Stuck in the Upside Down

It’s not an attempt to ‘Christianise’ Stranger Things, suggesting an allegorical story when it’s not been written as that. It’s more an opportunity to go deep into the gospel, using the characters, places and events of Stranger Things to illustrate different theological truths.

Author Cris Rogers is a theologian, and makes many fascinating connections, such as Eleven’s abbreviated name ‘El’ being the same as the Old Testament name for ‘God’. He looks at how her sacrifices save others – but also take something from her each time – charting the similarities and differences between this and Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice. I’ve never thought so deeply about the nature of evil before reading the book – that was a particularly insightful chapter, although not a quick read.

Occasionally I felt the connections Rogers made hinged more on his clever articulation of language rather than any solid link, but this certainly didn’t detract from my enjoyment of ‘Stuck in the Upside Down’ as a whole. This is a hugely interesting read for any Christian Stranger Things fans – both teens and adults would enjoy it.