram, or on TwitterX.

3. What’s a more biblical view of ‘Christian horror’?

• Scripture itself never assumes someone else will teach the scary parts.
• From the very beginning, a creepy serpents tempts Adam and Eve.
• God passes judgments of mortality, murder, anarchy, and the Flood.
• Later we get hints about Satan’s dark activities behind the scenes.
• Evil spirits get even more active in the days of Jesus’s work on Earth.
• Today, demons and dark spiritual ideas are real; stories must show them.

Com station

What’s your favorite scary story that helps you see sin for what it is?

Sean Truax in the RealmSphere shared thoughts about ep. 233:

So, late with a comment as I listened to this a few days ago, sorry.

This is another excellent episode and it had me questioning some of my own beliefs and how I was raised.

I grew up in a Christian home, mom taught a weekly Good News Club, and both of my parents volunteered quite a bit at Church (Children’s ministry for my mom, adult Sunday School for my dad). My parents are also huge Science Fiction nerds. I have memories of attending a Star Trek convention back in the mid-70s. Heinlein and Azimov books were throughout our house, and they took us to see Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back more times than I can count.

Fantasy was a different story. I know I saw the cartoon of “The Hobbit” in the late 70’s/early 80’s, but that was it. Dungeons & Dragons were forbidden, and that stuck with me into adulthood so much that Fantasy Fiction isn’t my thing. The exception is Tolkien and CS Lewis, we had those books grown up, but nothing else. But D&D? Yeah, I struggle with that one.

I can appreciate those who like to play RPGs (I still have some sci-fi ones), but the whole “avoid the appearance of evil” is very much in my head when I see or hear about Christians playing D&D. I have learned that the “appearance” part is less important than what God is telling you about your hobbies. Are they an idol on your time (or money), or in the case of RPGs, are they a way for you to act in an un-Christian manner simply because it’s make-believe?

I like how you guys broke down the difference between what 1 Thess 5:22 says, and how many have re-interpreted it. From what I said above, yes, I’m a victim of the re-interpretation. I don’t know that I will go out and start bingeing on Christian Fantasy books now, but you’ve given me something to think and pray about.

Next on Fantastical Truth

Hi! Wow. Middle of autumn. I know what you’re thinking about. Christmas! This weekend the new comedy The Best Christmas Pageant Ever! releases in theaters. And five Thanksgiving seasons ago, in Nov. 2019, new fans began watching the second half of a new biblical fiction drama called The Chosen. Next week, we’re thankful to host one of the three Chosen screenwriters who also cowrote The Best Christmas Pageant Ever!, Ryan Swanson.