Interview: Kim Paffenroth
Gospel of the Living Dead
“Let’s see,” Zombos said, “he likes The Prisoner, Xena: Warrior Princess, and Robot Wars?”
“Check,” I said.
“And his favorite joke is what?”
“Why did the monkey fall out of the tree?”
“Hmm. I don’t know. Why?
“Because it was dead,” I said.
“How sublimely Zen-like.” Zombos put his hand on his chin. “Definitely, we must interview him.”
“He loves cooking, too.”
“Amazing,” Zombos said. “What doesn’t he do?”
“Not much, apparently,” I said, shaking my head.
“And you say we don’t need to click two pencils together?”
“No pencils needed,” I said.
“Wonderful.”
Kim Paffenroth — author, theology professor, zombie-film maven, and a man who knows a good Zen-like joke when he hears one — graciously consented to chat with us about his fascination with George Romero’s zombie films.
In his thought-provoking book,the Gospel of the Living Dead: George Romero’s Visions of Hell on Earth, Kim helps us put our scholarly thinking-caps on to discuss the underlying philosophy, sociology, and meaning so skillfully hidden under all that zombie — I-smell-a-buffet — horror, in an entertaining read that will make you a god among the chip-and-dip party circuit.
“Don’t forget to mention the book has been nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction,” Zombos said.
“I won’t.”
What brought you to theology and the study of religion?
I was raised as an atheist. But even more importantly, my parents always drummed into me to think for myself, not to settle for someone else’s answers. So, when I found that their atheism wasn’t working for me, I investigated Christianity and found it a much better fit for my outlook on life. Of course, I still apply that skepticism and that inquisitive nature to my Christian beliefs, and I know a lot of Christians find that disconcerting. A lot of non-Christians find it unusual, too, as though being a Christian means just not questioning anything and being a passive, blind follower. It’s a very unfortunate stereotype, to say the least.
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Interview: Kim Paffenroth
Gospel of the Living DeadRead More »