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Sci-Fi's Brave New World Sci-Fi's Brave New World

How the genre draws us to its own views of redemption.

James A. Herrick | posted 2/06/2009 09:03AM

In recent years, movie and television audiences have been treated to stories both captivating and curious. We've watched extra-dimensional aliens instruct pre-Columbian Native Americans in the basics ...

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Margaret Gorham

Posted: February 14, 2009 8:00 PM

I thoroughly enjoyed the article, as I have been fascinated by science fiction the vast majority of my life. I was glad to see the subject dealt with in your e-zine. My experience with the genre has been both as a fan and a writer (unpublished in the genre presently). I would agree with Bruce Anderson in that there are many successfully published Christian science fiction writers out there. Also, I would encourage someone at your magazine to deal with today's Christian science fiction writers and how they write with their God-given imaginations and, somehow, capture readers' spirits with the Christian message.

Rebecca LuElla Miller

Posted: February 11, 2009 1:48 PM


Excellent! Outstanding work revealing how pop culture has shaped our thinking. This call for discernment is overdue. My only question is what form Dr. Herrick thinks the apologetic response should take.

Frank Creed

Posted: February 11, 2009 11:36 AM

To be relevant to the culture around us, modern Christendom needs to use sci-fi films as discussion points of worldview. Our children and this whole generation are influenced by the ideas in sci-fi fiction. Especially with a post-modern mentality that personal truth is epistemologically what we make it, Christians need to be capable of intelligent discussion. There are many Christian authors who have written in the genre since Lewis, but Christian bookstores do not market to sci-fi fans. wherethemapends.com features an excellent book-list of Christian sci-fi, fantasy, and supernatural thrillers. –Frank Creed, novelist, founder of the Lost Genre Guild, and head manuscript critiquer for thefinishers.biz

David

Posted: February 11, 2009 9:12 AM

I enjoyed the article. I think the previous commentator missed the title of the article. I believe it was not "Christian" Sci-Fi's Brave New World. With that in mind, since Christians are a minority, with Born-again Christians a further subset, it does not surprise me that most Scf-Fi books and movies are catered to "the world". Even before I was a Christian, I feasted on Asimov's books starting with "I Robot" and on through the "Foundation" series etc. Again, even as a non-Christian, I was amazed at the lack of religion in his books. We as Christians must not get caught up in the near-truths or partial truths that these myths speak and should only enjoy them as one would shakespear or Indiana Jones. The real problems lie in movies that are so close to reality, Like the DaVinci Code, that speak half-truths as full truths. That's when non-Christians, pre-Christians and baby Christians will get confused. They (and I) can disbelieve ET much more readily than Dr. Robert Langdon.

Mike D'Virgilio

Posted: February 10, 2009 5:19 PM

Some strange comments here. Human beings for eons have sought to create stories that try to make sense of life, it's beginnings, middle and end. A writer doesn't necessarily need an agenda when they pen a work of art, but their worldview will escape into their writing and their stories. Herrick is exactly write, many who produce and many who consume SF cling to the stories because they have rejected the biblical God. They have to find meaning somewhere, somehow, someway, and what better way than in the mysteries of the universe. Obviously this doesn't mean that Christians can't do SF, but their orientation will obviously be massively different. And I'm glad TomD has decided what is reasonable to worship and what is not, because getting rid of God obviously solves all of our problem with evil and suffering in the world. Somewhere somebody said, "You will be like God, knowing good and evil." Congratulations, Tom, you win!

Bruce Anderson

Posted: February 10, 2009 2:53 PM

I was quite excited to see articles about science fiction in Christianity Today. That excitement died pretty quickly upon noting the "us vs. them" mentality of the article. The author of the article writes very eloquently about the dangers of science fiction, and the worldviews of some of it's authors. What was missing, however, is mention of equally great and well known sci-fi writers who were/are Christian, and whose faith oozes out of the pages of their works. There is no mention of authors such as Cordwainer Smith, James Blish, or Gene Wolfe, to name a few, who fill their books with powerful (and subtle) allusions to their faith. Science Fiction is a medium just like any other literary or artistic medium. It can be used for either good or ill. Instead of focusing only on the negative, it would have been nice to see some of the positive highlighted too.

Rich	Posted: February 10, 2009 7:47 AM


A weak article with very little research involved. It seems he just used the Spark Notes study guides to much of it.

Paper Tiger

Posted: February 09, 2009 11:27 AM

The question is one of response. Do we ignore the problems of SciFi as a pleasant fiction and read anyway? Avoid the content as poisoned? Actively engage for rebuttle? This is a profound issue because of the amount of this content that is consumed by children -- ours included. I suggest full avoidance is simply not possible short of cloistering. We must decide then the old question of how much to shelter them from the general culture versus how much to actively engage the culture and how much we must simply tolerate. Traditional european fairy tails are also a mythic challenge to the gospel message. In many respects they are related by significantly in their thematic lines to most of the SciFi mentioned in the article. This implies that the problem is not just a modern issue. Did our spiritual forbearers give us any useful guidance?

Francis H. Geis

Posted: February 08, 2009 4:02 PM

I resonated with this article on a number of levels. Being an amatuer astronomer, cosmology and space travel are subjects of keen interest. I love fantasy and science fiction, especially Ray Bradbury, H. G. Wells, C. S. Lewis, and J. R. R. Tolkien. But I am also well grounded in Christian theology, philosophy and ethics. So from my standpoint, it seems that science fiction, if used wisely and judiciously, can be made an apologetic tool by which we can compare and contrast scientific humanism and Christianity in ways that are sensible and comprehensible to Christians and non-Christians alike. Take Star Trek: The Motion Picture, for example. In one scence, Spock says to Kirk and McCoy, "At some time in our lives, we turn to a father, a brother, or a god 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 seloquiy into how the biblical story of redemption addresses these questions. I believe Lewis did so.

Leroy Hurt

Posted: February 07, 2009 8:30 PM

Science fiction may be a mediating influence, inspiring some to take up science and technology because it provided a vision of what might be. However, what those writers imagine is already taking place in labs and will be upon us in a generation or two. The larger issue therefore isn't how to address the impact of science fiction in popular culture but the impact of science and technology themselves. The technology we use every day is the real influencer, its ability to quickly gratify our needs and desires creating great dependency. Need proof? How did you feel the last time the power went out? Do you love your Blackberry? The Christian media have a responsibility to help clarify those issues affecting spiritual well-being. Sincerely, Leroy Hurt www.C-scape Blogazine.net www.YourUnfinishedBusiness.net

SF-Fan

Posted: February 07, 2009 4:23 PM

The Internet Review of Science Fiction posted an in-depth review of James Herrick's book on science fiction the other day here: http://www.irosf.com/q/zine/article/10516 There's another lengthy review here: http://exploringourmatrix.blogspot.com/2008/07/review-of-james-herri ck-scientific.html Both take the book to task for its limited view of religion and its errors about science fiction. This article doesn't seem to do much to improve on either of those subjects.

ketch22

Posted: February 07, 2009 12:09 PM


Let us just watch this fiction knowing it is fiction and worship Christ knowing he is non-fiction. Why all the thought process? You make it difficult for those without a problem discerning fact from fiction. The difference between Star Trek and the life of Christ is not hard to fathom.

Doug Lass

Posted: February 07, 2009 12:07 PM

I think this is very interesting article! I think that the space travel as described in Star Trek and Star Wars is possible, but I do not think that I will see it in my lifetime ( I'm 58 ) but that a manned mission to Mars could be possible in my lifetime. But I don't think that space travel in the form of Star Trek will happen in the lifetime of the babies born in the last year is possible. But I personally believe that the technology that has happened in the last century has been a gift of God that has been placed by Him unto the lives of those scientists and engineers to come up with these life saving and life improving inventions and cures for us living today. With that said, I would like to Praise God and those inspired individuals who have brought us to this technology and medicines that have made this life more livable today than it was 100 years ago. Thanks Doug Lass

RJR_fan

Posted: February 07, 2009 11:35 AM

Great article. He missed the "elephant in the living room," however. When Christians casually handed the future over to an imaginary antichrist, they took themselves out of the game. Disqualified themselves. See my essay "Futures for Sale" at http://www.artsreformation.com/a001/ts-futures.html. For a short story that combines science fiction with theonomy (Biblical morality), visit my blog at http://rjr-fan.blogspot.com/. It is a standing reproach to the people of God that the one big writer who glorifies Jesus Christ in this genre is the Mormon, Orson Scott Card.

James Matthew

Posted: February 07, 2009 10:55 AM

I find a couple flaws in Herrick's argument. Most glaring is that the word "Fiction" is right there in the title "Science Fiction". Christian mythology is offered as factual, and thereby Compels us to believe and live by the morals and worldviews therein. Each sci-fi author (like each literary author, filmmaker, teacher, etc) offers nothing more than their personal morality and worldview. Sci-fi doesn't represent a unified doctrine or ideology. Herrick approaches this issue from a slightly defensive position, as though science fiction as a whole has some sort of agenda. For most sci-fi authors writing is just a job--a way to support their families. Consider the psycological phenomonon of projection. It has come into vogue for Christian writers to view many institutions as churches or religions. Science is often cast as a religion, as is Hollywood, also consider Coulter's book The Church of Liberalism. I would caution Herrick that sci-fi is a windmill, not a warrior.

Larry K.

Posted: February 07, 2009 9:47 AM

Sci-fi and Biblical realities: what a great combo. But couldn't you have made reference -- just passing reference -- to one of the most theological sci-fi movies of all times: the 1956 "Forbidden Planet"? A little campy at spots, but if you can look past that (even though the special effects are still pretty good by 1950's standards), it's a telling story about human depravity, original sin and the powerlessness of the law to govern the "monster" that lies within all of us. If I were teaching the book of Romans at college level this would be required viewing, along with reading "The Lord of the Flies." But thanks for a well thought-out piece.

Texan in China

Posted: February 06, 2009 8:15 PM

Fascinating article--it does make me think. It also highlights the mixed feelings I have about science fiction: On the one hand, I really enjoy sf because it presents such a hopeful view of the future; on the other hand, I am deeply disturbed by the various ideologies that many science fiction stories present, whether it's the secular humanism of Star Trek or the pantheism of Star Wars. I'm deeply disturbed by these various worldviews because I believe they are ultimately destructive for individuals and society as a whole. I do think we Christians need to engage this genre far more than we have in the past, and inject the Christian worldview into science fiction. I completely agree with the author's opinion that the narrative that becomes our dominant "story" will have a huge impact on determining the choices we as individuals and as a society make about many, many different issues, from abortion and genetic engineering to whether we push forward with space exploration.

Malcolm

Posted: February 06, 2009 6:55 PM


Good article but about 20 years too late. Science fiction has become derivative and conformist to the point where it's relevance is surely waning. The next few generations will find it still less relevant.

Art B

Posted: February 06, 2009 6:16 PM

Great article. But we need to go further in understanding that the Bible can fill the need for sci-fi. Many sci-fi stories deal with elements of time. Is there a greater reality story than the fact that the God of the Bible transcends time? Divine foreknowledge? Read Revelations from a sci-fi perspective and you will see and fabulous story. I have thoroughly enjoyed sci-fi for over 50 years and find it continually taking a back seat to the God I serve and the mysteries of the universe he has made.

Jane	Posted: February 06, 2009 5:30 PM

Great article. I am perennially fascinated by the rise in spiritualism, and the birth of science fiction, that accompanied the growing religious doubts of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Western intellectuals, and then the middle classes, turned away from God but almost immediately seem to have begun a search for transcendence elsewhere. If the supporters of humanism were right, wouldn't this trend have faded as humanity learned to stand on its own two feet? But it's getting stronger and more diverse. As a Christian I see this as an inbuilt need for God that we can't ultimately deny. And the author is right, it has to be addressed by Christians and not scorned or ignored.

Matt	Posted: February 06, 2009 5:27 PM

Great piece...except the following: "We are well aware of the venomous public assault on Christianity and scientific challenges to faith from militant atheists such as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens." We? -Stick to yourself, dear friend. Plus, why even acknowledge these people? You bring yourself down to their level when you do so...and it is not a form of unconditional love. Just a thought.

Mike M

Posted: February 06, 2009 5:20 PM

Actually, the author is correct in his estimation of modern myth. The point isn't whether or not there is an implicit humanism. The question is whether or not it is efficacious. The problem is that it is not. Life is about eternity, eternal redemption. Jesus on a cross is the only solution to man's problem. The balance is neo-pagan nonsense– athough highly entertaining. And is part of the problem.

Fritz

Posted: February 06, 2009 5:20 PM


WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG? People were amazed when the first Star Trek went off the air and there arose a public outcry that spurred on movies, at least three series and a fan club. It was at that point that Hollywood started to take itself much to seriously and coined the phrase or "art imitating life" and "life imitating art".

Tom D.

Posted: February 06, 2009 12:42 PM

The author is wrong in some of his detractions of modern myths. An implicit humanism is found in the fiction he refers to, a view of humanity as something to be cherished and extended. The Golden Rule of reciprocation works for all people, regardless of religious background, so the statement that we are "without the moral accountability... of church" is irrelevant. As a lifelong church member, I can attest to the common lack of morals within churches (like most readers I'm sure!) as power struggles ensue and leaders become adulters (is this the "costly interpersonal commitments" Herrick lauds?) On the contrary, there is little "worthy of worship" in a Creator God who invents (or allows humans to invent) a place of eternal pain and torment for those unfortunates who are deceived by powers greater than themselves. If redemption means a mere handful are lucky to be born Christian and make it to Heaven, then Christianity needs significant checks on the reasonableness of its beliefs.

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