Fantastical Truth

Most fantasy fans don’t truly believe that dragons lurk in caves or the Fae are dancing in the woods by moonlight. But if you’re a sci-fi or horror fan, you might truly believe that real creatures from space have come to Earth for nefarious ends. Or that they might dwell among us today. Now that we might know the name of the U.S. Pentagon’s secret UFO or UAP program, let’s consider: what are the s...

We just upgraded Lorehaven.com , especially the Library with its many genres and subgenres.[1. Photo by Camille Orgel on Unsplash .] Nearly 1,400 titles cover a wealth of Christian-made fantastical fiction going all the way back to The Hobbit . Most of those published titles are fantasy. That’s the most popular genre today. But what might be the future of Christian-made fantastical storytelling? K...

“Judge not” gets twisted to shut down God’s Law.[1. Photo by Peyman Shojaei on Unsplash .] The phrase “money is the root of all evil” gets twisted to shut down biblical ambition. And “no eye has see, no ear has heard” often gets twisted to shut down a longing for Heaven. But what twisted Scripture most often gets used to reject Christ-exalting fantastical imagination? This top text may be 1 Thessa...

Many fantasy worlds have people groups that don’t like each other. And many people in fairy-tale lands warn you never to go in the forest. But in Ellie Castor’s community of Bishop’s Gap, the feud between her family and the Levy family is getting worse. And the root of it lies at the heart of the forest where she must never go—unless it’s to fight the curse. Today we’re tramping into the dead leav...

Christian parents often ask whether stories for their kids have bad words and bad language. Today they’re also asking: “Does this story have Agenda?” Often they look for clean stories, that is, stories empty of objectionable elements. But do readers of all ages really need only clean fiction? Instead of stopping at minimalist stories that don’t contain obvious poisons, shouldn’t we also seek stori...

Just this month we’ve seen three examples of a polarity shift. Up is down. Water is dry. And heroes are actually villains—while the villains get justified by tragic backstory. How does this happen? In reality and fiction, why do some modern storytellers keep reversing the polarity of heroes and villains? Special mention In Memory of Daniqua Grace White ♡ Support Siblings With Funeral Episode spons...

In the year 2099, imagine having to cancel your family vacation plans to St. Louis or that Oklahoma ranch. How come? Because, unfortunately, it’s dystopian times and there’s a wall there. It’s even worse inside those middle districts for Asher, son of The Defiance, because his one true love is now trapped on the Lazurite side, and her father runs totalitarian government. This month we’re crossing...

“Back in the olden days, Christian art was king.[1. Photo by Jelly Dollar on Unsplash .] Top artists like Michelangelo and Da Vinci pioneered in their creative fields, and later composers like Bach and Handel revolutionized their day’s music. Then later, of course, Lewis and Tolkien did this for fantasy! So why today do all the Christian artists copy The World instead of leading in culture?” How o...

Space. The next-to-final frontier. So what’s the final one? It’s the future. As sci-fi fans, Stephen and Zack enjoy debating space travel possibilities, Moon stations and Mars colonies (likelier now after the liquid water finding?), and of course those armies of the aliens. Now we’ll ask whether today’s scientists and speculators recognize Christianity’s crucial role in their disciplines, and whet...

When was the last time you were reading a story or hearing music, and you felt those chills and sense of wonder that made you think, “Oh, wow, thank you, Lord”, or consider that the Holy Spirit was active in this artwork?[1. Photo by John Price on Unsplash .] We might say the story was “inspired,” similar to how we believe the Bible was inspired by the Holy Spirit. But as we celebrate stories #Mad...

A new power is arising. Saruman’s forces, often joined by some wild Men who don’t know better, are felling the good trees of Middle-earth to make weapons of war. In response, some would-be trolls come out of their hoards to stomp all over this land and forget the true meaning of Tolkien. How then do today’s fans still love The Lord of the Rings —books, films, and/or memes? Episode sponsors Enclave...

You are being haunted.[1. Photo by grayom on Unsplash .] Specters from your past, or someone else’s past, lurk in your world. They twist meaning and distort symbols. They make you jump in the night, recoil from stories others find wonderful, and make the upright seem downright wicked. There is a cure that helps us imagine better, but first we must recognize the problem. What on earth is Church Bac...

“Then the LORD said to Joshua, ‘Stretch out the javelin that is in your hand toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand.’” Well, there you have it. God opposes artificial intelligence. But when many people see advantages to these generative tools, how can we celebrate the virtue of stories made by humans? Lorehaven has one way: a hashtag campaign (along with buttons and book stickers) just launc...

Cain Cross once dreamed of helping make dream-worlds. Now their world is being attacked by another pandemic. This one strikes as you sleep, sending victims into dark tunnels of despair to fight for their waking lives. We seek a cure for The Nightmare Virus , the new YA sci-fi thriller from Nadine Brandes. Episode sponsors Enclave Publishing at Realm Makers The Katrosi Revolution series by Jamie Fo...

Twenty years ago, two authors, one publisher, twelve action thriller novels, and forty teen spinoff books came to a grand finale with the fictionalized return of Jesus Christ to Earth. One of those top authors, marriage and prophecy teacher Tim LaHaye, has since passed to his eternal rest. The other author who’s written hundreds of novels, Jerry Jenkins, is still working! And today, Jenkins joins...

Some Christians think that in an end-times Rapture event, young children automatically go to Heaven.[1. Background photo by David Moum on Unsplash .] But what about older kids? Such as teen rebels who disobey parents, won’t go to church, and reject Jesus? Left Behind: The Kids explored the exploits of the Young Tribulation Force, and was adapted for its own fantastic dramatic audio series by today...

It’s not an audiobook. It’s also not a movie series. Directly between these lies the medium of audio drama , such as 144 episodes about the end of days. Based on the best-selling novels, how did GAP Digital, working with Tyndale House Publishers, proudly present the dramatic audio edition of Left Behind ? Episode sponsors Enclave Publishing at Realm Makers The Katrosi Revolution series by Jamie Fo...

When the Tribulation arrives, you will need a Tribulation Force. So it was with the Left Behind series, when blockbuster success for grown-up readers led Tyndale House in want of a spinoff series. Thus was born again Left Behind: The Kids, all forty of them, overseen by series main author Jerry Jenkins but most written by today’s special guest: author and speaker Chris Fabry. Episode sponsors Encl...

The year is 1995. A new creative power has arisen, partnering a Christian marriage/prophecy teacher with a “journeyman” author of fiction and sports biographies. Together they forged a Christian thriller juggernaut that later hit The New York Times bestseller list and started global conversations about the world’s ending. How did the Left Behind series become such a blockbuster? Episode sponsors E...

It’s the end! It’s the end! Or rather, this could only be… the beginning. Sure, it’s cliché to doomsay, but Christians have enjoyed doing this for centuries. So, next week, Stephen and Zack want in on this end-times debating action. This will be a knock-down, drag-out, facts-and-feelings fight that will divide denominations and result in a lot of colorful, complex charts—or maybe it’ll just be som...

In the days of the second World War, the Nazi party is taking over Europe and persecuting the Jewish people. But this time, one respected journalist and the descendent of a famous rabbi join forces to create a new mystical being to guard the innocent: the golem. How does that go? Tricia Goyer and Nathan Goyer know, and they’ll join us in the studio to explore alternate-historical fantasy in their...

What if the spirit of antichrist came to your town? Burned-out pastor Travis Jordan is on break from ministry after the death of his wife. But then his small city of Antioch faces great signs and wonders from a new prophet who claims to be a better christ than the true Jesus Christ. Just in time for our next summer book quest, challenge your faith and seek the true Savior for the 25-year anniversa...

Why do we see, or rather not go to see, so many weirdly cringe movies with plots and dialogue that seem designed to be “so bad it’s good”? How come goofy sidekicks, obvious political agendas, and other strange stories get their own corporate attention, while newer and more earnest stories get passed by the wayside? There’s one big possible reason hiding in plain sight, and it’s the mind-blowing an...

The gamer community is in uproar.[1. Photo by Jose Gil on Unsplash .] About what? About all the things. Even occasional gamers have heard about triple-A title flops, “Sweet Baby Inc.” consultants, live-service criticism, and the dual controversies over the sexy heroine of Stellar Blade versus the normal heroine of Star Wars: Outlaws. Apart from all the cultural jargon, how can Christians discern t...

King David was a man after God’s own heart. But he failed. King Arthur was the legendary ruler of Britain. But he also failed. And in newer fiction, Paul Atreides was the prophesied Lisan al Gaib . And, once again, he failed. Why is it so frustrating to watch all these real and fictional heroes keep failing? Episode sponsors Enclave Publishing: Chromatic by Ashley Bustamante Realm Makers 2024 writ...