Why zombies matter

Zombies are everywhere. Ever since the classic "Night of the Living Dead," the undead have shown up in movies. Zombies now are featured in top-rated cable TV shows, and in apocalyptic novels and survival guides. An entire genre has ignited around the concept of adding zombies to classic literature ("Pride and Prejudice with Zombies," etc.). But why are we drawn to these gruesome figures?

In the New York Times, columnist Amy Wilentz reminds us why zombies scare us, and why we can't help but watch through our clenched hands covering our eyes. The zombie myth is rooted in something quite real, and quite terrifying. The zombie stories emerged in a Caribbean context of brutal slavery. The zombie's horror is that he is, she writes, a slave forever. After all, if even death cannot free you, you can never be free.

That's exactly the point, and here's why it should matter to Christians. Read more