1. Good article. I have to say that it’s a sad statement of our times that we even have to keep writing apologetics for why we write fantasy or science fiction. Did C.S. Lewis have to deal with this when he wrote the Chronicles?  I get the impression that some minds are so numbed by a kind of kindergarten Christianity that they will never be convinced. Don’t get me wrong; I’m glad that we have people like you and others who are able to articulate a good defense. But I don’t believe we should have to be put on the defensive in the first place.

    • Did C.S. Lewis have to deal with this when he wrote the Chronicles?

      Yes, but from the opposite perspective. It was modernist secularists who insisted that fantasy stories were untrue and useless for children who needed to be raised in the “real world.” The fact that many contemporary conservative Christians are simply repeating the secularists’ identical criticisms, only with a “spiritual” slant, should tell us something.

  2. Matthias M. Hoefler says:

    When Jesus was accused by the Pharisees that his power came from Satan, what did He say? “Oh, wow, you’re right. This does look like satanic magic. I had better stop.”

     

    !

     

    Very Nicely done!

  3. Thanks for the thoughtful post. Here is a question that I’ve been mulling over: What is a Christian Fantasy novel?

    There are no definitive guidelines for this, which is obvious when you look at some of the books currently grouped into this category on a place like Amazon, but I would say that such a book must  at least be respectful of the faith. For a novel to be considered “Christian”, it should not mock or make fun of the core of the Christian faith. That sounds obvious, but I have seen books listed in this category that better belong in the Paranormal or general Religious Fantasy groups since the story fails to uphold core beliefs of Christianity.

    There are some good novels in this category but also some that most people who uphold historic Christian beliefs would consider blasphemous. Sigh. I can see why some of the Christian online bookstores are so hesitant to let in non-traditional publishers and indies.

    • R. L. Copple says:

      I discussed the issue of defining Christian fiction before:

       

      Christian Fiction = ???

       

      As to Christian fiction in general, you are always going to get a mixed bag on doctrine, even from the traditional publishers, who are primarily evangelical in the USA.

       

      Bookstores, online or off, should pick what they want. They shouldn’t limit themselves to onlly traditional publishers, because they are missing out on some good stuff. They don’t have to imitate Amazon and let whoever put up whatever without a filter.

       

What do you think?