Fantastical Truth

After we explored the resurrection of the saints, we continue our Epic Resurrection series and anticipate the future renewal of planet Earth. In our last episode: Epic Resurrection series Ep. 12: What if Jesus Promised to Redeem Not Just Our Souls but Our Bodies? Ep. 13: What if Jesus Promised to Redeem Not Just His People But His Creation? Ep. 14: What if Jesus Promised to Redeem Not Just People and Creation But Also Fantastic Stories? Part 1: Jesus redeems not just human souls but human bodies. We made a few concessions, about our biblical basis, materialism, etc. We explored the definition of “resurrection,” biblical and otherwise. We saw in Scripture how “spiritual body” still means “material” body. Fact: any afterlife speculations must start with creation’s goodness. Now let’s keep going: Presuming this eternal reality, where do we live? What do we do? Do we go to Heaven? What happens then? What is “New Heavens and New Earth”? This classic Betty Lukens flannelgraph scene is surprisingly biblical (with the disclaimer that New Earth will include more variety in skin tones and garment choice). Scriptures we cite The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Isaiah 11:8–9, NIV For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. For the creation eagerly waits with anticipation for God’s sons to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to futility — not willingly, but because of him who subjected it — in the hope that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children. Romans 8:18-21, CSB But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. 2 Peter 3:10, NIV Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Revelation 21:1–5, ESV Concession stand Some verses may apply to a literal millennial kingdom. But why stop there? Again, we’re going to stay out of the “end times” debates. What’s after that? Why start by emphasizing New Earth’s “normalcy”? Because miracles start here. All other concessions (materialism, freedom to explore) are in episode 12. We will explore: Scripture promises the future, literal renewal (not replacement) of creation. Let’s start talking about the “normal world,” and only then speculate further. Always stay Scriptural and focused on King Jesus, architect of the Afterworld. Why New Earth isn’t a non-Earth 2 Peter 3:10’s reference to judgement fire purifies, not obliterates Earth. Much (accidental) ill has done by old translation phrase “burned up.” Prophecies in OT and NT emphasize continuity: natural wonders and cultures! “New Earth” does not mean “non-Earth,” just as “new body” doesn’t mean “non-body.” “Well, we can’t know so it’s best not to imagine.” Scripture never offers such warnings. “This world is not my home.” If world means age: true. If world means planet: false! If God wanted to replace his creation with an alt-universe, he’d have said so. Why it’s good to dream of New Earth Like with resurrection, it’s good to practice biblical imagination of New Earth! This biblical imagination “lights up” normal life on this Earth. Instead of seeing our world as disposable, we start to see it as God’s. Instead of seeing our world as boring, we start to see more everyday delights. “The Earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof” (Psalm 24:1). That fact does not “expire”! Any sin that lasts forever (such as greed, lust, or selfishness) would end up destroying a person. Only eternal happiness in holy, adventurous service to Jesus makes sense for eternity. Jesus Christ is the center of the afterlife, and the Afterworld that comes after that. Everythi

To celebrate Easter or Resurrection Sunday this month, we’ve started a new series: Epic Resurrection. E. Stephen Burnett and Zackary Russell explore how Jesus’s resurrection will affect our bodies, the whole Earth, and the stories we love. In this episode, part 1, we focus on what Scripture says about Christians’ resurrected bodies. Epic Resurrection series Ep. 12: What if Jesus Promised to Redeem Not Just Our Souls but Our Bodies? Ep. 13: What if Jesus Promised to Redeem Not Just His People But His Creation? Ep. 14: What if Jesus Promised to Redeem Not Just People and Creation But Also Fantastic Stories? Concession stand Of course, this series will be a very brief survey of the topic. We’ll include lots of verses, references, and books in the show notes. We do presume you’re familiar with words like “soul,” “resurrection,” etc. We know this is part of a bigger conversation about all Jesus’s promises. Does this sound “materialistic”? It might. So let’s be clear: materialism’s bad. Also, we’ll strive to base any speculation on what the Bible actually says. Scriptures cited For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. Romans 8:22–23 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 1 Corinthians 15:51–53 For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 2 Corinthians 5:1–4 But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 1 Corinthians 2:9–10 (often misquoted to “shut down” biblical prophecy or biblical speculation about the resurrection) “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.” Revelation 2:17 (regarding our banter about getting new names) Exploring the resurrection of our bodies What does resurrection mean to us? Do Christians believe resurrection is physical? How is resurrection is a process, first spiritual, then ending when our bodies are made new? What verses (such as 1 Corinthians 15:44, 50) are used to deny the material nature of resurrection? How does our speculation about our resurrected bodies start with the clear promises Jesus has given in his word? Explore more Resurrection, Part 1: Prelude (first of this Resurrection article series) In ‘Heaven’, Randy Alcorn Explores Biblical Imaginations of New Earth The Rapture Is Fun, But Resurrection Is Better Heaven Will Be the Happiest Place on Earth https://speculativefaith.lorehaven.com/resurrection-part-1-prelude/ https://speculativefaith.lorehaven.com/reviews/heaven-biblical-imaginations-of-new-earth https://speculativefaith.lorehaven.com/rapture-fun-resurrection-better https://speculativefaith.lorehaven.com/heaven-will-be-the-happiest-place-on-earth/ Fantastic fans David H. shares his fantastic origin story: For me it was Tom Swift. He was like a young early McGuiver except sci fi. exploration and invention, and he did it with his Dad – a very family adventure, kind of like lost in space. Kaylena shares her fantastic origin story: I remember very clearly picking up my first copy of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe in the basement of a friend’s house when I was around 8 or 9. I read half the book while I was there. It was all over for me after that- I read the series as fast as I could and it jump started my life-long passion for reading and writing fantastical fiction. If I had to put a finger on why the Chronicles of Narnia (in particular) left such an impression on me, I think it’s because even as a child, I could locate the thread of the divine throughout and hang onto it like a lifeline. I grew up in the church and knew God’s Word well, but my home life was a mess. In the inst

Come aboard the good ship Fantastical Truth for our first interview with space opera’s Kathy Tyers. E. Stephen Burnett and Zackary Russell start by exploring the Firebird series, which first launched in 1987. Lorehaven magazine reviewed this series in our spring 2020 issue’s cover story, “The Best of Christian Fantasy“: Our review of Kathy Tyers’ Firebird series Lady Firebird Angelo has grown up knowing she might someday die for her people. As the thirdborn daughter of the royal family of the planet Netaia, she has trained for combat as a “wastling,” destined for suicide. Unfortunately, during her first engagement in space, she fails. Firebird is captured alive by the enemy. This galactic Federacy employs Firebird’s new captor, Field General Brennen Caldwell, who is both intriguing and supernaturally telepathic. Their encounter leads to the first of Lady Firebird’s drastic life changes in Firebird, book 1 of Kathy Tyers’s Firebird series. Tyers described Firebird’s original version, from Bantam Books, as a “cultural conversion story.” Yet since then, newer versions from Christian publishers enhanced Brennen’s commitment to an Eternal Speaker. That unseen entity has promised a divine messiah who hasn’t yet arrived. … Tyers deftly describes other worlds, adding color to landscapes and intensity to emotions, especially in those my-mind-to-your-mind entanglements. Firebird’s musical talent adds even more atmosphere, not often seen in fiction, much less space opera. This trilogy—continued years later in books 4 and 5, Wind and Shadow and Daystar—marks a fantastic find for Christian fans and beyond. Interview with Kathy Tyers Kathy Tyers created the Firebird series along with many other space-opera and science fiction novels, such as the Christy Award–winning Shivering World and Crystal Witness, which Enclave Publishing re-releases this summer. She wrote two novels in the original Star Wars Expanded Universe series (now called Star Wars Legends) Our questions include: What’s your origin story? How did you jump into operatic space? From a Firebird fan: “I want a full history of Brennen Caldwell. I still want to know what went down, that mission that won him a reprimand and a commendation.” What happened with Brennen before? From a Shivering World fan: “[What happened to everyone?! Did] they all survive? Is the little wildcat kitten okay?” After the first Firebird trilogy, what brought you back for two more books? How did your time at Regent College “reboot” your biblical creative engines? What are the big “what if” questions that led to the Firebird universe’s alternate history and future for human space exploration? What’s your view of Christian imagination? What can sci-fi/space opera (or fantasy) do that other genres can’t? What’s the story of the now re-releasing Crystal Witness? What comes next in your creative timeline? Hint: Kathy Tyers is returning to her Crystal Witness universe for a new trilogy, The Sunstone Saga. This series will begin with The Long Silence, which may release in 2021. Explore more Exploring Doctrine Through Fiction, With Kathy Tyers Secrets Of The ‘Firebird’ Story Kathy Tyers: Defeating Gnostic Forces In Fantasy Fiction https://speculativefaith.lorehaven.com/exploring-doctrine-through-fiction-with-kathy-tyers/ https://speculativefaith.lorehaven.com/secrets-of-the-firebird-story/ https://speculativefaith.lorehaven.com/kathy-tyers-defeating-gnostic-forces-in-fantasy-fiction/ Fantastic fans Azalea D. writes on SpecFaith about episode 10: I really appreciated your podcast. A lot of good points and food for thought. Your points about “how you are feeding your imagination, what are you enjoying, and how is it magnifying your desires” struck a bell, since I’ve been thinking along these lines concerning reading fantasy and how to tell good from bad. As well as how to relate that “good and bad” to others in a way they can understand. This is a subject close to my heart. I feel our Christian reading family needs to gain discernment in this area, since we are supposed to at least be trying to see truth, and to see what is false. If we do not see it, we may swallow it whole, with ramifications we don’t realize at first. Jason V. writes about episode 9: You guys are incredible, dredging up all these half-forgotten memories of my youth. First Psalty the Singing Songbook, now This Present Darkness! This book was the talk of my junior high youth group in 1987-88. I remember reading it then as a 7th grader, but can’t recall many specific reactions or thoughts I had at the time other than that it was a good, scary read. Thankfully, our leaders didn’t go so far as to use the book as a literal spiritual warfare manual. I did meet Frank Peretti years later when he was touring with his country/folk/bluegrass band Northern Cross. A very nice guy, great storyteller, and a talented banjo player to boot. Thanks for t

Fantastical Truth returns with another tricky topic: people’s “deconversion” from, or “deconstruction” of, the biblical Christian faith. In the last year we’ve heard these accounts from at least one popular Christian leader, and from a popular comedy duo from an evangelical background. Of course, you likely have many friends or even family members who say they were once Christians, but aren’t any more. In this episode, E. Stephen Burnett and Zackary Russell won’t try to refute their points with logic and apologetics. (Others have been doing this well.) Instead we hope to explore why some professing Christians reject their faith, and not others. And we’ll ask a very cautious question: can excellent Christian-made stories help give young believers a stronger faith? Concession stand We won’t go through everyone’s professed “deconversion” story. Also, we might touch on the whole issue of whether someone who “deconverts” was ever truly saved. We still hope these folks are/will be believers as they once professed to be. People can profess doubt in Jesus only to return to him later. We view these accounts sympathetically, but not above criticism; they’re just as much subject to graciously skeptical “deconstruction.” Finally, we don’t mean to offer some Method to keep you strong in the faith, impervious to doubts or competing religions. We don’t say, “Here, read better Christian fiction and you’ll always keep your faith!” But we can look at our own accounts and see common factors. Our big questions Do people who “deconvert” from Christianity “evangelize” for their view using the language of only “rational thought”? Do “deconstructing” non-believers recognize the significant role of human imagination in their change of mind/heart? Also, do they recognize that they are not simply “deconverting” from Christianity but also converting to the default religion of Selfism? In the deconverters’ past, what kinds of stories did they grow up with and enjoy for recreation? Which images, songs, movies, books, pictures took “shortcuts” to their brains, zooming past all the “rational thoughts”? In the deconverters’ present, what kinds of stories have reflected and shaped their dreams, ideas, and deep internal longings? What cultural forces have given them these stories, and aren’t these cultural forces also subject to skepticism and “deconstruction”? How do great stories shape our beliefs? Great stories shape our deepest desires. We don’t mean these stories give us desires. Based on our deepest dreams and wants, we will prefer stories that reflect and shape these desires. The stories we love, past and present, reveal what people we truly are. Great stories shape our view of the world. For example, some “former Christians” say they met wonderful, moral nonbelievers in the world, who challenged their beliefs just by existing. But if you grew up with excellent Christian-made stories that already included likeable and moral yet non-Christian heroes, then this “groundbreaking” idea shouldn’t have taken you by surprise. Great stories prepare us for hard truths about God. Maybe you grew up learning complex apologetics arguments and nonfiction teaching about how/why a good God allows sin and suffering. But you need to experience these things to fully understand them. Scripture itself presents not just abstract teachings, but narratives in which even God’s heroes undergo suffering and other hard realities. Other stories, including stories made by Christians, should be doing the same, so that we are better prepared for this reality. Examples of belief-shaping stories The Left Behind series is oft-maligned for its potboiler-meets-prophecy stance, but also reflects real hardship and missional heart. In Mary Doria Russell’s novels The Sparrow and Children of God, Jesuit missionaries face aliens and trauma in space. Nonfiction biographies are true stories that seem “unbelievable,” and help Christians experience the suffering of other saints. Applications Prepare your mind and imagination for suffering and doubts, especially during the good times. Christian parents: make sure your kids get good, solid stories! These can actually be the means of helping children mature. We should read every “deconversion” story through the lens of Scripture, and not our own experiences of doubt or harm by others. Scriptures … Avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. —2 Timothy 2:16–18 Therefore let us

Plot twist: Christians have always believed in evil, unseen agents, and in the far greater power of the Lord to whom we pray. This is the theme of Frank E. Peretti’s classic spiritual-warfare thriller This Present Darkness (1986). Lorehaven’s own review chief, Austin Gunderson, joins E. Stephen Burnett and Zackary Russell to explore this classic tale of good, evil, and praying saints versus the New Age movement. Pitching This Present Darkness Ashton is just a typical small town. But when a skeptical reporter and a prayerful, hardworking pastor begin to investigate mysterious events, they suddenly find themselves caught up in a hideous New Age plot to enslave the townspeople, and eventually the entire human race. Not since “The Screwtape Letters” has there been a novel with as much insight into spiritual warfare and the power of prayer. Fast-moving, riveting reading ranking with the best thrillers on the bookshelf. From Austin Gunderson’s article In the early 1980s, “Christian speculative fiction” wasn’t a thing. Sure, Pilgrim’s Progress and Ben-Hur were staples in Christian libraries, and J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis were giants. But fantastical fiction targeted specifically at a Christian audience hadn’t come into its own. That all changed when struggling former pastor Frank E. Peretti’s This Present Darkness was published in 1986. Peretti’s supernatural thriller begins in Ashton, a small college town on the northwestern plains. One wouldn’t consider this place as ground zero for a demonic conspiracy to dominate the globe. But the essential conceit of Peretti’s story is that human action affects the spiritual plane, and vice-versa. Lorehaven is our free quarterly digital magazine. Go to Lorehaven.com to subscribe, and you’ll get each free issue linked in your inbox. Our spring issue has our cover story, “The Best of Christian Fantasy.” This features our well-read review team whose members chose their favorite Christian-made fantastic stories to review. Why did Peretti stop writing Darkness novels? In an October 1997 issue of WORLD Magazine, Gene Edward Veith interviewed Peretti. The story was called “This Present (and Future) Peretti.” There readers learned why the author wrote only two novels in his Darkness-verse. What many of his readers took from the book, however, was not just that the culture wars have a spiritual significance. They took the Darkness books as combat manuals for fighting devils. In prayer groups across the country, people were binding demons named after specific sins (Envy, Despair, Lust) and calling on angels to beat down devils in charge of particular cities and nations. “That really alarmed me,” Mr. Peretti told WORLD. People were taking his fiction literally, as if it were fact. Conversely, other Christians were taking theological issue with episodes in his book, as if his attempts to dramatize the importance of prayer meant that God is actually dependent on “prayer warriors.” Though he went on the speaking circuit to discuss spiritual warfare, he stressed that his books were symbolic, and that theological conclusions need to come out of the Bible rather than a work of fiction. Part of the problem may have been that evangelicals simply are not used to fiction. As a result, some confuse fiction with reality. This problem is compounded today, Mr. Peretti points out, by Christian novels—such as the rash of Apocalyptic end-of-the-world novels with their Anti-Christ conspiracy theories—that do purport to be factual. Mr. Peretti resolved not to write any more demons vs. angels books. Other links Travis Perry’s What’s the Deal with the Devil? series on SpecFaith Fantastical feedback I very much enjoy the exposure to new stories I’ve not heard of before but even more, I appreciate the balanced approach our hosts bring to the varying degrees of theology and fantastical powers (and license) in their discussions of some pretty delicate issues. It is both freeing and cautionary at the same time and that is a tough needle to thread. —Apple Podcasts review from “Flindee” Mine would’ve probably been a picture book, but I’m not really sure which one. I just know I was always drawn to stories where something extraordinary or weird or unbelievable happened, and I remember getting disappointed when picture books didn’t have those elements and getting excited when I found one that did have those elements. So there wasn’t a clear line for me. I remember reading Narnia and The Hobbit and Lloyd Alexander in middle school and “My Father’s Dragon” before that, but I was honestly always seeking that magic. Like I read any Nancy Drew that looked like it had a ghost element first and was always disappointed when it was a Scooby Do-esque “fake ghost” trick. —fantastical origin story from Heidi B. Have you read This Present Darkness or other Peret

In episode 7, we promised our next episode would focus on Frank E. Peretti’s This Present Darkness. But first, a word from our biggest news of 2020. In this episode, E. Stephen Burnett and Zackary Russell share a few “favorite” pandemic stories, including the recent Planet of the Apes film trilogy and Tosca Lee’s 2019 novel The Line Between. These stories can actually help Christians prepare our imaginations for these trials—or even worse suffering. Lorehaven reviews The Line Between These truth glimpses give The Line Between surprising heart-warmth amongst the chill, while its road-trip quest drives fast through mad territory and never once feels bogged down in snowbanks. Even by the finale, we get hints that our heroes have learned that yes, sometimes you must stay preserved from a world gone mad, but for the greater mission of helping others in that world. As Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn wrote, you can’t simply separate from evil people—not even cultists—in order to avoid evil. That very line between evil and good cuts through every human heart. Read the full review in Lorehaven magazine’s spring 2019 issue. Read our interview with bestselling novelist Tosca Lee. Subscribe free to get every issue. Quotes and notes In 2017, Mark Carver wrote at Speculative Faith, “It’s interesting how the biggest threat to human existence rarely gets news coverage. It’s not North Korea or global warming or white privilege; it’s disease.” (Down With the Sickness, Sept. 20, 2017) Big lessons of pandemics: we’re not in control. These events challenge us to ask ourselves, “Where is my hope?” We blame politicians or countries or each other, or downplay the problem versus panicking, and/or buy into conspiracy theories—all because doing so gives us a sense of control. Christians may be material “preppers,” but we must always be preppers for times of suffering. Most of us don’t give focused thought to evil and suffering until we experience them. This forces us to formulate perspective on the fly, at a time when our thinking is muddled and we’re exhausted and consumed by pressing issues. Readers who have “been there” will attest that it’s far better to think through suffering in advance. —Randy Alcorn, If God is Good, page 14 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. —Romans 8:18–25 When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth. —Revelation 6:7–8 (emphasis added) Action points Worship: we follow a Savior who touched the sick but didn’t get sick. Serve: help your neighbors who cannot take care of themselves, or shouldn’t go out in public. Who do you know who is at high risk if they get infected? How can you serve them? Pray: for revival, not just a cure. Evangelism: share the Power Over Fear tool. Next on Fantastical Truth This month we’re releasing our next Lorehaven issue. Its cover story explores our favorite Christian-made fantastical novels. This includes that classic of the 1980s, Frank Peretti’s This Present Darkness, a classic (especially for Christians!) supernatural thriller that asks: What If the Armies of Hell Tried to Invade Your Hometown? Lorehaven’s review chief, Austin Gunderson, will join the podcast to explore the Peretti-verse with us.