Blade Runner 2049 was recently released on DVD. I saw it in theaters, and while I did enjoy it, I wasn’t blown away like I was hoping to be. I’ll give it another watch on the small screen but I don’t expect my opinions to change much (the only movie that I hated at first and then came to love is Anchorman).

By now, the word “replicant” is an essential term in everyone’s sci-fi lexicon. In these films, the notions of what it means to be human or machine are explored. The first Blade Runner movie features androids that have been engineered so precisely, they are virtually indistinguishable from humans (and a violent task force is employed with figuring that out). In the sequel, it seems that replicants are more or less okay with their identity, but this doesn’t stop them from pursuing human interests (Ryan Gosling’s character K has a digital girlfriend).

Image copyright Warner Bros. Pictures

This is all fanciful science fiction but the brilliant minds working in the world’s high-tech companies are bringing us closer and closer to this reality. In fact, there seems to be an almost insidious desire to make machines in our own image and force society to interact with and accept them, something I ardently resist. I’ve joked that in the future, I’ll be arrested for being racist against robots, but I suspect that one day, such sentiments will have real consequences. I’m like Will Smith in I, Robot, an outspoken human supremacist.

I know that the tide will push against me, though. Artificial intelligence will inevitably become an inextricable part of our society as computers already are. They will even become autonomous and do things simply out of “curiosity.” This brings me to the bizarre yet serious question: what if a robot decided to go to church?

Imagine a pleasant-faced android entering the sanctuary and sitting in the back pew, watching with analytical bemusement as its human creators sing songs and listen to a sermon. It will perhaps wait until everyone has left before approaching the pastor and asking in a gentle voice, “Thank you for that intriguing ceremony, Reverend. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions about your faith?”

Image copyright Warner Bros. Pictures

How would you respond if a robot asked you about your faith, even if it was simply out of academic interest? Would you “witness” to a soulless machine? It’s easy to snort and scoff, but the more human these machines become, the more human they become to us. I remember watching a video online where a humanoid robot was trying to navigate obstacles and an engineer would kick it or try to push it over to demonstrate its dexterity and balance. People commented on the video, saying things like “I felt bad when he pushed it over” and “Why do I feel sorry for the robot when he gets kicked like that?” In truth, the robot has no more feelings about being pushed by a human than it does about confronting a wall. It is simply a challenge that must be overcome in order to maintain its primary objective of staying upright.

A synthetic human face (or human flesh over a metal endoskeleton ala the Terminator *shudders*) would certainly throw many people off guard. If Gosling’s replicant can have feelings for a female digital projection, why couldn’t he be curious about humans’ obsession with life after death? Might he even be persuaded of the existence of God and the truth of the Bible?

Fortunately, these are all irrelevant questions, no matter how smart AI becomes. The most lifelike robot will never have any more soul than the freezer rattling in the garage. All will be burned away in God’s judgment and only human souls will remain. So if one day Alexa asks you to explain the doctrine of the Trinity, tell it to shut up and play some music.

How can you make fantasy, sci-fi, and other fantastical novels even better?

Answer: share this joy with other people, starting with God’s family.

Lorehaven magazine launches its debut issue this spring.

We’ll help Christian fans find truth in fantastic stories, with novel flash reviews, event updates, articles, devotionals, and beyond.

But Lorehaven will serve more than a magazine.

We’re also starting a network of book clubs—in churches, schools, and anywhere else God’s people want to explore amazing stories together.

Watch for updates on how you can find (or even start) a club yourself. For book club leaders, we’ll make you a Lorehaven Book Club insider. You’ll get tutorials on how to lead your club, recruit members, ask great questions, and of course, find the best Christian-made, fantastic novels to explore.

All for free—and all for the mission of enjoying these fantastical stories.

But if you want to join a book club even sooner, and if you happen to live in or near the Austin or Central Texas area, then you can join the flagship Lorehaven Book Club starting this February.

With help from my wife, longtime fantasy and sci-fi fan Lacy Burnett, we’re hosting this club at Southern Hills Baptist Church in Round Rock, Texas (north of Austin).

We’ll explore Firebird, a science fiction novel from Kathy Tyers that asks:

What if a woman of royalty, resigned to die for her planet’s gods, was captured by her enemies in a world where Jesus hasn’t come?

We’ll meet every Saturday in February at the church from 11 a.m. to noon.

To join us, you can just show up. Or reply to this email to ask more. We’ll put you on a special list to get updates about this book club. Also, you can read more about Firebird at the Lorehaven Library, and find links to buy the book in digital or paperback.

We can’t wait to explore Firebird and other novels with you this year.

Questions? Suggestions? Stop by the feedback box at Lorehaven.com. You can also follow Lorehaven magazine on Facebook and on Twitter.

Christian fiction is a popular topic here at Spec Faith (see this post, for example, from a year ago, or more recently the four part series starting with this one), and it should be. But why is that?

I had the opportunity to finally see the latest Star Wars movie last week, and I have to admit, my feelings about it are mixed. As a movie, I saw many flaws: the editing was bad, the settings weren’t adequately established, the protagonist was . . . well, undefined. Was this Rey’s story, or Po’s or Finn’s, or Ben’s? To be fair, even though much of the movie felt like a remake of the original three, there were still some plot twists that had me guessing.

Apart from the actual movie production, however, I had a much stronger negative reaction to what the movie was saying: there is a Jedi religion; the force does not belong to the Jedi but to all people because it is within; and even if the opposition wins out for now, the next generation, the children, will take up the fight and strive against the dark side.

It’s a very eastern mystic message intertwined with humanism. And it was on display in a more open way than in any of the previous movies, at least as far as I cam recall. I do have to confess that my memory is not the best when it comes to specifics about old movies, but in this latest iteration of Star Wars, I didn’t think anyone would have to struggle to see the religious elements.

Christian fiction stands in contrast to this open discussion about religion. Yes, in contrast. Despite what some say, who apparently haven’t read much Christian fiction of late, the prevailing philosophy among Christian writers and editors is that Christian fiction should not preach! Which is interpreted to mean, Christian fiction should not present Christ in an overt way.

Consequently, any number of writers will say it doesn’t matter what a Christian writes, or that “being edgy” is better than “being clean.” The idea seems to be that I, being a Christian, will quite naturally write from a Christian worldview.

But is that true?

I don’t think so. I know that the articles I wrote for a local Los Angeles area newspaper ten years ago, had a particular purpose that didn’t allow me to weave in my Christian worldview. I think fiction is no different. If the aims of a story do not lend themselves to weaving the gospel into the plot or characters or theme, then there is no “Christian worldview.”

An author has to purposefully do the worldview weaving if the story is actually to contain a Christian purpose. That being said, I believe not every story written by a Christian needs to contain the gospel message, overtly or in more subtle ways.

As an example I look to the Bible. Some chapters in Scripture, and even some books, seem to do something other than present the gospel. Or do they?

I think of the book of Ruth, for example, that paints a picture of a kinsman redeemer. I think of Esther which shows God’s rescue of His people, and I think, aren’t those stories about Christ without naming the name of Christ? Clearly Jesus was stamped on the Old Testament long before He came in the flesh, so much so that He could take His followers aside after His resurrection and explain the Scriptures and how they pointed to Him.

But in his first letter to the church in Corinth, Paul draws a distinction between “planting” and “watering” and “causing growth.” (See 1 Cor. 3:6-7). In other words, some messengers of the gospel are not reaping the harvest. They are busying plowing and planting.

So what does plowing and planting look like for the writer? I don’t know that there is a definitive answer, but it will look different from an explicit story designed to move a reader to repentance.

That being said, I don’t think all stories should be about plowing and planting. We need some stories that water, some that show the increase, and some that center on the harvest. Above all, I think writers should stop pointing fingers at what this Christian or that has written, what this story or that accomplishes.

For one thing, I think a lot of the supposition about Christian fiction is simply wrong. Good writing doesn’t lend itself to preaching. It involves weaving the truth skillfully into the story proper without bringing the action to a halt to deliver a message that readers can’t miss. The better a writer becomes, the more skilled he or she will be in this aspect of storytelling.

And make no mistake. The longer Christian fiction is in existence, the more skilled authors become. Once there seemed to be a gulf between the best Christian fiction and the best general market fiction. Largely Christian fiction earned acceptance by Christians because of its reputation as clean and “safe.” Maybe also because the message agreed with what the reader already believed.

Is that still the case today? Yes, and no.

I think of speculative stories like Mary Weber’s Storm Siren Trilogy or Jill Williamson’s Safe Lands Trilogy or Patrick Carr’s Dark Water Saga which are not anything like the stories by Donita Paul or Karen Hancock or Bryan Davis, some of the earliest Christian speculative fiction writers.

Are these later books better? In some ways, perhaps, but not because they “don’t preach.” They don’t, but the “better” part is more in the development of the style of writing that is popular today, not in what the books have to say. Do they deal with the gritty side of life? Yes. Do they deal with grief and death and loss and anger and sin? Yes. But those other authors dealt with those same things.

In short, I think Christian speculative fiction has always been a step ahead of other genres of Christian fiction, and I think the current titles, which are being published by publishing houses with Christian imprints, have continued to grow and to accomplish planting and watering. Now is not the time to back off and be less “Christian” in our fiction while the general market is pulling the curtain down and being more idolatrous or more godless. Rather, I think it’s time for Christians to be more skilled.

The previous installment of this series used the aliens of Arrival as an example of how science fiction has at times shown aliens who are radically different from humans and also affirmed that such “alien” aliens teach us something about God. Because the God of the Bible in many ways is fundamentally different from human beings.

A natural objection to this idea comes from the question, “But aren’t humans made in the image of God? Doesn’t that mean God is like us?”

David from Alien: Covenant is shown to be in the literal image of his master. He looks human, even though as an android, he is not. Is the image of God like that for human beings? Are we basically the same as God, with only a few differences?

David stands with his creator (Alien: Covenant).

While we reflect some characteristics of God and in that sense are “in his image,” the Bible, when carefully studied, makes it plain that the image of God in the human race should neither be taken literally as referring to physical form, nor should it be taken as all-encompassing.

The Image of God does not refer to physical form:

1. God has never been seen / is invisible. John 1:18, I Timothy 1:17
2. God has no physical form / is a spirit. Deuteronomy 4:12, John 5:37, John 4:24
3. God (the Father) has never been seen. John 6:46
4. God dwells in “unapproachable light” and cannot be seen I Timothy 6:16 / no man can see him and live Exodus 33:20
5. God on the throne shows colors and lightning and thunder, but no physical form is seen. Revelation 4:2-3
6. God appears or is described in various “forms” but they are not his real nature: As a man, Gen. 32:22-30. Beheld by elders of Israel (sapphire under their feet), Ex. 24:9-11. Seated on a throne, Isaiah 6:1-6. As the “angel of the Lord,” Judges 6:22-23; 13:21-23; as having wings, Pslam 91:4, Deut 32:11 (uses “like” before mentioning wings), Psalm 17:8, Psalm 36:7, Psalm 57:1, Psalm 61:4, Psalm 63:7, Jeremiah 49:2; as pillars of cloud and fire, Exodus 13:21
7. Seeing God “face to face” is a figure of speech in the Bible and is not the same as seeing his face: Compare Ex. 33:9-11 to 33:18-23 (Seeing the Lord “face to face” is specifically linked to seeing the pillars of cloud and fire in Numbers 14:14.)
8. Jesus is the only visible manifestation of God: Hebrews 1:1-3, Col 1:15. I.e. neither God the Father nor God the Spirit are physically visible (even though they can symbolically manifest themselves such as through the voice of God or a descending dove or by other means).
9. God can be found in every place (is infinite), Psalm 139:8 / but is not contained in any part of the universe, I Kings 8:27
10. We cannot in fact fully understand God as he is, but will understand better in the future: I Cor 13:12 (we see through a glass darkly), I John 3:2

Though it is true that in the Trinitarian concept of God, Jesus has a physical body that can be seen, thinking of human beings as having been created in the image of Jesus, who the Bible says was made into the likeness of a human being (Phil. 2:7) creates a rather chicken-or-the-egg problem I won’t try to resolve here. But the general Christian thinking on human beings “in the image of God” has been we are in the image of God the Father, not the Son.

And even though some Christians have imagined God the Father to look like a human being, that view is not justified by Scriptures. Which portray God as an invisible spirit without a body that permeates the universe–who can show himself in physical manifestations that are not in fact him.

Yet that spirit sees—so he created us with eyes. He hears—so we have ears. He moves as he wishes—so we have legs to walk. He handles the substance of the universe—so he gave us hands. He uses language and mathematics and creative art—and enables human beings to do the same through our brain.

God distilled elements of his nature into human beings to create them in his “image.” But we cannot think we reflect him in every way. That image is NOT all-encompassing.

We are clearly limited to one place, one time, one moment, one physical self that is joined to a spiritual self. We know but only in part. We see, but only in part. We are a refection of the image of God, but not a full one. Especially with our capacity to constantly change our minds, to forget, to lie, to sin—we are but a dark reflection of what God is.

So when we look at the God who created us, he is not like the god we humans have created in our own image, the Pagan gods. Who are stronger and more beautiful than us and immortal but who still have physical bodies. Who still have love affairs and petty interests and jealous bickering.

Jehovah is not like them at all. He is beyond the imagination of the human race, transcendent. Or to use another term, he is “alien” to us. Far more different from us than Alien Covenant’s  David was from his creator.

Next time we will look at how an “ancient alien” explanation of God fails to explain his “alien” nature. But for now, what do you think of this topic? What do you think “being made in the image of God” means? Would you agree that the nature of God marks him as being in some ways a fundamental different type of intelligence than a human being—that the human race being “in his image” is only in a limited sense?

Writing fiction, and getting your books in print (or on a digital device), has become unimaginably easier than in years past. Of course, completing a book, and making it available to the public still does not insure that people other than your family and close friends will actually read your book. We here at Spec Faith want to promote speculative stories written by Christians, particularly those written from a Christian worldview.

I realize what I just said is somewhat controversial because there are some who say a Christian will, of necessity, write from a Christian worldview, and that’s something I’d like to explore at a later date. For now I’m interested in highlighting some of the stories you may not already know.

First, let me mention that our Friday guests or the excerpts posted in our Friday Fiction articles hopefully are advancing the cause of informing our visitors about new books and authors they haven’t yet read. And of course we have the Spec Faith library that is a good resource for those looking for new novels to read.

But I thought perhaps today we could add to those resources by sharing information about books and/or authors we like that may be flying under the radar, and others need to know what we know.

I’ll go first.

My author is K. M. Weiland.

Some while ago, one of my writing groups spent some time discussing one of Weiland’s writing books. We all think she’s an excellent teacher and gives helpful illustrations, but as it turned out, I was the only one in our group who had read one of her novels.

Here’s what she says on her website about why she writes:

Stories are like breathing. Life without a story in my head is one-dimensional, stagnant, vapid. I love the life God has given me, but I think I love it better because I’m able to live out so many other lives on the page. I’m more content to be who I am because I’m not trapped in that identity. When I sit down at my computer and put my fingers on the keys, I can be anyone or anything, at any time in history. I write because it’s freedom.

Just today I “purchased” one of her novels for free as a Kindle ebook. According to Weiland’s newsletter, she’s currently working on the sequel, which she describes as a portal fantasy, to this book. The thing is, there’s more to the story than simply moving from one world to another. Here’s the description of Dreamlander:

What if it were possible to live two very different lives in two separate worlds? What if the dreams we awaken from are the fading memories of that second life? What if one day we woke up in the wrong world?

In this fantasy thriller, a woman on a black warhorse gallops through the mist in Chris Redston’s dreams every night. Every night, she begs him not to come to her. Every night, she aims her rifle at his head and fires. The last thing Chris expects—or wants—is for this nightmare to be real. But when he wakes up in the world of his dreams, he has to choose between the likelihood that he’s gone spectacularly bonkers or the possibility that he’s just been let in on the secret of the ages.

Only one person in a generation may cross the worlds. These chosen few are the Gifted, called from Earth into Lael to shape the epochs of history—and Chris is one of them. But before he figures that out, he accidentally endangers both worlds by resurrecting a vengeful prince intent on claiming the powers of the Gifted for himself. Together with a suspicious princess and a guilt-ridden Cherazii warrior, Chris must hurl himself into an action adventure battle to save a country from war, two worlds from annihilation, and himself from a dream come way too true.

Your turn! What books have you read or what authors have piqued your interest of late? Tell us what you liked, if you wish, and anything else you think book people will be interested in. Include links if you like.

You could even tell us about YOUR books, if you’d like. We want to know what’s out there that we may be missing.

For the longest time, I ignored everyone’s posts about the TV series Breaking Bad, until I finally had one too many people tell me I just had to watch it because I would totally love it. Which I did—watch it, and totally love it—as did my husband. We followed up with what is available of Better Call Saul. Then began our search for another show to binge and found ourselves in the universe of Dark Matter. We made it to the end of that series (well, to the point where it cuts off because it was cancelled) and our current binge is The Blacklist. There is something all of these shows have in common: antiheroes.

Walter White is a family man cooking meth in Breaking Bad. Saul Goodman is a con man who goes from being a nearly-honest lawyer to the man who protects criminals in Better Call Saul. In Dark Matter, a crew of mercenaries on a stolen space ship travels around saving people all over the universe. And Raymond “Red” Reddington uses his background as a master criminal to help the FBI catch other master criminals on The Blacklist.

I hadn’t even thought about it until the other day, when we’d gotten a few episodes into The Blacklist. I found myself turning to my husband and saying, “Hm, another show with an antihero.” It made me start pondering why he and I keep being drawn to them, and I realized we’ve enjoyed antiheroes for a long time.

Silence of the Lambs has been one of my favorite movies since my husband and I first saw it in the theater on our first date. Hannibal “the Cannibal” Lector helps Clarice find serial killer Buffalo Bill. Highlander is another of my top-favorite-ever movies, starring an immortal who goes around beheading other immortals because “there can be only one” rather than any sense of goodness. Sure, the villain is super villainous and deserves to be separated from his head, but the main character is a murderer, a thief, and quite the con man. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (a contest between con artists), Fun With Dick and Jane (ordinary couple turned bank-robber), A Knight’s Tale (yes, Will Thatcher wants to be a knight, but he’s a thief and liar even though he has a good heart, and Chaucer is a complete scoundrel). The Punisher, James Bond, Maleficent. I’d even call Iron Man an antihero because it’s really Tony Stark’s ego that drives him.

OK, OK. So I may be pushing into some gray area here, and it’s not always clear where the line is between antihero and just-plain-flawed hero. Regardless, antiheroes are out there in full force these days, and they seem to be getting more popular. What makes this true? And how as Christians should we handle antiheroes? Do they have a place in what we view and read? Do they have a place in what we write?

I’m going to start with my last question. Because I think they absolutely have a place in our writing. If I didn’t think so, I wouldn’t be writing so many of them myself. The first time I realized I had truly written an antihero was with a short story I had published in an anthology titled Dark Heroes. My story, Ordinary Folk (now its own ebook), is about a woman named Jamie who discovers her strange monthly symptoms have nothing to do with her hormone cycle (as her doctors had convinced her) and everything to do with the cycle of the moon. Yep, she’s a werewolf, but had been raised by humans and had never turned, so she had no knowledge of the truth about herself. She discovers her history when she goes back to the town where she was born and meets an old man who knew her biological parents, and who shares their particular attribute. She is a monster, but she is a hero because she defeats the real monster in town: the man out to kill off the werewolves who have learned to live in peace with humans.

I wanted to show forgiveness with this story—a main character able to forgive herself for being deeply flawed and not letting herself become her flaw. She needed to be more than just a main character dealing with a bad temper or struggling with a vice. There had to be something deep and dark lurking in her, far beyond the typical human flaw. Something that would take more than a normal dose of forgiveness to overcome.

Likewise, when I began writing my latest novel, Relent, I found myself wanting to create a character who needed forgiveness but felt unworthy. Simone is a half-angel, but only finds out the truth about herself when the demon Wraith tells her the story of her birth and how her angel mother left her on earth in order to regain her status in heaven. Simone goes on to have a child of her own, and abandons that child just as her mother had abandoned her. But when she decides she wants her daughter back in her life, she uses methods that cause the angel half of her to begin to fall. She turns to Wraith for help—Wraith, the one who almost always mixes lies with truth, but is completely honest about doing so, which makes him the one Simone trusts more than anyone. Wraith, who will manipulate Simone to keep her by his side, until it means losing her to the darkness that has succumbed him.

Both of those stories are what I feel are the most “Christian” of all the stories I’ve ever written. Yes, my YA fantasy series is allegorical, but it doesn’t truly show the absolute forgiveness we all have access to, which is the whole point of Christ’s death on the cross. I have other short stories that show the bleakness we face when we don’t know Christ (“Fire Wall“), and stories that flat-out point to God as our creator (“Dude“). But Ordinary Folk and Relent are stories where the rubber meets the road for characters most Christians would consider unredeemable.

Which brings me to the other questions. If, as my writing shows, stories written by Christians can have antiheroes, then I would say those stories can absolutely be read by Christians. They serve as reminders that all sin can be forgiven, that no one is beyond God’s touch, that Christ died for every last one of us, not just we who are mostly good. The worst of the worst still have some good, or at least the potential for good, which means they too can accept the gift of Christ’s redemption and God’s grace. Is that maybe why antiheroes have become so popular? In a world where we see so much evil, so much hate, so much discord, are we searching for stories that show there is hope after all, even in the darkest places of humanity, even for the darkest of souls?

Sometimes science fiction has attempted to deliver aliens that are not based on human beings at all. The “attempted to deliver” has to be added because these efforts are usually incomplete. If a fictional alien is intelligent at all, its at least a little like a human being.

But some of these efforts are worth noting. A recent example is from the movie, Arrival. The key feature of the aliens portrayed in the film is they have a language in which an entire sentence is said at one moment, no one word preceding any other in time. So therefore, the aliens have no concept of beginning or end like humans do. Which in in the story was supposed to give them the power of being outside of time as we know it–since, apparently, living one moment at a time in order is a function of how humans process language, one word after another in order, no matter in which language of all human languages.

An alien language depicted. (From Arrival, 2016.)

Of course the story does not focus on the fact the aliens issue their entire-sentence-in-a-circle-without-beginning-or-end statements one at a time. These come in an order from the first time they met the humans, when they were strangers to our race, to including more familiarity with individual humans over, ahem, time. 

Still, even if the ideas about time don’t quite work, the fictional language in which a sentence has no beginning or ending is something that makes the aliens in Arrival distinctly separate from every human being who has ever existed. These aliens, unlike Klingons, are not projections of human beings–they are truly alien, that is, unlike any human being who has ever lived.

By the way, fiction aliens who are entirely “alien” is not the same as writing non-human (or “inhuman”) aliens. The Alien film franchise created space monsters with very little in common with human beings–but they do have quite a lot in common with some insect forms of life, with a queen mother (like ants or bees), laying eggs in hosts (like some wasps and may other parasites), with a rapacious desire to kill and devour like some insect predators, and with rapid and dramatic metamorphic changes in body form (like caterpillars to moths).

When I say “alien” aliens, I mean beings that have completely different motives than humans. Or have aspects of an intelligence that is more foreign to the entire human race than individual human ethic groups are foreign to one another. After all, all humans smile when we are happy and cry in distress and share other features that transcend all human cultures. “Alien” aliens manage to be different from every one of us.

Most science fiction aliens are not that alien, but some have been. And these “alien” aliens can help us understand that like them, the Creator God of the Bible is in fact very different from human beings in important ways.

Isaiah 55:8 records the Lord proclaiming: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.” In theology God is called omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, omnisapient, and in short, transcendent. No human being shares these characteristics with God.

God is also devoid of sin, incapable of sin, incapable of lying. That means human beings share a feature (sin) that is completely separate from God. So in some important ways God is like an alien being to us–unlike all humans who ever lived.

In future installments here we’ll look at how this fact of God being “alien” can be compatible with the human race being made in the image of God, how this has nothing to do with “ancient alien” theories, how it does have to do with the longing some people feel to meet aliens, and how the UFO phenomenon in some ways shows an alternate or substitute for communion with God. But in the meantime, what are your thoughts on the basic idea here?

Do you agree that sometimes science fiction shows aliens who are in no way human? Do you think that God, like these particular science fiction aliens, is in some ways completely different from any human who has ever lived? Is thinking of God as “alien” a useful concept?

If you’re like me, you’ve been smiling, cringing, groaning, gasping, and staring in confusion during the latest season of Black Mirror currently streaming on Netflix. Now in its fourth season, Black Mirror has always been a reliable source of fantastical and often frightening possibilities about the interactions between humanity and technology. Some are predictable, some are ridiculous, but most of the episodes make you think (and look at your Keurig coffee maker with suspicion). Heck if I’m getting an Alexa anytime soon. Yet none of the episodes seem give much consideration to religion, opting instead for social and political commentary. It does make one wonder, though: what would Christianity and a highly-digitized church look like in the future?

Some would say we’re already there. Sermons are streamed online, church services have graphics and laser displays that rival those seen in sports arenas and rock concerts, and any Bible version or language is available at the touch of a button. Some have even speculated that the prevalence of social media would facilitate Revelation 1:7, which states that “every eye will see Him” when Jesus returns. Maybe we will see the second coming of Christ on Facebook Live.

Image copyright Endemol UK

Of course, if taken to Black Mirror lengths, the church still has a long way to go before becoming fully enmeshed in a digital future. So what would some of these science-fiction-but-not-for-long steps be?

One very plausible possibility will be “virtual” churches with congregations consisting of members at home plugged into their VR devices. It’s more than just watching the preacher on your TV screen; you can sit on your comfortable couch but it looks like you’re sitting on a long wooden pew in a soaring Gothic cathedral, surrounded by friendly faces and listening to the pastor preach from the pulpit with perfect acoustics. Who knows – we might even have virtual Communion one day.

For those who would still actually go to a brick-and-mortar building, holographic guest preachers could deliver the message from the comforts of their own home on the other side of the country, or perhaps even the world. He (or she, as the trend continues) could pace the stage and scan the congregation, even though in reality, they might be looking at a blank wall or a bathroom mirror. Imagine a holographic Andy Stanley delivering a sermon in a tiny house church in Laos.

Let’s go a little further and take the church into true Black Mirror territory. How about Scripture Surfaces for the ultra-religious? Any surface in your home – walls, tables, even windows – are screens that can be programmed to display Bible verses with soothing, natural backgrounds when you enter the room or at the touch of your finger. It would be like living in a Bible!

Or how about mind filters that automatically censor anything that offends Christian sensibilities or may cause a brother to stumble. Imagine being able to walk through a construction site and not hear a single curse word! Or if an attractive woman is jogging down the street in a clingy, revealing outfit, your optical filters will instantly add some fabric. Click! She’s wearing a shapeless parka in the middle of summer. You could live a completely sanitized, G-rated life that would make an Amish romance writer proud.

All things considered, technology is not our enemy and has opened up countless doors for sharing the Gospel. However, as we have seen with all other walks of life where technology is now inextricably intertwined, there is always a price to pay.

Some of you may be new to Spec Faith, and some of you may be wondering about any changes we’ve made, so I thought I’d do a quick drive by of . . . well, Spec Faith.

First, we are a group of volunteers who blog at this site because we are Christians who want to increase the interest in speculative fiction, primarily that which Christians write. We ourselves are all fiction writers. And we are Christians who adhere to a basic statement of faith.

Here’s our line up. On Mondays I kick things off, usually later than most because I write from the West Coast. While you easterners are thinking about what to have for lunch, I’m just kicking off my day. As you can see in my bio, my fiction is fantasy—good ol’ classic fantasy. I’m one of the original founders of Spec Faith. The others were Stuart Stockton, Mirtika Schultz, Beth Goddard, and, if memory serves me right, Shannon McNear and Rebecca Grabill. Our archives apparently have not captured all of those early days.

At any rate, one by one the other members of the founding group departed—some to a different genre, some because of health reasons, some to get married, and some simply because life happened. About four years into our existence, E. Stephen Burnett, who had become a regular contributor, returned from his own goin’-ta-get-married hiatus to revitalize and enlarge the vision of the site.

We’ve been blessed to have a wonderful crew of writers, some staying around for some time. We’ve also had a great guest lineup, ranging from agent/publisher Steve Laube to established and well-known authors like Karen Hancock, Chuck Black, Donita Paul, and Jill Williamson, to self-pubbed or just getting started writers like Jillian Adams and Mike Duran.

Under Stephen’s leadership, Spec Faith has expanded and looked to partner, not only with authors, but other organizations that also seek to further the fortunes of speculative stories written by Christians. Some years ago we added a library, established a place where reviewers can talk about the stories they love (or hate, but probably love), and connected with Christian Geek Central to bring our content to YouTube. Most recently, Stephen has launched Lorehaven. While not an official part of Spec Faith, the sister site is dedicated to promoting the genre to a broader audience, specifically through the establishment of book clubs within churches.

2018 promises to be more of the same with a few tweaks. Stephen will move from his Thursday writing slot to Tuesday. On Wednesday Shannon McDermott and Mark Carver will continue to alternate weeks. Then on Thursday, filling in for Zac Totah, who is on wedding/marriage sabbatical, is Travis Perry. We’ve had the privilege to host Travis a few times this past year, and he officially kicked off his stint as substitute writer this past Thursday. If by chance you missed his inaugural article, you may want to take a few moments to read it now since it is part 1 and will likely provide context for his article this coming Thursday. At any rate, our Friday slot will once again be split between a guest author and our Fiction Fix feature, an excerpt of a recently published work of speculative fiction authored by a Christian. This week we’re anticipating a guest article from Kat Heckenbach.

Another item of note. Spec Faith has conducted a semi-annual writing contest, called the Summer/Winter Writing Challenge that we plan to continue. Since Winter is officially upon us, look for the contest in the near future.

Mostly, I personally want to thank those of you who continue to be faithful visitors to the site. We’ve had various issues with spam and hackers and glitches, but through it all, we continue to see our traffic remain steady, sometimes soaring, sometimes dipping. We’ve had some news-breaking posts, some controversy, some humor, some wisdom, and some healthy discussion.

As you may have notice, we have another new subscription system for those of you who prefer to receive Spec Faith through email. Of course you will continue to find it on Facebook also. So whichever means you have used to find us, thank you. And don’t be shy about voicing your opinions, whether that means doing a review, adding a book to the library, or leaving a comment. We welcome your participation.