Theology and H.P. Lovecraft

Theology and H.P. Lovecraft engages with the work of horror author H.P. Lovecraft from a theological perspective. With responses ranging from admiration to critique, the contributors explore the dark uncharted regions of Lovecraft’s dark mythology in the service of theological truth.

Introduction: The Stars Are Right
Austin M. Freeman

Part I: Lovecraft and Biblical Theology

1. Biblical Cosmicism? Religion and Cosmic Insignificance in Old Testament Wisdom Literature and H. P. Lovecraft
Eric Ortlund

2. Dagon and Idolatry: Lovecraft's Use of the Bible in "Dagon" and "The Shadow over Innsmouth"
Alexander P. Thompson

3. Concerning the Hidden God Who Surpasses All Understanding: Lovecraftian Meditations on Christian Theodicy
David K. Goodin

Part II: Lovecraft and Historical Theology

4. "A Dark Poem": Lovecraft's Puritan Aesthetics and the Vice of Curiosity
Geoffrey Reiter

5. August Derleth and the Christianization of the Cthulhu Mythos
J.S. Mackley

6. The Lurker at the Threshold of Interpretation: August Derleth and the Debate over Lovecraftian Dualism
Justin Mullis


Part III: Lovecraft and Systematic Theology

7. When God Goes Mad: Lovecraft, Von Balthasar, and the Split between Transcendence and Goodness
Lyle Enright and Nick Bennett

8. One God Further