The World Turned Upside Down: Finding the Gospel in Stranger Things (Video Series)
Overview
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. In The World Turned Upside Down, Dr. Michael 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.
This video series is only available as a companion video series in The World Turned Upside Down Book & Course Bundle
Top Highlights
“The Bible uses the term ‘lost’ in these metaphorical ways to describe our spiritual problem—the one that the cross was destined to solve. Without the cross, because of sin, we’re estranged from God; we’re not in His family. We’re not where we belong, and we’re helpless.” (source)
“Their consolation is each other, which means that none of them are as lost as Will Byers. He’s alone. Will is trapped in another dimension, the Upside Down. For that reason, Will’s situation is a powerful, metaphorical portrayal of our spiritual estrangement from God without Jesus.” (source)
“In Luke 19:10, He described His mission this way: ‘The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.’ Only God could bring us out of that spiritual isolation—our separation from Himself. And that’s why Jesus came.” (source)
“One reason that so many believers lack direction or vision for life is because the Christian faith is marketed to them as a matter of personal experience and life improvement.” (source)
“the outcome is God’s job, not yours. That’s the domain of the Holy Spirit.” (source)
- Title: The World Turned Upside Down: Finding the Gospel in Stranger Things (Video Series)
- Author: Michael S. Heiser
- Series: Logos Mobile Education
- Publisher: Lexham Press
- Print Publication Date: 2019
- Logos Release Date: 2019
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Courseware
- Subjects: Christianity and culture; Education › Christianity and culture
- Resource ID: LLS:HEISERWORLDCOURSE
- Resource Type: Courseware Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2020-12-02T00:42:36Z
Dr. Michael S. Heiser was a former Scholar-in-Residence for Faithlife Corporation, the makers of Logos Bible Software. He then served as the Executive Director of the Awakening School of Theology and Ministry. His varied academic background enabled him to operate in the realm of critical scholarship and the wider Christian community. His experience in teaching at the undergraduate level and writing for the layperson both directly contributed to Logos’ goal of adapting scholarly tools for nonspecialists.
Dr. Heiser earned his PhD in Hebrew Bible and Semitic languages and holds an MA in ancient history and Hebrew studies. He was the coeditor of Old Testament Greek Pseudepigrapha with Morphology and Semitic Inscriptions: Analyzed Texts and English Translations, and he was able to do translation work in roughly a dozen ancient languages, including Biblical Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, Egyptian hieroglyphs, and Ugaritic cuneiform. He specialized in Israelite religion (especially Israel’s divine council), contextualizing biblical theology with Israelite and ancient Near Eastern religion, Jewish binitarianism, biblical languages, ancient Semitic languages, textual criticism, comparative philology, and Second Temple period Jewish literature. In 2007 he was named the Pacific Northwest Regional Scholar by the Society of Biblical Literature.