Fantastical Truth

“In one cataclysmic moment, millions around the globe disappear.” Jesus returned thirty years ago. Or rather, He sort of pre-returned, the warm-up act, if you will. Many faithful Christians believe in this kind of “rapture.” And in December 1995, two authors teamed up and used this idea to create the most successful biblical end-times thriller we’ve yet seen. In summer 2024 we overviewed the serie...

Last year brought many challenges for Christian fantasy fans. From flops at the theaters now threatened by streaming slop, to creators making more events for Christian storytelling, to the continued growth of biblical fiction as the top genre of Christian-made entertainment—let’s survey the top ten fantasy-related headlines from last year. Episode sponsors Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen The Cas...

Earlier this month, and just in time for Christmas, Focus on the Family made a fun announcement: an upcoming theatrical adaptation of Adventures in Odyssey. Dubbed Journey Into The Impossible , this 3D animated film will explore the town of Odyssey before the establishment of Whit’s End. What kinds of adventures will a young John Avery Whittaker enjoy? (This special episode was recorded live.) Epi...

“We do not celebrate Christmas that way.” “We do not read those kinds of books.” “We ‘do not handle, do not taste, do not touch.’” We know our world is full of rebellion against God’s law. But many people overreact to moral license with a strict imposing of out-of-context or made-up laws. Faithful saints call this legalism , and Christian fantasy fans know plenty about this. When that influencer o...

Well, we recently talked about the first Chronicle of Narnia … the book ! Yet many fans found or rediscovered this series thanks to the Disney-distributed, Walden Media–made film from director Andrew Adamson. Want to feel old? That was two decades ago! So now we shall look back at Narnia’s journey to the box office with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe , which released twenty years ago on Dec....

Long ago, before the great lion Aslan bounded onto bookshelves , C. S. Lewis wrote a science fiction novel set on mythological Mars. From there, the sequel carried Dr. Elwin Ransom by angels to the sister planet Venus. And from there … the Ransom/Cosmic/Space Trilogy descended to the dull world of corrupt college boards, inner-ring politics, and a secret technocracy bent on world domination with t...

“Suddenly Aslan came bounding into it.” That is how C. S. Lewis described the plot twist in his creative process for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe . “I don’t know where the Lion came from or why He came. But once He was there, He pulled the whole story together.” And in turn, this story has pulled together the imaginations of millions across the world. Now, 75 years after the first Chronicl...

We still believe in cultural engagement. That’s the Christian mission to share our faith in the real world, seeking to win souls to Jesus. These souls naturally seek biblical influences in stories, songs, and beyond. So why do some believers claim that they want “cultural engagement” but then, when angry or manipulative anti-Christian critics engage us right back, throw up their hands and call for...

To fight real monsters, we don’t need toxic empathy or the notion that exorcisms can resolve all demonic problems. Instead we start with the gospel of Jesus Christ that alone brings holiness. Yet how do we also train our imaginations with better stories to help us battle the beasts? Geoffrey Reiter returns to the studio to explore how great literature reflects God’s grace that helps us defeat the...

Demons do bad things in the Bible and in the modern world. But how does a fallen spirit get around its limitations as an immaterial being? Meanwhile, how do creators of movies about demons get around the obvious budget limitations and need for showing not telling? Answer in both cases: demons “possess” people. Even in sci-fi the bad “entities” do this. But is this really the best word to use for h...

Many fans love the idea of demon hunters, whether they are Dr. Abraham Van Helsing’s warrior band, hyper-disciplined young shonen slayers, immortal elves, or K-pop stars. But in response to these righteous crusades, some fans find themselves defending the monsters. Are they really that bad? Shouldn’t we find ways to empathize with them? Today we explore the thorny problem of fans who won’t just de...

Thanks to all the human drama of this year, you may have missed the news about even more professional military men been sharing testimonies about their witnessing unknown aerial phenomena blasting through the laws of physics. These sightings are not going away, forcing us to reckon with some truly potential scenarios. If aliens really invaded Earth, where from and how would they do it? And how do...

How often does this happen to you? You’re a plain, ordinary, gorgeous heroine, who’s suddenly abducted by aliens and taken to Planet Gladiator Violence VI. There you encounter a bull-headed man with piercings in all his massive muscles, and various events ensue, and if we kept up this description the grown-ups would not let you listen to this podcast episode. And that’s probably the tamest version...

Distortionists in the real world corrupt the beautiful, good, and true.[1. Photo by Bree Anne on Unsplash .] Some individuals who fall into such a dark side might make themselves beyond repentance—that is, reprobate. We might call them “ghouls.” … And such were some of you. We wanted to talk about monsters today, and we’ll start next week. First, let’s turn from the darkness and into the light, ke...

Since the late 2000s, children and grownups have been getting drawn into their mobile devices and tablets. Before then, some were also hooked on TV and video games. Yet how could anyone create those devices without training their imaginations on great works of art? Carolyn Leiloglou, author of The Restorationists fantasy series, returns to help us recall the biblical purpose of art and stories, an...

Last week, an assassin’s bullet ended the earthly life of Christian brother, husband, father, and popular political activist Charlie Kirk. Thousands were watching on the campus of Utah Valley University in the early afternoon of Sept. 10, 2025. Millions more prayed for an hour that Kirk would somehow survive. And then we mourned his death. Lorehaven is not a political group. But we do join in this...

To become a hero following your God-given destiny, you’d best stay out of jail.[1. Photo by Saad Chaudhry on Unsplash .] Yet some Christian heroes do get caught in bad habits that keep them pacing in their tiny cells rather than practicing wise discipline as they go on adventures. How do Christian creators, in particular, fall into the traps of “cage stages”? Episode sponsors Enclave Publishing: ...

Here in the U.S., we just had Labor Day, meant to mark the actions of hard-working Americans. And right now many Christian families honor the work of Christian heroes who are now at rest, such as pastor John MacArthur and Focus on the Family founder Dr. James Dobson. Many fantastical stories wouldn’t be here without faithful Christians. When they pass on, and people discuss and debate their legaci...

So many books, so little time, space, and money. Many fans love collecting physical copies of their favorite stories, often so much that they run out of bookshelf space. (Stephen and Zack are in this situation!) Now that we have audiobook and digital copies, isn’t book collection a waste of resources? Episode sponsors Oasis Family Media presents “1232” dramatic audio podcast The Waymaker’s Foresig...

Over summer and school seasons alike, many Christian parents want books for their kids that don’t have things like “Agenda” or “Wokeness.”[1. Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash .] But in our zeal to keep bad, poisonous content out of books, might we miss our children’s more important need to enjoy good, nutritious content in our fantastical fiction? Episode sponsors Enclave Publishing: Winter’s Ch...

We’ve just seen the end of this year’s summer blockbuster movie season, such as it was. Most of the drama was about the movies rather than in the movies. Fans debate whether stories should be lighter, focusing on “fun” with simple virtues, as opposed to heavier stories with “serious” ideas. Right now it seems Team Light Stories is winning over Team Heavy Stories—and yet nobody is really winning at...

Last month at the Realm Makers Expo , we met many skilled Christian creators who are making amazing stories in books, games, and the visual arts. Yet some people believe all this stuff is pointless or outdated and will soon be replaced by so-called “AI art.” Are they right? Will computer-generated content outpace art made by humans? And is such a belief even biblically defensible? Episode sponsors...

As we’ve often heard, some modern films may feel difficult to enjoy! Yet today we celebrate famed animated tales of yore, including the artists behind classic characters like Cogsworth, Iago, Pumbaa, Pocahontas , Mulan , and Kronk … and now, coming this fall, the greatest Hero of all. Famed animators and twin brothers Tony and Tom Bancroft bring their magic to our studio in advance of their next f...

Last week, Zackary Russell and E. Stephen Burnett celebrated the Realm Makers Expo![1. Photo by Felix Mooneeram on Unsplash .] That means this episode is another Stephen solo show. This one reveals a shocking truth: these days Stephen finds a lot more joy in books than he sees at the movie houses. Can fans, including Christians, help save the cinema from synthetic moralities, sloppy franchises, an...

Christian missionaries have traveled oceans to strange new lands.[1. “Clayfire” game concept art is courtesy The Salvation Poem Project .] They’ve smuggled Bibles into hostile territory. Someday they will even journey to space settlements. But what about today’s virtual mission fields in digital spaces, like gaming platforms and communities? Developer Brock Henderson with Christian Gam...