Fantastical Truth

Our world is “a very nasty place. Full of—enemies.” Christians don’t want to be sheltered and sentimentalist, hiding from the reality of our grimdark world. At the same time, our victorious Lord calls us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. How can fantastical stories, about heroes versus villains, help us train to show love to our enemies even if we must fight them? Subscribe to Lorehaven articles • news • library • reviews • podcast • gifts • guild Episode sponsors Realm Makers 2022 conference The Lorehaven Guild See all podcast sponsors Concession stand: defeat the final boss edition We haven’t snacked from here in some time, but these concessions are hot! This episode builds off our fall episode 88 and our spring episode 103. And yes, this topic touches on some now-current debates among Christians. Yes, that includes the pro-life vs. abortion debate. Also about “winsomeness.” Under those discussions may lie the bigger question about loving enemies. Often we might assume, “We love our enemies by giving them the gospel.” And then we may assume, “We remove obstacles, such as politics or ‘bad tone.'” We might, however, retreat and ask, “Is this emphasis on public witness correct?” Christians have more jobs than evangelism. We’re also creators and citizens. In either case, if we only focus on the Great Commission, we ignore other truths. We have a whole Old Testament, plus wisdom literature, about these issues. All of Scripture reminds us that we have many hats to wear. It’s complicated. Biggest concession: that’s another article or podcast. We emphasize fiction. We’ll focus on three heroes who had to love their enemies yet fight them. For each, we will ask: how can hero save his people yet also save his enemy? 1. Luke Skywalker versus Darth Vader in the Star Wars trilogy For the full quote, see Stephen’s article, “Don’t Embrace the Power of the Dark Side.“ What are Luke’s jobs? He is a Rebel. Brother. And son of Anakin Skywalker. As a Rebel, Luke must fight for a righteous cause that could save billions. As a brother, Luke hears his enemy threaten the honor and life of his sister. As a son, Luke wants to connect with his father and maybe even redeem him. But first Luke identifies as a Jedi, an individual hero who wields the Light Side. In this unseen morality, we know Luke would be wrong to use the Dark Side. This sets inner and outer conflicts: can Luke fulfill all of these conflicting jobs? Result: Luke finds a way to save his people, and also help “save” his enemy. Still, the story ensures Darth Vader’s death. He is redeemed, yet also punished. 2. Peter Parker versus Venom in Spider-Man 3 (2007) We’ll give this storyline a shorter setup, for the oft-maligned superhero film. Peter Parker has similar battles with the man who really did help kill his uncle. Meanwhile he’s also fighting a rival photographer and his own power-abuse. We see his “dark side” literally, with his aggression-amplifying black suit. People laugh at the dorky-dance moments, but this story does turn dark. Peter even emotionally and physically assaults the love of his life, Mary Jane. He repents soon after, in a church, for a very intense “cleansing” scene. But then his own “sin” spills down onto a new enemy, who becomes Venom. Peter has sinned against Eddie, but Eddie is still responsible for his own sin. They must fight, but to the very end, Peter tries to avoid lethal attacks. A spectacular finale echoes Peter’s own repentance: “music” weakens Venom. But ultimately, Eddie is destroyed by his own craving for wicked power. Result: Peter finds a way to save his people, and he tries to save his enemy, but can’t. 3. Superman versus General Zod in Man of Steel (2013) Once more we see a darker reflection of our hero, in the form of General Zod. This story, however, is less about any threat of Kal-El becoming like Zod. They are more traditional enemies, with irreconcilable goals for Earth. Superman fights to save Smallville, then a larger city he does not yet know. Zod soon finds new powers; famously, there’s no way for Superman to win. They fight, and fight and fight, leveling cities, making unavoidable damage. Finally the story places Superman in an absolutely un-winnable scenario. To this day (nine years later) many fans hate this or try to explain it away. Just fly away! Just cover his eyes! Just fly really fast and turn back time! No, no, and no to all the others. This scenario is meant to challenge us. Superman begs Zod to stop, but Zod says, “never.” This seals Zod’s doom. Result: Superman saves (most of) his people, but is forced to kill his enemy. That’s a hard reality: that you may love your enemy, but need to defeat him. Honestly, Christians need to accept living

Do your children or teens have the strange superpower of speeding through dozens more fantastical books than you could ever hope to read first? In this episode, based on workshops taught at homeschool conferences around the country, E. Stephen Burnett explores the biblical and practical reasons we actually need fantasy, sci-fi, and other stories that offer many idols yet also graces. Subscribe to Lorehaven articles • news • library • reviews • podcast • gifts • guild Episode sponsors Realm Makers 2022 conference The Lorehaven Guild See all podcast sponsors Why Do Your Kids Need Fantastical Stories for God’s Glory? Stephen just attended the Teach Them Diligently conference in Tennessee. He rejoined the Realm Makers Bookstore. More on this event in a moment. Realm Makers travels the country, sharing Christian-made fantastical novels. Yet this group started as a writer’s conference, leading to our first sponsor. Learn more at our Lorehaven.com news post shared early last week. Because of audio issues, this recording is from an earlier presentation. Fantastical stories help train us to imagine God’s truth. Fantastical stories help us love Jesus and his heroism. Fantasy helps train us for our world mission. Com station Autumn left us a comment on our last episode, 110. Could We Enter a ‘Golden Age’ of Christian-Made Fantastical Fiction? When something goes mainstream, there is an element of it that is expected to appeal to everyone, or at least the widest audience possible. It can also get noticed and overtaken by people that act like something is only legitimate if it furthers their opinions. When all that stuff starts to happen, it becomes less about telling an awesome and unique story and more about taking certain things out to make it more ‘palatable’ to whoever has influence over the franchise. In that sense, obscurity is freedom. Stephen will share more stories when he returns to the studio. Meanwhile, see Lorehaven.com/reviews for not one, but two new reviews. We previewed Ashley Bustamante’s fantasy Vivid, arriving this month. We also flashed back to Frank E. Peretti’s Prophet (from back in 1992). Subscribe to Lorehaven.com to get updates about reviews and more! We’re also creating new resources for homeschool families and beyond. Next on Fantastical Truth On this quest to cultivate more fans of Christian-made fantastical stories, there’s no rest on the road. Stephen gets two weekends before he heads back out to rejoin many of the same crew for another conference, the Florida Parent Educators Association in Orlando, Florida. Watch our website for more details. Yet here we can say we’re talking with new guests who will join Realm Makers Bookstore at that event, including at least one famous vegetarian who has taken a liking to frozen salted squirrels. We hope to announce this soon.

This year we’re seeing a lot of new energy around the idea that Christians and church-curious people (who are not always Christians!) need new stories that are not infected by false religion. Meanwhile, Christian-made fantasy fans, including Lorehaven, are finding new growth of interest in these kinds of stories. Could this lead to a “golden age” of Christian-made fantastical fiction? How would we even recognize such a thing? In this episode, Zack and I will explore these speculations, probably with some different perspectives. Subscribe to Lorehaven articles • news • library • reviews • podcast • gifts • guild Episode sponsors Realm Makers 2022 conference The Lorehaven Guild See all podcast sponsors 1. Zack, the optimist: Could a Christian fantasy ‘golden age’ draw nigh? Zack recognizes that supply might exceed demand for Christian-made fantasy. Still, more people are clamoring for these unique kinds of novels. Overall demand for general-market fantasy seems to have increased. But some feel general-market fantasy is being tainted by false religious agendas. That’s why many people are looking for Christian or at least “wholesome” alternatives. Several of Zack’s pastors are big fantasy fans, and have read some Christian-made titles. Many articles on sites like The Gospel Coalition are encouraging biblical thinking about fiction. 2. Stephen, the pessimist: Aren’t we too early to expect a ‘golden age’? Many authors and few readers is no reason to get too excited just yet. Stephen has been circling this issue since the mid-2000s and seen sure yet slow progress. Supply exceeding demand leads to inferior products and falling value. Even Frank E. Peretti in his heyday, and the Left Behind series, was no “golden age.” Today, some Christians authors are sticking with pretty basic genres/themes. Christians haven’t even come to shared agreement of what fiction is for. 3. Shared hopes: What would a Christian-fantastical ‘golden age’ look like? Stephen suggests Christians would agree more about the purpose of fiction. They would be more like our shared agreement about the purpose of music. That is, more of us know music is no mere Evangelism Tool, but worship of Christ. We would have more intra-Church success, basically ignoring “the world.” That is, we’d think more like niche comic-book shops, not big-box bookstores. We would see more popular variety, not just (frankly) female-friendly fantasy. Authors would not write as self-healing or evangelism, but out of “surplus.” Publishers would tap into cultivated markets beyond eager author-types. Zack suggests the animated Wingfeather Saga series will help make some changes. Fan reactions to The Rings of Power may also force Christian fans to seek elsewhere. Com station Emory Alexander commented on our episode 109 about “story pastors”: I am the pastor of a small church, and I have written several short stories. I recently began to consider how I could incorporate stories into my sermons. As preachers we often use illustrations, which are usually true stories, however I believe a “modern parable,” could be helpful as well. Guest creator H. L. Burke fetched some feedback for last week’s article: Love this article! Very well-stated with excellent examples. Thanks for sharing this and for sharing some wonderful Found Families with us in your books. Next on Fantastical Truth Because one of us (Stephen) is out of town at Teach Them Diligently in Pigeon Forge, we will feature a multiple-choice presentation! This could include (1) any interviews with readers and/or authors he’s able to fetch on-site, and/or (2) any recording from his presentation called “Why Do Your Kids Need Fantastical Stories for God’s Glory?” about the biblical and practical reasons families truly need fantasy, sci-fi, and other stories that offer many idols yet also graces.

If your church has a bookstore or lending library, you’ll probably find lots of nonfiction in there, such as Christian living resources, Bible studies, and discipleship material. But we know people also get their discipleship training through stories and songs. Almost every church has the songs covered, with singing in worship and maybe a whole ministry team devoted to music. But should church bookstores and libraries offer more fiction? We might even ask: should churches have “story pastors” to help disciple others through story, just like the “music minister” does this through music? What could this look like? Subscribe to Lorehaven articles • news • library • reviews • podcast • gifts • guild Episode sponsors Realm Makers 2022 conference The Lorehaven Guild See all podcast sponsors Concession stand Of course, many churches are short-staffed, and many ministries are volunteer-led. So your real-life mileage may vary. This episode will explore a speculative church position. We often focus on Christian fantasy, yet here we also focus on general Christian fiction. Our concept isn’t primarily about harnessing secular popular culture for ministry use. We do include this concept, yet focus on Christian-made stories, particularly books. 1. The Story Pastor as cultivator Starts by utilizing the existing body of Christian fiction. Finds trusted partners in cultivating great Christian fiction. Finds and highlights classic stories with much to offer Christians. Seeks great new stories in circulation, not chasing novelty, but keeping an open mind. Finds great stories by creators within the denomination, church body, or city. Puts all these stories in a church library, church bookstore, or church catalog. Finds resource guides and commentaries for these stories. Also finds commentaries and resources on stories from popular culture. 2. The Story Pastor as shepherd Fosters a theology and love of fiction in the local church body. Leads a book club or a group of leaders of book clubs. Maintains a steady diet of fiction within the church. Might find Christian writers in the local church and city. Leads and nurtures a local group of writers. Leads other (non-fiction) storytellers in the church. Stephen’s questions Must the story pastor be a pastor, especially in smaller churches? Couldn’t the story pastor be a story steward, teaching yet not as an elder? In this case, why couldn’t a church’s story steward “office” be held by a woman? 3. The Story Pastor as creator This third role is optional; not every music pastor is a composer, so not every story pastor is an author. However, a few writers will take on this role. If so, the Story Pastor: Creates his own content: short stories, novels, or screenplays. Writes his own resource guides for other Christian stories. Writes commentaries and resources on popular culture stories. Connects with other Christian writers in the denomination, city, region, and genre. Com station One hero in the Lorehaven Guild enjoyed episode 108 about resurrection: It’s challenging to think about how the fact of physical resurrection, both Christ’s and our own future renewed life, ought to impact how we live and think and imagine. Readers appreciated Marian Jacobs’s article Sensual Scenes in Fiction Pose Unique Temptations to Women: Thank you for this. I have struggled with lust for years, mainly aided by books and TV. I know to look at reviews before watching now, but books are a lot harder. Even books marketed as Christian get uncomfortable sometimes and it’s often hard to know which those are without stumbling into them. By then, my emotions are already engaged and it’s hard to stop. Thanks for this, Marian. I always find your articles thoughtful, and this needed to be said. Next on Fantastical Truth We’re doing an informal sequel to this episode, based on a phrase that Zack has recently mentioned about a possible coming “golden age” of Christian fantastical fiction. Stephen believers we are not yet there and may not arrive at such an age until the New Heavens and New Earth. But if we did find a “golden age” on this present Earth, what would that look like, and what kinds of stories would we expect to see flying off the shelves into the hands of eager readers?

Resurrection Sunday has returned, and sometimes Christians can’t help but miss the wonder that Christ has literally conquered death and raised himself to eternal life, and that He has promised to do the same for everyone who trusts exclusively in Him. In this episode we will explore this most fantastical of all truths with returning guest star Tim Chaffey, content director for Answers in Genesis and founder of Risen Ministries. Subscribe to Lorehaven articles • news • library • reviews • podcast • gifts • guild Episode sponsors Realm Makers 2022 conference The Lorehaven Guild’s new Book Quest for The Green Ember See all podcast sponsors Reintroducing Tim Chaffey Tim Chaffey is the content manager for the Attractions Division of Answers in Genesis. An apologist with a passion for training young people, he speaks regularly at the Creation Museum, camps, schools, and churches, and has authored numerous nonfiction and fiction books, including The Remnant Trilogy and The Truth Chronicles. Follow his website, Risen Ministries, and his Facebook author page. Concession stand We will mention Ark Encounter, yet focus not on creation, but resurrection! Of course we’ll talk a little apologetics, yet mostly delight in this miracle. Christians can differ on creation/resurrection views, yet still be Christian. However, viewing these issues more biblically really helps deepen your joy. These themes also help us better see our need for God-exalting imagination. Answers in Genesis takes no official position on biblical end-times beliefs. But either way, we’re focusing on resurrection after whatever end-times events. Tower of Babel attraction updates? See “The Tower of Babel Reproduction Is Coming to the Ark Encounter,” AnswersInGenesis.org, March 9, 2022 Recently social psychologist Jonathan Haidt compared the tower of Babel “story” to corruption by social media. In his The Atlantic article, he likens the story to a myth, but comes very close to seeing human idolatry of technology. 1. How does the Bible describe Jesus rising from the dead? 2. Why do people often miss the reality of Christ’s resurrection? 3. How can we apply Christ’s resurrection promises to our reality? Next on Fantastical Truth If your church has a bookstore or lending library, you’ll probably find lots of nonfiction in there, such as Christian living resources, Bible studies, and discipleship material. But we know people also get their discipleship training through stories and songs. Almost every church has the songs covered, with singing in worship and maybe a whole ministry team devoted to music. But should church bookstores and libraries offer more fiction? We might even ask: should churches have “story pastors” to help disciple others through story, just like the “music minister” does this through music? In our next episode we will speculate, with some different perspectives, how and what this could look like.

Were we too early? Just last month we explored why Christians feel fed-up with secular fantasy franchises, with The Daily Wire culture reporter Megan Basham. Weeks later, activists leaked audio from inside The Walt Disney Company, revealing how creators want to use Disney stories to preach sexual revolution religion to children. Parents are getting upset. Many want to cancel their Disney World vacations or Disney Plus subscriptions. Meanwhile, others plan their cultural counterstrikes, including The Daily Wire itself. They acted early too, announcing they will spent $100 million on kids’ entertainment. One of those show writers, a returning guest, rejoins us on today’s Fantastical Truth. Subscribe to Lorehaven articles • news • library • reviews • podcast • gifts • guild Episode sponsors Realm Makers 2022 conference The Lorehaven Guild’s new Book Quest for The Green Ember See all podcast sponsors Reintroducing author Frank J. Fleming Frank J. Fleming is a novelist and a scripted creator for The Daily Wire. He has also written satire books, wrote approximately 666 articles for The Babylon Bee, and wrote columns for The New York Post, USA Today, and The Washington Times. Frank is a Carnegie Mellon University graduate and used to be a really good electrical and software engineer back when he was inclined to have a more useful occupation than writing. He lives in Austin with his wife and four kids and is a really cool dude. Introducing DW Kids Daily Wire to make conservative kids’ shows to rival ‘woke’ Disney, The Washington Post, March 31, 2022 Frank J. Fleming on Substack Frank J. Fleming on Twitter Fantastical Truth episode 30: How Can The Babylon Bee’s Satire Reflect Our Crazy Reality? | with Frank J. Fleming 1. Why is The Daily Wire now making children’s pop culture? 2. What’s new in your ongoing fantastical fiction? 3. How can fans follow DW Kids and your creations? Com station One Guild hero said of podcast episode 106, about the homeschool conference: I’m listening to the latest episode while working on my sewing. It sounds like it was a great conference and I want to add a lot of books to my list. I’m feeling a little lonely though. We hardly have homeschool conferences in Australia and now that I’m an adult I don’t really have many homeschooled connections. I want to go hang out at a homeschool conference. One member of the RealmSphere enjoyed Shannon Stewart’s Encanto article: Wonderful article (that made me cry). I relate so much to the characters in Encanto. I saw a lot of these ideas when I watched the film, although I couldn’t have written them as beautifully as Shannon does. Next on Fantastical Truth Resurrection Sunday will return next week, and let me just say, “The Church doesn’t talk enough about resurrection!” No, I don’t mean my church. Mine is great. Yours may be great too. I mean all those other churches out there, the bad ones. All joshing aside, *some* Christians can’t help but miss the wonder that Christ has literally conquered death and raised himself to eternal life, and has promised to do the same for everyone who trusts exclusively in Him. We’ll explore that most fantastical of all truths with returning guest star Tim Chaffey, content director for Answers in Genesis and founder of Risen Ministries.

We just hosted our Lorehaven booth at the Teach Them Diligently conference in Texas. It was amazing. We had James R. Hannibal, author of Wolf Soldier and the showrunner of the Lightraiders game franchise. We had Jamie Foley, who writes books for Fayette Press as well as doing marketing for Enclave Publishing. And we had our cohosts doing multiple interviews with other homeschooling publishers, authors, and vendors. You’ll get to hear each of those conversations in this episode. Subscribe to Lorehaven articles • news • library • reviews • podcast • gifts • guild Episode sponsors Lorehaven Guild: April’s new Book Quest for S. D. Smith’s The Green Ember See all podcast sponsors Lorehaven arrives at Teach Them Diligently Authors James R. Hannibal, Jamie Foley, and E. Stephen Burnett joined this mission to help families explore fantastical stories for God’s glory: James R. Hannibal showcased his fantastical and thriller novels as well as his discipleship learning adventure game Lightraiders. Jamie Foley featured Christian-made fantastical-genre novels from Enclave Publishing as well as independent publisher Fayette Press. E. Stephen Burnett presented The Pop Culture Parent as well as Lorehaven itself, with its family resources, articles, reviews, and podcasts. For more, see our news item: Lorehaven Features March 31–April 2 at Teach Them Diligently in Round Rock, Texas. Teach Them Diligently conference guests Zackary Russell interviewed seven homeschooling influencers at the conference: Jonathan Cox with Brave Books J. Aaron Gruben, author Catherine Gruben-Smith, author Joseph Dindinger, Wise Path Books Shannon Mokry, author with Sillygeese Publishing Matt Ludeck, Lamplighter Ministries C. S. Elston, author Next on Fantastical Truth We’re planning episodes that more directly address the new controversies over Disney, and one company’s plans to compete with the Mouse. Even better, we’re readying to celebrate Resurrection Sunday, inviting back a previous Fantastical Truth guest to explore the wonders of Christ’s victory over death.

What if you were an ambulance-chasing lawyer, desperate for relevance and cash, until aliens hire you to represent them before the United Nations? They want to heal every human disease in exchange for 30 percent of Earth’s gold, which turns you into the target for not only big pharmaceutical companies, but the aliens themselves. That’s the world of Maxine Justice: Galactic Attorney, landing on Earthling shelves this week. Sci-fi writer Daniel Schwabauer joins us to explore these new ETs who don’t attack militaries, but big business. Subscribe to Lorehaven articles • news • library • reviews • podcast • gifts • guild Episode sponsors The Testimony Podcast from Andrew Chamberlain Lorehaven Guild: April’s new Book Quest for S. D. Smith’s The Green Ember Lorehaven Features March 31–April 2 at Teach Them Diligently in Round Rock, Texas See all podcast sponsors Introducing author Daniel Schwabauer Daniel Schwabauer is an award-winning author, speaker, and teacher. He is the creator of The One Year Adventure Novel, Cover Story, Byline creative writing curricula, and the author of the young adult novels in The Legends of Tira-Nor series. His professional work also includes stage plays, radio scripts, short stories, newspaper columns, comic books and scripting for animated TV. DanSchwabauer.com @Daniel.schwabauer on Instagram Chapter 1: How did you discover biblical faith and fantastic imagination? What role (if any) did C. S. Lewis’s works (of course) play in your testimony? You’ve written a lot of nonfiction, so what leads to your creating fantasy? What biblical themes and images often find their way to your fiction? Chapter 2: How did you meet Maxine Justice and this sci-fi world? This book is almost like Galaxy Quest meets John Grisham. You don’t get a lot of Christian legal thrillers that aren’t about social issues. Readers tend to connect fantasy, rather than sci-fi, to overt Christian ideas. Chapter 3: What’s next for your creative worlds? How have readers responded to Operation Grendel and your other works? What other characters and worlds might summon you next? Com station Brave Sir Robin replied to ep. 103 about Christians clashing: The challenge is not only to present “steel men” to oppose the protagonist but also to portray this protagonist as an “earthen vessel.” I have a particular fondness for unreliable first-person narrators like Huckleberry Finn, Nick Carroway from The Great Gatsby, and Offred, the narrator of A Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (which I am currently reading because the enemy of my enemy may serve as my ally for a time.) One hero at the Lorehaven Guild replied to ep. 104 about Pilgrim’s Progress: This episode rocked, you guys. You could have kept talking for another hour and I would have stayed glued to my headset. From John Bunyan to Veggie Tales and back again. Great stuff. I’ll be checking out the podcast and more about your guest Next on Fantastical Truth Lorehaven is headed to a live event in Round Rock, Texas. We will appear with James R. Hannibal and Jamie Foley at the Lorehaven booth, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we get to talk with them about the event, along with any passersby families who don’t mind sharing why they love fantastical Christian-made stories, games, and beyond.

This is a special book. It was a book many of our forefathers used to read to us, and now we’re going to explore it with you. Has it got any sports in it? Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles! Ah yes, and Christian allegory—infamous and misunderstood Christian allegory. Yet it’s well worth rediscovering especially in our age of dramatic long-form listening. Welcome back to Pilgrim’s Progress, as adapted for a new serialized fiction podcast in all its gospel-allegorical glory, by today’s guest on Fantastical Truth. Subscribe to Lorehaven articles • news • library • reviews • podcast • gifts • guild Episode sponsors The Testimony Podcast from Andrew Chamberlain Lorehaven Guild: April’s new Book Quest for S. D. Smith’s The Green Ember See all podcast sponsors Introducing guest Zachary Bartels An award-winning preacher and Bible teacher, Zachary Bartels has served as pastor of Judson Baptist Church since 2005. He holds degrees from Cornerstone University and Grand Rapids Theological Seminary. His debut novel, Playing Saint, was called an “intrigue-filled thriller” (Library Journal) and “a page-turner from the very beginning . . . gripping and realistic” (RT Book Reviews) and was a finalist for the Inspys and Carol Awards. His followup, The Last Con (HarperCollins Christian Fiction) “will leave readers stunned” (RT Book Reviews). More recently, he has released Playing Saint: All Souls Day (the sequel to Playing Saint) and Clinch: A Novel, which is geared toward young adult audiences. The audiobooks of Zachary’s novels are full of cinematic music and sound effects and are available in various bundles on his website. Zachary lives with his wife and son in the capital city of a mitten-shaped state, where he enjoys film, fine cigars, stimulating conversation, gourmet coffee, reading, writing, and cycling. He also co-hosts The Gut Check Podcast and High and Silver Presents: The Pilgrim’s Progress. ZacharyBartels.com Pilgrim’s Progress Podcast on Facebook High and Silver Presents: The Pilgrim’s Progress Podcast Assorted quotes and notes Gut Check Press homepage “What’s Wrong With a Little ‘Ha Ha’?,” Ted Kluck, Speculative Faith “Making Sport of End-Times Thrillers, with Ted Kluck,” Speculative Faith 1. How did you find faith, fantastical fiction, and Pilgrim’s Progress? Zachary Bartels’s personal origin story, pastoral calling, challenging fiction. His own discovery of Pilgrim’s Progress, including any early beliefs about it. We myth-bust the label of “Puritan” and the story’s historical context. 2. What’s the legacy of Pilgrim’s Progress and its famous allegories? Con: some Christians believe allegory is the most spiritual kind of fantasy. Pro: earnest and simple allegories can truly help reflect gospel truth. Neutral: This story shows a lot of gray areas, such as a Moses-law figure! 3. What’s great and challenging about adapting this for audio drama? Integrating flashback stories (Christiana, Faithful) into the main narrative. Modernizing dialogue, with very occasional moments of self-awareness. Open discussion and updates about upcoming episodes. Next on Fantastical Truth What if you were an ambulance-chasing lawyer, desperate for relevance and cash? Then aliens hired you to represent them before the United Nations. They want to heal every human disease in exchange for 30 percent of Earth’s gold. This turns you into the target for not only big pharmaceutical companies, but the aliens themselves. That’s the world of Maxine Justice: Galactic Attorney, landing on Earthling shelves next week, and sci-fi writer Daniel Schwabauer joins us to explore these new ETs who don’t attack militaries, but big business!

Christians have deep differences about ideas and people. Yes, it’s true! For nearly 2,000 years of Church history, we’ve argued about salvation, end times, baptism, and beyond—including fantastical stories. If Christians didn’t argue about stuff, you wouldn’t be listening now. But now over social media, it feels like Christians are battling even more fiercely about politics, Christian leaders, Church failings, and how we engage with good and bad ideas in our culture. We’ve touched on these issues ourselves, but this time, let’s explore how great stories might help us best discern these debates, and even fight for peace. Subscribe to Lorehaven articles • news • library • reviews • podcast • gifts • guild Episode sponsors The Testimony Podcast from Andrew Chamberlain Lorehaven Guild: March’s Book Quest for Lani Forbes’s The Seventh Sun See all podcast sponsors 1. The Church is Christ’s bride, yet they have always argued ideas. To review, the Church is amazing, but its people have always fought. In contrast, some people assume the early Church was simply perfect. Nope: apostles debated tactics, Saul’s conversion, meat sacrificed to idols. Even separate Christian “denominations” appeared early, if not by name. 1 Corinthians reveals “super-apostle” issues. Galatians reveals legalistic leaders. We live in God’s real world, where Christians fight. That’s just inevitable. Therefore, Christians denominations are okay, and we may need to debate. 2. Many Christian social-media fights aren’t about ideas, but people. To explore what we mean, we need to dare getting more specific. We’re very sympathetic to folks with legit horrid church trauma. At the same time, this trauma can be turned into a moral currency to spend. That’s what Stephen means by saying, “The Church Back Home syndrome.” People often use “ideas,” “history,” or “politics” as language for personal issues. For example, the Russian attack on Ukraine may invite imaginative projection. Or with border policy, people imagine themselves outside or inside “the wall.” In either case, it’s not really about issues of war or borders, but about people. It feels intellectually dishonest or unnecessary to deny these imaginations. We are not pure-logicians, brains in tanks. We are people, often with real pains. 3. To respect people, and heal from personal pain, we need art and fiction. Stephen has argued that many Christians make politics a new “pop culture.” This habit may suppress the truth of our God-given imaginations. For folks with real church trauma, we don’t have fictional outlets to explore it. Folks who’ve seen only conflict (not trauma) are drawn to loud explanations for it. Either group must stop using politics, ideas, debates as evasive language. We need to stop projecting our personal villains atop real people’s faces. C. S. Lewis referred to such personal slurs as Bulverism, complete with origin story. Stories can help us “cool” by revealing wonders that put our debates in perspective. Lewis, again, shared the example of people coming up for refreshment on a ship’s deck. We realize many such stories have benefited us in the past, even testing “deconstruction.” Examples include Adventures in Odyssey and Frank Peretti’s novel The Visitation. Admittedly, right now we see few fantastical stories about these overt themes. Yet for many readers, even simple stories about loneliness/anger may help. However, this help would require confessing the sin of evading this pain with “debates.” Great fantasy reminds us that fighting isn’t always bad, but sinful anger is. Great sci-fi also helps us test ideas in the simulacrum of imagination. And great horror tales remind us that sin/abuse is evil and will be punished. Com station Tim replied to Josiah DeGraaf’s article about The Seventh Sun: I’d be curious as to how this conversation intersects with the cultural appropriation debate. Many of the Goodreads reviews for The Seventh Sun are very negative regarding Forbes’s handling of Mesoamerican culture and characters, in great part because she’s a white author and her own culture/beliefs are evident in the story (which many argue disrespects the culture that inspired her work). Yet at the same time, as your article just mentioned, Forbes may make some Christians uncomfortable (in a good way) causing them to relate to and sympathize with people who believe something that is clearly false and destructive (which is a much stronger foundation for evangelism than mockery of cartoonish unbelievers). Next on Fantastical Truth What if you were a pending-Christian named Christian, living in a city doomed for destruction called The City of Destruction, and you found a scroll that told you about your burden of sin, so that you grew

Now that we’ve hit 100 episodes, we’re time-traveling back to the top episodes of Fantastical Truth. From UFOs to biblical imagination, to dragons versus televangelists, we’ll explore the big ideas our listeners have loved the most, and catch up with any updates about these explorations. Subscribe to Lorehaven articles • news • library • reviews • podcast • gifts • guild Episode sponsors The Testimony Podcast from Andrew Chamberlain Lorehaven Guild: March’s new Book Quest for Lani Forbes’s The Seventh Sun See all podcast sponsors The top ten most-played episodes of Fantastical Truth No. 10: Ep. 67. How Do Fantastic Stories Avoid Preachiness While Still Discipling Readers in Christ? | with L. G. McCary “Fiction should not preach!” many critics say. They may even preach about it. But even if excellent Christian-made stories should not preach, does this mean the stories will have no teaching at all? Is preaching the only way we learn, or don’t we also learn through discipleship. This includes but isn’t limited to sermons! With help from Lorehaven writer and That Pale Host author L. G. McCary, we explore how great Christian-made stories do have a purpose: not to preach at readers beyond the “fourth wall,” but to help disciple our imaginations in Christ. No. 9: Ep. 81. Should Christians Use ‘Clean Fiction’ to Fight a Dirty World? You musn’t go outside. If the plague doesn’t get you, the toxic culture will. Let’s be serious: worldview sewage pours out from your TV screen, and new generations of parents (not just grumpy Christians!) are waking up to nasty notions about sex and self-worship in the kids’ stories. That’s dirty stuff infesting our world. Do we need “clean reads” to keep out the filthy fiction? No. 8: Ep. 88. Can We Positively Engage Culture in a Negative World? | with Bethel McGrew, aka Esther O’Reilly Christians love engaging fantastical worlds, right down to the real world Jesus calls us to serve. But what kind of world do we truly engage? Do we live in an amazing “positive world,” where most people think Christianity is great? Or do we live in a world that’s neutral toward Christianity—or even a world where most people despise our faith? Our answer helps us stay realistic yet optimistic about how we best engage stories in the real world. Today’s special guest, a recently unmasked “superhero” from the intellectual light web, joins our quest. No. 7: Ep. 4. What Are the Top Recent Debates Among Christian Fantasy Fans? We sort through the top ten 2019 articles on Speculative Faith. Then hosts Zack Russell and E. Stephen Burnett count down the top debates we expect to see continue this year. Our topics included the movie Captain Marvel, “Should Christians Enjoy Fantasy?”, “‘Game of Thrones’ sex,” Christian white magic, Ted Chiang’s short story, “Standing Up to the YA Fantasy Impuritans,” and “Sorry Your Dragon Show Ended Stupidly.” No. 6: Ep. 2. What Do We Mean By Saying ‘It’s A Christian Story’? Christian fans often discuss and debate this question: What do we mean by saying that a story is “a Christian story”? Also: Should Christian fans feel they should “look for the Christian label”? Many people say they prefer avoiding the label, such as critics of Christian movies or Christian books. They might say, “We don’t need any more Christian stories. We just need more good stories that happen to be made by Christians.” Let’s talk about what images/meanings we have when we say “a Christian story” or “a Christian movie.” No. 5: Ep. 80. What if Satan is Planning Alien Conspiracies for the End Times? | The Jake Muller Adventures with Darby Kern What if you went hunting in the woods and found a Louisiana girl who had just been dropped off by a UFO? Then you tried to help her out while reconnecting with your past, and dropped into that crazy world of conspiracies and possible preparation for the end-times? Will Satan, or perhaps his human agents, use extraterrestrial myths to warm us up for a tribulation? Darby Kern, writer and producer of The Jake Muller Adventures: Unidentified, and many other audio dramas, joins us to explore this challenging world from a biblical worldview. No. 4: Ep. 1. What If the Three Wise Men Actually Wanted to Crown a King? | The End of the Magi​ Hosts E. Stephen Burnett and Zackary Russell launch Lorehaven’s new Fantastical Truth podcast by exploring Patrick W. Carr’s novel The End of the Magi. This biblical historical fiction brings the question: What if the three wise men actually wanted to crown a king? Also: What was the star of Bethlehem? Why did the wise men connect the star with the Messiah? And, what did the Magi hope to do after the found him? No. 3: Ep. 70. Why Did A 1980s Televangelist Try to Cancel the RPG DragonRaid? | with James R. Hannibal What if you grew up learning Scripture memory and biblical virtue from a Christian-made tabletop game system? Then you discovered that game had

Lately many fans have been yelling about Amazon’s The Rings of Power (TROP). And Star Wars. And Star Trek. Also Marvel and DC and Doctor Who besides. What for? Aren’t we fans of these fantastical franchises? Yes, but some of us are getting tired of them: not only fan toxicity, but too much content, too many worldly agendas, and possibly too little time. Aren’t Christians meant to engage our secular culture for God’s glory and to build bridges with our neighbors? We believe this, yet we may also fall into franchise fatigue. Our next guest, Daily Wire entertainment reporter Megan Basham, joins us to explore how we can best respond to secular fantastical stories, even when they “go woke.” Subscribe to Lorehaven articles • news • library • reviews • podcast • gifts • guild The Hyperions, a superhero movie starring Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride), releases Friday, March 10 from The Daily Wire. Episode sponsors Lorehaven Guild: March’s new Book Quest for Lani Forbes’s The Seventh Sun See all podcast sponsors Concession stand Megan Basham works for The Daily Wire. They do conservative punditry. Occasionally we dip into this. But now The Daily Wire also does movies. In fact, even after we planned this, they released a superhero movie trailer. She also writes on religious issues, including controversial Christian leaders. We might dip into that as well, at least about how Christians engage culture. In fact, this show forms a spiritual sequel to episode 88, with Bethel McGrew. Listen to that episode for more about “positive, neutral, and negative” worlds. Also, I literally co-wrote a book about engaging pop culture. I like the stuff. We’ve waited over 100 episodes before we risk sounding more negative. When you critique pop culture, that makes you look like a “sinner” to some. Christians can be very naïve about very bad issues with evangelical culture. But in response to this, we’re also naïve about culture’s rejection of Jesus. For more on that, see our episode 98 about Christian vs. secular markets. Introducing Megan Basham Megan Basham is a Rotten Tomatoes–approved critic and the entertainment reporter for The Daily Wire. In her previous role as an entertainment editor and podcast co-host for World Magazine, she interviewed numerous A-list celebrities. She has also written for The Wall Street Journal, National Review, and Townhall. Her book, Beside Every Successful Man, was published by Random House. Megan Basham at The Daily Wire Megan Basham at Rotten Tomatoes Follow @MegBasham on Twitter The Daily Wire’s upcoming superhero movie The Hyperions 1. What’s great about secular fantastical stories? 2. Why are many fans getting annoyed by fantastical franchises? 3. How can Christians respond to stories that preach false religion? Com station Autumn replied to episode 99 about sensual scenes, with Parker J. Cole: Sex is an aspect of life that a lot of people struggle with and it’s made worse when people are not willing to talk about it honestly. Or, when people do talk about it, they do so in a toxic manner. It’s hard because, although sex shouldn’t be a completely taboo topic, that doesn’t mean that people should sit there and marinate in sexual content either, especially not at a young age. Not nearly everyone needs to talk about sex or discuss it in their stories, but it is important that some people are willing to do so on occasion. Next on Fantastical Truth Now that we’ve hit 100 episodes, we’re time-traveling back to the top episodes of Fantastical Truth. From UFOs to biblical imagination, to dragons versus televangelists, we’ll explore the big ideas our listeners have loved the most, and catch up with updates.

“You’re about to travel to a place of wonder, excitement, and discovery …” If those words just gave you some nostalgic chills, you’re in for a treat; and if you didn’t recognize them, you might find a secret history of Christian discipleship through a fantastical drama you never knew. Today we are exploring a top-tier, formative Christian-made audio adventure series full of fantasy, sci-fi, time travel, mystery, romance, spy thriller—and a small town with big personalities that has been delighting and teaching generations of fans since 1987. Joining us is none other than this fiction franchise’s co-creator himself: Phil Lollar. “Welcome to: Adventures in Odyssey,” for episode 100 of Fantastical Truth. Subscribe to Lorehaven articles • news • library • reviews • podcast • gifts • guild Episode sponsors Johanna Frank’s novel The Gatekeeper’s Descendants Lorehaven Guild: March’s new Book Quest for Lani Forbes’s The Seventh Sun See all podcast sponsors Introducing Adventures in Odyssey “founding father” Phil Lollar Phil Lollar started his performing career at the tender age of five. He won numerous acting awards in high school, and studied music, screenwriting and directing in college. Phil then worked with Focus on the Family, co-creating Adventures in Odyssey and writing more than 230 episodes plus directing more than 350 episodes. Phil also co-developed the hit comedy series Jungle Jam and Friends! as well as the animated video series Little Dogs on the Prairie. Phil also served as a writer and consultant for the television series, The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss. Phil resides in Arizona with his wife and son. Phil Lollar’s page at AdventuresinOdyssey.com Subscribe to the Adventures in Odyssey Club Newest AiO album release: The Long Way Home Odyssey fan questions lightning round! Will Connie ever get married and if so why not have her marry XYZ? Huh? Won’t Richard Maxwell ever come to Odyssey and, say, marry Connie or… ? How about Rodney Rathbone getting redeemed and pastoring at a church? Remembering Will Ryan (1949–2021) Will Ryan played fan-favorite Eugene Meltsner and many others from 1988 to 2022. His final episodes, portraying Eugene and many others, will release later this year. After we began planning this podcast, we learned Nov. 19 that Ryan had passed on. See the Odyssey team’s Nov. 19 news release, “Farewell To Our Friend, Will Ryan.” Stephen owes his own identity-formation to Eugene, who helped made “nerdiness” fun. Odyssey’s original cassette cover for “It All Started When…” (1992), first released as album 12. Chapter 1: Adventures in Originality (1987–1991) How did the Christian ministry Focus on the Family start a radio drama? How did the show end up going so right, avoiding potential drama pitfalls? Odyssey focused on social drama, yet how did the fantasy elements arise? Chapter 2: Adventures in Maturity (1992–2013) How did AiO keep going through nearly one generation, in the ’90s and ’00s? With actor changes and more, what were Odyssey’s greatest challenges? How were fans most blessed by maturing storylines, while still serving kids? Chapter 3: Adventures in Legacy (2014–present) AiO still airs on radio, yet how did the Adventures in Odyssey Club begin? How has AiO built its legacy for new listeners, such as with events like FPEA? How may Christian fans form better expectations for biblical, creative stories? Epilogue: What’s next for Adventures in Odyssey? Next on Fantastical Truth Lately many fans have been yelling about Amazon’s The Rings of Power (TROP). And Star Wars. And Star Trek. Also Marvel and DC and Doctor Who besides. What for? Aren’t we fans of these fantastical franchises? Yes, but some of us are getting tired of them: not only fan toxicity, but too much content, too many worldly agendas, and possibly too little time. Aren’t Christians meant to engage our secular culture for God’s glory and to build bridges with our neighbors? We believe this, yet we may also fall into franchise fatigue. Our next guest, Daily Wire entertainment reporter Megan Basham, joins us to explore how we can best respond to secular fantastical stories, even when they “go woke.”

Happy Valentine’s Day! ‘Tis the season for love, in reality and in fiction. This means we can enter “safe” and “family-friendly” territory, right? Well, in fact, romance tales raise all kinds of controversies and temptations. For example, a certain new movie sought to offer onscreen sensual content in a “redemptive” way. We’ve already talked about the problems with exploiting actors for visual stories. But what about sensual stuff on the page, not the screen? We have an inside agent in the romance industry, our previous guest Parker J. Cole, who’s able to explore both mail-order brides and monster myths. Today she rejoins Fantastical Truth to help us waltz right into these slippery issues of sensuality in stories. Subscribe to Lorehaven articles • news • library • reviews • podcast • gifts • guild Episode sponsors Johanna Frank’s novel The Gatekeeper’s Descendants Lorehaven Guild: new Book Quest for H. L. Burke’s Power On See all podcast sponsors Reintroducing Parker J. Cole Parker J. Cole is an author, speaker, and radio show host with a fanatical obsession with the Lord, Star Trek, K-dramas, anime, romance books, old movies, speculative fiction, and knitting. An off-and-on Mountain Dew and marshmallows addict, she writes to fill the void the sugar left behind. ParkerJCole.com Parker’s articles at Lorehaven Pre-order A Match for Bernadette (releasing March 3) Concession stand (Valentine’s Day edition) Yes. Zack and I are blokes. We’re going to be biased about romantic fiction. Still, this may give us advantage when speaking of written sensual scenes. Might some men have “natural immunity” to these scenes? (Stephen might.) This is a question we’re keeping in mind, again, sticking with generalities. Generalities are the name of the game when talking about sex differences. Some people over-generalize: “Men = visual, women = sensual”? Not always. Same with personality and even ethnic differences about “sensuality” term! Yes, we talk romance, as a standalone genre and as fantasy-genre seasoning. Also, to be sure, we will likely speak as plainly as possible about these issues. Finally, we’re talking about sensual scenes on the page, not on the screen. And on a personal note, that makes Stephen nervous. These are sensitive issues. 1. To review, what’s a biblical purpose of romantic fiction at all? What’s the purpose of these kinds of stories, for Christians and other fans? Parker reminds us that these stories can reflect/endorse good romantic love. Classics with romance and even simpler newer stories can all reflect this truth. Thomas Umstattd Jr. reminded us about refusing to insult genre readers. 2. What do we mean by sensual scenes? Do they have benefits? By “sensual scenes” we mean descriptions of physical attraction and touch. This also includes lengthy descriptions (however vague) of sensual response. Example: we said The Seventh Sun includes some sensual descriptions, such as: frequent sensuality, including deep kissing and bare body descriptions, but lust and premarital sexual activity are discouraged. Our world is full of evil notions that forbid proper enjoyment of sensuality. Some sensual scenes remind us that God made us with real material bodies. They remind us that God has given us potential for attraction, love, marriage. Even Scripture includes some sensual moments: Genesis 2; Song of Solomon. Healthy sensual portrayals can help us heal from corruptions of sensuality. For example, we might see real committed couples holding hands or kissing. 3. What are the potential pitfalls of sensual scenes? These scenes (like other printed content) may make readers legit stumble. That goes double when this content is directed to children and immature readers. In the Bible, sensuality is usually listed with other evils that include sexual promiscuity and perversion. Also known as “lewdness” or “debauchery,” sensuality can be defined as “devotion to gratifying bodily appetites; free indulgence in carnal pleasures.” The word sensuality comes from the root word sense, which pertains to our five senses. The Greek word most often translated as “sensuality” means “outrageous conduct, shocking to public decency; wanton violence.” Sensuality is a total devotion to the gratification of the senses, to the exclusion of soul and spirit. —From “What does the Bible say about sensuality?” at GotQuestions.org “I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases.” —Song of Solomon 8:4 Song of Solomon had informal “age limits,” and this seems a wise choice. Readers “strong” in these areas must know that many others are vulnerable. Sexual sin has deeply harmed people. Even our healed wounds may still sting. Sensual scenes may endorse struggles with loneliness or escapist fantasies. Many stories do not portray healthy relationships with sensual scenes. So

Let’s bust a myth today. Among some Christians eager to engage stories in the real world, it’s a big myth: Long ago, Christians and publishing companies lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when evangelicals got fearful and/or legalistic, so they chose to leave the big publishers and start their own Christian publishers. Only the coming Avatar of Christian Creativity, master of all fantastic fiction elements, can save the world. (Because he isn’t a Christian author, he’s just an author who happens to be a Christian!) Our next guest, Christian creative pro and novel marketer Thomas Umstattd Jr., helps explain why Christian fans (and Christian creators) need to fix this fantasy with reality. Subscribe to Lorehaven articles • news • library • reviews • podcast • gifts • guild Episode sponsors Johanna Frank’s novel The Gatekeeper’s Descendants Lorehaven Guild: new Book Quest for H. L. Burke’s Power On See all podcast sponsors Special update Pray for the family of Lani Forbes, who is now with Jesus, healed of cancer. Lorehaven news post: Pray for the Family of Lani Forbes, Feb. 3, 2022 Fantastical Truth episode 75: What If Only Human Blood and Sacrifice Could Save Your Empire? | The Seventh Sun with Lani Forbes The Seventh Sun review Concession stand This episode glimpses behind the scenes of Christian professional creativity. We’re not a Christian publishing show. Thomas Umstattd Jr. already has that! We’re also not a novel marketing show. Again, Thomas runs that podcast. However, it’s important to know these books’ fairly recent historical origin. See Thomas’s interview with Les Stobbe, and our talk with Daniel Silliman. We also need to bust myths (including some legalism) among Christians. To appreciate Christian-made fiction, we need to engage the real world. So we must reject sentimental myths about general and Christian markets. Do some Christians fear the world? Sure. But don’t project that everywhere. Finally, we might speculate on critics’ motives, but as gently as possible. Introducing Thomas Umstattd Jr. Thomas Umstattd Jr. built his first website at age thirteen and taught his first web design class at only age 16. Since 2009, his websites and resources have helped support authors. In 2014, Thomas has been marketing director for Enclave Publishing, and in 2015 Thomas became an author himself, publishing the nonfiction book Courtship in Crisis. As a podcaster, he hosts the Novel Marketing Podcast, and the Christian Publishing Show. Thomas still serves as the CEO of Castle Media Group, parent company of Author Media. He lives in Austin, Texas with his beautiful wife and children. ThomasUmstattd.com NovelMarketing.com ChristianPublishingShow.com 1. What myths do fans and authors spread about Christian publishing? We may hear these from “exvangelicals,” oversheltered, and embittered folks. Carefully spoken: some aspiring authors can’t help sharing these notions. Examples of these myths in the wild: Christian authors are almost always too poor in craft and/or narrow-minded. In the past, too many Christians abandoned their posts in general publishing. Instead, they wanted to set up their own copycat evangelical industries. That’s why Christians have lost influence in our culture and creative arts. But we don’t need “Christian creators,” just creators who are also Christian. If Only we recover kindness/creative excellence, we could win back the world. 2. Why did Christians leave general markets in the 20th century? From Where Christian Publishing Came From with Leslie Stobbe, Sept 2021: Thomas Umstattd Jr.: “Now, you were talking about secular publishers, and I want to ask this question. ‘Cause it’s a question that’s come up on the podcast before. And that is: Why have Christian publishers at all? Right? ‘Cause there was a time when there was just publishers. Gutenberg was the first publisher. … He published the Bible, he published indulgences, and he published gossip. … At one point did it start to separate, where you had Christian publishers and Christian retailers?” Leslie Stobbe: “That started probably in the 1940s because back in the late 1950s, we already had several Christian publishers, including Moody Press. Actually, Moody Press goes all the way back to D. L. Moody, with his Colportage society. And in 1941, it became Moody Press. And Fleming H. Revell existed, would you believe it, in the time of D. L. Moody. And he was a brother-in-law to D. L. Moody. And they reached an agreement: D. L. Moody would publish the paperbacks, the little ones that you sold for 20 cents or 15 cents, and Fleming H. Revell would get the hardback rights. That didn’t change until the 1930s. … “So, Christian publishing was really struggling to get into the system of bookstores and all the rest of it. You know, the [Chris

What if you were growing up in your snug little elm-tree home in the woods, with a loving father, mother, and two little rabbit siblings? Also, you were a rabbit? What if then your home was invaded by wolves and you ended up on the run? Then you joined the rabbit resistance, sworn to honor and protect others “till the Green Ember rises, or the end of the world”? We’ll explore this talking-animals universe with popular author S. D. Smith, creator of the Green Ember fantasy franchise about tiny creatures exploring big adventures. Subscribe to Lorehaven articles • news • library • reviews • podcast • gifts • guild Episode sponsors T. E. Bradford’s new novel Awakened Johanna Frank’s novel The Gatekeeper’s Descendants See all podcast sponsors Introducing S. D. Smith S. D. Smith is the author of The Green Ember Series, a bestselling middle-grade adventure saga. The Green Ember has reached hundreds of thousands of readers and spent time as the number one bestselling audiobook in the world on Audible. Smith’s stories are captivating readers across the globe who are hungry for “new stories with an old soul.” Enthusiastic families can’t get enough of these tales. When he’s not writing adventurous tales of #RabbitsWithSwords in his writing shed, dubbed The Forge, Smith loves to speak to audiences about storytelling, imagination, and seeing yourself as a character in the Story. S. D. Smith lives in West Virginia with his wife and four kids. SDSmith.com, with FAQs about The Green Ember series S. D. Smith: Author of The Green Ember on Facebook S. D. Smith on Instagram 1. How did you discover biblical truth and fantastical stories? Any special echoes of the gospel in your family, church, or world? Any special echoes of the gospel in the stories you loved? Which authors most inspired The Green Ember world? 2. What images and truths led you to create this world? What led your own story for your children to a larger published world? What kind of audience did you imagine enjoying these stories? How did the books become published independently? 3. What comes next in your creative future? What has surprised you about fans’ response? What’s the next book in the Green Ember world? About when will you release Prince Lander and the Dragon War this year? Com station We had great response in the Lorehaven Guild about our last episode. Folks were highly encouraging and nobody’s voiced a desire to cancel us. One listener said she wished we named names but gets why we didn’t. We think this is more about keeping the topic evergreen / generalized. Again, if someone who worked with us later has issues, we’ll talk about him. Next on Fantastical Truth We’re fixing to bust a big myth among some Christians eager to engage stories in the real world: Long ago, Christians and publishing companies lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when evangelicals got fearful and/or legalistic, so they chose to leave the big publishers and start their own Christian publishers. Only the coming Avatar of Christian Creativity, master of all fantastic fiction elements, can save the world—because he isn’t a Christian author, he’s just an author who happens to be a Christian! Well, our next guest from the Novel Marketing podcast, Thomas Umstattd Jr., helps explain why Christian fans (as well as Christian creators) need to fix this fantasy with reality.

Even when you’re doing a smaller podcast, you get to meet some famous people. How much more so when you’re blessed to attend conferences and engage Christian creators via the interwebs. This brings many temptations—among them, the temptation of treating famous creators like angels, or like devils, when of course they are very much human. In the world of fandom by Christians and often for Christians, we’ll explore how we delight and discern famous creators. Subscribe to Lorehaven articles • news • library • reviews • podcast • gifts • guild Episode sponsors The Lorehaven Guild T. E. Bradford’s new novel Awakened See all podcast sponsors Concession stand We’re exploring this now because of secular creators. For example, Joss Whedon was last seen self-destructing. We’ve also seen Christian authors speaking in strange ways. We try to focus on ideas, yet we might name a person or two. That’s okay. We have no personal grievance with anyone named. This also means the biblical commands about reconciliation don’t apply. All of the apostles were free in Christ to name false teachings and teachers. Perhaps most seriously, anything we say here can and should apply to us! God forbid that Lorehaven or Fantastical Truth fall into celebrity temptations. Read our Lorehaven Sacred Scrolls Statement of Faith, recently upgraded. To explore this topic, we might make comparisons to non-author figures. 1. ‘The author is an angel! Come let us adore him’? Christians love supporting favorite authors, even to a fault. We’ve probably all seen (or scoffed) at the “Beliebers” or other groupies. But we’ve seen similar groupie behavior for Christian authors at conferences. Often it’s the newer writers who want to catch wind from a pro author’s sails. Many Christian communities mark happy exceptions. Interestingly, at Realm Makers, everyone seems pretty chill and humble. The best, most godly authors must steward their time, yet want to share it. Frank Peretti would mingle. Folks respected space, yet loved meeting him. (Laura McCary recruited him to help us film a fun video for Instagram!) In Nashville, Stephen missed saying hi to Mike Nawrocki, yet knew that I could. Of course, Lorehaven invites famous creators (including next month). We might start making excuses for authors who wander. Unfortunately people’s author adoration can also enable plain false teaching. With secular authors, Christians generally know they may not believe Jesus. But when Christian authors fall into false teaching, we may justify them. This includes (but is not limited to) growing acceptance of Sexualityism. Authors work in creative circles, which can carry unique temptations. Authors want to engage their world, so they may repeat worldly notions. This can include wandering from biblical belief, but also plain heresy. Anyone in leadership, including authors, do bear this responsibility. Authors aren’t pastors or teachers, but they do disciple others. 2. ‘The author is a devil! Send this foul book to the Abyss’? In response to creative or doctrinal differences, we can go too far. In the secular world, we see the problem of leftist legalist “cancellations.” In the evangelical world, we see people boycotting fantasy, magic, games. This week we got wind of the Redeeming Love movie with sex scenes. A bad response: trying to cancel the book’s author, who maybe meant well. We need not call someone “evil” when the biblical label “foolish” may work. Never attribute to malice what can also be explained by plain human failing. For example, Zack wonders if people may “cancel” Lewis or Tolkien. Some “leftvangelicals” have already suggested C. S. Lewis is “overrated.” If Netflix ever makes a Narnia series, critics may chase The Horse and His Boy. Tolkien may be safe, because money, yet Amazon could woke-ify LOTR. People would be insisting that if authors can’t be angels, they must be devils. 3. The author is a human. Let’s respect him or her as God’s image-bearer. If you’re aware of authors who wander from faith, we have thoughts. Even author whose story “teaches” falsely could use some godly sympathy. As Martin Luther reportedly observed, even the Devil is “God’s devil.” If someone is tempted by a story to sin, the real issues go deeper than books. Yes, we take badly behaving/believing authors seriously, but we ain’t skeered. Doesn’t mean I’ll give their books to my kids, but even then, kids can learn! James Hannibal mentioned a YA fantasy with heresy, read by his teenage son. We needn’t call for an author to be run out on a rail, tarred and feathered. Neither are we called to hush up false belief or sin. That’s also unbiblical. Pray for wandering authors, speak openly and honestly about false beliefs. We&

The Wheel of Time turns, and ages come and pass leaving memories that become legend, then fade to myth. In one age, called 2022, the Wheel of Time TV show recently concluded season 1. Yet this season finale of this show was not an end, because there are no beginnings or endings in the Wheel of Time. But it was an ending—an ending of the hopes of many. For it shall come to pass that what men made shall be shattered, and the Shadow shall lie across the Pattern of the Age. Or in this case, the TV adaptation of the Wheel of Time. Many fans of the books watched their beloved story become corrupted by the studio execs at Shayol Ghul. When fandom is heartbroken by the breaking of a fantasy world, how can the forces of the light fight back? Subscribe to Lorehaven articles • news • library • reviews • podcast • gifts • guild Episode sponsors The Lorehaven Guild T. E. Bradford’s new novel Awakened See all podcast sponsors Concession stand Lorehaven favors Christian-made fantasy, but also does these side quests. Stephen is unfamiliar with this fandom. If you’re the same, compare your own! This is not Christian fantasy. Both books and show include ungodly elements. Introducing G. Shane Morris Shane Morris is a senior writer at the Colson Center and host of the Upstream podcast as well as cohost of the BreakPoint podcast. He has been a voice of the Colson Center since 2010 as coauthor of many BreakPoint commentaries and columns. He has also written for The Federalist, The Christian Post, and Summit Ministries, and he blogs regularly for Patheos Evangelical as Troubler of Israel. Shane lives with his wife, Gabriela, and their three children in Lakeland, Florida. The Colson Center: Upstream Podcast Twitter: @GShaneMorris ‘The Wheel of Time’ As a Celebration of Gender 1. Robert Jordan’s original The Wheel of Time books We share favorite characters and favorite elements. We recall best life lessons from The Wheel of Time. More discussion focuses on truth, idols, and themes. 2. Amazon Studios’s The Wheel of Time show We find some of our favorite moments in the show We condemn the worst aspects of Amazon’s show. How we see the show as a subversion of Jordan’s work. 3. Fight the Shadow How do we respond as book fans to The Wheel of Time season 1? Do we celebrate the good, expose the bad? Zack has analyzed each episode at his personal blog. Or do we reject the show? Zack doen’t blame friends who have. Can Christian fans even pray for a new showrunner? What if we dive back into the books? Other fans are resisting in the r/Whitecloaks subreddit and on YouTube: Books and Bianca and Knight’s Watch Next on Fantastical Truth Even when you’re doing a smaller podcast, you get to meet some famous people. How much more so when you’re blessed to attend conferences and engage Christian creators via the interwebs. This brings many temptations, among them, treating famous creators like angels, or like devils, when of course they are very much human. In the world of fandom by Christians and often for Christians, we’ll explore how we delight and discern famous creators.

Last year at this time, Lorehaven went all-digital: new articles every month, podcasts on Tuesdays, reviews on Fridays, plus news updates and other resources to help Christian fans explore fantastical stories for God’s glory. Today, we’re exploring which stories made the biggest impact on you, and catch up with the story creators who react to your reactions. Subscribe to Lorehaven articles • news • library • reviews • podcast • gifts • guild Episode sponsors The Lorehaven Guild T. E. Bradford’s new novel Awakened See all podcast sponsors Top Ten Lorehaven Stories in 2021 10. Christians Can’t Consistently Blame Leftist Fiction While Pushing Our Own Propaganda, Josiah DeGraaf You can hear these complaints cross the Christian Interwebs: “So-and-so author has ruined his stories by becoming too woke!” “The LGBTQ+ Lobby is ruining stories.” “Why can’t people just focus on good stories without politics—like they used to?” We’ve heard complaints about secular storytelling before. Just look at the Disney boycotts back in the 1990s. Today, some particular controversies and language are different. For example, we say “cancelling” instead of “boycotting.” The underlying question is the same: should we read or watch stories with secular themes? A new wave of Christian or Christian-adjacent pundits are answering no. They may not all demand to cancel shows, but they do prefer keeping them out of their lives. Josiah’s update: Apart from reiterating that I’m not talking to authors nor am I dealing with explicit elements, one thought I have as I reflect on that article and its responses is that this is likely going to become more and more of a challenge for Christians to deal with as Christian influences continue to wane in the West. Unless we just retreat into enclaves a la the Benedict Option, we’re going to have to deal with fiction containing hostile messages and have a realistic game plan for how much of it we should be consuming and–more importantly–how we are consuming it (and encouraging others to do so). One might argue that mimicking a certain Duke Leto by being noble and yet cunning in our consumption and response to pop culture can give us a path forward. 9. Lorehaven Gifts page Lorehaven offers these fantastic gift options for Christian fantasy fans, including five exclusive wearable designs. Revenues support the mission of Lorehaven magazine: paying reviewers, designers, and editors! Note: You can find each wearable design in other forms: hoodie, T-shirts, V-neck T-shirts, and long-sleeved shirts! See the full online store. Also note: For T-shirts, women’s sizes in particular skew smaller. Order one size over the size you’d usually choose. 8. How Should Christians Discern ‘The Chosen’ and Other Biblical Fiction?, Fantastical Truth podcast (2020) Where did Jesus’s apostles come from? What was Peter doing, or Matthew, before the Savior arrived on Earth and called them to leave their jobs and follow him? Moreover, how much can Christians ask these kinds of questions—or even create movies, or a whole streaming drama series, to explore this? That’s what we explore today, especially about the fantastical biblical drama series The Chosen. 7. Marvel with Me at the Internet’s Origin Story, Zackary Russell Once upon a time, we had fun going to the internet. It was a magical world in a far-off place, full of wonders. But then giants invaded and took over the land, wielding powerful algorithms. Cybernetic zombies spawned and assimilated people into ever growing factions and armies. Now our once-beautiful digital realm has the hallmarks of a hellish battlefield. Even worse, the barrier between our world and this newly polluted cyber world weakened and tore. The giants and zombies threaten to consume everything else we love. Zack continued this in the series Let’s Terraform the Internet 6. Behold the Fantastic Purposes of ‘The Chosen’ and Other Great Biblical Fiction, E. Stephen Burnett Christians are feeling inspired, confused, fearful, delighted, and challenged because of one biblical fiction TV series, The Chosen. … However, the idea of biblical fiction also raises many questions among Christians. For example, I’ve seen many questions in The Chosen fan forums. (These are now growing in popularity since the series started gaining more fans, around Easter 2020.) After fans read biblical fiction books or watch biblical fiction films, they ask: What type of story is this? How does it differ from Scripture? Should these differences cause us alarm? What about Christians who might confuse reality and fiction? Stephen continued this in a five-part series Discerning Biblical Fiction. We engage with one reader’s question about images of Jesus Christ: What do you think of the general concern some people have about representing Christ in any visible way, which can lead people to soft-idolatry? The issue, as I’ve seen it stated is thus: if seeing a painting of Jesus or watchi

Fantastical Truth from Lorehaven has begun season 3! As we exit the holidays, we’re echoing another livestream replay from earlier this month. Marian Jacobs and James R. Hannibal join us again, not just to discern the nonsense and nastiness in fantasy stories, but to thank God for the chance to find great stories and receive them with thanksgiving and holiness. That’s our mission at Lorehaven, especially with the Lorehaven Guild now open for fantastical community and monthly book quests, starting this Saturday! Subscribe to Lorehaven articles • library • reviews • podcast • gifts • guild Episode sponsors Heather L. L. Fitzgerald’s novel The Tethered World from Mountain Brook Fire T. E. Bradford’s new novel Awakened Andrew D. Meredith’s novel Thrice See all podcast sponsors Hark! As of New Year’s Day 2022, we have opened the Lorehaven Guild community, exclusive to free subscribers. New updates from Lorehaven Behold! The Lorehaven Guild is Now Open Fantastical Answers to Questions Lorehaven Crew Manifest Yes, Speculative Faith Is Closed, At Least For Now Behold the Fantastic Glories Redeeming YA Fantasy Here’s how we shared this show, livestreamed for Realm Makers last month: The world has changed. We feel it in the earth. We smell it in the air. It’s no longer positive or neutral, but negative toward Christianity. How can we find the best fantastical stories that reflect gospel goodness, truth, and beauties in these novel worlds? Rejoin Lorehaven’s E. Stephen Burnett and Marian Jacobs as well as James R. Hannibal, thanking God for faithful fiction this year. Full archived video: Behold the Fantastic Glories Redeeming YA Fantasy – Crowdcast Com station Abigail Falanga wrote in reply to our SpecFaith seasonal closure update: I’m sorry to see Speculative Faith closing down (for now). Ever since I discovered it a couple years ago, I’d enjoyed many articles and series there, and even had thoughts for articles of my own that I hoped to pitch (talking, incidentally, more about fandom than writing). However, this certainly sounds like the right decision at this time. I’m sure our Great Author has His own plans for the future both of Spec Faith and of all our other endeavors! Yes, Speculative Faith Is Closed, At Least For Now Stephen Smith shared this in reply to the Lorehaven Guild announcement: This is on my calendar–so looking forward to it! This site is an oasis in a dry and weary land where there is no water. The Lorehaven Guild Will Open New Year’s Day Lisa @ Digging for Myrrh loved Shannon Stewart’s article: Ah, you are so young to be so conversant with truth, Shannon. Kudos for a terrific piece. Théoden King From ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Shows How We Live In A World of Loss Next on Fantastical Truth Last year at this time, our parent community of Lorehaven went all-digital: new articles every month, podcasts on Tuesdays, reviews on Fridays, plus news updates and other resources to help Christian fans explore fantastical stories for God’s glory. We will survey which stories made the biggest impact on readers, and catch up with the creators who react to your reactions.

“I amar prestar sen … han mathon ne nen … han mathon ne chae … a han noston ned wilith.” Well, it’s some form of Elvish. In the Common Tongue, it reads, “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring film released twenty years ago this month. So don’t you feel older than a Dúnedain ranger?” This film truly changed our world forever. Now we shall host a good Narnian prince, Rilian himself, returning from last Christmas to explore how Christians loved exploring Peter Jackson’s one film trilogy to rule them all, from 2001 until today. Subscribe to Lorehaven articles • library • reviews • podcast • gifts Episode sponsors Bryan Davis’s novel Heaven Came Down, from Mountain Brook Fire T. E. Bradford’s new novel Awakened Andrew D. Meredith’s novel Thrice See all podcast sponsors Returning with ‘Rilian’ of NarniaWeb’s Talking Beasts podcast Rilian and Stephen met on the NarniaWeb forum back in the mid-2000s. Rilian’s podcast, also with GlumPuddle, is now known as Talking Beasts. “Glumpuddle… I have issues with you.” —screenwriter Stephen McFeely They explore Narnia books and films, interviewing scholars and actors. For example, Samuel West and Ben Barnes, who have both played King Caspian. Last Christmas, Rilian joined us to lament The Voyage of the Dawn Treader film. 1. How did we discover The Lord of the Rings books and films? 2. How did we experience The Fellowship of the Ring in 2001? 3. Twenty years later, how do we view the film and its fandom? Com station Brielle Andela replied to episode 90 about the Harry Potter series: I highly enjoyed this episode. I was definitely raised in the anti Harry Potter camp, but I eventually came around, actually by way of the “the real problem is that Harry and his friends get rewarded for breaking the rules” argument. I really appreciated what you had to say about that because I’d never really tried to defeat that argument. I just started reading the books because I was curious as a writer about how the books were so popular. These days I’m not going to go around praising them or blanket endorsing the books, but I’ll defend Rowling against silly accusation her being a satanist or anything of the sort. If anything she thinks too little of the supernatural, not too much. What I find most interesting about the world that she’s made is that it very much points to life after death and the existence of the soul. Next on Fantastical Truth Christmas time is here. For our last episode of 2021, we’ll echo another livestream replay from earlier this month, “Behold the Fantastic Glories Redeeming YA Fantasy.” Marian Jacobs and James R. Hannibal join us again, not just to discern the nonsense and nastiness in these stories, but to thank God for the chance to find great stories and receive them with thanksgiving and holiness. That’s our mission at Lorehaven, especially with the Lorehaven Guild opening for monthly book quests starting next year. We hope you’ll join us, for Christ’s glory, as we continue to seek and find his fantastical truth.

What if horses could breathe fire? What if other horses could swim in the ocean, or vanish into the shadows, or rain lightning from the sky? Or, if you’re human, what if you were a king’s daughter in a Rohan-like kingdom, exiled from the palace to guard the borders—and then your land was invaded? Naturally, author Gillian Bronte Adams can answer these questions, in her new novel from Enclave Publishing, Of Fire and Ash. Gillian joins us to explore this fantasy world with its elemental horses and elemental fantastical themes. Subscribe to Lorehaven articles • library • reviews • podcast • gifts Episode sponsors Alyssa Roat’s novel Wraithwood, from Mountain Brook Fire T. E. Bradford’s new novel Awakened Andrew D. Meredith’s novel Thrice See all podcast sponsors Gillian Bronte Adams rides out of the sunrise Gillian Bronte Adams is the horse-riding, word-smithing, wander-loving epic fantasy author of The Songkeeper Chronicles and Of Fire and Ash, book one of The Fireborn Epic. Rarely found without coffee in hand, she is also rumored to pack books before clothes when she hits the road. Now, she writes stories that ring with the echoes of eternity, following outcast characters down broken roads through epic battles and onward to adventure. GillianBronteAdams.com Gillian Bronte Adams on Instagram Gillian Bronte Adams on Facebook Of Fire and Ash She rides a fireborn, a steed of fire and ash, trained for destruction. Ceridwen tal Desmond dreams of ruling like her father over the nation of Soldonia, where warriors ride to battle on magical steeds—soaring on storm winds, vanishing in shadow, quaking the earth, and summoning the sea. After a tragic accident claims her twin brother, she is exiled and sworn to atonement by spending her life—or death—for her people. But when invaders spill onto Soldonia’s shores and traitors seize upon the chaos to murder her father, Ceridwen claims the crown to keep the nation from splintering. Combatting overwhelming odds and looming civil war, she begins to wonder if the greatest threat to the kingdom may, in fact, be her. With fire before her and ash in her wake, how can she hope to unite instead of destroy? Book 1 of The Fireborn Epic series. 1. How did you discover biblical faith and fantastical stories? 2. How did you ride into the Fireborn Epic’s fantastical world? 3. What’s next for the Fireborn Epic and your creative future? Com station Several fans questions the conclusion to Mike Duran’s article last week: Augustine suggests the Church in all ages should take good and useful things from pagans and use them for God’s purposes. The Christian need not have copyrights to quote from pagan poets, nor patents to use technology for missional ends. Using wealth, cultural commodities, or intellectual properties, the Church should mine the field of culture for their riches, redeeming them for good ends whenever possible. Indeed, those Egyptians must have felt infuriated to watch their Israelite neighbors tromp off into the wilderness with the family’s silverware and sphinx bust. But even worse—they may have realized the Israelites would use these very riches to undermine the pagan gods. Likewise, the Christian church should continue to “wage war,” using “books, cartoons, nature documentaries” or whatever cultural commodities are at our disposal. Drinking the tears of our oppressors is a fitting toast to their plunder. People took exception to Mike’s “taste those sweet oppressor tears” line. This may resemble a sin. But appearance of evil does not always = actual evil. Mike is talking about actual oppressors of Christians (who may be pagans). If you picture “oppressors” as only bad Christians, that’s an unfair imagination-swap. Next on Fantastical Truth “I amar prestar sen … han mathon ne nen … han mathon ne chae …” Well, it’s some form of Elvish. In the Common Tongue, it reads, “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring film released twenty years ago this month. So don’t you now feel old? Older even than a Dúnedain ranger?” This film truly changed our world forever. Now we shall host a good Narnian prince, Rilian himself, returning from last Christmas to explore how Christians loved exploring Peter Jackson’s one film trilogy to rule them all, from 2001 until today.

Mr. and Mrs. Evangelical, of number 316, Piety Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. Then their children (some of whom supposed they had been living in a cupboard under the stairs) learned about a world of witches, wizards, and schools for both: J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. Now, twenty years after the first Potterverse film premiered in theaters, how do we as Christians view the adventures of the Boy Who Lived? Subscribe to Lorehaven articles • library • reviews • podcast • gifts Episode sponsors Bradley Caffee’s novel The Chase, from Mountain Brook Fire T. E. Bradford’s new novel Awakened Andrew D. Meredith’s novel Thrice See all podcast sponsors News at Lorehaven Save Your Seat at Our Dec. 9 Livestream: Behold the Fantastic Glories Redeeming YA Fantasy Subscribe to Lorehaven and be first to know about our big January 2022 announcement Concession stand We won’t focus so much on the magic at this time. For more on that topic, see our Fictional Magic series. Also see Marian Jacobs’s recent article about discerning fictional magic. We’re focusing on the greater themes of Harry Potter and its fans/enemies. When we address “political” issues, it is really about religious worldview debates. Introducing G. Shane Morris Shane Morris is a senior writer at the Colson Center and host of the Upstream podcast as well as cohost of the BreakPoint podcast. He has been a voice of the Colson Center since 2010 as coauthor of many BreakPoint commentaries and columns. He has also written for The Federalist, The Christian Post, and Summit Ministries, and he blogs regularly for Patheos Evangelical as Troubler of Israel. Shane lives with his wife, Gabriela, and their three children in Lakeland, Florida. The Colson Center: Upstream Podcast Twitter: @GShaneMorris Chapter 1: Origin! How did you discover biblical faith and fantastical stories? Shane grew up in a loving Christian home, learning the biblical gospel. He also discovered fantastical stories, such as Tolkien and Lewis, that reflected joy. At first he criticized the Harry Potter series, then a friend challenged him to read them. Chapter 2: Cancellation! Why did evangelicals initially object to Harry Potter? Stephen recalls many Christians warnings about Harry Potter’s dangers. Christians shared a primary concern: HP’s emphasis on magic and/or occult. Some shared a second concern: Harry’s attitudes and rebellion in school. A few urban legends spread about, such as Rowling’s secret Satanism. Some evangelicals acted foolishly. Competing religions over-mocked. From Shane Morris’s 2018 article, “Why is Harry Potter More Christian Than His Creator?“: I remember a time when my fellow Christian “Potter” fans and I were beleaguered and hiding beneath our invisibility cloaks from the rest of the Christian right (who thought we had all sold our souls to the devil). We held out hope that Rowling would turn out to be one of us. She certainly has identified herself as a Christian in the past, even confessing that she preferred not to make the fact public because she feared it would give away the ending of her story. Well, the ending of her story has been available in bookstores for over a decade now—sacrificial death-and-resurrection-of-the-title-character and all—and it’s little wonder she was so secretive. Chapter 3: Cancellation (part 2)! Why do leftists despise the wizarding world? More from Shane’s article: Rowling has come out for abortion “rights” and cheered LGBTQ causes and the redefinition of marriage, family, and gender at every turn. She has opposed conservative and traditional political causes and not only strip-mined her story for cheap talking points, but encouraged her left-wing followers to see themselves as a real-life Dumbledore’s Army resisting the dark and prejudicial forces of Brexit, Donald Trump, and pro-lifers. Rowling has reduced her own work—a series that shepherds children and adults alike through the very deepest questions about love, death, the afterlife, friendship, and self-sacrifice—into a dime-store political allegory. Well, that was 2018. Since then, many of Rowling’s secular fans have turned on her. Rowling now speaks out on sex and gender issues (and shares her reasons here). In November several of her critics tried to “doxx” her by revealing her home address. Despite some of Rowling’s contradictions, her story-world remains “based.” The wizarding world critiques power abuses by government and media Rowling insists on showing the evils of dark magic, used to manipulate others. The wizarding world also overtly praises family, self-defense, and many virtues. Next on Fantastical Truth What if you were a princess in a Rohan-like kingdom, exiled from the palace to guard the borders? And what if you were riding a wild horse you had barely tamed—that could itself on fire and explo

Tales for teens-and-older show us fabulous worlds and fantastic heroes. Yet people can twist these powerful gifts to serve insidious evils. In this episode we replay a livestream from the RealmSphere, featuring Lorehaven’s E. Stephen Burnett, James R. Hannibal, and Marian Jacobs, wielding faith over fear to battle fiends. Subscribe to Lorehaven articles • library • reviews • podcast • gifts Episode sponsors Novel Marketing podcast D. N. Woodward’s novel A Choice of Blades See all sponsors Introducing the RealmSphere The mission of Realm Makers is to support writers and artists who create science fiction and fantasy in their journeys from idea to marketplace. Whether participating artists wish to gear their content for inspirational or mainstream audiences, Realm Makers seeks to encourage them from a faith-friendly perspective. Realm Makers also exists to connect science fiction and fantasy fans with amazing content by Christian creatives. We do this through programming on our livestream channel and most importantly through the Realm Makers Bookstore which carries books by our award winning authors to conventions, book festivals, and special events across the country. For anyone, it’s free to join the RealmSphere Authors can use paid membership that offer more On Dec. 9, we host the sequel: Behold the Fantastical Glories Redeeming YA Fantasy (save your seat!) Beware the Most Dangerous Dragons Infesting YA Fantasy Original live video and chat James R. Hannibal on Fantastical Truth Marian Jacobs on Fantastical Truth Com station Brielle Andela on Twitter wrote about episode 88: This was very much the kind of discussion I’ve been wanting to listen to. There’s a weird tension when interacting with the ‘negative world’, because they’re also so many complex individuals with varied problems with Christianity. there’s not so much a complete antipathy towards Christianity among people I interact with as there’s a hurt at the fact that the church says what they’re doing is wrong. There’s a fear of being hurt by other’s opinions. It’s very hard to know what to say, because I don’t want to upset people, not too much. It’s hard to talk when people will shut me out the moment I say what I truly think about some issues. Maybe that’s where stories come in. You talked about apologetics on the show. That’s one thing I’m very grounded in. I don’t know what to do with it in a hostile world, except maybe appeal to the fact that I believe partly because I’ve been so utterly convinced that to walk away would be a lie. I don’t think I’m delusional in what I believe. I didn’t pick it to be mean. I’m just completely convinced that God is real and good and I can’t just ignore what he says. Next on Fantastical Truth We’ve hinted at it. You’ve asked about it. Now we’re finally doing that Harry Potter episode, a first one anyway, timed very closely with the 20-year anniversary of the first film’s release, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s—excuse me—The Philosopher’s Stone. Another fan of the Potterverse will join us to explore the Wizarding World decades after its creative conjuring: the pros, the cons, and of course a little bit about that controversial magic.

Christians love engaging fantastical worlds, right down to the real world Jesus calls us to serve. But what kind of world do we truly engage? Do we live in an amazing “positive world,” where most people think Christianity is great? Or do we live in a world that’s neutral toward Christianity—or even a world where most people despise our faith? Our answer helps us stay realistic yet optimistic about how we best engage stories in the real world. Today’s special guest, a recently unmasked “superhero” from the intellectual light web, joins our quest. Subscribe to Lorehaven articles • library • reviews • podcast • gifts Episode sponsors Novel Marketing podcast D. N. Woodward’s novel A Choice of Blades See all sponsors Episode links L. G. McCary’s That Pale Host update—and get the book’s first edition this month! Aaron Renn’s “Welcome to the Negative World: Why We Need American Reformer“ Author Michael O’Brien’s Catholic end-times novels series: Children of the Last Days “Wokal Distance” on Twitter about contemporary young people’s real challenges to Christianity Introducing writer Bethel McGrew Bethel McGrew is a high school teacher, math Ph.D., and widely published freelance writer. Her work has appeared in WORLD Opinions, First Things, National Review, The Spectator, and many other national and international outlets. Her Substack, Further Up, is one of the top paid newsletters in “Faith & Spirituality” on the platform. She has also contributed to two essay anthologies on Jordan Peterson. When not writing social criticism, she enjoys writing about literature, film, music, and history. Her edited collection of the World War I letters of Canon A.E. Laurie is forthcoming from the U.K.’s Helion Press. Follow Bethel McGrew on Twitter @BMcGrewvy Concession stand This episode will touch on political issues. We know “political” just = “public.” Like our other popular culture–based episodes, this one is more foundational. We might mess with basically everybody’s assumptions, including our own. We’re assuming (not defending) some ideas, like the gospel and missions. We may assume labels like “woke” to mean a systemic religious-like system. Not every “anti-woke” person is Christian. But some are, including our guest. We’re also bouncing off this article that asks what kind of world we live in. From “Welcome to the Negative World: Why We Need American Reformer“ In recent decades, the church has passed through three eras or worlds in terms of how American society perceives and relates to the church. These are the positive, neutral, and negative worlds, with the names referring to the way society views Christianity. Positive World (Pre-1994). Christianity was viewed positively by society and Christian morality was still normative. To be seen as a religious person and one who exemplifies traditional Christian norms was a social positive. Christianity was a status enhancer. In some cases, failure to embrace Christian norms hurt you. Neutral World (1994-2014). Christianity is seen as a socially neutral attribute. It no longer had dominant status in society, but to be seen as a religious person was not a knock either. It was more like a personal affectation or hobby. Christian moral norms retained residual force. Negative World (2014-). In this world, being a Christian is now a social negative, especially in high status positions. Christianity in many ways is seen as undermining the social good. Christian morality is expressly repudiated. This is a heuristic framework or tool to help us make sense of the world we are in. It should not be seen as covering every circumstance or nuance of society or the church. But it captures something important about what has happened in recent years. How has the church adapted to these changes? Each of these worlds has had a characteristic response or strategy by the Evangelical Protestant church. —Aaron Renn Chapter 1: How have we engaged culture in a positive world? Some Christians assumed ideas about “moral majorities” and such-like. These positive, neutral, and negative worlds can overlap in shared times. For example, some of academia can be neutral toward Christian expression. Meanwhile, some subcultures (such as states and cities) can be very positive. We can benefit some by assuming the best of our neighbors’ views of faith. Chapter 2: How did Christians engage culture in a “neutral world”? Some Christians grew up, reacted, and chose to “engage culture,” neutrally. Today some of these folks inhabit academia or professional ministry circles. Some people remain “neutral” and it’s helpful to discern/engage as such. Some apologetics debunks “moral relativism,” but do people really believe this? Previous Christian materials often tried to “fin

“Keep the spice flowing.” “I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer.” New fantasy-fandom catchphrase unlocked! Yes, like a lot of you, we’ve found Dune, the movie, the book, the fandom we’d somehow missed all this time. Just like a young man discovering his purpose on a desert planet, new fandoms can be amazing, yet also come with a few dangers slithering below the sands. Episode sponsors Novel Marketing podcast D. N. Woodward’s novel A Choice of Blades See all sponsors 1. The joys of joining new fandoms We follow the biblical themes of God giving people good gifts (Genesis). Recent example of Dune, forthcoming example of The Wheel of Time series. Christians, especially, love discovering really great Christian-made fantasy. 2. The perils of joining new fandoms The storytellers might not finish the story (but we are getting Dune part 2). Some might make bad adaptations or canon breaks (like The Wheel of Time might do). Fandoms, like those for some Christian-made fantasy, may be forced into obscurity. 3. How Jesus equips us to receive new fandom gifts with thanksgiving Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer. —1 Timothy 4:1–5 (ESV) God speaks about good and marriage, cultural things that humans can adapt. That’s why we might apply this verse to stories: cultural things humans adapt. We see false teachings, false rules, and healthy ways to receive good gifts. Com station Autumn wrote another good comment re. episode 86: It’s probably not healthy to flippantly label things as flippant, either. My family always decorated for Fall, never Halloween. But now and then my Dad and I would joke about what phrase or saying we would put on our gravestones. Mine was ‘I tried.’ Maybe people would hear our jokes and assume we were being flippant about our own deaths, but we weren’t. Our gravestone phrases have a lot of layers of meaning to them that are important to us as individuals. From my comments about what the Peter Pan story meant to me, it should be clear that I do take death seriously. But even though I joke about saying ‘I tried’ on my gravestone, it’s not said just to be funny. It’s also venting some of my own sadness and bitterness about certain things. Humor is often a communication tool, and a lot of comedians talk about things in their performances precisely BECAUSE the issue is important to them. Next on Fantastical Truth We’ve just explored the joys and perils of joining new fandoms. And we only lightly touched on one big danger: the systemic influence of false beliefs that are creeping into fandom. That’s making new generations of Christians and non-Christians say, “Well, if that story has ‘gone woke,’ then we want not part of that.” Our guest will be “Esther O’Reilly,” who just revealed her secret identity as Bethel McGrew, who writes about philosophy and sociopolitical issues. She joins us to explore how can we stay true to our identities in Christ while guarding our children and ourselves from evil ideas, yet also teach them and ourselves to “own” such stories with facts and logic—and biblical imagination.

Should Christians celebrate Halloween? What if we call it a “harvest festival”? We’ve all heard the jokes, but whether we engage or escape the thing, we must take seriously how our neighbors perceive the occasion. Right down to our lawn decor, Halloween’s trappings can encourage us to celebrate good things like fall and fandom. But these things can also provoke us into flippant mockery of death, self-distraction from real suffering, and ignorance of dark magic. And that’s truly horrible. So yes, even if we dress up and distribute candy, let’s hurl light against this darkness. Episode sponsors Novel Marketing podcast D. N. Woodward’s novel A Choice of Blades See all sponsors Concession stand We’ll not get into the Druids and false gods and all of that (at least not yet). We’re well aware of biblical freedom, yet that’s not our focus at this time. Stephen mentions Harry Potter more positively; the negatives will have to wait. See Stephen’s recent article for more disclaimers (that inspired this episode): See also the older SpecFaith article “Flippancy Kills Stories.” In fact, we must start with this Screwtape quote about flippancy. 1. Halloween can make light of death’s darkness. I prefer C. S. Lewis’s understanding [of the word flippancy] as voiced in The Screwtape Letters. In letter 11 the demonic uncle/undersecretary Screwtape expounds on human humor. Ever the philosopher about everything, Screwtape classifies humor in four categories: Joy Fun The Joke Proper Flippancy —from “Flippancy Kills Stories” on SpecFaith From C. S. Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters: But flippancy is the best [devilish use of humor] of all. In the first place it is very economical. Only a clever human can make a real Joke about virtue, or indeed about anything else; any of them can be trained to talk as if virtue were funny. Among flippant people the joke is always assumed to have been made. No one actually makes it; but every serious subject is discussed in a manner which implies that they have already found a ridiculous side to it. If prolonged, the habit of Flippancy builds up around a man the finest armour-plating against the Enemy that I know, and it is quite free from the dangers inherent in the other sources of laughter. It is a thousand miles away from joy: it deadens, instead of sharpening, the intellect; and it excites no affection between those who practise it. 2. Halloween may mock the resurrection with gross parodies. Vampires are Satanic counterfeits of immortal reigning saints. Zombies are gross perversions of resurrected humans walking Earth Skeletons deny the biblical reality of fully restored Spirit-powered people. 3. Halloween might distract us from confronting real horrors. This includes not just the pandemic fears (as mentioned in Stephen’s article). But also legit dark magic, either occult or increasing Sexualityism paganism. Reference the evil Twix ad, and other conflations of witchcraft and sexuality. Com station Follow us on the socials: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter What amazing books have you read this year? Let us know. Share your favorite methods of engaging Halloween (if you do).

Episode sponsors Andrew J. Chamberlain’s The Centauri Survivors Novel Marketing podcast See all sponsors Dragons. Light. Raiders. Lightraiders! One shepherd boy with four companions, plus a talking silver wolf, begin their quest to restore the Lightraider Order, destroy a portal, and stop an invasion. So begins novelist James R. Hannibal’s Lightraider Academy series book 1, Wolf Soldier. It’s releasing Tuesday, Oct. 26, and we’re hosting James again to explore this new young-adult fantasy. James R. Hannibal arrives in his magic wheelchair Former stealth pilot James R. Hannibal is no stranger to secrets and adventure. He has been shot at, locked up by surface to air missiles, has hunted insurgents with drones, and was once chased by an armed terrorist down a winding German road. James is the Carol Award–winning author of the Clandestine Service series and a three-time winner of the Silver Falchion Award for Juvenile Fiction for his Section 13 series. He also stewards the discipleship learning system game DragonRaid, soon to be relaunched as LightRaiders. His newest novel, Wolf Soldier, released Oct. 26, 2021 as book 1 in the Lightraider Academy series. LightRaiders.com JamesRHannibal.com Fantastical Truth episode 70: Why Did a 1980s Televangelist Try to Cancel the RPG DragonRaid? | with James R. Hannibal Special note Zackary Russell is absent this episode. He may have delved too deep into alien secrets. We’re confident the men in black will soon return him to us. Exploring the ‘verse of Lightraider Academy How did you find biblical faith, fantastical stories, and military fiction? What led you to create in the world of Lightraiders? What’s next for Lightraiders, including book and game updates? Com station Jessica responded quickly to episode 82 with L. G. McCary: Ten minutes into the discussion of the novel, I purchased That Pale Host. Psychological thrillers are always intriguing, and Christian fiction definitely needs more of them. A good example of this genre is Thr3e by Ted Dekker. It was the first novel I read that showed me that Christian fiction exists outside of the Amish and “Hallmark” world. It was an eye-opener, and it set me on my path to speculative fiction in the world of Christian literature. @KalebAxon on Twitter liked episode 84 with Daniel Silliman and Reading Evangelicals: So this is kind of fascinating. Christian fiction after I stopped reading Christian fiction, and how it helped shape a culture that I drifted away from during that same time. (I don’t consider secular-market Christian work like that of CS Lewis to be “Christian” in the sense discussed here.) Next on Fantastical Truth Halloween lies ahead, and scarily enough, we haven’t yet talked about this topic on Fantastical Truth. Yes. We have thoughts. I’m still hoping to get my dragon inflatable on the lawn in time for trick-or-treaters. But there’s one kind of spooky decoration that I don’t find whimsical or fun—instead, it’s flippant, and doesn’t help people confront sobering realities of darkness and death.

Episode sponsors Andrew J. Chamberlain’s The Centauri Survivors Novel Marketing podcast See all sponsors “Christian fiction is so cringe and cheesy, so let’s ignore it.” Some critics talk like this. But today’s guest challenges this line: Daniel Silliman, Christianity Today news editor and author of the new nonfiction book Reading Evangelicals. He surveys five bestselling titles, including Frank Peretti’s This Present Darkness, Tim LaHaye’s and Jerry B. Jenkins’s Left Behind, and Wm. Paul Young’s The Shack. Why did Christian readers love these books? How did these novels define their fans’ imaginations and help build our evangelical communities? Concession stand Here, we can define “Christian fiction” as “a Christian wrote the fiction.” Yet we also speak about fiction by Christians, for Christians, a subculture. We don’t condemn this subculture. In fact, we think the idea is necessary. Christians often formed this subculture in response to being marginalized. See The Christian Publishing Show, Thomas Umstattd Jr. with Leslie Stobbe. Today’s guest wants to understand the definitions/culture of evangelicals. Even if you are one, it’s good to see ourselves academically from outside. We also need to confront how political cultures replace fandom cultures. Stephen wrote How Political Punditry Has Taken Over Christian Popular Subcultures. This isn’t a class. Or fiction book club. Instead, we’re asking questions after class! Introducing Daniel Silliman Daniel Silliman is a journalist and a historian. He is the news editor for _Christianity Today_, the author of a history of bestselling evangelical fiction, and teaches humanities at Milligan University. Daniel spent several years as a crime reporter outside Atlanta before pursuing higher education in Germany, earning a MA from Tübingen University and a doctoral degree from Heidelberg University. He was a Teaching Fellow at the University of Notre Dame from 2016-2017 and a Lilly Postdoctoral Fellow at Valparaiso University from 2017-19. He has reported and edited news coverage for CT since 2019. DanielSilliman.org @DanielSilliman on Twitter Explore more of Reading Evangelicals on Amazon “New Book ‘Reading Evangelicals’ Will Focus on Famous Christian Fiction,” Lorehaven news, Jan. 27, 2021 “What’s True About Christian Fiction,” Daniel Silliman, Christianity Today cover story (members only), Sept. 20, 2021 Exploring Reading Evangelicals 1. How did you discover biblical truth and Christian-made fiction? 2. What questions do you hope to answer by exploring top Christian fiction? From chapter 2 (page 78), about Frank Peretti’s This Present Darkness: … Conspiracies depend on keeping secret meetings from becoming public. The novel is not just staging cultural conflicts, it is inviting readers to see how the staging itself is part of the cultural conflict. The first political fight is always about the rules of political fights. This Present Darkness returns again and again to the conflict of what is allowed in meetings, and who is allowed in meetings. The first pragmatic principle of the public sphere, its publicness, is shown to be suspect. From chapter 3 (page 98), about Tim LaHaye’s and Jerry Jenkins’s Left Behind: Apocalypse-minded Christians have been motivated by their expectations of rapture, the tribulation, and the antichrist to pay close attention to world events and take an active interest in American politics, both foreign and domestic. There is a myth that fundamentalists disengaged from cultural conflicts because of their theology. 3. How do you think Christian-made fiction could (or should) grow from here? Next on Fantastical Truth Dragons. Light. Raiders. Lightraiders! One shepherd boy with four companions, plus a talking silver wolf, begin their quest to restore the Lightraider Order, destroy a portal, and stop an invasion. So begins novelist James R. Hannibal’s Lightraider Academy series book 1, Wolf Soldier. It’s releasing Tuesday, Oct. 26, and we’re hosting James again to explore this new young-adult fantasy.

Episode sponsors Andrew J. Chamberlain’s The Centauri Survivors Novel Marketing podcast See all sponsors Some years back on Twitter, a novelist shared a strange boast. “Sometimes I lose sight of why I want this whole Being an Author thing,” she said. “It’s easy to get overwhelmed … and forget the whole point of it all. Which is, of course, to wreck you, the reader.” Fascinating. Do we really want books to wreck us? Don’t wrecks injure people? Novelist and Lorehaven writer Marian Jacobs takes a very controversial position against steering story vehicles directly into our souls. She insists we should find stories that don’t hurt us, but help us heal. Introducing Marian Jacobs Marian Jacobs writes about Jesus, monsters, and spaceships. Her work is featured at Desiring God as well as Stage and Story. She and her family live in Palm Springs, California. Subscribe to her free email newsletter and get her free novel Automated, a steampunk Pinocchio retelling for readers age 12 and older. MAJacobs.com Marian Jacobs on Instagram Marian Jacobs at DesiringGod.org Clips from Marian’s articles at Lorehaven As we’ve covered, books can help you restore your soul “when sorrows like sea billows roll.” Now I’d like to focus more on what not to read. During challenging seasons, do we turn to soul-satisfying stories, or to novels that have the potential to tear us apart? I don’t suggest we avoid adrenaline-inducing stories altogether. Instead, let’s be mindful about which stories we read, how often we read them, and how they can even harm us. from No, Stories Should Not ‘Wreck You, the Reader’ Good stories do not simply “wreck the reader,” but end by healing their wounds in such a way that says, “My friend, there is lasting hope in the end. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness will never overcome it.” Christ does not delight in our suffering because he knows suffering even more than Job. Jesus abounds in compassion, love, and empathy. But he also understands that we must suffer for our good and his glory. Good books should imitate Jesus, harming only with intent to heal. from Yes, Stories Should Help Heal You, the Reader Questions we explore How did you first discover biblical truth and fantastical fiction? What experiences and stories led you to explore hurtful and healing fiction? Why do readers misunderstand, get confused, or agree about these truths? Com station Autumn Grayson wrote about episode 82: When I hear them talk about ‘church back home’ syndrome, it seems that they are moreso trying to point out the unreasonable or toxic reactions that people might have in reaction to their church back home. Like if the person automatically thinks it’s a good idea to just do things the opposite of their church back home, instead of having a nuanced view that makes decisions based on what actually works and what doesn’t. Or, there’s some people that act like all of Christianity or every church is exactly like ‘the church back home’ even when that obviously isn’t true. It’s good to point out problems that are there and have (reasonable) discussions and debates about them, but that doesn’t mean ignoring times when people have unhealthy reactions to the church too. It’s hard to fix problems if we hammer really hard on one side and are completely forced to ignore the other. Next on Fantastical Truth “Christian fiction is all so cringe and cheesy.” So say many critics over the years. But one author is challenging this line: Daniel Silliman, Christianity Today news editor, and author of the new nonfiction book Reading Evangelicals. He surveys five titles, including three popular fantastical novels. Daniel joins us to explore big questions: Why did Christian readers love these books? And how did they change evangelicals’ imaginations and build our communities?

Episode sponsors Andrew J. Chamberlain’s The Centauri Survivors Novel Marketing podcast See all sponsors Charlotte Madsen has issues, all the issues, all at once, and getting worse. They include but aren’t limited to: infertility, anxiety, medical trauma, postpartum depression, judgmental friends, a beautiful yet sinful toddler, and—just in time for this spooky season—a ghost that creeps into her already haunted life. We explore the new psychological thriller That Pale Host, unleashing today from novelist and Lorehaven writer L. G. McCary from Monster Ivy. What if your nightmares came to life and haunted your day? L. G. McCary at Realm Makers 2021 Introducing L. G. McCary L. G. McCary is an old-school Whovian and a lifelong Trekkie. She has a bachelor’s in psychology which means she knows enough to mess with readers’ heads but not enough to diagnose their problems. She is the wife of an Army chaplain and the homeschooling mom of four rambunctious kids. She writes supernatural and dark science fiction on topics as diverse as artificial intelligence, ghosts, sentient snowmen, and space hotels. Her first novel, That Pale Host, released October 2021 from Monster Ivy Publishing. Her short story, “Rendering,” appears in Havok’s Rebirth anthology. Introducing Thriller Novelist and New Lorehaven Writer L. G. McCary, Jan. 2021 To Shape A Story Is to Shape a Soul, L. G. McCary, Jan. 2021 That Pale Host at Monster Ivy Publishing That Pale Host in the Lorehaven library Explore more at LGMcCary.com L. G. McCary on Instagram L. G. McCary on Facebook That Pale Host back cover: Charlotte brings her baby girl home from the hospital to the usual sleep deprivation and worries of a new mom, but something else has changed. Nightmares and moving shadows fill her with dread, and something or someone seems to be watching her. As her daughter grows, so does Charlotte’s fear. Whoever is watching has a message and will do anything to make her understand. Even tear her family, her faith, and her self apart. Top three questions How did you discover biblical truth and fantastic stories? What images, spectral or otherwise, led you to create That Pale Host? What’s next on your journey, with children and/or the chillingly numinous? Com station Steven Smith replied to episode 81 about “clean fiction”: Clean doesn’t have to mean no violence or hard aspects of life. It should be no gratuitous use of sensuality , or positive messages about wrong choices. If you think it takes foul language to be real, real what? I’m tired if all media putting a pro LGBT spin on everything. Adding those types of characters to stories that were never there before. We can acknowledge sine , just not glorify it. Johanna also shared this about episode 81: I agree – it’s all about the message and the impression the story leaves with the reader. Fact is, we don’t live in a “clean” world so using that as a setting is a fantasy in itself. Philip Wallace reminds us that: Louis L’Amour is a great example of a writer that spoke about immoral things with few words. He rarely used swear words yet the majority of the situations his characters experienced were in a world around violent men who drank hard whiskey, murdered, raped committed violence. The author might let the reader know a character swore a lot but not write the swear words, or the scene of a massacre without pulp fiction details, just enough to convey a message. The same with sex. For example in Jubal Sackett, the main character, gets married. the author wrote (I’m paraphrasing) husband and wife lay together to consummate the wedding. As readers we get it. I don’t know that Louis L’Amour was born-again yet he kept it clean and on message.[1. Edited for style.] Next on Fantastical Truth Some years back on Twitter, a novelist shared a strange boast. “Sometimes I lose sight of why I want this whole Being an Author thing,” she said. “It’s easy to get overwhelmed … and forget the whole point of it all. Which is, of course, to wreck you, the reader.” Fascinating. Do we really want books to wreck us? Don’t wrecks injure people? Novelist and Lorehaven writer Marian Jacobs takes a very controversial position against steering story vehicles directly into our souls. She insists we should find stories that don’t hurt us, but help us heal.

You musn’t go outside. If the plague doesn’t get you, the toxic culture will. Let’s be serious: worldview sewage pours out from your TV screen, and new generations of parents (not just grumpy Christians!) are waking up to nasty notions about sex and self-worship in the kids’ stories. That’s dirty stuff infesting our world. Do we need “clean reads” to keep out the filthy fiction? Concession stand We’ll not be legalistic against “clean fiction.” We’ll not be legalistic in favor of “clean fiction.” “Don’t be legalistic” is not our standard. “Glorify God” should be. People have deeply personal preferences, associating them with stories. Stories help heal people in different ways. That factors into our exploration. Episode sponsors Shawn Smucker’s The Weight of Memory Novel Marketing podcast See all sponsors 1. What we mean by saying “clean” fiction It usually means “does not include” XYZ (sex, violence, cussing, occult) “Clean” stories are often described as “wholesome” or “family friendly.” Their fans aren’t limited to older people and/or evangelical Christians. 2. How we benefit from reading “clean fiction” Clean fiction fans can sincerely desire to pursue holiness. These stories help reinforce morality for impressionable children. They can be especially healing in times of stress or suffering. Even secular readers enjoy simple, winsome, wholesome story-worlds. These stories reflect wholesome reality in a way “darker” stories cannot. You will notice that we have got them completely fogged about the meaning of the word “real”. They tell each other, of some great spiritual experience, “All that really happened was that you heard some music in a lighted building”; here “Real” means the bare physical facts, separated from the other elements in the experience they actually had. —The Screwtape Letters, C. S. Lewis https://speculativefaith.lorehaven.com/screwtape-on-redefining-realism/ 3. What we lose by reading only “clean fiction” They might reinforce the notion that sin (or morality) comes from stories. Or they connote the idea that only good feelings and safe spaces can heal us. They imply the gospel (or shallow versions) only works in pre-cleaned worlds. In excess, they can lead us away from God’s reality and prep for suffering. Conclusion: let’s enjoy “clean fiction” for God’s glory, and in moderation. After all, too much of any comfort food leads to an imbalanced diet. No, we don’t want to be “wrecked”! Yet neither should we be coddled. No, Stories Should Not ‘Wreck You, The Reader’, Marian Jacobs Yes, Stories Should Help Heal You, The Reader, Marian Jacobs Saving Your Child From the Village, Rod Dreher at The American Conservative Why Amish Romance Novels Are So Popular Com station David Alan Mock wrote in reply to our response to him in episode 77: I found the article on The Gospel Coalition you recommended about J. Mark Bertrand. It’s called “Christian Artists Tell the Truth About the World.” It’s from Sept. 2013, by Phil Wade. Thank you for sending me to it! [Text slightly edited.] Autumn Grayson replied to episode 78, with Kara Swanson about Peter Pan: When I was in first grade, I used to be obsessed with the Peter Pan story. Mainly the Broadway play I saw on tv. I never read the book, but a few aspects of the Peter Pan story spoke to me, especially since it interfaced with the way I was contemplating the notion of death at the time. I was a Christian even then, but the physical aspect of death still scared me. Since Peter Pan never grew old, he would be able to live forever so long as he didn’t get killed by Captain Hook or something. So he had risk and hardship and adventure, but still that chance to live on and on in a place that was important to him. There were elements of that that I wanted and wished for, even if I could never have them to that extent(at least on earth). So Peter Pan brought some of these things out of me where I could notice and work through them. I’m at a different stage now, when it comes to thinking about death, and Peter Pan is no longer my favorite story. But it was an important step along my path and an important part in my development. Kind of glad to hear the original Peter Pan book was darker and different than the movies, so I might have to read it (and Kara Swanson’s Dust) some time in the future. Next on Fantastical Truth Should Christians celebrate Halloween? What if we call it a “harvest festival”? We’ve all heard the jokes, but whether we engage or escape the thing, we must take seriously how our neighbors perceive the occasion. Right down to our lawn decor, Halloween’s trappings can encourage us to celebrate good things like fall and fandom—yet can also provoke us into flippan

What if you went hunting in the woods and found a Louisiana girl who had just been dropped off by a UFO? Then you tried to help her out while reconnecting with your past, and dropped into that crazy world of conspiracies and possible preparation for the end-times? Will Satan, or perhaps his human agents, use extraterrestrial myths to warm us up for a tribulation? Darby Kern, writer and producer of The Jake Muller Adventures: Unidentified, and many other audio dramas, joins us to explore this challenging world from a biblical worldview. Concession stand We’ll touch on end-times beliefs, but not focus on all the particulars! Please leave your “this is the real Mark of the Beast” theories at the door. Christians of good faith believe Jesus is coming back. That’s important! Christians of good faith can debate end-times beliefs. They’re secondary! See our continuing miniseries Armies of the Aliens for more on that theme. Introducing Darby Kern Darby Kern, the creator of The Jake Muller Adventures, has been a restaurant manager, a medical writer, an occupational health coordinator, a pharmacist, a soda-jerk… Now he is an award-winning filmmaker, and the writer of hundreds of radio dramas including Left Behind: The Kids, Left Behind: The Rising, Kid’s Corner (Back To God), Lamplighter Theatre, and Heirloom Audio’s The Extraordinary Adventures of G. A. Henty. He is the writer of several stories and dramas for the Abide App. He lives in Titletown, USA where he is involved with a Classical Education Academy and is a tour guide at Lambeau Field. Explore The Jake Muller Adventures and beyond DarbyKern.com JakeMullerAdventures.com Download Unidentified with 25 percent off using coupon code FT25 Episode sponsors A. J. Chamberlain’s Cain’s Redemption Shawn Smucker’s The Weight of Memory Novel Marketing podcast See all sponsors Questions we explore: How did you discover biblical faith and fantastic imagination? What led you to write for audio drama, including The Jake Muller Adventures: Unidentified? How might Satan use alien conspiracies to bring in a final Tribulation period? Darby Kern also adapted the 48-volume YA books for the 72-episode Left Behind: The Kids audio drama series from GapDigital studios. Where we draw the little up-arrows on our end-times charts: Darby takes the premillennial and pre-tribulation view (very similar to the Left Behind series view). Stephen likes this view but feels mostly agnostic, preferring to focus on resurrection and New Earth. Zack is nominally premillennial yet post-tribulation, which he concedes is emotionally “the worst view.” We all agree Jesus will return physically and with power as Scripture promises, and the sooner the better. Zack’s breakdown about alien theories in the end times: Satan is behind UFOs and will use that to explain away the Rapture. It’s the powerful deception (2 Thessalonians 2:7–12). UFOs are scout ships for the demonic locust and/or horsemen mothership (Revelation 9). UFOs are supernatural beings that will lead people astray in other ways, feeding into all the end-times deceptions. UFO sightings are ordinary demonic activity, the regular activity of them “roaming about the earth.” The deceptions will happen through the mythologies being built up around them, or the supernatural power they will extend to people. But the sightings themselves are somewhat accidental, which explains why they are so elusive. They don’t engage with our military, and fly away if they’re noticed. They may even be under some kind of restriction. UFOs are other biological beings that God created elsewhere that will have no more impact on human history than anything else. They don’t show up in Revelation because they are no more consequential than Columbus. (This feeds into the “Zookeeper” hypothesis.) Com station This discussion ran rightfully long, so we’ll save feedback for our next episode.

This week marks the twentieth-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States. Maybe you dimly recall these terrible events, but both of us remember them quite well. We also recall the stories and other images we used while trying to understand how people could do this. We will explore not just Sept. 11, and similar events today, but the greater question of how we use fantastic fiction to process real wars and rumors of wars. Concession stand At this time we won’t debate war or particular wars (not even Afghanistan). Wars are political, but we’ll steer clear of the political battles then and now. This is not a place for conspiracy theories or attacks on particular religions. We respect Christians in police or military service who face many challenges. We must recall what a different world 2001 was, without even smartphones. Episode sponsors A. J. Chamberlain’s Cain’s Redemption Shawn Smucker’s The Weight of Memory Novel Marketing podcast See all sponsors Ideas we explore How we remember living through Sept. 11, 2001 How we responded to Sept. 11 in nonfiction ways How we processed this war with fantastic stories Resources we cite Sept. 11, 2001 Basic Facts, 2001-2009 Archive for the U.S. Department of State September 11 Anniversary Fast Facts, CNN.com, July 27, 2013 My Afghanistan Odyssey Makes Me Pray for These Embattled People, Travis Perry at Lorehaven, Aug. 25, 2021 How Iron Man and Superman Won and Lost in Afghanistan, E. Stephen Burnett at Lorehaven, Aug. 30, 2021 Next on Fantastical Truth What if you were hunting in the woods and found a Louisiana girl who had just been dropped off by a UFO? Then you tried to help her out while reconnecting with your past, and dropped into that crazy world of conspiracies and possible preparation for the end-times? Will Satan, or perhaps his human agents, use extraterrestrial myths to warm us up for a tribulation? Darby Kern, writer and producer of The Jake Muller Adventures: Unidentified, and many other audio dramas, joins us to explore this challenging world from a biblical worldview.

What if you hated the idea of Peter Pan, then learned that your own skin sheds the fairy dust you need for traveling to Neverland? That’s the magical start of Kara Swanson’s Heirs of Neverland series, which began last year with the fantasy novel Dust. That book won three Realm Awards last July, and today Kara Swanson flies into our window and helps guide us to fantastical truth. Episode sponsors Learn more at the podcast sponsors page. A. J. Chamberlain’s thriller novel Cain’s Redemption Dragon and Rider game Kickstarter fundraiser From our Lorehaven review of Dust (fall 2020): Kara Swanson’s Dust shares the magical story of Claire, a girl who hates Peter Pan but who may be the key to saving Neverland. Because of Peter Pan, Claire’s brother is missing. In London, she meets a boy who helps her discover truths about herself and the strange and powerful dust that sheds from her skin. Her dust may not be the curse she always thought—it may be exactly what she needs to find her brother. She must evade pirates and rogue lost boys and learn whom to trust. Nothing is as it seems, and wishing on stars will get her nowhere in this delightfully twisted sequel to a classic. Read the full review Introducing novelist Kara Swanson As the daughter of missionaries, Kara Swanson spent her childhood running barefoot through the lush jungles of Papua New Guinea. Able to relate with characters dropped into a unique new world, she quickly fell in love with the fantasy genre. Swanson is the award-winning author of The Girl Who Could See and Peter Pan retelling/sequels Dust and Shadow (from Enclave Publishing). Kara is passionate about crafting stories of light shattering darkness, connecting with readers, and becoming best friends with a mermaid—though not necessarily in that order. KaraSwanson.com Instagram @karaswansonauthor 1. What happy thoughts lifted you to biblical faith and fantastic imagination? 2. Which pirate maps led to your stories, including your version of Neverland? Peter Pan history, from the Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) 3. Where will you fly next in your creative journeys? Follow Kara Swanson to Neverland and beyond KaraSwanson.com @KSwansonAuthor on Twitter Kara Swanson, author on Facebook @KaraSwansonAuthor on Instagram Com station Commentator “notleia” returns, regarding episode 77: Welp, isn’t this all as clear as mud. For as much as this might be intended to serve as a Article Zero or Article Point Five, it still feels a bit reductionist. To use the hats metaphor, we all know that we all wear many different hats, but I don’t feel the need to put a hierarchy on the hats, but ask what each hat might bring to the discussion. But I am admittedly a follower of the postmodernist school of reading where it’s all thrown in the pot and stirred until something falls out (and then you argue about what that thing is and what it means). Also I might argue that stories are not necessarily a deep-seated want in of themselves, that we have a deep-seated want for meaning, and we largely achieve that by means of the stories we tell ourselves. But also, mostly unrelated, there’s a lot to unpack in these little side bits about people trying to gain authority by the Teacher, or the Evangelist or the Author, and how that relates to an authoritarian culture, but that’s my psychological/sociological nerd hat talking. Also also: is “deconstruction” becoming a new negative buzz word, like “canceling”? Why? Admittedly I’m biased because I love deconstruction. Next on Fantastical Truth This month marks the twentieth-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States. Maybe you dimly recall these terrible events, but Zack and Stephen remember them quite well. We also recall the stories and other images we used while trying to understand how people could do this. We will explore not just Sept. 11, and similar events today, but the greater question of how we use fantastic fiction to process real wars and rumors of wars.

Last month at Lorehaven, readers were buzzing about a two-part article series from Josiah DeGraaf, which we called Should Christians Cancel Woke Stories? In short, Josiah suggests Christians must watch our for our own propaganda, and approach stories not as “culture warriors” but as students. That raises a big question hiding behind many readers’ questions about the series. When we’re enjoying stories, who are we supposed to be? Before we talk about our added callings as story creators, evangelists, or even students, what is our one job? Concession stand Effectively this is part 4 of our Fiction’s Chief End episode series. We’ll build on the “fiction’s chief end” series and lots of other articles. We’ll respond to some readers who have commented, though in general. We’re assuming mature Christian listeners here, not kids or new Christians. We assume a biblical view about the question “what is the chief end of man”? None of this speaks against anyone’s job as story creator or evangelist. Yet we do try to put first things first, which means: (1) God, (2) others, and (3) you! Unless we get this right, all our fiction happiness and holiness will go askew. What is the chief end of fan? People in memes have showed examples of failure to say “you had one job.” Here’s our big question: What’s our one job when we enjoy stories? A more-recent meme phrase is “X does/doesn’t understand the assignment.” Our big purpose: we must understand our first assignment from God. Only when we get this can we better sort out propaganda and “clean” stories. Now let’s specifically explore our assumed first jobs: as author or evangelist. 1. Fan’s chief end is … to be an author? First, some “inside baseball.” (We got this a lot at the original Speculative Faith.) In articles, comments, and everywhere, people assumed author identities. When Stephen began editing more often, he began to push back against this. If we’re all authors, where are the readers? We’re stuck in an echo chamber. If we’re always talking “inside author baseball,” we kinda deserve obscurity. For practical and doctrinal reasons, Stephen resists the authorial-voice impulse. Even in secular views, if we aren’t fans first, we’re going to lose happiness! We’ll end up just manufacturing stories—raiding others’ stories for parts. That impulse leads to novels and movies that most fans simply don’t enjoy. Here’s one tell: when people speak of “telling” rather than “enjoying” a story. With Josiah’s articles, some people reacted not as fans but authors. Using his framing, people wanted to think as teachers but not as students. Good teachers, however, know they themselves can never stop learning. Or as Jesus said, he who would be first must be last. We lead as servants. That leads to the more spiritual version of this leader-obsessed approach. 2. Fan’s chief end is … to be an evangelist? We could have a whole set of new concessions about this identity. God does call us all to evangelism, just like he calls some to create stories. But is our prime directive, our “chief end” only to evangelize readers? That’s a big assumption behind some pushback to Josiah’s two articles. Unless we address that, even our “no propaganda!” calls are propaganda. This is why even the “student” identity is limited. We aren’t always in school! This approach also leads to some assumptions about “clean” fiction. “I must ensure this story is ‘clean’ so that someone won’t be tempted to sin.” Well, what if we ensured stories are truthful so someone isn’t tempted to scoff? Even assuming evangelism, more real-life people need more realistic stories. We get that some fans just want to relax and not always be on their guard. That’s exactly why we must challenge the “my one job is evangelism” view. 3. Fan’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, using stories. Yes, all stories can help instruct authors. But receive a story! Don’t just Use it! Yes, all stories have messages. But the best stories don’t feel like evangelists. Rather, the best stories help you become a more Christlike worshiper of God. Then the best stories help you engage the world of neighbors around us. Fans must worship God My chief end is not writing, evangelism, or even being a good neighbor. My chief end is to glorify God in all ways, first by thanking/worshiping Him! This is the doctrine of vocation. I can worship God even if I don’t talk of him. Story-enjoyment is vocation. Stories can glorify Him in beauty, not just truth. When we receive (not just Use) good stories, we must start with gratitude. It’s about God

Last month, social-media citizens criticized the Romance Writers of America for nominating a Christian-made historical romance novel for its 2021 Vivian Awards. We’re looking at a surprising plot twist, when secular readers are feeling strict about a book like this. How can readers respond when secular critics fault Christian-made fiction for being too gritty and realistic? We explore the backstory with Parker J. Cole Parker J. Cole is an author, speaker, and radio show host with a fanatical obsession with the Lord, Star Trek, K-dramas, anime, romance books, old movies, speculative fiction, and knitting. An off-and-on Mountain Dew and marshmallows addict, she writes to fill the void the sugar left behind. To follow her on social media, visit her website at ParkerJCole.com. The Butterscotch Bride, newest release from Parker J. Cole Paranormal Romance Can Reflect Man’s Evil and God’s Grace, Parker’s newest Lorehaven article Christian Publisher Bethany House Defends ‘At Love’s Command’ From Outraged Critics It’s not often critics accuse a Christian historical romance novel of “racism” and “glamorizing genocide.” Yet a vocal contingent of romance fans leveled these charges while demanding the Romance Writers of America (RWA) rescind its 2021 Vivian Award to Christian historical fiction novelist Karen Witemeyer for her novel At Love’s Command. RWA voters awarded At Love’s Command in the category of “Romance with Religious or Spiritual Elements.” Days later, the association stripped Witemeyer’s book of its award. Why are critics hating At Love’s Command? The controversy concerned the male lead, a cavalryman who participated in the Wounded Knee massacre of Native American women and children, and his later search for redemption. At Love’s Command portrays the protagonist as anguished about his actions and seeking atonement. Back in the real world, the mob offers no such forgiveness. Readers largely criticized the book for portraying a “hero participating in genocide of indigenous people.” They called this repugnant. Some saw the book’s publication as evidence of “deeply embedded… white supremacy.” One reader felt prompted to continue her “boycott against all white authors,” while many others pledged to cancel membership with the RWA. One critic quipped, “Next up: Romancing Auschwitz.” Another said, “Real Christians do not excuse, promote, or approve of racism and genocide.” In fact, the very idea of atonement for such egregious sins torqued the Twitterati. “Characters who participate in genocide cannot be redeemed,” another critic said. That’s a direct quote. Concession stand We haven’t read the book. Fortunately, Parker has begun reading it! If the book offered no redemptive storyline, we might share criticism. But it does. That’s what the critics say they despise. That’s wrong to say. We must focus on the moral and imagination issues, not call this “politics.” In fact, this isn’t about politics—that is, public policy. This is people stuff. We assume this is a religious/moral conflict, not “neutral” versus “religious.” If you attempt to enforce your religion, that’s fine, but now you’re in that turf. You have to play by the rules like other religions, including ours: Christianity. Finally, we see no dragons or spaceships here. Still, this is a neighbor genre! Also, we didn’t want to invite the author.[1. Karen Witemeyer did address the situation in her Aug. 19 article “When God’s People Stand Together.” She didn’t address the controversy so much as her personal recovery and support. In part, she wrote, “What broke my heart most was not the loss of an award, but the fact that people were using my book to bash Christianity and the message of redemption.”] At such times it’s best to take a break! That’s why we invited Parker to help us blokes explore this strange world. 1. To review, what’s the purpose of romantic fiction in gospel worldview? What’s the purpose of these kinds of stories, for Christians and others? How have fans rightly objected to overemphasis on white romantic heroes? What are legitimate issues with historical fiction’s portrayal of past sins? 2. What’s the tragic backstory behind this rejection of At Love’s Command? What happened with the RWA and how it promotes authors of color? How did that issue lead up to this issue involving _At Love’s Command_? What’s in the book, and how does Witemeyer start showing redemption? 3. How can Christians engage this latest controversy fairly yet firmly? How do secular “mobs” try to recapture a sense of missing “divine wrath”? Why did some Christians’ emphases on “God loves you” lead to this issue? How can we subvert fake wrath and point to God’s love yet “consuming fire”? Com station Janie wrote in reply

What if your father died and made you the emperor, and you had to use your own bloodborne power and your empire’s traditional cult of human sacrifices to keep control of your sun—that is, the sun, S-U-N? Then you learn the sun is fading away, and the gods might oppose your new marriage? That’s the story of Lani Forbes’s Mesoamerican-inspired fantasy The Seventh Sun. Lani already appeared on our episode 71, and today she rejoins Fantastical Truth. Concession stand Today’s book includes elements like bloodletting and human sacrifice. Even more challenging, The Seventh Sun is set in a polytheistic(?) world. You might be thinking, Is this Christian fiction? What about being “clean”? At Lorehaven, we often use the name “Christian” for the author, not the story. Stephen believes that truly Christian authors will make their stories Christian. That’s why, as in other interviews, we start with our guest star’s testimony! Introducing The Seventh Sun Thrust into leadership upon the death of his emperor father, young Prince Ahkin feels completely unready for his new position. Though his royal blood controls the power of the sun, he’s now responsible for the lives of all the Chicome people. And despite all Ahkin’s efforts, the sun is fading—and the end of the world may be at hand. For Mayana, the only daughter of the Chicome family whose blood controls the power of water, the old emperor’s death may mean that she is next. Prince Ahkin must be married before he can ascend the throne, and Mayana is one of six noble daughters presented to him as a possible wife. Those who are not chosen will be sacrificed to the gods. Only one girl can become Ahkin’s bride. Mayana and Ahkin feel an immediate connection, but the gods themselves may be against them. Both recognize that the ancient rites of blood that keep the gods appeased may be harming the Chicome more than they help. As a bloodred comet and the fading sun bring a growing sense of dread, only two young people may hope to change their world. Rich in imagination and romance, and based on the legends and history of the Aztec and Maya people, The Seventh Sun brings to vivid life a world on the edge of apocalyptic disaster. Book 1 of The Age of the Seventh Sun series. Winner, 2021 Realm Award, best debut Winner, 2021 Realm Award, epic fantasy Winner, 2021 Realm Award, young adult Introducing novelist Lani Forbes Lani Forbes is the award-winning YA author of The Seventh Sun and the 2021 release, The Jade Bones. As the daughter of a librarian and an ex-drug smuggling surfer (which explains her passionate love of the ocean and books), Lani is a one-time teacher turned MFT student. Her passion is showing readers the transformative and encouraging power of story on the human experience. She helps others process anxiety, depression, and complex PTSD, both in her stories and in real life. A California native whose parents live in Mexico, Lani now resides in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and three young children. She is a proud nerd, stage IV cancer warrior, and member of Romance Writers of America and the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. LaniForbes.com Lani Forbes on Instagram Author Lani Forbes on Facebook Exploring gospel reconstruction in The Seventh Sun How did you discover biblical faith and fantastic imagination? What truth, goodness, and beauties led you into this Mesoamerican land? Now you’re an award-winner and also have book 2, The Jade Bones. What’s next? Com station On Facebook, Ashley replied to episode 74: I get why you’d want to build an ark, a relic from an awesome story of God’s miraculous deliverance. But WHY would you want to build a relic of man’s foolishness that God punished? It’s like wanting to rebuild Sodom or that tower Jesus talked about that killed everyone. On Instagram, valiantginger replied to episode 74: This is one of the things about the Ark Encounter that really stuck out to me. My dad raised us on a pretty literal view of Genesis (because if you compromise the beginning, why should you believe anything that came after?), so I didn’t have the more juvenile depictions of the ark around me. When I saw just how large that exhibit was, it was staggering. I didn’t realize exactly how widespread the cutesy version of the story was! Next on Fantastical Truth Last month, social-media citizens criticized the Romance Writers of America for nominating a Christian-made historical romance novel for its Vivian Awards. We’re looking at a surprising plot twist, when secular readers are feeling strict about a book like this. How can readers respond when secular critics fault Christian-made fiction for being too gritty and realistic? Sponsor: James R. Hannibal’s The Paris Betrayal from Revell Books After an intelligence operation in Rome goes sideways, Ben Calix returns to Paris to find his perfectly ordered world turned upside down

Last month the Ark Encounter attraction, by Answers in Genesis near Cincinnati, announced they would build the Tower of Babel. Of course, this won’t be a replica, lest God confuse our languages even more, but an exhibit. We’re joined by Tim Chaffey, who’s not only an expert in biblical apologetics, but one of the architects who helped build the backstory of Ark Encounter. Concession stand This is a Nephilim-Free Zone. Genesis is about more than these speculations. Yes, this episode will touch on creation/evolution, but mostly, the Flood. We will assume a global flood here, accepting this is the best Bible reading. If you disbelieve in the Flood, cool. Good for you. You can still be a Christian. But you may simply have bad vibes about (over rational objection) to “creationism.” Keep a fair mind. Healthy Christians can explore these issues in good faith. Anyway, we assume literal creation and Flood, basing our imagination on these. Still disagree? We end with this challenge: build your own Ark. A very tiny one. Tim Chaffey, content director with Answers in Genesis, features in in a few Ark Encounter features, such as this video about Scripture’s reliability. (courtesy E. Stephen Burnett, July 2018) Introducing Tim Chaffey Tim Chaffey is the content manager for the Attractions Division of Answers in Genesis. An apologist with a passion for training young people, he speaks regularly at the Creation Museum, camps, schools, and churches, and has authored numerous nonfiction and fiction books, including The Remnant Trilogy and The Truth Chronicles. Follow his website, Risen Ministries, and his Facebook author page. 1. How did you discover biblical faith and fantastic imagination? How did you get into defending six-day creation and a global Flood? 2. What’s it like making Scripture-inspired backstory for the nonfiction Flood? Stephen recalls the early AiG materials planning a Creation Museum Back then they even hoped to make, of all things, a replica Ark in the future. Now it’s real, and we explore how AiG and Ark Encounter create biblical backstory. How this project led to Tim Chaffey writing The Remnant Trilogy. How the Ark Encounter backstory differs from the Noah movie (2014). 3. What’s next for AiG and Ark Encounter, and how can Christians respond? How can the Tower of Babel exhibit address this persistent sin in the world? How can biblical truths of human origins motivate Christian imagination? Delve deeper into Ark Encounter ArkEncounter.com, CreationMuseum.org, and AnswersInGenesis.org If you must have Nephilim, Tim Chaffey explores this in his 2012 article. Ken Ham, Sci-Fi Fan, E. Stephen Burnett, May 2013 The Noah Movie: Our Detailed Review, Roger Patterson and Tim Chaffey, March 2014 AiG’s Ark Encounter Is a Model for Christians Engaging Popular Culture, E. Stephen Burnett at Christ and Pop Culture, August 2016 Behind the Scenes at Ark Encounter, Tim Chaffey at Speculative Faith, April 2018 Flood Legends Rise From the Depths of History, Tim Chaffey at Lorehaven, summer 2018 Ark Encounter Adds ‘Tower of Babel’ – Biblical Evidence: ‘We’re All One Biological Race’, Air1.com news, July 2021 Full immersion in biblical imagination Ark Encounter designers used “ark-tistic license,” shaped by Scripture reading, to speculate about the Ark’s appearance and Noah’s family. (courtesy E. Stephen Burnett, July 2018)   Perish all thoughts of sentimentalism: Ark Encounter designers pulled few punches in showcasing the sin of a pre-Flood world. (courtesy E. Stephen Burnett, July 2018)   Ark Encounter designers imagined names, appearances, and even personalities for all of Noah’s family, including his three sons and their wives. (courtesy E. Stephen Burnett, July 2018) Next on Fantastical Truth What if your father died and made you emperor, but along with your normal kingly responsibilities, you also had to keep control of the sun? Then you learn the sun is fading and the gods might oppose your new marriage? That’s the story of Lani Forbes’s Mesoamerican-flavor fantasy The Seventh Sun, last seen winning several 2021 Realm Awards, and Lani will rejoin Fantastical Truth! Sponsor: James R. Hannibal’s The Paris Betrayal from Revell Books After an intelligence operation in Rome goes sideways, Ben Calix returns to Paris to find his perfectly ordered world turned upside down. A hit man ambushes him at his flat. French SWAT tries to hem him in. This is a severance. The Director has kicked him out into the cold. But why? To find answers, Ben must seek the sniper who tried to kill him, the spymaster who trained him, the doctor who once saved his life, and the teammate who killed the woman he loved. And in the midst of this search, scouring Europe for his contacts, he must still try to stop a world-altering attack. “Hannibal once again displays his dazzling prose and ability to keep even the more experienced readers guessing. Ano

Earlier this summer, the U. S. Director of National Intelligence released a nine-page report that chronicled 144 encounters between military pilots with unidentified aerial phenomena, or UAP. Many of these extraordinary objects defy scientific explanation. What are the fantastical possibilities for UAP? Have pilgrims from other planets, or other dimensions, ventured to our own? And how do we as Christians apply a biblical worldview to these possibilities? Introducing guest Colin Samul Reverend Samul has been the pastor of Great Basin Reformed Presbyterian Church since April of 2019. He is originally from the Detroit area, where he was converted in 2005. Soon after his conversion, he felt the call to ministry and began to pursue his education for the ministry. He graduated from Kuyper College in Grand Rapids, MI in 2009 and subsequently moved to Sacramento, CA, where he attended City Seminary. After receiving his M.Div. in 2016, he served as pulpit supply in the RCUS. In 2018 he assisted the core group of GBRPC in petitioning the RPCNA for a Church plant in the Reno Area, while working with the Pacific Coast Presbytery to establish the work until he received the call to Pastor the congregation in early 2019. He is husband to Shanna, and the proud father of their four children; Mele, Evangeline, Leland, and Lilyanna. Colin has appeared on other podcasts to talk about UFOs’ spiritual implications. Zack and Colin join forces on “UFO Twitter” to represent a Christian perspective. No matter their explanations, UFOs (or UAP) represents a challenge to biblical faith. Read Zackary Russell’s July 1 article: New Intelligence Report Exposes Shocking Alien Phenomena: Human Humility. 1: What says the Pentagon report about unidentified aerial phenomena? The Pentagon created a task force specific to UAP. They examined 144 military UAP encounters since 2004. Of these, 143 have no explanation. Eighty involved multiple military sensors. Eighteen of these UAP encounters are firmly classified as Other. This means unusual movement patterns and acceleration abilities. This also refers to “signature management,” that is, cloaking or stealth. These eighteen objects were truly extraordinary. They defied our best sensors and our best scientific theories. We need better equipment and better science to identify these objects. Questions we discuss: What is clear in this report and what is vague? How does this report stand apart from previous governmental communications about UFOs? Why is the Pentagon even interested in this? 2. How might we explain these phenomena? Prosaic: these are human or natural occurrences Mental: these are neurological, psychosocial, or remotely induced incidents Physical: these are extraterrestrial or “cryptoterrestrial” appearances Extradimensional: these are non-physical, perhaps spiritual, causes or beings Other: we can’t even classify these events under the first four categories 3: How can Christians start sorting these issues by the Scriptures? Previous Fantastical Truth episodes in this series: 22. How Do Christians Discern UFO Accounts in Light of Scripture? 47. Why Do Some People Long for Escape to a Galactic Community? 63. Did God Create Aliens and Would Jesus Need to Save Them? Fictional works we reference: The Facade, by Dr. Michael Heiser “The Illustrated Man,” by Ray Bradbury The Sparrow, Mary Doria Russell Questions we explore: If aliens are real, do humans alone reflect the image of God? If UFOs are supernatural, what does this imply for us? How could aliens factor into God’s plan? Would Jesus visit alien planets? Should Christians send missionaries to alien civilizations? Articles we discuss: Glowing Auras and ‘Black Money’: The Pentagon’s Mysterious U.F.O. Program Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Project Launched to Look for Extraterrestrial Visitors to Our Solar System Intelligent Life Really Can’t Exist Anywhere Else Recent Navy UAP encounters: Infrared footage Radar footage Fantastical flowchart of possibilities: Credit to Berlinghoff Rasmussen Fantastic fans Stephen S. replied to episode 13: After listening to this podcast I was wondering about talking animals or even nature itself talking after the creation is redeemed. I think of the talking serpent in the garden, Balaam’s talking donkey, and Jesus said the rocks would cry out in praise if others didn’t. Will there be talking animals after our resurrection? A part of me hopes so. See Randy Alcorn’s article “Might Some Animals Talk on the New Earth?“ Next on Fantastical Truth Last month the Ark Encounter attraction, by Answers in Genesis near Cincinnati, announced they would build the Tower of Babel! Not a replica, of course (we already have too much cultural confusion), but an exhibit. I’m looking forward to this. After all, they’ve already built a version of Noah’s ark itself, and in our next episode, we’l

Just this month, two wealthy business owners, Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos, took two different private vehicles on flights beyond Earth.[1. GPS III-5 Mission photo (June 17, 2021) courtesy SpaceX on Flickr. Licensed under Creative Commons.] Now people are saying: the age of lower-cost space flight is finally here, not only from government agencies but from private entrepreneurs! Others wonder if this is all just a big waste. When people are starving because our world groans under sin, is it wise for people to support space flight? Concession stand We’re not starting with the idols. That’s (frankly) an unhelpful approach. As usual, we want to ask first what a thing is for—its purpose in God’s world. We admit our biases: we both favor space exploration and missions work. Our worldview is Christian (we attempt no secular arguments for feeding the hungry). 1. What is the ultimate purpose of life, the universe, and human technology? Before we condemn greed and exploitation, what’s good here? Cultural mandate, science and technology, stewardship of Earth and space? In a world without sin, would expanding humanity have reached the stars? God actually disciplines people after they stay in one place (Genesis 11). Genesis 11 appears to be all about technology and its proper use/misuse. We should explore the cosmos because it testifies to God’s invisible attributes and declares his glory (Romans 1, Psalm 8). Meme-maker credit: Catherine Darrow. 2. How does sin distort our view of God’s universe and our technology? Some people see no practical or transcendent value in space exploration. Every time there is a high profile rocket launch, people complain about it. “But Lord, those spaceships could have been sold and the money been given to the poor.” One meme shows two buttons: “fly in space for ten minutes,” or “End world hunger.” Only the fly-in-space button actually works. “End world hunger” is a fantasy. Sin leads to human suffering, and also distorts our explanations about that. Sin also distorts technology; we can use this to ignore real needs around us. But people distract themselves from real needs by projecting onto headlines like this. 3. Today, how might unsaved people explore space, and what about eternity? Elon Musk is serious about colonizing Mars. Jeff Bezos is serious about colonizing LEO through O’Neill cylinders. They and other space barons have also mentioned mining asteroids. We must prepare for Martians and Belters (people who mine asteroids). Jesus might not return before people truly begin private exploration of space. What if Mars needs missions? Or becomes a missions base like America has been. Future topic to explore: the “planets as backup for Earth” humanistic concept. Future topic to explore: if Jesus returns to Earth, with people in space, how would that work? Sponsor 1: Joshua David’s novel Seed: Judgment Seed: Judgment, a science fantasy tale of biblical proportions from Joshua David is available now, exclusively on Amazon. Seed falls from the heavens and judges humanity. One foretells of the coming calamity, but the words are heeded too late. Few remain after the war against the cosmic demon. Long confined to one of the few outposts left on Earth, Sal accepts an unauthorized mission to find a survivor lost in the Vegas wastes. He believes his target is special, imbued with a spirit that might finally turn the tide against the darkness. But to save her from the risen still haunting humanity, he’ll have to fight alone and outgunned against enemies that have already conquered the world. “Joshua David’s Seed: Judgment marries The Thing, Resident Evil, and Mad Max to generate a post-apocalyptic tale of frenetic intensity. … There’s a beauty to the brutality, a dance in the destruction.” —Lorehaven (sponsored review) Sponsor 2: Revell Books, Jody Hedlund’s Come Back to Me The ultimate cure that could heal any disease? Crazy. That’s exactly what research scientist Marian Creighton has always believed about her father’s quest, even if it does stem from a desire to save her sister from the genetic disease that stole their mother from them. But when her father falls into a coma after drinking a vial of holy water believed to contain traces of residue from the Tree of Life, Marian must question all of her assumptions. He’s left behind tantalizing clues that suggest he’s crossed back in time. Insane. Until Marian tests his theories and finds herself in the Middle Ages during a dangerous peasant uprising. William Durham, a valiant knight, comes to Marian’s rescue and offers her protection . . . as his wife. The longer Marian stays in the past, the more she cares about William. Can she ever find her father and make it back to the present to heal her sister? And when the time comes to leave, will she want to? “Brimming with wonder, Come Back to Me will keep you riveted until the last

We’re back from the Realm Makers conference in July 2021! Over 400 people arrived in St. Louis or watched the streaming video at this premier Christian-led conference for faith-based creators of fantasy, science fiction, and beyond. What keeps Christian fans and authors assembling at this annual event? Fanside chats at the Lorehaven booth 1. Realm Makers executive director Scott Minor RealmMakers.com Join the RealmSphere Realm Makers Announces Winners of 2021 Realm Awards for Best Christian-Made Fantasy, Lorehaven, July 16, 2021 In Appreciation of Christian Supernatural Fiction Trailblazer Frank Peretti, Rebecca P. Minor, July 22 2. Realm Makers attender David Umstattd 3. Fantastic and prolific author H. L. Burke Heart of the Curiosity review, Lorehaven Coiled review, Lorehaven H. L. Burke on Instagram HLBurke.com 4. Award-winning The Seventh Sun author Lani Forbes The Seventh Sun at the Lorehaven library Lani Forbes on Instagram LaniForbes.com 5. Lightraiders game designer James R. Brown LightRaiders.com First Watch game Kickstarter 6. The PRISM Conspiracy author Mary Schlegel The PRISM Conspiracy, Lorehaven review Mary Schlegel on Instagram MarySchlegel.com 7. Realm Makers attender Philip Wilder PhilipWilder.com Lorehaven publisher E. Stephen Burnett interviews conference director Scott Minor at the Lorehaven booth during Realm Makers 2021. Com station Caleb wrote about episode 70 with James R. Hannibal and DragonRaid: I was a 12 year old Lightraider for the OLMN in 1985 and later purchased the boxed set. I did try to get some of my friends in high school but it never really took off. I spent hours creating characters and reading the handbooks of dark and light characters. I lost the game, I thought forever, in the 90s. It got thrown out because my wife thought it evil. Imagine my excitement to hear it is reborn! On a side note, you might remember I book in the ’80s called Playing with Fire. It was a warning to Christians of the evils of playing fantasy RPGs. Episode sponsors Sponsor 1: Joshua David’s novel Seed: Judgment Seed: Judgment, a science fantasy tale of biblical proportions from Joshua David is available now, exclusively on Amazon. Seed falls from the heavens and judges humanity. One foretells of the coming calamity, but the words are heeded too late. Few remain after the war against the cosmic demon. Long confined to one of the few outposts left on Earth, Sal accepts an unauthorized mission to find a survivor lost in the Vegas wastes. He believes his target is special, imbued with a spirit that might finally turn the tide against the darkness. But to save her from the risen still haunting humanity, he’ll have to fight alone and outgunned against enemies that have already conquered the world. “Joshua David’s Seed: Judgment marries The Thing, Resident Evil, and Mad Max to generate a post-apocalyptic tale of frenetic intensity. … There’s a beauty to the brutality, a dance in the destruction.” —Lorehaven (sponsored review) Sponsor 2: A. J. Chamberlain’s novel Urban Angel Urban Angel is a story of courage, redemption, and spiritual warfare, set in contemporary London. One day the church will be made perfect, but for now she bears the scars of war. Alex Masters knows all about that war. For her the journey to faith has been marked by grief and loneliness, but still she chooses to believe. Daisy is a child of the social media generation, lost in every belief and none. When tragedy strikes, she seeks out her cousin Alex because she knows that Alex understands what it is to face the darkness. They come together, believer and unbeliever, hunted by an enemy that will do whatever it takes to achieve its goal. Alone, Alex and Daisy would be defenseless, but this is not a struggle against flesh and blood, and not every weapon is visible. Urban Angel launched in ebook and paperback format on July 1 and is available from all the major ebook platforms and your local bookshop. Urban Angel is the first book in the Masters Series. Urban Angel is distinctly different [from] standard Christian fiction; it doesn’t shy away from the tough issues faced by Christians, it’s gutsy, frank, and relevant. —reviewer Sponsor 3: Revell Books, Jody Hedlund’s Come Back to Me The ultimate cure that could heal any disease? Crazy. That’s exactly what research scientist Marian Creighton has always believed about her father’s quest, even if it does stem from a desire to save her sister from the genetic disease that stole their mother from them. But when her father falls into a coma after drinking a vial of holy water believed to contain traces of residue from the Tree of Life, Marian must question all of her assumptions. He’s left behind tantalizing clues that suggest he’s crossed back in time. Insane. Until Marian tests his theories and finds herself in the Middle Ages during a dangerous peasant uprising. William Durham, a valiant knight, comes to Marian’s rescue and o

What if you grew up learning Scripture memory and biblical virtue from a Christian-made tabletop game system? Then you discovered that game had been “cancelled” by an irritated televangelist in the 1980s? That’s a decent setup for a contemporary novel. But in fact, it’s a true story. Now suspense and fantasy novelist James R. Hannibal, owner of the role-playing game known as DragonRaid, joins us to explore this story of dice-rolling, discipleship, death, and rebirth. Former stealth pilot James R. Hannibal is no stranger to secrets and adventure. He has been shot at, locked up by surface to air missiles, has hunted insurgents with drones, and was once chased by an armed terrorist down a winding German road. James is the Carol Award–winning author of the Clandestine Service series and a three-time winner of the Silver Falchion Award for Juvenile Fiction for his Section 13 series. He also stewards the discipleship learning system game DragonRaid, soon to be relaunched as LightRaiders. 1. James, how did you discover biblical truth, fantastic faith, and DragonRaid? How did the game help fans love biblical truth and fantastic imagination. What’s the game like? Origin? Uniqueness? How does it help train disciples? What other memories do fans have about of the game? What about misconceptions? 2. How was the game “cancelled,” at least for a time, starting in the 1980s? In general terms, speaking as kindly as we can, what happened to the game? How did this “cancel” campaign fit with the general 1980s “Satanic panic”? What did you think about that cancelling then, and how do you think now? Wolf Soldier, inspired by the world of LightRaiders, arrives this fall 3. Today, how are you blessed to help redeem the game and expand its world? What’s happening now with the game. Updates about the late game founder, Dick Wolfe. What’s next for the redeemed game: renaming, Wolf Soldier, and beyond. Explore more JamesRHannibal.com DragonRaid page on Wikipedia LightRaiders.com: DragonRaid complete vintage boxed set LightRaiders.com: First Watch Scripture memory game fundraiser Episode sponsors Sponsor 1: Joshua David’s novel Seed: Judgment Seed: Judgment, a science fantasy tale of biblical proportions from Joshua David is available now, exclusively on Amazon. Seed falls from the heavens and judges humanity. One foretells of the coming calamity, but the words are heeded too late. Few remain after the war against the cosmic demon. Long confined to one of the few outposts left on Earth, Sal accepts an unauthorized mission to find a survivor lost in the Vegas wastes. He believes his target is special, imbued with a spirit that might finally turn the tide against the darkness. But to save her from the risen still haunting humanity, he’ll have to fight alone and outgunned against enemies that have already conquered the world. “Joshua David’s Seed: Judgment marries The Thing, Resident Evil, and Mad Max to generate a post-apocalyptic tale of frenetic intensity. … There’s a beauty to the brutality, a dance in the destruction.” —Lorehaven (sponsored review) Sponsor 2: A. J. Chamberlain’s novel Urban Angel Urban Angel is a story of courage, redemption, and spiritual warfare, set in contemporary London. One day the church will be made perfect, but for now she bears the scars of war. Alex Masters knows all about that war. For her the journey to faith has been marked by grief and loneliness, but still she chooses to believe. Daisy is a child of the social media generation, lost in every belief and none. When tragedy strikes, she seeks out her cousin Alex because she knows that Alex understands what it is to face the darkness. They come together, believer and unbeliever, hunted by an enemy that will do whatever it takes to achieve its goal. Alone, Alex and Daisy would be defenseless, but this is not a struggle against flesh and blood, and not every weapon is visible. Urban Angel launched in ebook and paperback format on July 1 and is available from all the major ebook platforms and your local bookshop. Urban Angel is the first book in the Masters Series. Urban Angel is distinctly different [from] standard Christian fiction; it doesn’t shy away from the tough issues faced by Christians, it’s gutsy, frank, and relevant. —reviewer Sponsor 3: Revell Books, Jody Hedlund’s Come Back to Me The ultimate cure that could heal any disease? Crazy. That’s exactly what research scientist Marian Creighton has always believed about her father’s quest, even if it does stem from a desire to save her sister from the genetic disease that stole their mother from them. But when her father falls into a coma after drinking a vial of holy water believed to contain traces of residue from the Tree of Life, Marian must question all of her assumptions. He’s left behind tantalizing clues that suggest he’s crossed back in time. Insane. Until Marian tests his theori

Christians talk a lot about “backsliding,” that is, doubts or struggles with our faith. Often the stories we share reflect characters who do the same. But how can Christian-made stories best explore this challenge, moving past cliches and shallow pictures of “backsliders” and showing more realistic images of people who fall back from faith but find restoration in Jesus? Concession stand We’ve already talked about “deconstructing” (episode 10). This isn’t that. We’ll also tread lightly on the challenge of whether Christians can “fall away.” Some of this overlaps with tropey fiction evangelism, worth its own episode. We’ll critique some shallow backsliding narratives, hopefully in good faith. Our purpose is positive: to point to better fictional examples of backsliding. 1. How to backslide badly in a Christian(?) book First, we’ll consider a fictional example Stephen wrote in this older article. Charis wanted to cry. Did Michael really mean it? Was he really saying there was a good God who loved everyone in the world — everyone, including her? But he could not mean that, she thought. After all, she was not important, beautiful, wealthy, or special. No one could love her after all the bad things she had done. Not even God. “Blind faith” is a safe trope, an evangelical version of “just believe in yourself.” It’s a pre-cleaned, saccharine version of the sufferings Christians do have. Not all backsliders have simple stories. “God loves you” doesn’t fix things. Second, we’ll consider Mack from the preachy, kinda-Christian novel The Shack. The story tries to present tragedy honestly, but keeps Nerfing the horror. Three authors, one confusion: The Shack‘s fictional “trinity” is tropey. The shtick only works with bad assumptions about The Church Back Home. 2. If you’re going to become a backsliding book hero, do it right Rayford Steele in the Left Behind series is actually a great example. Left Behind book 6, Assassins, brought Rayford to a crisis point. The story asked: Is it righteous to seek vengeance against the Antichrist? Book 7 then explored Rayford’s repentance and restoration by the Church. Mary Magdalene’s character in The Chosen is another example. Matthew: What if you were cut off from Jesus by something in your past? Mary: He already fixed me once. I can’t face him. Matthew: I’m a bad person, Mary. My whole life, all about me. No faith. Mary: I do have faith in him, just not in me. 3. How can we grow in Christ thanks to backsliding characters? Scripture gives examples of struggling saints. Fiction gives us backup for this. If the backsliding is realistic, it can help cultivate our hearts _and_ heads. Even tropes can help us head off some of the sillier backsliding excuses. Episode sponsors Sponsor 1: Joshua David’s novel Seed: Judgment Seed: Judgment, a science fantasy tale of biblical proportions from Joshua David is available now, exclusively on Amazon. Seed falls from the heavens and judges humanity. One foretells of the coming calamity, but the words are heeded too late. Few remain after the war against the cosmic demon. Long confined to one of the few outposts left on Earth, Sal accepts an unauthorized mission to find a survivor lost in the Vegas wastes. He believes his target is special, imbued with a spirit that might finally turn the tide against the darkness. But to save her from the risen still haunting humanity, he’ll have to fight alone and outgunned against enemies that have already conquered the world. “Joshua David’s Seed: Judgment marries The Thing, Resident Evil, and Mad Max to generate a post-apocalyptic tale of frenetic intensity. … There’s a beauty to the brutality, a dance in the destruction.” —Lorehaven (sponsored review) Sponsor 2: A. J. Chamberlain’s novel Urban Angel Urban Angel is a story of courage, redemption, and spiritual warfare, set in contemporary London. One day the church will be made perfect, but for now she bears the scars of war. Alex Masters knows all about that war. For her the journey to faith has been marked by grief and loneliness, but still she chooses to believe. Daisy is a child of the social media generation, lost in every belief and none. When tragedy strikes, she seeks out her cousin Alex because she knows that Alex understands what it is to face the darkness. They come together, believer and unbeliever, hunted by an enemy that will do whatever it takes to achieve its goal. Alone, Alex and Daisy would be defenseless, but this is not a struggle against flesh and blood, and not every weapon is visible. Urban Angel launches in ebook and paperback format on July 1 and is available from all the major ebook platforms and your local bookshop. Urban Angel is the first book in the Masters Series. Urban Angel is distinctly different [from] standard Christian fiction; it doesn’t

What if your father drank a vial of holy water that might have come from the Tree of Life? Then you researched his work, and found yourself waking up in the Middle Ages—just as the peasants began revolting? Novelist Jody Hedlund explores this in Come Back to Me, book 1 of her fantasy-romance-time travel series The Waters of Time, and we will explore this with her in today’s episode. Concession stand This episode will be different. Lots of books name-checked in this one! Also, we’ve grown enough to open Fantastical Truth to relevant sponsors. They’ll be relevant. No ear buds, meal delivery services, or gold-buying on this ship. Introducing Come Back to Me The ultimate cure that could heal any disease? Crazy. That’s exactly what research scientist Marian Creighton has always believed about her father’s quest, even if it does stem from a desire to save her sister from the genetic disease that stole their mother from them. But when her father falls into a coma after drinking a vial of holy water believed to contain traces of residue from the Tree of Life, Marian must question all of her assumptions. He’s left behind tantalizing clues that suggest he’s crossed back in time. Insane. Until Marian tests his theories and finds herself in the Middle Ages during a dangerous peasant uprising. William Durham, a valiant knight, comes to Marian’s rescue and offers her protection . . . as his wife. The longer Marian stays in the past, the more she cares about William. Can she ever find her father and make it back to the present to heal her sister? And when the time comes to leave, will she want to? Introducing Jody Hedlund Jody Hedlund is the bestselling author of more than thirty historical novels for both adults and teens, including Come Back to Me, and is the winner of numerous awards, including the Christy, Carol, and Christian Book Awards. Jody lives in Michigan with her husband, busy family, and five spoiled cats. She loves to imagine that she really can visit the past, although she’s yet to accomplish the feat, except via the many books she reads. Learn more about JodyHedlund.com, and explore Jody Hedlund’s Readers Room on Facebook. Questions we explore: Why do historical fiction fans enjoy romanticizing the past? What risks do we face when time-traveling, via magic water or other means? How can time-traveling readers show honor and love for the true Time Lord? Episode sponsors Sponsor 1: Joshua David’s novel Seed: Judgment Seed: Judgment, a science fantasy tale of biblical proportions from Joshua David is available now, exclusively on Amazon. Seed falls from the heavens and judges humanity. One foretells of the coming calamity, but the words are heeded too late. Few remain after the war against the cosmic demon. Long confined to one of the few outposts left on Earth, Sal accepts an unauthorized mission to find a survivor lost in the Vegas wastes. He believes his target is special, imbued with a spirit that might finally turn the tide against the darkness. But to save her from the risen still haunting humanity, he’ll have to fight alone and outgunned against enemies that have already conquered the world. “Joshua David’s Seed: Judgment marries The Thing, Resident Evil, and Mad Max to generate a post-apocalyptic tale of frenetic intensity. … There’s a beauty to the brutality, a dance in the destruction.” —Lorehaven (sponsored review) Sponsor 2: A. J. Chamberlain’s novel Urban Angel Urban Angel is a story of courage, redemption, and spiritual warfare, set in contemporary London. One day the church will be made perfect, but for now she bears the scars of war. Alex Masters knows all about that war. For her the journey to faith has been marked by grief and loneliness, but still she chooses to believe. Daisy is a child of the social media generation, lost in every belief and none. When tragedy strikes, she seeks out her cousin Alex because she knows that Alex understands what it is to face the darkness. They come together, believer and unbeliever, hunted by an enemy that will do whatever it takes to achieve its goal. Alone, Alex and Daisy would be defenseless, but this is not a struggle against flesh and blood, and not every weapon is visible. Urban Angel launches in ebook and paperback format on July 1 and is available from all the major ebook platforms and your local bookshop. Urban Angel is the first book in the Masters Series. Urban Angel is distinctly different [from] standard Christian fiction; it doesn’t shy away from the tough issues faced by Christians, it’s gutsy, frank, and relevant. —reviewer Com station “Notleia” wrote about our show notes for episode 67: I think a large part of the problem is that a lotta people in this subculture have trouble distinguishing between “descriptive” versus “proscriptive.” Which makes sense because there have been countless denominational and church splits

“Fiction should not preach!” many critics say. They may even preach about it. But even if excellent Christian-made stories should not preach, does this mean the stories will have no teaching at all? Is preaching the only way we learn, or don’t we also learn through discipleship. This includes but isn’t limited to sermons! With help from Lorehaven writer and That Pale Host author L. G. McCary, we explore how great Christian-made stories do have a purpose: not to preach at readers beyond the “fourth wall,” but to help disciple our imaginations in Christ. Sponsored segment Subscribe to Lorehaven.com and explore the best Christian-made fantasy, sci-fi, and beyond. Fantastic articles every week New podcast episodes every Tuesday New book reviews every Friday L. G. McCary is an old-school Whovian and a lifelong Trekkie. She has a bachelor’s in psychology which means she knows enough to mess with readers’ heads but not enough to diagnose their problems. She is the wife of an Army chaplain and the homeschooling mom of four rambunctious kids. She writes supernatural and dark science fiction on topics as diverse as artificial intelligence, ghosts, sentient snowmen, and space hotels. Her first novel, That Pale Host, releases October 2021 from Monster Ivy Publishing. Her short story, “Rendering,” appears in Havok’s Rebirth anthology. Website · Facebook · Instagram 1. What do we mean by ‘preachy stories’ and what’s the problem with this? How do we understand this label preachy? What are legit examples of preachiness? How do both evangelical and secular stories get preachy? Preachy fiction feels annoying. But so can preaching that we need. The best rebukes to bad “preachiness” are based on biblical facts, not our dislike. Biblically, stories aren’t meant to preach. Sermons are meant to preach. Stories and sermons have different purposes. 2. Why do Christians overcorrect in trying to avoid ‘preachy’ fiction? In response to preachiness, fans may reject not just preachiness but meaning! This can lead to stories that feel at once even preachier and more shallow. This is Stephen’s one exception to his working definition of “Christian fiction.” Usually he defines a “Christian thing” as, “A Christian made the thing.” Exception: Unless the Christian forces a solid (even secular-preachy!) partition. 3. How does great fiction help disciple (not preach at) readers? We may subconsciously define “preacher” with images, not words: he’s a distant figure at a pulpit. Instead, let’s subconsciously define a good pastor with images, not words. He’s a teacher, brother, friend. These are very different concepts. The preacher simply lectures at a distance. The other helps pastor you in person. As Christians, we ought to seek Christian-made books that help with this pastoral act of what Scripture calls discipleship. This is how we grow. Sermons help disciple us, but as part of greater whole. We grow by truth applied in relationships. Fiction alone helps simulate this. Next on Fantastical Truth What if your father drank a vial of holy water that might have come from the Tree of Life? Then you researched his work, and found yourself waking up in the Middle Ages—just as the peasants began revolting? Novelist Jody Hedlund explores this in Come Back to Me, book 1 of her fantasy-romance-time travel series The Waters of Time, and next week she joins us on Fantastical Truth.

What if dancing could control your world, and your world was a floating island, and you had just escaped from a legalistic Order that had ruled the island? That may sound familiar, because we visited this world in one of our first episodes, about the novel Hidden Current. This time, author Sharon Hinck joins us to explore grace and true heroism versus legalism and false leadership in her recently concluded fantasy trilogy, The Dancing Realms series. Introducing Sharon Hinck Award-winning author Sharon Hinck writes “stories for the hero in all of us”—stories about ordinary women on extraordinary faith journeys. Known for their authenticity, emotional range, and spiritual depth, her novels include the groundbreaking The Sword of Lyric fantasy series and the imaginative new The Dancing Realms series, which began with the Christy Award–winning Hidden Current and was followed by Forsaken Island. Sharon’s writing has also been honored with three Carol Awards. For this latest series, she drew on her experience as a ballet teacher, dancer, and choreographer. Explore her series at The Dancing Realms group on Facebook. Windward Shore, book 3 of The Dancing Realms series The island world of Meriel faces an old adversary and a new danger. Will the reformed Order die before it has a chance to blossom? Storm clouds loom on the horizon as Carya and Brantley struggle to overcome wounds of the past and build a future together. The fragile new Order is on shaky ground, with too few dancers and sparse resources. Then trouble erupts—and now an insidious rebellion and a new foe threaten their entire world. When she uncovers an old enemy behind all the destruction, Carya realizes the past is not done with her. With conflict tearing apart the dancers and villages, rimmers are soon overrun, and Carya must unite her people by leading the battle to protect the very heart of her world … or lose it all. Exploring the Dancing Realms with Sharon Hinck In book 1, Hidden Current, Calara leaves the legalistic Order that trained her in magical dancing forms, but abuses this gift for control. How do you interpret these fantastical elements that often find parallels in the real world? In book 2, Forsaken Island, Calara, now known as Carya, and her friend Brantley leave their island for the first time. They’re soon lost in a world whose peoples use creative gifts but forget their own purposes. What ideas helped you create this sequel? Finally in book 3, Windward Shore, Carya and Brantley return to the island world of Meriel. But as we’ve heard, the island isn’t stable. Did you have this finale in mind all along? How do earlier themes bear fruit? Fantastic fans David C. wrote about episode 56: Greetings! Still loving the podcast and what you guys are doing. I have a question that relates to your episode about strength and female characters that you did with Elisabeth Wheatley. Recently, I got into a debate with some other Christians online regarding the meaning of Deut. 22:5 that prohibits a woman from wearing a man’s clothing, and vice versa. The claim was, based on hermeneutics and the meanings of words in the original language, that women are not permitted to be in combat and that it is, to paraphrase one podcaster, an abomination to the Lord for a woman to carry a sword. No doubt, this irks me, because many of our favorite stories include women who employ swords or other instruments of combat: Wonder Woman, Princess Leia, Eowyn, Mulan, etc. And despite the examples of Deborah and Jael in the Bible, there are arguments that stand that these women don’t support a view of women in combat. So my main question: Can Christian fans enjoy films and books with warrior women, and can Christian writers create positive, strong, Christ-like female main characters who pick up a sword to do battle (not just self-defense), in a fantasy or a fictionalized version of our world (i.e. Hermione Granger, Black Widow)? Or are these other Christians correct, and creating such characters are abominations to the Lord? Next on Fantastical Truth “Fiction shouldn’t preach!” many critics say. They may even preach about it. But even if excellent Christian-made stories should not preach, does this mean the stories will have no teaching at all? Is preaching the only way we learn, or don’t we also learn through discipleship. This includes but isn’t limited to sermons! With help from Lorehaven writer and That Pale Host author L. G. McCary, we’ll explore how great Christian-made stories do have a purpose: not to preach beyond the fourth wall, but to help disciple our imaginations in Christ.

Thousands of people from hundreds of families attended the Florida Parent-Educators Association conference in Orlando on Memorial Day Weekend. Our cohost E. Stephen Burnett was there as an author and Lorehaven publisher. He joined the Realm Makers Bookstore to share novels of fantasy, sci-fi, and beyond, all from Christian authors. In March, he also joined the bookstore for events in Nashville and St. Louis. Why do homeschool families love Christian-made fantastical fiction? Creators who featured at the Realm Makers Bookstore included: Fantasy novelist Julie Hall Fantasy/suspense novelist and DragonRaid game owner James Hannibal Audio drama writer Darby Kern Adventures in Odyssey voice actor Keith Leigh Adventures in Odyssey founding father Phil Lollar Fantasy novelist Matt Mikalatos Realm Makers co-founder and fantasy novelist Rebecca P. Minor Realm Makers co-founder Scott Minor Sci-fi and fantasy novelist Steve Rzasa We can learn from homeschool conferences What kind of books are families looking for? Which books can they find at the Realm Makers Bookstore? What fantastic conversations do we enjoy at the bookstore appearances? BONUS: How can Christian authors meet these readers’ needs? Fantastic fans Brielle from Australia wrote about episode 63: I found this a very interesting episode. I’m in the category of loosely holding the belief that there isn’t life on other plants. It’s not impossible biblically, but i see no reason to expect it. Regarding the connection between aliens and demons and the fact that there’s certainly a physical component for some of the phenomena, I would mention that angels can definitely interact with the physical world and even have what seems to be a physical body. (Lot’s escape from Sodom comes to mind and well as the angels who ate with Abraham). So I wouldn’t entirely rule out demons doing something physical. Interestingly the question of how the fall and redemption would affect aliens actually can be asked of fantasy races too. Does God become incarnate as a man, an elf, or whatever other sentient species you’ve come up with? I don’t know if I’ve seen a fantasy novel that takes that question into account. (though I know Tolkien wrote a bit about incarnate and the mending of the world, so I suppose it can work if the problem is that the world was broken, not a specific man sinned.) The idea that it’s inconsistent for the curse and the sin nature brought by Adam’ sin to spread to all sentient beings, but for the redemption of Christ to only be open to humans was one I hadn’t thought of before and find interesting. I still don’t think their aliens out there, but there’s plenty of room for people to explore possibilities in books. Caleb C. also wrote about episode 63: Just listened to your episode on Aliens. I checked your website to see if Lorehaven has reviewed but only found a a brief [description] for The Dream Thief by Stephen R. Lawhead. I read this in [the] [19]80s and remember that the last survivor of an ancient Martian civilization who guards the archives of the salvation story of the Christ who became a Martian and died a sacrificial death to save them. I only thought it deserved a mention in the larger discussion. Thanks for your podcast! Kevin R. wrote about episode 64: When I read the title of this latest episode on masks and the virus I couldn’t have rolled my eyes any harder. I have to confess, I almost skipped this one out of sheer fatigue on the subject, but alas, I pushed through and found gold! You guys really have a way of presenting things that keeps me hooked and I found myself Amening you when you mentioned how this analogy you guys were using would PREACH!! As a pastor, I found myself very much thinking the same thing and now feel like I may have to incorporate some of your analogy elements into a future sermon. What a great idea to use the vaccine/mask dialogue to model Grace vs Works. And so I went from a mentality of “skip this one” to “preach this one!” Thanks again for thoughtful and grounded discussion and bringing the usual balanced blend of theology and imagination through the tool of speculation. Bravo! Next on Fantastical Truth What if dancing could control your world, and your world was a floating island, and you had just escaped from a legalistic Order that had ruled the island? That may sound familiar, because we visited this world in one of our first episodes, about the novel Hidden Current. This time, author Sharon Hinck joins us to explore grace and true heroism versus legalism and false leadership in her recently concluded fantasy trilogy, The Dancing Realms series.

“Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch.” In Colossians 2, the apostle Paul says these regulations made up by man won’t keep you from sin’s infection! But similar rules might protect you from viral infections. So what do we think of these rules when a vaccine comes along? How do we respond to changing views on wearing masks? And how does this whole mask and vaccine situation map pretty much perfectly onto Christian debates about “infections” in fiction? Episode sponsor Next weekend, Lorehaven arrives in Orlando for renewed questing with our Realm Makers Bookstore allies. Realm Makers Bookstore will share its worlds of novels by Christian authors—fantasy, sci-fi, and beyond—at Florida Parent Educators Association, May 27–29 in Orlando. The bookstore will host several award-winning creators of Christian-made fantastical tales. Guests include Phil Lollar and Katie Leigh with Adventures in Odyssey, fantasy authors James Hannibal and Matt Mikalatos, sci-fi author Steve Rzasa as well as fantasy novelist and Realm Makers co-founder Rebecca P. Minor with co-founder Scott Minor. Stephen will join them to sign books and share a panel discussion. In two sessions, he will explore Why Do Your Kids Need Fantastic Stories for Christ’s Glory? and What’s the Point of Popular Culture and Why Should Parents Care? Learn more at Lorehaven.com. Episode summary What’s our recent experience with plagues, masks, and vaccines? How do viruses, masks, and vaccines “rhyme” with sin, the law, and grace? How do we apply these real-life parables to “viruses” in fantastic fiction? Concession stand Needless to say, we’re not doing vaccine theories/conspiracies/debates here. We’ll also avoid rants about useless quarantines. Others cover that stuff. Zack and Stephen have varying personalities/needs about all this. So do you! Comparing sin to illness is risky. The Bible says “dead.” Analogies have limits. Another limit: sin-viruses comes from within ourselves, not a corrupt world. 1. What’s our recent experience with plagues, masks, and vaccines? Everyone has a different story in this tale. We may like to pretend otherwise. We are both vaccinated and ready to move on, often foregoing masks. We’ve already encountered contexts in which masks seem necessary. 2. How do plagues/masks/vaccines ‘rhyme’ with sin/the law/grace? Note that this isn’t about just trying to avoid legalism, e.g. legaliception! It’s always about trying to be biblical and follow Jesus our Savior. The virus is real. Sin is real. Both are dangerous. Both could kill you. (Sin will.) So far as we know, masks are effective. They’re like the original Law of God. But now the vaccine has come. So has Jesus, the fulfillment of the Law. If we’ve been “vaccinated” against sin, why would we go back to “masks”? Some may wear masks to act like ‘spiritual’ heroes for other people. Stephen wrote this thought experiment comparing two kinds of legalism: FIGURE 1a: “Even if the gospel removes from me all serious risks of catching evil, and even if spiritual authorities say you can practice freedom in Christ if you’re in the gospel, I will still follow religious rules, because if I don’t, Someone Out There May Be Tempted to Sin (by enjoying false freedom without actually being in Christ).” FIGURE 2a: “Even if vaccines remove from me all serious risks of catching COVID-19, and even if government authorities say you can practice freedom to unmask if you’re vaccinated, I will still wear my mask, because if I don’t, Someone Out There May Be Tempted to Sin (by enjoying false freedom without actually being vaccinated).” FIGURE 1b: “If I don’t wear high necklines or long skirts, then men who see me may be Tempted to Sin because of my immodesty, so therefore I must wear the extra cover to guard them from sinning.” FIGURE 2b: “If I don’t wear masks inside and outside, then people who see me may be Tempted to Sin because of my recklessness, so therefore I must wear the extra cover to guard them from sinning.” Can anyone give me any reasons why these two different sets of fundamentalist ideology—the first fake religious “spirituality, and the second secular fake “science”—are not the same legalistic energy? Because they really sound like the same legalistic energy. But we might keep wearing masks for other reasons: You may have genuine health weakness/trauma that warrants more caution. You may feel fearful about others removing masks without being vaccinated. You may be accustomed to following the mask tradition (see other benefits). You may feel like your people, or better societies overseas, rightly mask up. Every one of these “maps” onto the reasons people fall back into the law. Let’s be sensitive to these, but realize: the

There is so much we don’t know about the solar system, our galaxy, and the universe. What all else is out there? Are there aliens we should be afraid of, or instead concerned for? All we can be sure of is that God has created it all, and he won’t violate his own nature. So drawing from scientific observations and Scripture, what are the Biblical possibilities about alien life? There’s a certain amount of levity that comes naturally with this topic. But it’s increasingly important to think soberly and biblically about it. We are being inundated with UFO news from mainstream press (not tabloids). NASA researchers (not just a few SETI believers) are actively searching for alien bio-signatures and techno-signatures. With a widespread decrease in organized religion comes an increase in “spirituality.” Much of this overlaps with alien beliefs, even alien cults, especially when they speak of other dimensions. We will look at three possible views about alien life from a Biblical perspective. Concession stand Christians have different views about extraterrestrial life. Some of these conflict with the Bible. One such view is that God has not yet created life elsewhere, but he will in the future. Others wonder if life elsewhere does not yet exist yet, but speculate that it could evolve. Here we’ll not explore the UFO phenomenon, which we’ve already explored in episode 22 and episode 47. 1. God did not create life on any other planets. Christian fundamentalists and skeptical scientists both share this view. So far as we know, it’s the correct view, because there is no evidence to the contrary. It’s based on a very literal reading of Genesis 1: Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night. They will serve as signs for seasons for days and years” … God placed them in the expanse of the sky to provide light on the earth. —Genesis 1:14 and 17, CSB Many Christians believe all the stars and galaxies have neither life nor the possibility of life. These only exist to provide starlight on the Earth, and to inspire our calendar system. Or God may have made worlds to support human life in the future, but reserves Earth for life today. Christians may quote Scriptures about the centrality of Earth and its lands in God’s plan: For this is what the Lord says— he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited—he says: “I am the Lord, and there is no other.” —Isaiah 45:18, NIV Christians who believe this would be instantly disproven by the discovery of life on one planet. After such a discovery, Christians who don’t hold this belief loosely could have severely damaged faith. 2. God created other life, but nothing intelligent. God may have created life on other planets, during his six-day creation. That creative act wouldn’t be mentioned in Genesis (like angels are not mentioned) In this view, however, none of this life is intelligent. It’s just more plant and animal life. Then God said, “Let the water swarm with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.” So God created the large sea-creatures and every living creature that moves and swarms in the water, according to their kinds. He also created every winged creature according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them: “Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the waters of the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.” —Genesis 1:20–22, CSB This brings up a fun possibility: if humans are the only intelligent species, the galaxy is ours to colonize. What about Jesus’s words about gathering his elect from “the ends of heaven” in Mark 13? He will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. —Mark 13:27, CSB If this happens, would this be before or after Jesus returns? See Stephen’s article at the original SpecFaith blog: “Will Christians Colonize the Cosmos?“ 3. God created other intelligent species, but with a different plan than humanity. In this view, we peer out into the galaxy and expect to find more of God’s handiwork, including other intelligent beings. This view is governed by biblical assumptions, such as the truth that God is free to do whatever he wants. At the same time, we know God will not make certain choices, such as allowing Christ to die again. … We know that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will not die again. Death no longer rules over him. —Romans 6:9, CSB We already know that God has created other intelligent beings: angels (a name that describes many spiritual beings). Could we find other intelligent biological beings? If so, would they have the image of God on them? If they exist, maybe they were never tempted, so they never fell. Perh