Brandon R. Grafius

Brandon Grafius is professor of Biblical Studies and Academic Dean at Ecumenical Theological Seminary, Detroit. His degrees include a BA from Michigan State University, an MA in English from the University of California Davis, an MDiv from Ecumenical Theological Seminary, and a PhD in Bible, Culture, and Hermeneutics from Chicago Theological Seminary.

His first most recent trade book was published by Morehouse Publishing. Entitled "Scared by the Bible: The Roots of Horror in Scripture," the book argues that horror is one of the Bible's most important genres - and that it is frequently employed as a way to help us expand our imaginations of what the world might look like.

Earlier books include "Lurking Under the Surface: Horror, Religion, and the Questions that Haunt Us" (Broadleaf Books, 2022), "Reading the Bible with Horror" (Lexington Books/Fortress Academic, 2020) and a volume on the movie The Witch in the Devil's Advocates series (Liverpool University Press/Auteur Publishing, 2020). He has published work in journals such as Currents in Biblical Research, Post Script, and Horror Studies, and has co-edited a number of volumes, including "The Oxford Handbook of Biblical Monsters" (Oxford University Press, 2025).

In addition to his academic work, Grafius is an Americana musician, performing widely throughout Michigan. His most recent album, "Highways and Backroads," was released by Lost Mitten records in 2018.