The worldview behind Stranger Things
The TV show Stranger Things has been quite the rage recently. With the release of its third season, it has become the most successful Netflix program on the streaming site. Essentially, Stranger Things tells the coming-of-age story of a group of adolescents (now young teenagers) in the 1980s who fight off monsters invading their small town. While the show addresses a range of important issues related to family dynamics, loss, and the power of friendship, there is an underlying worldview that I suspect many people have missed. Some have suggested that Stranger Things endorses a Christian worldview. While there are certainly some Christian themes in the movie, such as sacrifice, courage, and love, I think there is an entirely different underlying worldview–naturalism. The show may appear to have a Christian worldview on the surface but probing more deeply reveals that the show takes place within a naturalistic framework. Let me explain. Naturalism vs. Supernaturalism Naturali