Thunderbolts*: Man’s Longing For Purpose

I know -- I'm very late to the game to talk about this movie. But, our family doesn't usually watch movies until they are available with ClearPlay. Thus, I didn't see it until this September. Before I do a deep-dive into it, I'll give you my general thoughts. I'd give Thunderbolts* around three-to-three-and-a-half stars out... Continue Reading →

Why Do We See Things as Cool?

Every human can relate to the experience of 'cool.' I'm sure you've felt a thrill upon watching a perfectly-shot, perfectly-choreographed scene, or experienced delight when you're introduced to a character with awesome abilities, an intruiging backstory, or a fascinating personality. Maybe in the course of your schooling, you hit upon something that made you want... Continue Reading →

Dear Christian, Is Fantasy a Waste of Time?

I've heard the opinion in the Christian world that reading speculative fiction (eg fantasy, sci-fi, steampunk) is a waste of time. It's been called 'escapist.' I've already gone over the topic of escapism before, but I'd like to reiterate that something is only an escape when someone makes it into that. Fantasy isn't inherently escapist... Continue Reading →

On Heroes and Propagandizing

What happens to a culture when you take its heroes and change them -- subvert them? What happens when readers and viewers see their childhood role models presented differently, buying in to woke agendas or radically altering their behavior or discarding the beliefs they were built on? I'm not talking about heroes from history --... Continue Reading →

Animism and the Cause of Multiverse Madness

This summer, my youth pastor preached a series on worldview. His lecture on animism was particularly interesting, as he pointed out just how deeply it's infiltrated the entertainment of today. In what ways? Let's start by defining animism. It was certainly a term I had never heard before. My pastor defined animism as the over-emphasis... Continue Reading →

The Victim Villain: How Should We Portray Evil?

Ah... the misunderstood villain. The guy who murders and steals and blows things up because he had a rough childhood. It's becoming a bit of a cliche these days. Can horrible life circumstances change personalities and behaviors? Sure. Every writer knows that your villain must have a backstory of some sort, because a guy who... Continue Reading →

Should Christians Read About Magic?

In July of 2000, The Onion magazine released a fake satirical article about the Harry Potter series leading to a rise in Satanism among children. Unfortunately, some people thought it was real, leading to a small wildfire of panic and condemnation toward J.K. Rowling. It was a simple mistake -- but people believed it. There... Continue Reading →

The Hero Against the World

There's just something about the hero-against-the-world -- and I'm not the only one who feels that way. I heard it discussed on SASF -- Stories are Soul Food -- to whom I owe the credit for this term, 'hero-against-the-world.' Immeadiately the 'ooh, that could be an article' light lit up inside my head. Our culture... Continue Reading →

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