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118. Which Fantastical Stories Help Us Celebrate Human Life?
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Shadow of Honor, Ronie Kendig
Lost Bits, Kerry Nietz
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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
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The Governess of Greenmere
“Obscure Arthurian and Celtic references blend with biblical imagery and high heroism in this brief yet old-souled story.”
—Lorehaven on Jul 1, 2022

Tilly
“Written in 1986, Frank E. Peretti’s novelette Tilly may feel melodramatic to today’s readers, but remains a tearful tale of brokenness and redemption.”
—Lorehaven on Jun 24, 2022

The Wonderland Trials
“Although indebted to a classic, The Wonderland Trials is inventive and colorful in its own right, abundantly able to charm and to intrigue.”
—Lorehaven on Jun 24, 2022

Rise of the Earthborn
“Societal intrigue plus steampunk flair and a dash of romance help make Emma Buenen’s Rise of the Earthborn a solid extra-biblical adventure.”
—Lorehaven on Jun 17, 2022

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118. Which Fantastical Stories Help Us Celebrate Human Life?
Fantastical Truth, Jun 28, 2022

117. Why Should You Build a Fantastical Lending Library? | with L.G. McCary
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Gender In Fiction: The Implication Of Failure
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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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This is the Strangest Timeline

It’s dangerous to mess with history, Barry/Doctor/Hermione/McFly!
E. Stephen Burnett on Mar 4, 2019
No comments

Have you ever paused just to look around and wonder if the universe has entered an alternate timeline?

As if someone, perhaps Barry Allen or The Doctor, has gone back to make too many changes?

Consider these bizarre 2019 events:

  • Politics are beyond insane (no matter your viewpoint).
  • Legitimately crazy people (from all parties) are seeking elected office.
  • This includes leaders publicly endorsing or ignoring legal infanticide–a longtime old evangelical doom forecast.
  • We have handheld devices that are more powerful than university computers a generation ago.
  • If people wanted to, we could travel to the moon or Mars, any time, but they don’t want to.
  • Serious and decent people now believe there are more than two genders.
  • But every single story of any mainstream popularity keeps presuming otherwise.
  • Against all odds, orthodox, biblical Christian churches have survived and thrived.
  • Most recently, this includes the United Methodist denomination.
  • Which is staying biblical about the sexual revolution (whose nonsense would have blown the minds of anyone a generation ago).
  • Which is also staying biblical not because of American leaders but faithful African leaders.
  • Meaning the United States is being occasionally called back from apostasy by faithful non-U.S. church members.
  • Meanwhile, fringe folks are celebrating the actual, bold, sexualization of children–another dark prediction by evangelicals, come to life. It won’t stay fringe for long. This will make some nasty messes to clean up in a decade or two.
  • On the popular cultural front, Star Wars movies are being made again–at one point, one new film a year.
  • But fans revolted, with reactions arguably more negative than the old prequel backlash.
  • A film version based on Aquaman became DC’s most top-earning movie ever so far.
  • Marvel is about to finish(?) a shared-universe film series that broke ground and outpaced anyone else who tried it.

On a more personal side:

  • Christian-made fantasy, sci-fi, and other fantastical stories are finally taking off.
  • I’ve finished two months of writing blog articles every weekday.
  • This week: I’m backing off slightly, because …
  • I’m heading to Fort Worth this Tuesday for Great Homeschool Convention, and the Realm Makers Bookstore.
  • Weeks later, I’m blessed to release the fifth issue, for spring 2019, of Lorehaven Magazine.
  • Weeks later, Lorehaven heads to Waco, Texas, for its own booth at the Teach Them Diligently conference!

To be sure, I could do with more of that timeline and less of the sex-and-heresy nonsense.

But if the world’s going to get this bizarre, we’ll surely need stranger stories. Especially stories that explore holiness, humanity, wonder, and magic in light of the gospel’s epic truth.

E. Stephen Burnett
E. Stephen Burnett creates sci-fi and fantasy novels as well as nonfiction, exploring fantastical stories for God’s glory as publisher of Lorehaven.com and cohost of the Fantastical Truth podcast. As the oldest of six, he enjoys connecting with his homeschool roots by speaking at conferences for Christian families and creators. Stephen is coauthor of The Pop Culture Parent: Helping Kids Engage Their World for Christ from New Growth Press (2020, with Ted Turnau and Dr. Jared Moore). Stephen and his wife, Lacy, live in the Austin area, where they help with foster parenting and serve as members of Southern Hills Baptist Church.
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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.