The Zombie Gospel- a review

The Zombie Gospel
The Walking Dead and What It Means to Be Human
 Danielle J Strickland
Downers Grove: Inter-Varsity Press
112 pages; pbk; £10.05
ISBN  978-0830843893


I have a confession to make: I am a fan of the Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead. After a tentative start watching the first season, I gave up at the beginning of the second. But I came back to it, and from then on I was hooked. There are so many layers to it. It raises many philosophical, theological and sociological issues.  So, I was delighted to find this book that deals with The Walking Dead and the gospel. Unfortunately, I was disappointed.

There is so much depth to The Walking Dead. It raises deep questions such as:

• What is the purpose of forgiveness and reconciliation? 
• What is the right use of power?
• What happens when power is abused? 
• What is the role of revenge?
• Is there a place for force and violence? 
• What does it mean to be human?
• Are zombies human? Are we more than the physical form?
• Can zombies exist?
• What is the role of crime and punishment in a (seemingly) lawless society?
• Can there be a lawless society and still be society?
• What is family? Is it more than blood and kinship?
• What is the role of religious belief?
• Is there a role for the church?

Sadly, this book only scrapes the surface. Scenes from The Walking Dead are used only as a springboard to develop a moral or theological parallel, with some personal anecdotes added. Sadly, there is no attempt to get beyond the surface. That is not to say there are not some good points in the book (not least the cover design!), only that it is a missed opportunity to explore deeper the meanings in and behind the TV series. Rob Joustra and Alissa Wilkinson’s How to Survive the Apocalypse: Zombies, Cylons, Faith, and Politics at the End of the World is a better example of what is a Christian ‘take’ on The Walking Dead.

For someone who likes The Walking Dead and has an interest in finding out something about the Christian faith then this might be the book to get for them. However, there are so many spoilers in the book — so make sure they have seen at least the first five seasons before you give it to them, or they may not thank you!