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‘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
News | Lorehaven, Jan 15, 2021

Join Our Jan. 21 Livestream: How Can We ‘Terraform’ the Church to Enjoy Fantastic Fiction?
News | Lorehaven, Jan 14, 2021

How Political Punditry Has Taken Over Christian Popular Subcultures
Articles | E. Stephen Burnett, Jan 14, 2021

TheOneRing.net Reveals Synopsis for Amazon’s Middle-Earth Streaming Series
News | E. Stephen Burnett, Jan 13, 2021

One Month Left Until the Realm Makers Virtual Retreat, Feb. 11–13
News | E. Stephen Burnett, Jan 11, 2021

Thomas Kinkade Studios Now Making ‘The Mandalorian’ Products
News | E. Stephen Burnett, Jan 8, 2021

Christopher Nolan’s ‘Tenet’ Collides with Itself
Articles | Josh Hugo, Jan 8, 2021

Library

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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
Reviews

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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

Podcast

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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

45. How Can a Wingless Piskey Learn to Fly? | The Flight and Flame Trilogy, with R. J. Anderson
Fantastical Truth, Dec 15, 2020

Webzine

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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

Who Can Put a Price on Daring Love, Loyalty, and Swordsmanship?
Azalea Dabill, Jan 12

Beyond

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Explore the book The Pop Culture Parent: Helping Kids Engage Their World for Christ

Does ‘Engaging Popular Culture’ Include Right-Wing Talk Radio?
E. Stephen Burnett, Oct 9

Join My Livestream This Thursday: Seven Ways to Find Truth in Fantastic Stories
E. Stephen Burnett, Oct 6

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16. How Do We Discern Stories That Claim ‘Humans Are A Virus’ on the Earth?

“The earth is healing; we are the virus.” Under this slogan lies this suspicion that something is wrong with us and we don’t belong here.
Fantastical Truth | May 19, 2020 | No comments |

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 47:37 — 44.9MB) | Embed

“The earth is healing; we are the virus.” Not long ago, that slogan itself went viral. Some made fun of it. A few took it seriously.

But under the slogan lies this faint suspicion: maybe humanity is bad somehow. Something is wrong with us. We don’t belong here.

How do Christians engage with this idea in our nonfiction and in fiction?

Three worldviews about the Earth

  • The Earth belongs to people. Result: exploitative pollution that harms people.
  • The Earth belongs to itself. Result: anti-human attitudes and policies that harm people.
  • The Earth belongs to the Lord. It’s for his glory and given over to our care.

The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof,
the world and those who dwell therein,
for he has founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.

Psalm 24:1–2

The real infection

  • Humans are infected with a virus that’s called sin.
  • Sin affects the Earth in many ways, including viruses, disasters, violence.
  • Call this by any other name, and that’s a distraction from our biggest issue.
  • People who blame “humanity” are just trying to “expiate” their guilt their way.

Exploring ecologism

Ecologism is a new political ideology based on the position that the non-human world is worthy of moral consideration, and that this should be taken into account in social, economic, and political systems. (Source)

Preachy-green movies?

  • The Matrix (1999) (not actually preachy-green, because a villain says that humans are like a virus)
  • Lost in Space (1998)
  • The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
  • The Happening (2008)
  • Avatar (2009)

Better stories to explore sin versus creation stewardship

We mention at least two:

  • C. S. Lewis’s Ransom Trilogy or Cosmic Trilogy (a.k.a. Space Trilogy)
  • J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings

Fantastic fans

Emily S. shares her fantastical reader origin story:

the Lion, the Witch and the wardrobe. Or the Snow Queen.

Micah Harris of Minor Profit Press engages with our Epic Resurrection series:

Thanks so much for this extended discussion on the redeemed physical creation. Something that irritates me is when mentioning some earthly pleasure, a fellow Christian responds, “But we’ll be beyond all that” in eternity. I’m sure they don’t realize how Eastern, even Gnostic , that sounds. God made nothing “common or unclean,” pronounced it all good, in fact, and “generously gives us all things to enjoy,” so there is nothing in the physical world, and our physical existence, that shouldn’t be redeemed for us to enjoy simply on the basis of “it gives you pleasure.” Not sure whether we’ll teleport into different locations (such as Jesus appearing in the closed room with the apostles) since the scriptural passage itself doesn’t differentiate that activity in his glorified body from his physicality and his eating. Regarding the latter, I love what someone pointed out. Jesus had just invited them to verify with their eyes and hands what they could see and touch, but then verified by eating what they couldn’t see: the resurrected existence of his internal organs.

Micah Harris further writes:

Much of our faith is speculative indeed when it comes to eternity. God has given us some roman numeral outline headings such as “no tears, no pain, etc.” but hasn’t narrowed it down much to the sub-headings or specifics. As you guys put it so well, unless the Bible says it’s not going to be there, the burden on anyone is to prove why any good thing that God himself made wouldn’t be. God would not arbitrarily rule out pleasures he made. Jesus’ words on marriage, for instance, focus simply on a society of immortals no longer having the need to reproduce. It’s reproduction, not loving each other intimately, that’s the focus of that discussion. I think marriage in the present age is like scaffolding that will no longer be needed in a world of perfect and holy individuals. Of course, I’m speculating. But we can be confident that God is not going to withhold any good thing from us. ON the reading list, I’d also highly recommend the chapters on heaven and eternity in Clay Jones’ book “Why Does God Allow Evil.” There, he argues for the eternal continuation of pleasure, of which God is the creator, in the life beyond. And certainly God created aesthetic pleasure, so there’s no reason to think it would be excluded anymore than sweet aromas or a loving embrace. Also, you guys might enjoy N.T. Wright’s “Surprised by Hope” which focuses on redeemed physical reality as our future, and Wright’s work of not only readable but enjoyable scholarship, a massive tome titled “The Resurrection of the Son of God.” Thanks again for this great three part discussion that has boldly gone where few Christians have gone before!

Share any of your feedback in the comments section or feedback form at Lorehaven.com.

Next on Fantastical Truth

Next week we’ve invited Chase Replogle, from the Pastor Writer podcast, to explore one of his favorite topics: what hath superheroes to do with the Bible? A few of these heroic archetypes trace right back to the Old Testament. We will follow these reflections (without copping out and just saying things like “Superman / Batman / Iron Man / Spider-Man is the Christ-figure”)!

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    Fantastical Truth
    In the Fantastical Truth podcast from Lorehaven, hosts E. Stephen Burnett and Zackary Russell find the best Christian fantasy, and apply the wonders of these imaginary worlds to the real world our Creator has called us to serve. Join the best Christian fantastical authors and other creative friends on this joyful journey, to find the happiness and holiness of Jesus through his gift of truthful imagination.
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