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Realm Makers Bookstore Returns to Orlando for FPEA Conference, May 26–28
News, May 19, 2022

112. How Does Fiction Help Us Love Our Enemies Even If We Must Defeat Them?
Fantastical Truth Podcast, May 17, 2022

Clawing Free
Reviews, May 13, 2022

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Vivid, Ashley Bustamante
My Soul to Take, Bryan Davis
Into Shadow's Fire, Mark Castleberry
Deceived, Madisyn Carlin
Arena (2022 edition), Karen Hancock
Kurt Nickle-Dickle of Whiskers, N. J. McLagan
"In a city where debts are paid in blood, one young man will learn that everyone needs help sometimes if they want to survive." New in the Lorehaven library: A Matter of Blood, Lauren H Salisbury
Son of the Shield, Mary Schlegel
Maxine Justice, Galactic Attorney, Daniel Schwabauer
Mordizan, Alyssa Roat
Prentice Ash, Matt Barron
Etania's Calling, M. H. Elrich
The Choice, Bradley Caffee
The Obsidian Butterfly, Lani Forbes
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Clawing Free
“Clawing Free is an absorbing tale that seamlessly joins modernity and myth.”
—Lorehaven on May 13, 2022

Vivid
“Ashley Bustamante’s Vivid paints a world built on secrets and carefully controlled color palettes.”
—Lorehaven on May 6, 2022

Prophet
“If great fiction dares explore culture wars, it must show more than perfect people smiling before a flat backdrop. Frank E. Peretti’s 1992 novel Prophet reflects this reality.”
—Lorehaven on May 4, 2022

Realms of Light
“Author Sandra Fernandez Rhoads creatively uses classical art and Milton’s writing to give Cera necessary information to fight the darkness, drawing readers deeper into this urban fantasy world.”
—Lorehaven on Apr 29, 2022

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Maxine Justice: Galactic Attorney
Book Quests, May 2022

The Green Ember
Book Quests, April 2022

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Power On
Book Quests, February 2022

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112. How Does Fiction Help Us Love Our Enemies Even If We Must Defeat Them?
Fantastical Truth, May 17, 2022

111. Why Do Your Kids Need Fantastical Stories for God’s Glory?
Fantastical Truth, May 10, 2022

110. Could We Enter a ‘Golden Age’ of Christian-Made Fantastical Fiction?
Fantastical Truth, May 3, 2022

109. How Should Local Churches Support Christian-Made Fantasy?
Fantastical Truth, Apr 26, 2022

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Yes, Speculative Faith Is Closed, At Least For Now
E. Stephen Burnett, Dec 30

Last Stands, Custer, General Gordon, and Being a Christian Warrior
Travis Perry, Jul 2

How Christian Must Christian Fiction Be?
Rebecca LuElla Miller, May 24

Gender In Fiction: The Implication Of Failure
Rebecca LuElla Miller, May 10

Making a Story Visual UPDATE: Behind the Scenes of the Animal Eye Comic
Travis Perry, May 9

What Does “Woke” Culture Have To Do With Christian Fiction?
Rebecca LuElla Miller, Apr 26

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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.
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96. While Celebrity Creators Rise and Fall, How Do We Best Respect Christian Authors?

We may treat winning authors like angels and failing authors like devils, when we need to see them as Christ sees them: flawed human beings.
Fantastical Truth on Jan 25, 2022 · No comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:16:17 — 53.7MB) | Embed

Even when you’re doing a smaller podcast, you get to meet some famous people. How much more so when you’re blessed to attend conferences and engage Christian creators via the interwebs. This brings many temptations—among them, the temptation of treating famous creators like angels, or like devils, when of course they are very much human. In the world of fandom by Christians and often for Christians, we’ll explore how we delight and discern famous creators.

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Concession stand

  • We’re exploring this now because of secular creators.
  • For example, Joss Whedon was last seen self-destructing.
  • We’ve also seen Christian authors speaking in strange ways.
  • We try to focus on ideas, yet we might name a person or two.
  • That’s okay. We have no personal grievance with anyone named.
  • This also means the biblical commands about reconciliation don’t apply.
  • All of the apostles were free in Christ to name false teachings and teachers.
  • Perhaps most seriously, anything we say here can and should apply to us!
  • God forbid that Lorehaven or Fantastical Truth fall into celebrity temptations.
  • Read our Lorehaven Sacred Scrolls Statement of Faith, recently upgraded.
  • To explore this topic, we might make comparisons to non-author figures.

1. ‘The author is an angel! Come let us adore him’?

Christians love supporting favorite authors, even to a fault.

  • We’ve probably all seen (or scoffed) at the “Beliebers” or other groupies.
  • But we’ve seen similar groupie behavior for Christian authors at conferences.
  • Often it’s the newer writers who want to catch wind from a pro author’s sails.

Many Christian communities mark happy exceptions.

  • Interestingly, at Realm Makers, everyone seems pretty chill and humble.
  • The best, most godly authors must steward their time, yet want to share it.
  • Frank Peretti would mingle. Folks respected space, yet loved meeting him.
  • (Laura McCary recruited him to help us film a fun video for Instagram!)
  • In Nashville, Stephen missed saying hi to Mike Nawrocki, yet knew that I could.
  • Of course, Lorehaven invites famous creators (including next month).

We might start making excuses for authors who wander.

  • Unfortunately people’s author adoration can also enable plain false teaching.
  • With secular authors, Christians generally know they may not believe Jesus.
  • But when Christian authors fall into false teaching, we may justify them.
  • This includes (but is not limited to) growing acceptance of Sexualityism.
  • Authors work in creative circles, which can carry unique temptations.
  • Authors want to engage their world, so they may repeat worldly notions.
  • This can include wandering from biblical belief, but also plain heresy.
  • Anyone in leadership, including authors, do bear this responsibility.
  • Authors aren’t pastors or teachers, but they do disciple others.

2. ‘The author is a devil! Send this foul book to the Abyss’?

In response to creative or doctrinal differences, we can go too far.

  • In the secular world, we see the problem of leftist legalist “cancellations.”
  • In the evangelical world, we see people boycotting fantasy, magic, games.
  • This week we got wind of the Redeeming Love movie with sex scenes.
  • A bad response: trying to cancel the book’s author, who maybe meant well.
  • We need not call someone “evil” when the biblical label “foolish” may work.
  • Never attribute to malice what can also be explained by plain human failing.

For example, Zack wonders if people may “cancel” Lewis or Tolkien.

  • Some “leftvangelicals” have already suggested C. S. Lewis is “overrated.”
  • If Netflix ever makes a Narnia series, critics may chase The Horse and His Boy.
  • Tolkien may be safe, because money, yet Amazon could woke-ify LOTR.
  • People would be insisting that if authors can’t be angels, they must be devils.

3. The author is a human. Let’s respect him or her as God’s image-bearer.

If you’re aware of authors who wander from faith, we have thoughts.

  • Even author whose story “teaches” falsely could use some godly sympathy.
  • As Martin Luther reportedly observed, even the Devil is “God’s devil.”
  • If someone is tempted by a story to sin, the real issues go deeper than books.
  • Yes, we take badly behaving/believing authors seriously, but we ain’t skeered.
  • Doesn’t mean I’ll give their books to my kids, but even then, kids can learn!
  • James Hannibal mentioned a YA fantasy with heresy, read by his teenage son.
  • We needn’t call for an author to be run out on a rail, tarred and feathered.
  • Neither are we called to hush up false belief or sin. That’s also unbiblical.
  • Pray for wandering authors, speak openly and honestly about false beliefs.

We’re not even famous, yet we feel some “author” pressures.

  • Authors are not angels or devils. They’re our enemies and/or our neighbors.
  • If an author can’t reply to your comment, she may just be very super busy.
  • Moreover, an author spends years in this job. He may feel creatively trapped.
  • Authors also bear fans’ (overblown) expectations, both creative and spiritual.
  • Good authors get that way by learning to say no, and stewarding their gifts.

One of our Lorehaven missions is to train our view of creators.

  • Lorehaven focuses on fans (not writers) partly to help ease author-worship.
  • Train yourself for how to think, feel, and pray for authors who do fail.
  • And if you share faith in Jesus, remember, we’re all destined to worship Him!

Next on Fantastical Truth

As we enter February, we also near the 100th episode of Fantastical Truth, likely releasing Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022. We’re hosting a variety of popular Christian creators, and we look forward to hearing the stories behind their popular stories as we continue to see and find Christ’s fantastical truth.

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    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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    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.