The Zombie Gospel: The Walking Dead and What It Means to Be Human

130 Pages·2017·3.85 MB·English

by  Danielle J Strickland

THE WALKING DEAD
AND WHAT IT MEANS TO BE HUMAN
DANIELLE STRICKLAND
UNAUTHORIZED
InterVarsity Press
P.O. Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL 60515-1426
ivpress.com
[email protected]
©2017 by Danielle J. Strickland
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written
permission from InterVarsity Press.
InterVarsity Press® is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA®,
a movement of students and faculty active on campus at hundreds of universities, colleges, and
schools of nursing in the United States of America, and a member movement of the
International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. For information about local and regional
activities, visit intervarsity.org.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, New
International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by
permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and
“New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark
Office by Biblica, Inc.™
While any stories in this book are true, some names and identifying information may have been
changed to protect the privacy of individuals.
Cover design: David Fassett
Interior design: Jeanna Wiggins
Images: destroyed city: © verlite/iStockphoto
red stains: © Photoslash/iStockphoto
blurred hand: © baona/iStockphoto
torn paper: © autsawin/iStockphoto
ISBN 978-0-8308-8925-9 (digital)
ISBN 978-0-8308-4389-3 (print)
Dedicated to Lt. Col. Joyce Ellery,
who loved me as a zombie and
introduced me to the Cure.
And to all those who, like her,
never give up hope, offering Jesus
as the way to be human.
You are living witnesses of God’s
resurrection power in real life.

Contents
Introduction | 1
1 It’s the End of the World
as We Know It | 7
2 Who Are You Now? | 15
3 Fighting the Zombie Infection | 25
4 Surviving the Apocalypse | 39
5 A New Way to Be Human | 55
6 The Longing | 67
7 No More Priests | 77
8 The Bravest and Most
Powerful Thing You Can Do | 85
9 Babies in the Apocalypse | 97
10 Why This Could Matter | 107
Acknowledgments | 115
Notes | 117
Praise for The Zombie Gospel | 119
About the Author | 121
More Titles from InterVarsity Press | 122
Compassion Sponsorship | 123

Introduction
For a long time I considered
zombie shows a colossal waste of
time and energy, and evidence of a dark and sinister reality
threatening our common sense of goodness. I suspected it
was yet another fascination with darkness that could desen-
sitize us to the foreboding realities of everyday darkness. At
least that’s what I thought.
I continued to be amazed at the rising popularity of zombie
shows, but once I got past my initial contempt, I gave in to
curiosity. Tucked up by myself so as not to contaminate anyone
else, in the late evening hours after my kids had gone to bed, I
put in earbuds and watched The Walking Dead—trying to get
a grasp on why this show is so prevalent in our culture.
What happened was amazing. I glimpsed a realm of media
communicating some of the deepest themes of humanity. I
became increasingly convinced, as I watched with wide-eyed
wonder, that far from an excessive, dark fantasy feeding a
lackadaisical attitude toward evil, the show offers us a window
into the most important questions of our time.
Really? you may be wondering. I understand. I was de-
cidedly dubious myself. You might think that shows like The
Walking Dead are simply the latest entertainment to satisfy
2 THE ZOMBIE GOSPEL
our shallow culture’s need for the latest thrill. But as I
watched, I learned. I heard a cry, a warning, an invitation.
The whole story seems to be a way into another realm with
more questions than answers. But the questions are like an-
swers because they are important questions —elemental and
existential at the same time. It felt like—well, it felt like the
gospel, which simply means “good news.” But more than a
happy little announcement that makes for a Hallmark
moment, the gospel is a pronouncement that important
news is coming, more like the rumor of an uprising or the
birth of a new king. Think overthrow.
The good news is now mostly associated with the Christian
faith. And when the founder of that faith, Jesus, came on the
scene, the backdrop was pretty dismal. Things were unhinged;
the tension was palpable. Against this backdrop Jesus de-
clared that he had come to bring good news. Contrary to
popular opinion, the good news wasn’t delivered by a fairy-
godmother–like Jesus who granted our wishes and promised
we’d live happily ever after. Many of us don’t have a clue of
what “good news” means.
We forget, at our peril, that Jesus called for a new humanity
and the end of an old one. He challenged a system based on
greed, exposed religious folks as frauds, and announced a
new world order. If anyone had a way of creating havoc, it
was Jesus. There was nothing neat about the ministry he led
or the results it produced. The early church followed in his
footsteps—confounding the wise, exposing corruption, and
refusing to cooperate with existing powers. They paid for this
InTrOducTIOn 3
good news with their lives—but it was worth it. The re-
sults? Social inclusion, poverty relief, wealth redistribution,
public mercy (think social services), and eventually hos-
pitals and schools. This is good news! It changes things.
Everything, actually.
The real gospel has been co-opted by a religious fairy tale
for so long that, for many of us, it’s lost its power. The gospel
has been hijacked to support and encourage a “personal rela-
tionship” at the expense of community overthrow. But even
more, it’s created a vacuum in the middle of our society. And
into the vacuum have disappeared meaning, authentic rela-
tionships, and hope. We’ve been living among shallow and
inconsequential things for so long that we’ve forgotten what
it means to be human. Are love and pornography related? Is
knowledge the same as wisdom? Why doesn’t higher edu-
cation lead to happier lives? Does wealth mean prosperity?
Shallow and shiny things fill in for the deep and beautiful
realms of life, which has created our desperate times.
So, the meek and mild Jesus we’ve all heard about might not
be so meek after all. To overthrow economics as a driving force
of religious worship, he resorted to whips and table crashing.
He sent evil spirits into pigs, and in so doing destroyed the fi-
nancial systems that kept peasants trapped in systemic poverty.
He liberated a man chained and living in graveyards. When
Jesus was done, the villagers “begged him to leave their region.”
That’s right. The most amazing miracle just happened, but it
was too much for them. “Please go away,” said the leaders to
this man who had the nerve to challenge power with love.