Fantastic Tropes and Where To Find Them

Every story has tropes. Christian speculative stories are no exception. Here’s a tongue-in-cheek collection.
Kessie Carroll, Sep 2012

Lewis and Literature In The Library

Work continues to collect all published, Christian speculative stories in one place — the Speculative Faith Library. This effort also helps reveal a few things about the Christian-spec story field and classic authors that you may not know.
E. Stephen Burnett, Aug 2012

Why Aren’t Adults More Inclined To Read Fantasy?

George MacDonald, a contemporary and friend of Lewis Carroll and Mark Twain, wrote fairy tales not only for children, but also for adults, and surprisingly, from our 21st century context, his work sold in the thousands of copies throughout Europe and also here in the U.S.
Dean Hardy, Aug 2012

Shallow Reasons To Support ‘Narnia’ 2

Why do some force shallow, over-“spiritual” allegories on the “Narnia” stories — to the extent of claiming Aslan’s tent equals the Tabernacle, the Professor’s house equals the church, or the wardrobe equals the Bible?
E. Stephen Burnett, Aug 2012

Shallow Reasons To Support ‘Narnia’ 1

Flawed, over-“spiritual” defenses of the “Narnia” series are not only annoying, but ignore the stories’s central beauties and childlike wonder. Even worse, such approaches ultimately make readers worship God less.
E. Stephen Burnett, Aug 2012

‘Why Did(n’t) You Like That Story?’

What films, series, and novels do you enjoy that others despise, and which stories do you dislike that others near-unanimously praise? What possible factors lead to such differences?
E. Stephen Burnett, Aug 2012

Beyond Inklings Imitations 1: Exploring The Source

Readers have so “cultified” the Inklings that authors and publishers assume the only novels we want to read are imitations of Lewis or Tolkien.
A. T. Ross, Aug 2012

The Appeal Of Fantasy For Young Adults

Of all the unexpected things in contemporary literature, this is among the oddest: that kids have an inordinate appetite for very long, very tricky, very strange books about places that don’t exist, fights that never happened, all set against the sort of medieval background that Mark Twain thought he had discredited with “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court.” (excerpt from “The Dragon’s Egg”)
Rebecca LuElla Miller, Aug 2012

Speculative Faith Reading Group 9: From Defeat, Final Victory

Even among the greatest stories, the finale of LWW is unique. Here are echoes of Resurrection, eternal joy, and the truth that Christ’s people will reign physically over the New Heavens and New Earth.
E. Stephen Burnett, Aug 2012

News And Your Views

A smattering of this and that today. An update on our First Ever Spec Faith Writing Challenge, then news for For fantasy lovers. Finally, your views, in two parts.
Rebecca LuElla Miller, Jul 2012

Speculative Faith Reading Group 8: The Stone Table

In “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” how has Aslan’s death affected you, and how does it affect you now? How do other stories’ heroes’ deaths remind you of Christ’s ultimate death?
E. Stephen Burnett, Jul 2012

Speculative Faith Reading Group 7: Aslan Springs Forth

In these two chapters, watch for this contrast: of the wrong sort of “seriousness” — the manipulative, duty-driven dominance of the Witch — versus the joyful, holy, righteous seriousness that Aslan brings.
E. Stephen Burnett, Jul 2012

The Sword Endures

With all the different kinds of speculative stories, with fantastic weapons and wars, why is the symbol and themes of the sword so transcendent?
Rebecca P. Minor, Jul 2012

Speculative Faith Reading Group 6: Greed and Gifts

In these two chapters of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” we see good and evil even more clearly — along with God-exalting, reality-reflecting truths of what really causes evil, and the seriousness of fighting it.
E. Stephen Burnett, Jul 2012

Why Christians Can Love Speculative Stories

“Popologetics” author Ted Turnau: Speculative stories give more space to explore reality, imaginative worlds that enchant, and reflections of our true home.
Ted Turnau, Jul 2012

Speculative Faith Reading Group 5: Enter The Lion

Who is Aslan? Is he the same as Jesus Christ? An “allegory” for Him? Or something else entirely? Who would we ask? Also, what about that strange “Lilith” explanation for the White Witch, from “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”?
E. Stephen Burnett, Jun 2012

Speculative Faith Reading Group 4: Reality and Narnia

Why did C.S. Lewis write about four children coming into the magical land of Narnia? Why not two, or three, or even one, in order to write a simpler story with a more-focused cast of characters?
E. Stephen Burnett, Jun 2012

Speculative Faith Reading Group 3: Enter The Witch

For the real-life Speculative Faith Reading Group for LWW, this week we’ll pick up the pace. It helps that chapters 3 and 4 are short and follow one vital story development — Edmund meeting the White Witch.
E. Stephen Burnett, Jun 2012

Speculative Faith Reading Group 2: Meeting Mr. Tumnus

Week 2 of the “Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” reading group. Goat-men, tree spirits, naked Greek gods, a drunk on a donkey, and an evil White Witch — how are these things in a classic story Christians love?
E. Stephen Burnett, Jun 2012

Speculative Faith Reading Group 1: Entering The ‘Wardrobe’

This week I’m starting a reading group at my church for “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” You’re invited to join. How does this story honor God, and how can we learn from C.S. Lewis’s success at redeeming pagan myth for His glory?
E. Stephen Burnett, May 2012
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