Fantastical Truth

Secular science fiction often explores darker themes such as gene-editing and consciousness-uploading. Christian-made sci-fi, however, tends to lean on the softer side, emphasizing worlds without Earth or its cultures. How might this leave an opening for more complex futuristic tales that dare to engage with controversial themes? Novelist Kerry Nietz, who is no stranger to bold sci-fi themes, join...

“This time, it will be different,” quips the mad scientist. “I’m not one of those idiots who don’t know what they’re messing with. I’m an enlightened individual who’s going to accomplish what’s never been done before!” Or so the thinking goes. We see these characters all the time in stories. But increasingly, we’re seeing this mad scientist attitude in the real world. Why is life imitating the ver...

Once upon a time, there was a mean old man who lived on a mountain. Now, this old man was very nasty to the townspeople, his dogs, and especially Christians! Then one day, he yelled so loud at a Christian that an avalanche came and destroyed his cabin. (Text your friends: God’s not dead, but this old man is!) If you didn’t like that story, how about the one where there was this faraway...

Here at Fantastical Truth, we don’t always review fantastic stories made by non-Christian creators. But when we do, it’s when that story showcases greater cultural trends, break new ground in fantasy worldbuilding, or have such a strange backstory of their own that we simply must comment about it. For Stephen’s personal part, it helps when he has personally invested years in hopi...

In the past few months, your two podcast hosts have confronted the deaths of people close to us. Now, millions of Christians across the world just observed Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday. We explore how Christ’s resurrection, and similar reflections in the fantastic stories we love, help us prepare for times of separation and suffering, and long for the eternal day when our Creator will...

Once upon a time, female characters were given shallow roles. Nowadays, the pendulum has swung the other way to create the Strong Female Character. You’ve probably seen her in movies: punching, shooting, slashing, commanding. But as we’ll explore with our guest, there are many more possibilities than raw strength or battle toughness. We’ll look at: How did the Strong Female Chara...

Cancel culture is making many Christian readers and creators feel unwelcome in “mainstream” culture. Christians may need to retreat and create separate, digital spheres. But what does that look like, and will it work? Characteristics of cancel culture Driven by safetyism and paternalism. Powered by authoritarianism. Enabled by militant secularism . No presumption of innocence, due process, or tran...

In part 1 of this Cancelled Fantasy series , we explored why cancel culture often feels so wrong. But we also have a uniquely Christian way of responding to cancel mobs. Now, for part 2, we’ll look at situations where a person deserved to get cancelled. What do we do with those creators and their works of art? Top three questions How we do discern necessary “cancelling” from legalistic...

She posted a meme, and got “cancelled.” His old tweets “resurfaced,” so he got cancelled too. Then, plot twist: some cancelled heroes come back from this cultural “death” and get right back to normal. But you can’t cheat this “death” by apologizing. Except when you can. It’s confusing. It’s even more confusing for Christian fans try...

Some people say that science fiction is just fantasy with spaceships. Others would say that fantasy is about plausible impossible worlds, whereas sci-fi centers on possible, albeit improbable worlds. But is sci-fi something that Christians actually need? We’ll explore that today! Sci-fi is a shared universe inhabited by God’s gift of common grace. Sci-fi explores the genius and madness of hu...

In our last episode , we explored the fact that Christians actually need fiction as part of our daily lives. However, we could stop there and presume that we only need “realistic” stories, such as historical or contemporary fiction. Instead, we’ll explore how Christian readers also benefit from fantasy stories, so much that we could also say that we need stories about fantastical other worlds, in...

When you reach for a novel, do you ever feel guilty for not picking up your Bible, a devotional, or missionary biography? Some question whether fiction itself is spiritually healthy. And even if novels are harmless entertainment, do we actually need them? Are they worth our time and attention, not to mention our money? Perhaps we have more important questions to ask, such as: What if God made huma...

Christian fans want to build bigger audiences for fantastical stories. Yet how might we help our Christian family and friends share in this happiness? How can we help transform Christian deserts into thriving lands that love excellent fantastical fiction? Here’s a hint: we can’t wait for “the chosen ones” to come along and defeat the darkness and save the land. Instead, we actually need to skip th...

Last year wasn’t all about politics and pandemic-pandemonium. From little space babies eating tadpoles, to that Jesus TV show, to not-quite-forgotten trends, we’re exploring the top seven most-discussed issues at Lorehaven.com today on Fantastical Truth. We take these in descending order: 7. Fantastical Truth ep. 2: What Do We Mean By Saying ‘It’s a Christian Story’ ?...

Will this be the year we finally get to see the aliens? Are we living in an alien invasion movie? According to headlines, it depends on whether a supposed Galactic Federation decides we are worthy. These ideas and questions are coming at us at light speed, and they often bring along competing mythologies. So as Christians, we should think through how to respond. More importantly, we should dwell o...

Want to feel old at Christmas? The first Narnia film, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe , released in 2005 and is now fifteen years old. Five years later, the third Narnia film,  The Voyage of the Dawn Treader , released in 2010, so it’s now ten years old. Let’s explore these films’ successes and failures, as we’re joined by a special guest and “prince” of Na...

What if you were a piskey girl, born without wings, raised underground, and desperate to learn to fly so she can venture in the strange world beyond? That’s the start of author R. J. Anderson’s series The Flight and Flame Trilogy, whose book 2, Nomad , just released in November. Now, R. J. is our guest on Fantastical Truth. Lorehaven reviews Swift A famous movie colonel stated, “You ca...

Every Christmas, you see this image as a painting, meme, card, or ornament: a devoted Santa Claus, with his red elf-hat removed, kneels before the Christ-child in a manger. Still, many well-meaning Christians see Santa as a pretender to Christ’s throne rather than a worshiper before Him. How do faithful fans respond? What do you think about the “Santa Claus vs. Jesus Christ” clas...

What if you put Yoda, a G. I. Joe, He-Man, Skeletor, a Care Bear, and more nostalgic 1980s toys into a yellow box, and sent it hurtling at you through a green void, hurled by a shadowy figure in the background that could only be The Devil? That’s the cover of a book from vintage 1980s evangelical culture, and we’re exploring turmoil in toy boxes just in time for this holiday season. Sp...

What if you lived in an Arctic-like frontier, trying to survive despite the Invaders who keep moving into your native land? Then the Invaders kidnapped your brother, who told the captain the secret location of a lost treasure? Explore the award-winning fantasy novel  Seventh City  with us and author Emily Hayse! From Lorehaven’s featured review of Seventh City : Cold weather can bring wintry...

This year, one of us at Fantastical Truth cancelled Netflix, and the other did not. Maybe you should too? Or maybe you are not actually “supposed” to join this “cancel culture.” More recently, we just had another Halloween, a subject of many boycotts. Should Christians join this habit of boycotting things? Will this change anything in them? Or could this change anything in...

For generations, politics have been taking over imaginations. This seems especially true in the United States this election year. But is this really true? In fact, we all have little imaginations, experiences and pictures hidden deep in our minds, that influence our views on politics and public policies. Today’s sponsor Lorehaven has released its fall 2020 issue! You can read it today exclus...

“Welcome to my house! Enter freely and of your own free will! … Welcome to my house! Enter freely. Go safely, and leave something of the happiness you bring. … I am Dracula, and I bid you welcome …” He’s no cartoon. He’s no misunderstood monster. Instead, the infamous Count Dracula is a hideous perversion of humanity. This parasitic undead being preys spiritually and...

Want to be perfectly safe? Want to guarantee your own life, foretell the future, and control your world? Want to … become a god? Then just follow this four-step method: Believe a lie. Practice some occult method that the real God forbids. ???? Profit. Of course, this kind of idolatrous witchcraft doesn’t work in reality. It also isn’t usually the same as reading a fantasy novel w...

Our hero rides a broom. The sidekick turns his enemy into a toad. Then things get even dicier when another character talks with a ghost, or predicts the future. What’s a Christian fan to think about fantasy stories that include magic? Or creatures? Or (especially around this time of year) creepy and evil-looking creatures? How does Scripture actually warn us about the occult, and why? Episod...