New!
Author resources • Lorehaven Guild
Podcast sponsors • Subscribe for free
Crew manifest Faith statement FAQs
All author resources Lorehaven Guild Subscribe for free

Into the Darkness
Reviews, Feb 3, 2023

The Chosen Succeeds Where ‘Woke’ Stories Fail
Jenneth Dyck in Articles, Feb 2, 2023

Rose Petals and Snowflakes
Book Quests, Feb 1, 2023

Library

Find fantastical Christian novels

fantasy · sci-fi · and beyond
middle grade · young adult · grown-ups
All novels Search Add a novel
Silver Bounty, Victoria McCombs
A Sword for the Immerland King, F. W. Faller
Calor, J. J. Fisher
Once Upon A Ren Faire, A. C. Castillo
The Genesis 6 Project, Michael Ferguson
Exile, Loren G. Warnemuende
Aberration, Cathy McCrumb
The Truth Beyond the Lies, Kathleen Bird
Frost, Winter's Lonely Guardian, E. E. Rawls
Dream of Kings, Sharon Hinck
The Change, Bradley Caffee
Quest of Fire: Desperation, Brett Armstrong
Wishtress, Nadine Brandes
Flight, Kristen Young
Podcast

Get the Fantastical Truth podcast

Podcast sponsors | Subscribe links
Archives Feedback

147. Why Can Christians Celebrate Stories about Merlin and King Arthur? | with Robert Treskillard
Fantastical Truth, Jan 31, 2023

146. How Did Animators Adapt The Wingfeather Saga For Streaming TV? | with Keith Lango
Fantastical Truth, Jan 24, 2023

145. How Did Edmund Spenser’s ‘The Faerie Queene’ Shape Christian Fantasy? | with Rebecca K. Reynolds
Fantastical Truth, Jan 17, 2023

144. Which Top Six Fantasy Franchises Gave Fans Grief in 2022?
Fantastical Truth, Jan 10, 2023

143. Which Top Ten Lorehaven Stories Proved Most Popular in 2022?
Fantastical Truth, Jan 6, 2023

142. What Christmas Gift ‘Tools, Not Toys’ Helped You Grow As a Person?
Fantastical Truth, Dec 20, 2022

Quests

Join our monthly digital book quests.

Lorehaven Guild Faith statement FAQs

Rose Petals and Snowflakes
Book Quests, February 2023

Prince Caspian
Book Quests, January 2023

Dream of Kings
Book Quests, December 2022

On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness
Book Quests, November 2022

Reviews

Find fantastical Christian reviews

All reviews Request review

Into the Darkness
“Charles Hack’s Into the Darkness summons a close-range science fiction story, focusing on the personal challenges of space warfare among alien cultures with a steady pace and serious tone.”
—Lorehaven on Feb 3, 2023

A Crown of Chains
“A Crown of Chains creatively retells a biblical tale to explore themes of providence, racism, faith, and fidelity.”
—Lorehaven on Jan 27, 2023

Lander’s Legacy
“Lander’s Legacy stacks modern thrills and complex characters on a foundation of biblical what-ifs.”
—Lorehaven on Jan 20, 2023

Prince Caspian
“Pacing starts slow but creature lore grows in C. S. Lewis’s sequel, introducing practical tyrants and talking-beast politics into a Narnian resistance.”
—Lorehaven on Jan 13, 2023

Gifts

Find new gifts for Christian fans

Archives

The original SpecFaith: est. 2006

Speculative Faith | archives

Lorehaven issues (2018–2020)

Order back issues online!
New
Library
Podcast
Quests
Reviews
Gifts
Archives
Lorehaven helps Christian fans explore fantastical stories for Christ’s glory: fantasy, science fiction, and beyond. Articles, the library, reviews, podcasts, gifts, and the Lorehaven Guild community help fans discern and enjoy the best Christian-made fantastical stories, applying their meanings to the real world Jesus Christ calls us to serve. Subscribe free to get any updates you choose and to access the Lorehaven Guild.
Subscribe free to Lorehaven
/ Podcast
    Podcast sponsors • Previous sponsors • Subscribe links • Sponsor the show

    1. Sky Turtle Press

    2. The Katrosi Revolution series by Jamie Foley

    3. The Pop Culture Parent

47. Why Do Some People Long for Escape to a Galactic Community?

What rumors of UFOs spread throughout 2020, and why can’t people look away from these alien accounts?
Fantastical Truth on Jan 12, 2021 · Series: Armies of the Aliens · No comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:01:34 — 57.7MB) | Embed

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 on why these questions come up at all. Why do alien stories fascinate us? We’ll explore that, today.

Zackary Russell’s introduction

Since Election Day, our country has debated what we think Trump should or should not do. Meanwhile, I’m hoping that before he leaves office, he will release the Roswell files!

You might be wondering: why are we talking about this topic? Surely we should talk about something more important. Well, yes, we sometimes discuss the big headlines as they relate to our main topics of books, pop culture, and Christian imagination. But we figure if you want your political news, you’ve got places you can find that.

There’s another reason, too, that we talk about things like pop culture and sci-fi books: culture outlasts politics. The headlines of today / this week / this year will quickly replaced. But the culture we create will last for generations. So, while it would be easy for us to turn on the news and give our opinions, we want to invest our time in something else.

Fantastic Journey: The Soul of Speculative Fiction and Fantasy Adventure

Sponsor: Azalea Dabill’s Fantastic Journey

The secret of imaginative fiction is vital to our souls. If we do not dream, if we do not imagine, we begin to die.

Explore Fantastic Journey: The Soul of Speculative Fiction and Fantasy Adventure, a nonfiction book about fantastical fiction.

This fantasy genres guide quotes 70 authors who whirl the reader on a fantastic journey into the imaginative realm of magic and meaning.

A smart, concise, thoughtful look at how imaginative fiction impacts readers on three levels:

  • The spiritual arena
  • The wide world of ideas
  • And the sphere we breathe in

But the secret lies farther within. Meaning is the soul of every adventure, its central reality. The reality of every book impacts us on every level.

There is deep spiritual meaning in fiction.

If a book’s dark soul is a false gem brought up from the sea of fantasy we see shades of human evil and shudder, tossing that book back into the waves it came from. If our jewel of fiction glitters unrealistically bright—without a care—we shrug and say, “meh,” and the fate of that soul, pages fluttering in the wind, is to lie forgotten.

But if that story draws light to battle darkness, if its soul mirrors our lives and calls us to the adventure of truth, the joys of mystery, and the beauties of brave action—then we have won a precious jewel drawn from the sea.

The ocean of fantasy is not without its dangers. Wherever there is wealth, there is risk.

We must choose.

  • How do you tell if a book of speculative fiction is dark glass cunningly cut to resemble a jewel?
  • How do you choose gems of fantasy and not counterfeit riches?
  • Where can you discover the best imaginative fiction for yourself, your children and your friends, teens to adults?

Discover the elusive secret of imaginative fiction in Fantastic Journey: The Soul of Speculative Fiction and Fantasy Adventure.

(Artist’s recreation of a UFO encountered by the US Navy; image by Dave Beaty of The Nimitz Encounters.)

Overview

  1. We’ll cover some revelations of a supposed Galactic Federation.
  2. The stories that shape our analysis and response of alien headlines.
  3. Why this topic is so compelling and immediately grabs headlines.

For background, listen to our episode 22: How do Christians Discern UFO Accounts in Light of Scripture?

You may also appreciate this episode about UFOs, featuring Colin Samul on The Pop Culture Coram Deo podcast.

1. Traces of the galactic community

Many UFO headlines have been published since we last explored this topic.

  • The Galactic Federation revealed (or not)
  • Trump was going to reveal it all.
  • But also, Trump’s tweet from 2014: “I hope we never find life on another planet because if we do there’s no doubt that the United States will start sending them money!”
  • Obama knows something
  • The triangle UAP – The Debrief
  • Unidentified Submersible Phenomena (USOs) captured by the Navy
  • The UAPTF 180-day report
  • Proxima Centauri signal
  • Oumuamua
  • Jacques Vallee and James Fox on Joe Rogan
  • Tom Delonge & The UFO Phenomena | Cultish

2. How alien stories shape us

The way we respond to these stories is heavily influenced by the stories we consume and the stories we tell ourselves.

  • Pop culture: breakdown into three categories. Friendly, Hostile, Ambivalent.
  • History: explorers and invaders
  • Cynicism: “Of course they’re lying to us. Therefore aliens.”
  • Insignificance: “Of course there’s aliens because we’re nothing special.”
  • Specialness: Sekret Machines books.

Of course, the Bible itself is a story that informs our views. But, reading the same Bible, Stephen and I come to different conclusions about what UFOs could be (or couldn’t be).

3. Why many people can’t look away from alien accounts

When the galactic federation article dropped, it took over the top two spots in Trending on Twitter. I saw people responding to that article that never comment on this subject. It gets people talking. But why? It goes beyond the topic becoming more “mainstream.”

  • Deep longing in us for “a better country” (Hebrews 11).
  • Maybe there’s somewhere better to live. True: New Heavens and New Earth.
  • Someone will save us, give us all the answers, solve all our problems. Or try to kill us (which makes us pay close attention). Frankly, a lot of conspiracy theories boil down to one or both of these. Echoes of Revelation.
  • “Humans are the worst.” Half right. Sin is a humanly unsolvable problem.

Next on Fantastical Truth

Now that we’ve entered Fantastical Truth’s 2021 season, we’ll look back at the top 2020 articles and issues of interest to Christian fans.

Fantastical Truth
Fantastical Truth
Lorehaven

Explore the best Christian-made fantasy, sci-fi, and beyond, and apply these stories' meanings in the real world Jesus calls us to serve.

Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsSpotifyAndroidPandoraiHeartRadioStitcherBlubrryby EmailTuneInRSS

Share your thoughts with Fantastical Truth!

    Okay to quote from your comment in a future episode?

    YesNo

    Fantastical Truth
    In the Fantastical Truth podcast from Lorehaven, hosts E. Stephen Burnett and Zackary Russell explore fantastical stories for God's glory and apply their wonders to the real world Jesus calls us to serve.
    Website · Facebook · Twitter

    Share your fantastical feedback. Cancel reply

    Lorehaven magazine, spring 2020

    Wear the wonder:
    Get exclusive shirts and beyond

    Listen to Lorehaven’s podcast

    Authors and publishers:
    Reach new fans with Lorehaven

    Lorehaven helps Christian fans explore fantastical stories for Christ’s glory: fantasy, science fiction, and beyond. Articles, the library, reviews, podcasts, gifts, and the Lorehaven Guild community help fans discern and enjoy the best Christian-made fantastical stories, applying their meanings to the real world Jesus Christ calls us to serve. Subscribe free to get any updates you choose and to access the Lorehaven Guild.
    Website · Facebook · Instagram · Twitter