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How A Year Without Superhero Films Rebooted Our Universe
Articles | Jason Joyner, Jan 28, 2021

New Book ‘Reading Evangelicals’ Will Focus on Famous Christian Fiction
News | E. Stephen Burnett, Jan 27, 2021

Introducing Superhero Novelist and New Lorehaven Writer Jason C. Joyner
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Militant Secularism Could Force Christians to Create New Subcultures
Articles | Mike Duran, Jan 25, 2021

‘One Piece’ Manga Reaches Chapter 1000: How Did This Pirate Become King?
Articles | L. Jagi Lamplighter, Jan 20, 2021

To Shape a Story is to Shape a Soul
Articles | L.G. McCary, Jan 18, 2021

Author Ted Turnau Finds The Hidden Grace of Pixar’s ‘Soul’
News | E. Stephen Burnett, Jan 15, 2021

Introducing Thriller Novelist and New Lorehaven Writer L. G. McCary
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Join Our Jan. 21 Livestream: How Can We ‘Terraform’ the Church to Enjoy Fantastic Fiction?
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How Political Punditry Has Taken Over Christian Popular Subcultures
Articles | E. Stephen Burnett, Jan 14, 2021

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The Terran Summit, Anna Zogg
The Xerxes Factor, Anna Zogg
The Paradise Protocol, Anna Zogg
The Awakened, Richard Spillman
The Ascension, Richard Spillman
Love's Sacrifice, Kelsey Norman
Unbroken Spirit, Kelsey Norman
Seed: Judgment, Joshua David
The Rooster and the Raven King, John Paul Tucker
Brimstone 1, Jasom William Karpf
The Horse Queen, Lavay Byrd
King of Aethon, Lavay Byrd
Tales of Elhaanai, Nicole Thomas
Still Small Voice, Allen Brokken
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Flight of the Raven
“Exciting twists make Morgan L. Busse’s Flight of the Raven, book 2 of the Ravenwood Saga, a very enjoyable read.” —Lorehaven

The Eternal Struggle
“Esther Wallace’s novel The Eternal Struggle forms a dark sequel that brings hero and heroine into close fellowship with loss and brutality.” —Lorehaven

Dark is the Night
“Mirriam Neal’s vampire novel Dark is the Night keeps the punches and the fangs rolling.” —Lorehaven

Blood and Bond
“This book is brilliant and engaging, expanding on the series’ world and characters while building its own plot.” —Lorehaven

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49. How Can We ‘Terraform’ the Church to Enjoy Fantastic Fiction?
Fantastical Truth, Jan 26, 2021

48. What Were the Top Seven Issues for Lorehaven Readers in 2020?
Fantastical Truth, Jan 19, 2021

47. Why Do Some People Long for Escape to a Galactic Community?
Fantastical Truth, Jan 12, 2021

46. Ten Years Later, Why Did ‘Dawn Treader’ Sink the Narnia Movies? | with Rilian of NarniaWeb
Fantastical Truth, Dec 22, 2020

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Stargate SG-1 Update: Christianity in the Episode “Demons”
Travis Perry, Jan 28

What Tolkien Taught About Fighting Evil
Travis Perry, Jan 21

The Messages of Black Horror Films
Parker J. Cole, Jan 20

The Worldview of Biocentrism–You Are One With The Force
Travis Perry, Jan 14

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‘Batman V. Superman: Dawn Of Justice’ Teaser Debuts

“Devils don’t come from Hell beneath us. No, they come from the sky.” Is Superman a false god?
E. Stephen Burnett | Apr 18, 2015 | 3 comments |

One day after the second trailer for Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens released comes the (likely premature) release of the first trailer for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.1

Perhaps the most fascinating shot in this trailer is the climax of a slow zoom-in to what turns out to be a Superman statue, with a very spiritually significant slogan spray-painted on his chest (over the S-shield that, as Superman explains in Man of Steel, means “hope”):

FALSE GOD.

superman_falsegodIn fact, the entire trailer is about the world’s response to Superman’s “first contact” in Man of Steel — including an in-universe analog to real-life audiences’ criticisms of Superman’s battle that leveled a huge part of Metropolis.2

Viewers hear shouts of protest against Superman, along with news opinions speaking in favor of him.

Perhaps must disturbingly, we see a group of soldiers in a tunnel kneeling in homage before a slightly disturbed-looking hero.

In the voice montage someone also says,

Devils don’t come from Hell beneath us. No, they come from the sky.

… Which sounds like a chilling echo of 2 Corinthians 11:14: “… Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”

If these themes are truly at the heart of Batman v Superman, that would make the two heroes’ titular dual more than a simple fanboy-pleasing beatdown. Instead fans would find a fleshed-out, special-effected, fantastical exploration of the meaning of humanity and heroism — perhaps even the drama of a truly good hero trying not to be corrupted.

I don’t think some folks understood that this is where Man of Steel could have been attempting to go this whole time.3 They stopped short at, “Oh noes, Superman killed and he never ever does that.” Instead we should do what all good readers should do before they choose to get outraged evangelicals-halfway-through-Harry-Potter-style: finish the story. Remember, we’re in another shared cinematic universe. And in this case, the story has only just begun.

  1. Is it just me or are more film titles these days coming with colons? ↩
  2. See a few thoughts about that here at SpecFaith: ‘Man of Steel,’ Heart of Flesh, June 17, 2013. ↩
  3. This presumes the critic is not a Marvel partisan who is rather un-joyously trying to turn everything into a substitute sports competition, rather than seeking to enjoy good stories whether they are found without an Enemy to fight. ↩
E. Stephen Burnett

E. Stephen Burnett creates sci-fi and fantasy as well as nonfiction, such as The Pop Culture Parent: Helping Kids Engage Their World for Christ (coauthored with Ted Turnau and Jared Moore, from New Growth Press). Stephen explores biblical truth and fantastic stories as publisher of Lorehaven.com and cohost of the Fantastical Truth podcast. He and his wife, Lacy, live in the Austin area, help with foster parenting, and serve as members of Southern Hills Baptist Church.

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  1. Tim says:
    April 18, 2015 at 9:23 pm

    Superman IS, for all intents and purposes, a small g “god”. He is super-powerful, and it takes a lot to kill him. He can do feats no other mortal (short of Captain Marvel, who it looks like will be in a separate continuity) can do. Without his two or so weaknesses correctly exploited, he could not be defeated by anyone.

    The only thing that makes him not a god is that he can’t live forever if not killed. He will die of old age eventually in almost every continuity but one, I think. Unlike the New Gods of Apokalips and New Genesis, or the Greek gods, so on, he will die of old age. Other than that, he and other Kryptonians, as well as the Daxamites of DC Comics who have similar abilities, are gods.

    I don’t mind the debate shown in the movie, but I hope they can do it with happiness and not angst. You can see those kneeling guys with the House of El crest on their shoulders (Superman’s shield symbol). I think in the end it will be that folks should trust him. I just would like it not to be Bats talking so menacingly. That suggests the really dark and edgy crap of the Dark Knight Returns instead of Supes and Bats’ first meeting in the late ’80’s Man of Steel reboot or the New 52 reboot. They still have some issues, but Bats prepared ahead of time and kept the problems at bay.

    The plot sounds good and makes sense, but I just want to have fun too watching this. I don’t want to be there at the end thinking that I enjoyed it but don’t really want to watch it again.

    Reply
  2. Rich says:
    April 21, 2015 at 7:44 am

    I always cringe when movies take themselves too seriously.  Deep subjects are best handled with a dialogue; movies are a monologue.  And images can be very emotionally manipulative, bypassing the intellect altogether, and leaving the viewer with a feeling of what is “right” without ever thinking about it at all.  We have to train ourselves to think about what we are watching and to subject it to worldview analysis.  Most people just want to be entertained.

    Reply
  3. E. Stephen Burnett says:
    April 21, 2015 at 9:12 am

    We have to train ourselves to think about what we are watching and to subject it to worldview analysis.  Most people just want to be entertained.

    Or we can train ourselves to have transformed minds so that “worldview analysis” occurs not through detailed catechismic religious breakdown — e.g., the potentially patronizing, “Okay everyone, now that we’ve had our fun, It’s Time to Talk About What We Can Learn.” Instead it would seem a “higher form” of worldview-analysis kung-fu occurs though something akin to muscle memory. It’s like instinct — instinct honed by truth. Yes, we need to do the training. But it’s for the purpose of not constantly needing it.

    Agreed that most people wrongly dismiss stories as “just entertainment.” The solution, however, doesn’t lie in accepting the premise that stories, or particularly image-based stories, should only be seen as shallow or as worthless apart from word-based theme deconstruction.

    Reply

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