What follows contains major spoilers… First-time writer/director Ari Aster has described his debut feature film, “Hereditary,” as a “family drama that dissolves into a nightmare.” Indeed, the “nightmare” it descends into is one of familial dysfunction, inherited trauma, grisly deaths, and ritual paganism. But it’s the fated, inescapable draw of evil that most lingers in this [...]
Mental illness is one of those subjects that the evangelical church has struggled to address. During my time in the pastorate, I came to know several people (probably more) who struggled with mental illness. The culmination of my sense of inadequacy on the subject came when a friend who suffered with schizophrenia committed suicide. It left [...]
“Christian fiction” and “Biblical worldview fiction” are not synonymous. Their differences, however, are not always acknowledged. “Biblical worldview fiction” is a broad category. It could be applied to much art crafted by believers — film, music, storytelling, etc. The term has come to mean stories that reflect, assume, or allude to foundational biblical truths or [...]
I’ve been around Christian writing circles long enough (from 2004-5-ish to present) to remember when Christian YA fiction was not a thing. I still recall speaking to a literary agent (about the time The Hunger Games were all the rage), who flat-out said “YA is a hard sell in the CBA.” Why, I asked. They [...]
As part of my research for a future project, I’ve been reading The Cryptoterrestrials: A Meditation on Indigenous Humanoids and the Aliens Among Us by Mac Tonnies. It’s quite fascinating, but definitely “out there.” Tonnies is a recently deceased UFOlogist who veered from the more traditional interpretation of “space aliens” as extraterrestrial entities and conjectured [...]
Herman Melville in his classic, Moby Dick, wrote about Captain Ahab’s impassioned, myopic search for the white whale. It is a great symbol of the cosmic conflict between good and evil, light and darkness. Melville notes that when a whale is sighted there is much frenzied activity: deckhands scurry about, boats are lowered, men begin [...]
Back in April, 2011, I posted an article entitled The New Demographic: Christians Who Don’t Like Christian Fiction. It received a good amount of feedback, and currently has over 130 comments. I described this “new demographic” this way: There seems to be a lot more readers who like stories with “faith” elements than CBA (Christian [...]
There are many arguments for why Christian artists should avoid depictions of evil. The very concept of “clean,” “family-friendly” fare is based on the assumption that LESS renderings of evil (be it profanity, violence, gore, occultism, nudity, etc.) are qualitatively better or more “Christian” than stories or images that contain evil. One of the more [...]
My horror / military sci-fi novelette, Requiem 4, is now available in Audible audiobook. Narrated by industry veteran Dan Kassis, he captures the ominous vibe and diversity of characters with chilling precision. A fantastic iteration of this cautionary dystopian tale. You can download your copy of R4 in audiobook HERE.
This is NOT a deconversion story! I suppose I need to be clear about that right up front. Why? Because deconversion stories are currently trending. What is a deconversion story? Good question. Typically, conversion stories (aka testimonials) were designed to reach the unbeliever or spiritual seeker and encourage them towards faith. Deconversion stories, on the [...]
