‘Doctor Who’: When Justice Seasons ‘Mercy’

The “Doctor Who” episode “A Town Called Mercy” asked viewers to wrestle with the question: who decides who lives or dies? The answer is hidden in plain sight.
— E. Stephen Burnett in September 2012 —

The Gospel According To Roddenberry

Star Trek and religion? Yes, please!
— John Otte in September 2012 —

Oz, Four Ways: Introduction

Why? Because, because, because, because, because…
— Fred Warren in September 2012 —

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 in September 2012 —

Onward, Words!

God places value on words. He is a Writer, through clear instruction, stories, and more. Thus, our words and stories should remind us of His.
— Yvonne Anderson in September 2012 —

Entering The ‘Asylum’

“Doctor Who” series 7 began with an explosive opener last Saturday, raising questions about great battles versus personal ones, and particularly what true kind of love the greatest stories celebrate.
— E. Stephen Burnett in September 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 in August 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 in August 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 in August 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 in August 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 in August 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 in August 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 in August 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 in August 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 in July 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 in July 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 in July 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 in July 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 in July 2012 —
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Cathy McCrumb handles heavy subjects with a light touch, keeping the novel from grimness. Recorder is a creative and engaging novel that will appeal to a broad audience.

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