Mikalatos, Matt. Night of the Living Dead Christian. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2011. (Amazon.com)

In Matt Mikalatos’ sophomore project he introduces us to array of characters that you’d likely meet only in the Sci-Fi section of your local bookstore. There is werewolf named Luther Martin (yes, the reversal of the reformer, Martin Luther), a mad scientist named Dr. Culbetron who works with his robot Hibbs 3000 in a secret lair under an ice cream shop, a monster-hunter name Borut, many zombies, and Mikalatos himself as a main character (in his first book Imaginary Jesus he was a character as well). If it sounds ridiculous, it is, and that’s exactly why this book works.

In my estimation Mikalatos has become a better writer from one book to the next. I admit that I am not a fan of fiction, Sci-Fi, or comics, yet I enjoyed this book. It is the first book I’ve read that can be this insane (or as author A.J. Jacobs says of Mikalatos that his “imagination is, simply put, miraculous.”), make you laugh awkwardly to yourself in public, and then BAM! your hit in the face with a blistering theological insight.

Simply put, under the veil of narrative this is a textbook on theological anthropology. It wrestles with our ugly, hidden, creaturely side. Instead of using weighty words and concepts found in a works by someone like Karl Barth, Wolfhart Pannenberg, F. Leron Shultz, or our shared friend Marc Cortez, you have short chapters where a werewolf explains to you the doctrine of depravity in such a way that you don’t have the same reaction as if you read it in the works of John Calvin, yet you understand exactly what is being said. Oddly enough, in the mirror image of a werewolf who beats his wife or zombies who follow after their cultish pastor-hero (one of my favorite parts of the book) you suddenly recognize yourself.

But the book is not about sin, or depravity, per se. It is about transformation. Do Christians have new life in Christ or are we dead in our sins until the age to come? Should there be a difference in Christians from the surrounding world? If so, how? What does it look like? What does it mean to go from being a monster to being a human.

In this book there are many ways to kill the monster: stakes, silver bullets, and Dr. Boker’s (a character) self-help, follow-my-example-to-victory Christianity. What you’ll notice is that these Sci-Fi concepts actually parallel Christian concepts of “sanctification” and “discipleship” that circle around in evangelical churches every day. All the while the Gospel, the work of Christ, and the role of the Spirit take a back seat to things that seem to bring life for a time, but leave the person dead inside.

Let me tell you, the author that Relevant Magazine says is Monty Python meets C.S. Lewis may do more for you in thinking about dying to sin and new life to Christ than your favorite systematic theologian. This book did that for me. I think it will do it for you.

I will be interview Mikalatos soon, so come back for that interview!