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James A. Herrick's cover story, "Sci-Fi's Brave New World," [February] understated the major role dystopian themes have played in science fiction from the beginning. H. G. Wells's best-known tales, The Time Machine and War of the Worlds, hardly celebrate the development of man or the hope of alien-inaugurated redemption. Childhood's End and 2001: A Space Odyssey might project a magical future, but hardly a redemptive one, since both conclude with the destruction of everything recognizably human about our descendants. And the cold war–era authors nearly unanimously warned against science run amok and the threat posed by technologically advanced races.

Even if many science-fiction authors tend toward atheism or agnosticism, it is clear that they also fear humanity's potential for destruction, what we Christians call "the flesh." The more that science and technology allow us to do, the greater evil we will do to each other.

So how should Christians respond? As Herrick suggests, paying attention to what our neighbors are watching and reading, and preparing to live like Christ before them, is our job. But we should also keep in mind that the second word in "science fiction" is fiction. It is a novel; it is a movie; it is entertainment. As for those who seriously guide their lives by such themes, the best we can do is try to reach them before it is time to board the ship to rendezvous with the Hale-Bopp Comet.

Scott Pickles
Suffield, Connecticut

Being an amateur astronomer and lover of fantasy and science fiction, I resonated with Herrick's essay on many levels. From my standpoint, it seems that science fiction, used wisely and judiciously, can be an apologetics tool for comparing scientific humanism and Christianity in ways that are comprehensible to believers and nonbelievers alike. Take Star Trek: The Motion Picture, for example. In one scene, Spock says to Captain Kirk and McCoy, "At some time in our lives, we turn and ask, 'Why am I here? What was I meant to be and do? Is this all that there is; is there nothing more?' " What a great soliloquy to lead into how the biblical story of redemption addresses such questions.

Francis H. Geis
E-mail

Like the book it draws upon, James Herrick's essay rightly recognizes the significance of science fiction in Western culture, but unfortunately takes a defensive posture for Christianity. As a result, readers miss the opportunity for a deeper appreciation of myth and science fiction (and the related genres of fantasy and horror), reflecting a stunted theological imagination frequently found among evangelicals regarding speculative fiction in literature, television, and film. This approach will not inspire the next generation of C. S. Lewises or J. R. R. Tolkiens to engage the West in its journey toward reenchantment.

John W. Morehead
Director, Western Institute for Intercultural Studies
Salt Lake City, Utah

As an American teenager, I was encouraged by reading CT's editorial "Who Do You Think You Are?" [February]. Over the years, I have watched many of my peers fall away from God, and am appalled that my generation has become so detached from Christianity. Although I agree that the church's message needs to be one that teens can relate to, I must also warn against becoming so "teen-friendly" that the message loses all substance. We need to be equipped so that we can apply our faith in the real world.

Lauren Pinner
Rockford, Michigan

John W. Kennedy did an excellent job detailing Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein's efforts to build bridges with the evangelical community ["The Ultimate Kibitzer," February]. But I feel he overlooked the good rabbi's ardent opposition to Messianic Jews and those who toil to bring the gospel to the Jewish people. Some of the money that well-meaning Christians donate to his International Fellowship of Christians and Jews is funneled to rabbinic Orthodox groups who fight vehemently against Jewish believers, especially those in Israel. Rabbi Eckstein exhibits a familiarity with the New Testament; thus, he should be aware that Jesus did not come for the lost sheep of the house of Denmark, but of Israel.

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April 2009, Vol. 53, No. 4