Should Christians Watch Horror? Stuckey vs. Walsh
Allie Beth Stuckey just said what a lot of pastors are afraid to say out loud: Christians should not be fans of horror.
Not the books. Not the movies. Not the true crime podcasts you fall asleep to. Her words: you should not be consuming content that is made to make you scared. Scripture says “Do not fear” over and over, and then we pay money to be terrified for entertainment and call it harmless.
Matt Walsh pushed back hard. He argued horror is actually the most Christian genre of film, because supernatural horror treats demons and evil as real. I respect Walsh, but stop and think about that defense: yes, evil is real. That is exactly why you do not invite it into your living room for fun.
Where I land
There is a difference between a story where good confronts evil and two hours of darkness, gore, and dread that you carry to bed with you. What you feed your mind does not stay on the screen. It shapes what your kids think is normal, what your house feels like at night, and what you run to when real fear shows up.
Halloween is 11 days away. Wake up: you cannot fill your home with fear all October and then wonder why your family is anxious. Guard your eyes. Guard your house. Choose light, on purpose.
Where do you land: is Stuckey right, or is Walsh? Say it plain in the comments.
See y’all later,
John