Monsters, Faith and Pop Culture

An interview with Dr. Seth Pierce

It is a new year and a new semester, and that means a plethora of fresh classes. There are many unique and standout classes to choose from, and a very popular option is Monsters, Faith and Pop Culture, taught by Dr. Seth Pierce. In fact, this class became such a popular option last year that a student limit had to be instituted due to the demand. I asked Dr. Pierce a few questions about the class to learn more about this unique “must-take” class:

Why is the material in this class essential?

“There are theological, historical and social reasons that make this material essential. Even the monsters in the Bible, as well as the monstrous parts of the Bible, must have some use. Historically, all religions have monsters. This has led to persecution and moral panic. Finally, monsters are present in popular culture. Popular culture is increasingly recognized in both religious and communication literature as an important vehicle for the spread of ideas. Being able to give students good media tools to discern truth from error is vital. We need to critically think about the media presented to us."

Now that you have experienced teaching this class, what will be different this time around?

“I have a few new elements this semester. The first is a lecture on Lilith, Adam's alleged first wife. This came up in an adult Sabbath School lesson at CVC several weeks ago and caused some confusion. So, I decided to create a new lecture on the mysterious female figure. The second is a three-part presentation on Halloween, followed by a pastoral panel discussion on the holiday… I felt that maybe it would be good to walk people through what we know and don't know about the celebration. I hope it will be informative and give people tools to make good informed choices instead of falling into inaccurate cliches and misinformation.”

You have since created a podcast since teaching this class. What are your thoughts on the podcast so far?

“It has been a challenge. I have been on podcasts before but never produced one, and it is a ton of work. I am working with Adventist Learning Community, and they have been very helpful walking me through the process. So far, I have been blessed with tremendous feedback from Adventist leaders, as well as those outside of Adventism. It's called ‘Beast & Bible,’ and it resumes January 23rd.”

Although the add/drop deadline has passed, Dr. Pierce has stated that he will continue to offer this class “as long as there is good interest”, so if interested, be on the lookout in the future!

By: Evan Majors