Episodes

Most people think “Christian fiction” avoids “unclean” content like sex, violence, and bad language.[1. Photo by Clément M. on Unsplash.] But in fact, many of these stories have often pushed these limits. We know of a few books now that are experimenting. Just in time for Independence Day in the United States, we will ask—should these stories make very free to show their characters cussin’ and fightin’? Subscribe to Lorehaven middle grade • teens + YA • adults • onscreen • author resources • gi...

This week, Christians are asking all over again why a good God would allow people to suffer. Fifteen years ago in the summer of 2008, many debated the same topic after a little indie book hit it big. The Shack by William P. Young (and guests) followed a man called Mack who sought spiritual healing from fictional versions of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. This did and did not go over well. What now do we think of The Shack and its deconstruction of evangelical ideas, and ar...

If we as Christians want our own great creative works, we’ll need to be the ones producing them. That means families raising up children to value careers in the arts. What does this look like in practice? Zackary Russell is joined by his wife, Naomi A. Russell, to share how they’ve been doing this with their own four children. From homeschooling to public school, to musical theater and dance classes, they’ll explore how Christians can better engage faithfully in the world and in the arts. Subsc...

Summer brings the heat, especially among the Very Online. Not long ago lots of people were yelling at The Chosen because one of the crew was flying a heathen flag on set, as spotted briefly in one behind-the-scenes video. Then two of the disciple actors got bothered and started calling fans “phobes.” They’ve since apologized, but not before a lot of controversy. Behind all this yelling is one big concern: Christians are hiring non-Christians to help make stories and websites and things. Is this ...

Summer is the perfect time to go camping or even just step under the sky to gaze out to the stars. When we consider the heavens God has made, we feel very small, yet also creative and challenged. So many stories take us beyond Earth’s orbit, only to reflect real-world realities and send us right back to our homeworld, better equipped to face these problems! B. L. Dean, author of the Shades of Starlight space adventure series, joins us on the bridge. Subscribe to Lorehaven middle grade • teens +...

Many fantastical tales look okay, but may endorse ungodly ideas. That’s why more conservative groups are offering newer fiction to teach your kids moral values. How can Christian parents find the good stuff that will disciple your children’s heads and hearts? In this session recorded live at the March 2023 Teach Them Diligently conference in central Texas, Lorehaven founder E. Stephen Burnett (coauthor of The Pop Culture Parent) explores discernment in light of the gospel, offering practical res...

As hundreds of homeschool families head to Florida for the annual FPEA conference, we flash back to this spring’s Teach Them Diligently conference in central Texas.[1. Photo from Teach Them Diligently 2023 in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., courtesy Scott Minor.] What growing challenges do homeschool families face in our culture? What kinds of fantastical stories do they seek for their children? Subscribe to Lorehaven articles • news • library • reviews • podcast • gifts • guild Episode sponsors Enclave ...

Our podcast is Fantastical Truth.[1. Photo by Tom Radetzki on Unsplash.] Yet even seeking the truth can lead us into shadowy places. How can we discern these conspiracy theories without rejecting the truth that humans do often plot secretly, or falling into the trap of Gnostic “secret knowledge”? Mike Duran, author of the new nonfiction book Christians and Conspiracy Theories, will sneak into the studio. Subscribe to Lorehaven articles • news • library • reviews • podcast • gifts • guild Episod...

Imagine a mind virus has taken over people you love. You have fought the good fight. Now you’re tired and feel like retreating. You and some old friends are desperate for a solution. Then one captain says he has a surprise. You open vast hangar bay doors to discover … a wonderful fantasy franchise, lovingly restored, with everything back as it should be, yet better. But how? “Well,” says the restorationist, “you can thank the good ol’ common grace of our Creator for that. Also, I’m a lot like yo...

Did you grow up in “cultural Christianity”? Do you think this background helped you love Jesus more, or drove you away from him? What would your neighbors think? As people debate whether we even live in a Christian culture, how do these public moral tropes and gospel reflections influence our stories, Christian-made or otherwise? Subscribe to Lorehaven articles • news • library • reviews • podcast • gifts • guild Episode sponsors Enclave Publishing: Radiant by Ashley Bustamante The Wizard’s St...

What if you were a teenage prodigy who could use mathematics to predict the future? But finally your numbers-driven world collapsed into betrayal and kidnapping by a criminal empire? That’s the equation for Calculated and its sequels from novelist Nova McBee, who now joins today’s episode. Subscribe to Lorehaven articles • news • library • reviews • podcast • gifts • guild Episode sponsors Enclave Publishing: War of Torment by Ronie Kendig Infernal Fall audiobook by Bryan Timothy Mitchell Real...

Real life is already making fake “life” with artificial intelligence programs. But many science fiction writers have already rushed ahead to ask whether these artificial “lives” would count as human beings with human rights. Can we see the image of God reflecting in these synthetic creatures made in man’s image? Today we’re joined by a popular author who’s just passed the Turing test! Subscribe to Lorehaven articles • news • library • reviews • podcast • gifts • guild Episode sponsors Enclave ...

Last weekend we remembered not only Jesus Christ’s perfect sacrifice, but his resurrection—the same resurrection he has promised for all who receive him. On this podcast we’ve explored Epic Resurrection before, but not with questions like: Do we get to fly? Could we “apparate” from place to place? Dive underwater for hours? Will we get superpowers after the Resurrection? Subscribe to Lorehaven articles • news • library • reviews • podcast • gifts • guild Episode sponsors Enclave Publishing: Wa...

“We come to it at last: the great battle of our time.” Last week we shared this metaphor, and since then the cultural struggles have heated up even more. This is mainly because of our world’s possibly fastest-growing religion, which we call Sexualityism—that is, strong belief in one’s own sexual identity, which usually leads to false worship, legislation, and culture wars. One guest who’s experienced with these beliefs, and taken some heat for this, joins us to enjoin this foe. How might this be...

Today’s next Fantastical Foe doesn’t look that villainous. Instead she dresses up as whimsical kittens, cozy cottages, or obvious heroes and villains. He will approach you with pleasant platitudes, from a church, or even from that smiling popular fantasy author. She will shine like an angel of light, telling your heart beautiful lies such as, “Everyone is basically good, and you only need to fight something else.” Beware this second Fantastical Foe: Sentimentalism. Subscribe to Lorehaven articl...

What if you had to survive in a futuristic East Asian world, ruled by a social credit system, by pretending you were genetically altered? Let’s break from our ongoing series about present-day Fantastical Foes. Instead we’ll jump into the sci-fi cyberpunk world of Enhanced, Candace Kade’s newly released novel. Today, she rides into the studios to share her own social credit points! Subscribe to Lorehaven articles • news • library • reviews • podcast • gifts • guild Episode sponsors Enclave Publ...

If a church or group of Christians hurt you, that is part of your origin story.[1. Photo by Karl Fredrickson on Unsplash.] True heroes, on their journey to victory, often face many temptations to the dark side. One of those temptations is to a fantastical foe we’re calling deconstructionism. How can we show sympathy to victims who need to tear out bad structures, while refusing to let professional demolition crews reduce the gospel itself to ruin? Michael Young, known on the Twitterverse as “Wok...

The time has come to explore the wild lands. From legalism to worse attacks on God’s image in us, many Christian fantastical fiction fans have suffered what can only be described as church trauma. How can we show Christ’s love to these enemies while more importantly healing from these attacks that may come from relatives, the church back home, or other bullies who might slander us because of our faith or even because of the fantastical stories we enjoy? Today we begin our new four-part series: F...

What if you were stuck in a burdensome power armor and had to flee from the wrath to come? If this sounds familiar, it’s because you know the classic story of Pilgrim’s Progress. But this version has giant mechs. Plus robots, space marines, and talking platypuses. John Bunyan didn’t write those parts, but author David Umstattd did. Today he stomps into the studio to share his narrative podcast and forthcoming novel The Pilgrim’s Progress Reloaded. Subscribe to Lorehaven articles • news • librar...

Aliens! Now that we have your attention, here’s a plot twist: the aliens just want to show their love. But they’re also nationalistic, because they’re only sending America all their cute little balloons for Valentine’s Day, yet they’re too early, and don’t match the pink and red decor. This is no fantasy: fighter pilots have been shooting down floating objects, over Alaska, Montana, and Lake Huron. So it’s time to beam back aboard our Armies of the Aliens craft series. A special guest joins us o...

This episode releases on Valentine’s Day. But we’ve noticed that for a lot of fantastical fiction, and especially traditional Christian-made fiction, every day is Valentine’s Day. You get fantasy romance. Fairy tale romance. Fairy-tale retelling romance. YA superhero romance. And so much more. So, why all the romance? And will we spend a whole episode making fun? No way. It’s Valentine’s Day! Instead, let’s explore why Christian readers fall in love with fictional romance. Subscribe to Lorehave...

The Chosen biblical drama series is headed back to theaters to conclude season 3. Somehow this season, above all, we’ve seen a lot more criticism of the show. Are these creators trying to replace the true Christ with a TV Jesus? Aren’t they adding to Scripture and supplanting the local church? Is this Mormon propaganda? We’ll return to this fantastical-adjacent series to explore the purpose of biblical fiction, and debunk some of the misunderstandings and plain lies about these kinds of stories....

What if you were a blind young man living in medieval times? And you were called to a special and future-mythological mission: to become the wizard Merlin? Robert Treskillard’s fantasy Merlin’s Spiral series has been re-forged into audiobook form. This day Sir Robert himself rides into the studio to share more about his medieval fantasy—round tables, knights of yore, and the wonderful true King reigning over them all. Subscribe to Lorehaven articles • news • library • reviews • podcast • gifts ...

Have you been watching the hit animated Christian-made streaming series, The Wingfeather Saga? No doubt you’ve heard of the fantasy series by singer/songwriter Andrew Peterson. This story of the Igiby family’s darkly whimsical journey has attracted legions of readers from all ages. Now it’s a streaming series from Angel Studios. Today, series CG director Keith Lango visits our studio to share more about the origins of this animated story. Subscribe to Lorehaven articles • news • library • revie...