Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from 2022

Christian Dystopian: a new breed of evangelism?

There is another sub-genre in Christian Fiction that has gained significant popularity in recent decades that also gets its basis from what is evil in the world.    Oxford Languages defines Dystopia as:   “ an imagined state or society in which there is great suffering or injustice,  typically one that is totalitarian or post-apocalyptic.   Dystopian stories flow from the precipice of a breakdown in the world as we know it. A catastrophic event has shattered the fabric of society, or some totalitarian government has oppressed the majority past the point of recognition. Often in these stories a character will rise up to take down the evil that is in power and restore freedom to the people, seeking redemption for themselves and the world as a whole.                One could argue that this is already what Christians believe has happened in the world. It seems to me that the definition of “dystopia” is just another way of expressing the Christian worldview. Christians, by definition, beli

Christian Horror: Creating Fear or Exposing Light?

[THIS BLOG is written by MOLLY TURNER, Acquisitions Editor for Encourage Publishing.] There is a genre of Christian Fiction that is swarming with stories of darkness, evil, and demons…and people love it. They love stories that accentuate the spiritual world and show the reader how it works, exposing how it entangles with our everyday lives. Interestingly, in my experience, these works tend to rely on using extremes to be the catalyst to move the story forward.   What leads so many Christians to be preoccupied with a topic that the Bible is amazingly uninterested in explaining to us? Jesus, who regularly was engaging with demons while on earth, wasn’t interested in giving us a rule book on fighting the devil’s army, but rather said to put our trust in Him because He has overcome the world. And then there is of course the apostle Paul, who when charging the church of Ephesus to fight in spiritual warfare, rather than give a map of where evil lives or various tactics to expose or exorcize

The Ugly Duckling becomes a Swan: Hybrid Publishing Ch. 1

Remember when the Toyota Prius first came out on a large scale in the United States? In 2000, the first mass-produced hybrid vehicle hit U.S. car lots, and immediately the Prius became the darling of the ecologically “woke” elite, proud to leave their status rides in their five-car garages to be seen tooling around in their fuel-efficient, ozone-saving statement cars. Orlando Bloom in a Prius? Yes, please! In fact, many of my celebrity favs drive this cozy beauty: Tom, Julia, Leo, I see you, I do.  Unfairly, when the Toyota Prius first came out it became known as the “Ugly Duckling” of the hybrid industry—but we all know how that fairy tale ended, don’t we? It took a few more years, and lots more competition, but by 2022 Toyota’s footprint in the hybrid industry remains dominant, even considering the flashy scene-stealing prowess of Tesla. Fuel efficiency of over 50 mpg is impressive, particularly given the current price of gas.  Even with Americans’ love of power under the hood, a gro