A New Hope: Can Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Help Save the World?

Original Artwork Courtesy of Khôi Nguyễn (https://www.flickr.com/photos/kyonashi/)

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A New Hope: Can Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Help Save the World?

By Nicholas Downing

Founder of Flagship Fiction and Author of the Talon Trilogy

http://www.amazon.com/author/nicholasdowning

Writers of Christian Science Fiction and/or Fantasy… what is the purpose of our work?  Does it have real meaning?  And if so, what are we aiming to accomplish with our words and the worlds they are used to create?

Flagship Fiction’s mission is to “Change the world, one reader at a time, by bringing light to a world of darkness.”  The Light we speak of is Jesus Christ, whom we declare to be the Savior of the World.  The Darkness is the fallen world in which we live, a world that has largely turned its back upon its Creator.  Every hour of every day, spiritual warfare is being waged by unseen forces.  At stake are human souls.  Make no mistake about it.  Lucifer’s legions lurk, constantly on the prowl, always looking for rebels to join the ranks of their deplorable cause.

For those of us who believe in the Light, we are compelled to make a choice.  We can choose to ignore this invisible war and embrace a passive role as ignorant but hardly innocent bystanders.  Or, we can boldly proclaim the light of our Lord and carry His glowing torch into the heart of darkness, where enemy forces are assembled, weapons drawn and ready to advance their wicked cause.

What role does Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy play in this epic struggle between light and darkness?  Around the world, millions of readers, gamers, and movie-watchers spend countless hours attempting to fill the God-shaped void in their hearts with epic tales of science fiction and fantasy told from a mostly secular perspective.  They crave action and adventure, supernatural or scientific explanations for the extraordinary, and compelling, thought-provoking storylines.  In short, they desire a world that offers them far more than the world in which they live.

As followers of Christ, we understand this longing, not only because we love science fiction and fantasy ourselves, but also because our faith requires us to embrace our role as “aliens and strangers” of this world.  In fact, we are called to be “in the world but not of the world.”  And as such, we are able to recognize that the Truth in which we believe is far more exciting and worthy of celebration than the Fiction the secular world wants us to embrace.

Christ commands us to “go forth and make disciples of all nations.”  We are to do this not as conquerors but by demonstrating His love through our words, thoughts, and actions.  There are a multitude of organizations that minister to the poor, the sick, and other misfortunates.  And with good reason.  But I submit to you that science fiction and fantasy fanatics, many of whom become obsessed with the fiction they ravenously consume, are often just as much in need of assistance and healing as the homeless alcoholic or the promiscuous adulterer.  And in many cases, they may be even harder to reach with the life-saving message of salvation.

Through tales of Christ-centered science fiction and fantasy, we have a unique opportunity to reach lost souls who desperately need Truth more than they need Fiction.  Reference Ephesians 6.  God has equipped us with the right skills for the task at hand, but are we up for the challenge?

The battle lines have already been drawn.  Even the final outcome has been determined.  What remains to be seen is what role we will play in the battle between light and darkness and how big of an impact we can make for the Kingdom of Christ.  The gauntlet has been thrown down in the form of the Great Commission.  The legions of the lost are ready to advance.  Do we cower, buckle, and retreat in response?  Or shall we press onward unto a victory that has already been proclaimed?

Flagship Fiction says… Full Speed Ahead!

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Note to writers (and readers) of Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy: This introductory message represents the first installment in a series of forthcoming blogs from Flagship Fiction authors intended to explore topics relating to faith, fiction, and of course, FUN!  We encourage you not only to follow us here on WordPress or on Facebook, but also to actively participate in these discussions and even feel free to submit your own guest blogs for consideration.  Writers and bloggers, we will consider both original submissions as well as links to your existing blogs so long as the subject matter is consistent with a Christian worldview perspective.