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Reading Is Worship 1: Foreword

Whatever story we’re reading, seeing, or hearing, we’re not simply critiquing or being entertained. We’re worshiping. So what is Biblical worship? When you read epic stories, what or who do you worship, by intention or accident? · E. Stephen Burnett

Reading Is Worship 2: Experience-Worship

It’s easy to break into others’ idol factories. But for most readers, including myself, the worst potential idol in enjoying speculative stories may be experience. How is this self-defeating? What is the Biblical cure? · E. Stephen Burnett

Reading Is Worship 4: Craft-Idolatry

Before discussing industry changes, editors, and manuscript proposals, we must love God’s Story and great stories more than their craft. Otherwise we may be vulnerable to other story-related idolatries. · E. Stephen Burnett

Reading Is Worship 5: Identifying Weirdness-Idolatry

Brothers and sisters: loving speculative stories is not about you. Or us. Or the genre. Or, especially, Being Weird. That’s especially vital to recall after last weekend’s controversy over cosplay at the ACFW awards banquet. · E. Stephen Burnett

Reading Is Worship 6: Curing Weirdness-Idolatry

How can we fight inclinations to idolize “being weird” for its own sake? We must see fantasy “weirdness” as normal in the Bible (and even in our culture), ask God to help us reach out to critics, and remember why we love fantastic stories. · E. Stephen Burnett

Reading Is Worship 7: More Than A Story

Do you suspect that claiming a story must have higher “purpose” somehow cheapens its quality? Or do you agree this actually makes stories more truthful and beautiful? · E. Stephen Burnett

Reading Is Worship 8: Source Of All Stories

Scripture is the source of all stories — the story of reality, the smaller “stories” of us as real people, and the stories we subcreate. We must recall that truth when we’re discussing how our stories glorify God. · E. Stephen Burnett

Reading Is Worship 9: Spectrum Of Glories

All this talk of God’s glory, and enjoying fantastic stories for His glory. Yet what is His glory? How do we often imagine it as shades of white when it’s really a dazzling rainbow? · E. Stephen Burnett

Reading Is Worship 10: Glory Spectrum Of Reality

Before seeing how God glorifies Himself across a glory spectrum in many kinds of stories, often without their authors knowing, we must explore how He glorifies Himself in Scripture and in people’s real-life choices. · E. Stephen Burnett
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