Hands of Doom

“Who knew Black Sabbath could be mined for such theological gems! Jack Holloway makes connections I would have missed, and the result is a stellar exploration of theology Black Sabbath style! Fantastic read!”


—Thomas Jay Oord, Northwind Theological Seminary





“Jack Holloway clearly knows his way around both metal music and radical Christianity. Readers of this book will hear, feel, and, most of all, live the uplifting spiritual experiences that Holloway finds in the terrifying music of Black Sabbath. Hands of Doom is a hell of a book in every way.”


—Gregory Erickson, New York University





“Jack Holloway’s powerful book is a call to revolutionary justice. He traces a theological thread through Black Sabbath’s music that begins with doom and ends with a call to radical application of the only force that can possibly address the fear and upheaval of our times: yes, this book about Black Sabbath is ultimately a book about love. Brimming with insight and innate musicality, Hands of Doom is an essential guide to the true meaning of faith.”


—Elizabeth M. Edman, author of Queer Virtue: What LGBTQ People Know about Life and Love and How It Can Revitalize Christianity





“The black clothes, the upside-down crucifixes, the bat—it’s strange to think that Black Sabbath can have anything to say about theology, and yet Jack Holloway brilliantly explains how this seminal heavy metal band illuminates divinity, precisely because they took the darkness as seriously as the light. An incantatory elucidation of an overlooked aspect of a group that changed rock music forever, and a devilishly delightful reading of pop culture’s transcendent appeal.”


—Ed Simon, author of Pandemonium: A Visual History of Demonology





“To read Jack Holloway’s theological account on the music of Black Sabbath was to discover a treasure I never thought existed. This poetic and vibrant book carries a theology of gloom and doom that can take us away from the often wishy-washy notions of hope within Christianity, and into places of transformation. . . . More than ever, we need art that makes us imagine a new world. In this absolutely brilliant book, Holloway shows us musical ways to do it.”


—Cláudio Carvalhaes, Union Theological Seminary