Infinite Shores: To the Edges of Creation with Sci-Fi and Faith

“My Son, preserve sound judgment and discernment, do not let them out of your sight; they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck. Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble; when you lie down, you will not be afraid, when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.” – Proverbs 3:21-24

Brandon: Seeing as this is our first post, let’s begin with a little introduction. Luke, why don’t you start off.

Luke: Hi! I’m Pastor Luke Italiano. I minister to a congregation in Kenosha, Wisconsin, along with my wife and three kids. I love sharing Jesus with others in as many ways as possible to convey the wonder of what he’s done. I’m a self-confessed nerd. I’ve collected comics literally since before I can remember. I grew up watching Star Trek and Star Wars with my parents. I have more science fiction and fantasy novels than fit on my shelves, and if you look at my DVD’s you’ll see that my collection leans in that direction as well. I have a passion for stories — telling a story, reading a good story, and of course the best and only True Story, Jesus’s story.

So, that’s me in a little nutshell. Brandon, what about you?

Brandon: I’m Brandon Steenbock, Family and Youth Minister at St. Paul’s in New Ulm, MN. I have wife and two boys. I have been reading Science Fiction and Fantasy since my mom read The Hobbit to me when I was in kindergarten. I used to spend hours at the library as a kid. Star Wars has always been a big part of my life, as well as Stargate, Battlestar Galactica, and more recently Fringe and Doctor Who. I’ve been writing stories since I was in 7th grade and like you, Luke, I find that telling stories can be a powerful way to communicate truths about ourselves, about the world, and even about our God and how he operates in our lives.

Okay, so that’s us. As time goes by more of who and what we are will be obvious. Hopefully that’s a good thing. Let’s talk about why this is an important topic. Why should we be talking about Science Fiction and Fantasy literature and film on a blog about Christian theology and living, Luke?

Luke: That’s a good question. Don’t we have more important things to do? We’re both ministers with busy lives and families. Why waste the time in science fiction?

I think I can answer that in one little sentence. “Use the Force, Luke.”

 

I’m betting that every person reading this, whether or not they love science fiction or Star Wars, knows that quote. They might not know exactly who said it or why Sir Alec Guinness is the better Obi-Wan, but science fiction is a big part of our culture. As Christians, we need to know our culture if we’re going to reach into it and talk about Jesus.
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Brandon: Sure. It may sound kinda crass, but if you “follow the money”, you can’t deny that this stuff is huge. What are the big blockbuster films each summer? Not the love stories, not the thoughtful dramas. Sometimes they’re the war movies, but mostly it’s the Sci-Fi and Fantasy. It’s huge. Same usually goes for bestselling books.

Luke: Think about some of the bigger movies and books from the last few years. Even if you never read them, even if you didn’t see the movies, you’ve heard of them and probably know something about them. We already mentioned Star Wars and so on. What about Hunger Games? Harry Potter? Planet of the Apes? 2001: A Space Odyssey? Lord of the Rings? Even if you’re not a fan, it’s a safe bet that someone you know IS a big fan. And who can honestly say they’ve never seen any of these posters?

Brandon: Stories influence the way we think. We watch a movie, read a book, we get emotionally involved in the story and the characters. The choices they make and the things they say have an impact on us. We want to look at those things from a Scriptural perspective and say, “What’s good here? What’s true? What can I take away that’s worthwhile?” and on the flipside, “What’s wrong with this picture? What lie is being sold here? What am I being asked to assume or accept?”

Luke: Discerning this can help you in two major ways:

1) It’ll help you better understand the culture and perhaps see things in a new light. We’ll be talking about that here as we examine different movies and books.

2) You can use these popular movies and books as you talk with someone who doesn’t know Jesus. If you know that person has just seen, for instance, Harry Potter, you could mention one of the themes how it reminds you of something that Jesus did. In other words, your knowledge of popular culture can be a bridge to talk about Jesus.

Brandon: Absolutely. And building bridges for the Gospel is what we’re all about. Well, we could talk for hours about why this is worthwhile. Maybe it’s enough to say that if it wasn’t worthwhile, we wouldn’t do it, and you wouldn’t read it. But we are, and you are, so let’s just say a few words about how things are going to go. Luke, you wanna sum up what we’ve talked about regarding how this blog is going to work?

Luke: Sure! Our plan is to tackle one science fiction or fantasy story every month or two, to really dig into it. Every month, Brandon will put up one post, I’ll put up a post, and then we’ll do a five to ten minute follow up podcast. We’ll aim for stories that are also movies. First off will be Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. The movie based on this novel will be out in November! We invite you to grab a copy of the book and read it, but don’t worry! We’ll also make sure that our posts are clear enough that you won’t be lost if you haven’t read it.

Brandon: Sounds like a good plan to me, and not just because I helped come up with it. Alright, we’ll look forward to seeing you at the edges!