The World Turned Upside Down

What could the supernatural world of Stranger Things have in common with the Bible?

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.

For Michael Heiser, Stranger Things is the perfect marriage of his interest in popular culture and the paranormal. In The Unseen Realm, he opened the eyes of thousands, helping readers understand the supernatural worldview of the Bible. Now he turns his attention to the worldwide television phenomenon, exploring how Stranger Things relates to Christian theology and the Christian life.

In The World Turned Upside Down, 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.

1. Opening Credits
2. Prologue from Acts 17
3. Preface
4. Introduction
5. Chapter 1: As Lost as Will Byers: The Need to Belong
6. Chapter 2: The Vale of Shadows: Trapped in a Hostile World
7. Chapter 3: From One Black Hole to Another: We Can't Save Ourselves
8. Chapter 4: Momma Wants to Talk: Help from Beyond
9. Chapter 5: Nobody Is Normal: The Gift of Uniqueness
10. Chapter 6: "No More": The Cost of Sacrifice
11. Chapter 7: Never the Same: Finding Hope amid Change
12. Chapter 8: Not a Normal Family: Bound Together by Cause
13. Chapter 9: We Keep Giving It What It Wants: The Battle Within
14. Chapter 10: The Hive Mind: The Battle against the Unseen
15. Chapter 11: I'll Be Watching You: The Enduring Enemy
16. Epilogue
17. Closing Credits