The Future of Christian Speculative Fiction

As a member of the Christian Science Fiction & Fantasy Blog Tour, I've been working to help shine the light on the growing genre within Christian Fiction, Speculative Fiction. As a long-time science fiction fan - from the moment my parents, (much to my very practical father's dismay), bought my first book set of the original Star Trek novels; an ardent follower of the original Star Wars series, and a voracious reader that simply ate up comic book after comic book, I've always felt a little - well - out of place with some of my fellow believers. When I revealed my love for imaginative fiction, super-heroes, and anything taking place in other realms or beyond our solar system, I always got that strange look, a lift of the eye-brow, and the humoring quip, "Oh. I see."

I'll never forget a book I think my dad made me read when I was an adolescent, lovingly entitled something along the lines of, The Demons in the Toy Box. Wow. What a title, right? Though I'm sure the intent was well meaning, the book took on everything from comic books, Superman, my beloved G.I. Joe action figures, He-Man, and of course Darth Vader and Star Wars. I can't remember who the author was, but personally, I think he was just cranky because he never got that Daisy pump-action air rifle he wanted so badly for Christmas.

Of course, looking for science fiction at your local Christian bookstore was like being a midget and looking for a partner to play in a six foot and over two on two basketball tournament; good luck, shorty. I've already been on lengthy rants about closed-minded submission policies of Christian publishing houses, so I won't go there, but here's the irony - I simply just loved stories that had to do with space adventures, ray guns, super powers, and stuff that was really "out of the box". I always felt like people considered my love for science fiction and comics books as a "bad habit", the sign of someone who needed to "work on their spiritual life", when really my preferences were extensions of the person God created me to be: introspective, thoughtful, philosophical, creative - just loving to kick around "what if?" for fun.

The irony - I spent years digging into all the secular science fiction I could find, and while I did come up with a lot of gems - Isaac Asimov, Brian Herbert, Timothy Zahn, my extensive Star Wars collection and my moderate Star Trek collection - I came up with a lot of stinkers, too, representative of the worst kinds of humanistic and secular thought.

The door for Christian speculative fiction is swinging wider these days - quibble with it you may, (and I have, trust me, for other reasons), but the Left Behind series probably helped popularize "thinking out of the box" more than any other Christian Fictions series. There are plenty of place to go online to fill that science fiction & fantasy craving, and still find yourself with the parameters of God's will, enjoying creative, thoughtful, boundary-breaking works without breaking your spirit within.

One of those places is Where the Map Ends, run by Jeff Gerke. Jeff's love for science fiction and fantasy bloomed about the same time he became a Christian in college, so you could say - with a little tongue in cheek - that his affinity for all things "out of the box" is divinely inspired. As a writer and editor, he worked for several years for a few different Christian publishing houses, and has had several science fiction/techno-thriller and nonfiction titles published. Where The Map Ends is his current project, and excellent online source of all things science fiction and fantasy, couched from a Christian worldview.

Where The Map Ends boasts everything from interviews with some of today's rising Christian writers, conducted by Jeff himself, as well a comprehensive collection of tools and tips for the aspiring writer in all of us. There's also a section featuring information about talented speculative artists, as well as a comprehensive list of other sites dedicated to Christian Science Fiction & Fantasy. There's a Special Features page that boasts short stories and other features from writers such as Ted Dekker, Jerry Jenkins, and Kathryn Mackel (Perhaps yours truly will hit up Jeff to feature that alternate reality story that's been moldering in my brain for the past few years!)

There is an online store hat features some great sci fi and writing related products, and an extensive booklist of Christian science fiction/fantasy novels and where to buy them. Also - Jeff Gerke lives a dual life a Jefferson Scott, editor, book doctor, and novelist. View his published work and some of his short stories on his website.

Finally, if you're interested in keeping up with all things science fiction/fantasy - including a future collaborative sci fi/fantasy project at Where The Map Ends, visit the site and sign up for the newsletter today!