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Place of Christ in Fantasy Fiction

August 22, 2018 By Author John Leave a Comment

Place of Christ

Centrality of Christ in Fantasy Fiction

The Perspective of a Christian Writer

I presume it to be obvious that this article is written from the perspective of a Christian author. Well, not “just” a Christian author but a Christ-centered Christian author whose writing is rooted in a biblical worldview.

Christ in Fantasy fictionIt does not matter who the writer is, their worldview will thread through the tapestry of their story. And in truth, someone can say they are a Christian and yet hold to a secular worldview. It is rather like the person who loudly proclaims they are for non-violence, and yet when someone crosses them their fist flies. “Christian” is a descriptive term that can have a vast array of meanings. “Biblical Christian” describes a worldview that the word Christian simply does not.

The Centrality of Christ

For my part, I am a Christ-follower first and a writer second. Christ said that the most important thing in the world is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Nothing supersedes that. Right doctrine is rooted in love for the Lord—because I love God I want to know the truth about God. Right living is a love response to the Lord. And to love God is to love Christ. And if I truly love Christ above all else it cannot help but impact my writing. Its threads will be found in the fabric of my stories. If I am truly living a Christ-centered life I cannot bifurcate my biblical worldview into separate compartments when it comes to life and story writing. In fact, my stories by nature grow out of the roots of my worldview.

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Filed Under: Author Blog Tagged With: biblical worldview, Christ-follower, Christian author, Christian fantasy, Christian writer, fantasy fiction

A Terrifying Journey

June 27, 2018 By Author John Leave a Comment

A Terrifying Journey
A Search for Meaning

A Prefatory Note

This AuthorTower of Death is a captivating allegory about the ultimate search for meaning in life, choices of paths, and the consequences of those choices. This allegory takes Leander, Davina and Fenton on a terrifying journey to the Tower of Death.

Leander reaches the crisis point. He has to decide, “What will I do with my life?” He sticks his hands come of age, having celebrated his twenty-fifth birthday just yesterday. It irritates him that his parents have reminded time beyond counting that he should have already decided on an occupation by now.

Quoting the from the book

Alwin the cobbler had taught him how to make shoes. He had been the best in a class of five apprentices, and Alwin had told him he would be honored to have him work in his shoe shop when he came of age. He liked making shoes, but he was not sure that he wanted to make cobbling his occupation. Yves, a craftsman, had taught him the bow making trade. He also had done well in that apprenticeship as well, but it just did not seem to be what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. He had also tried his hand at fireplace building, tool forging, and had considered other possibilities. All of these pursuits were fine, but something was missing. There was a void in his life that those trades did not fill.

Tower of DeathA number of his friends expressed feeling a similar void, but found that fretting over it accomplished nothing. Older hobbits laughed and told him that after they had chosen a field of endeavor and poured their lives into it, the feeling of emptiness eventually went away—for the most part.

But why was it there? What caused the emptiness within? That question plagued Leander and kept him from making a choice. If only he could know!

“You’re going where?” Leander’s father’s voice grated with fury. “That is not only outrageous, it’s forbidden. No one is allowed to go to that dreadful tower.”

“But father, who forbids it?” Leander set his jaw. “If, as you say, there is no king, no ruler, no one in charge in the land, then, who can forbid anything? If I am my own king and sovereign, then I can say ‘yes’ or I can say ‘no’.”

His father’s face turned as scarlet as the kerchief hanging from the back pocket of his overalls. “Blast it boy!” He flung his hands upward in a demonstration of exasperation. “I don’t know who forbids it! It doesn’t matter who forbids it! All that matters is that we all know it’s forbidden, so it’s forbidden!”

Leander’s mother sat at her spinning wheel, seemingly uninterested, though every time her husband’s voice raised the wheel whirled a little faster. She glanced up at her son. My how she wished he would do something worthwhile with his life, but it was not her place to nose in, so she stayed with her work.

“Fenton and Davina are going with me,” explained Leander. “We are leaving in the morning. I’m sorry it does not please you, father.”

And so begins their terrifying journey to the Tower of Death.

Extraneous Stuff

If you read or have read Tower of Death writing a review at Amazon and B&N would be appreciated. Also, your comments here are always welcome.

You can find this book at Amazon in paperback and digital form and at Barnes & Noble in paperback only.

Filed Under: Through a Looking Glass Tagged With: Christian fantasy, Christian fantasy fiction, Christian fiction

Christian Fantasy Fiction and Biblical Truth

April 6, 2018 By Author John Leave a Comment

Christian Fantasy Fiction
Christian Fantasy that Gives Life to Truth

Christ Used Fantasy to Teach Truth

To some people Christian fantasy fiction and biblical truth are incongruous in concept, contradictory in nature. Actually, Jesus used fantasy to teach truth. We do not think of it as such, but he did. In John 15 Jesus speaks of himself as the vine, believers as branches and his Father as the vine dresser. He was using fantasy to illustrate truth.

Biblical TruthWhen Jesus talked about believers as being sheep, false teachers as being wolves, and himself as being “the door” to the sheepfold as well as being the Shepherd, he was using fantasy to teach truth. In his teaching he often used fantastic ideas to illustrate truth, to bring truth to life for the listeners.

True, he did not tell long fantasy stories, but nevertheless, he did indeed use fantasy. The real problem is not the use of fantasy, but the misuse. And I will grant that it is easily misused. But as the saying goes, let’s not throw out the baby with the wash. Good Christian fantasy fiction can bring truth to life. Preachers and teachers use their words and various illustrations to help their “sheep” understand biblical truth. Fantasy fiction can do the same. It can help people understand the application of truth to life.

A Biblical Truth I’ve Been Contemplating

A question I have been contemplating lately is, if “salvation works” or results in fruit, what does that mean? Does that mean every Christian will bear fruit? Does it mean if one is truly saved they will be submitting to Your lordship?

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Filed Under: Author Blog Tagged With: Christian fantasy, fantasy fiction, fantasy fiction stories, fantasy stories, good Christian fantasy

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John Edgell, Author

John has experience as a school teacher, a pastor, and has been a writer of stories since his two sons were knee high to a gnome.

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