"I think the hyper-literalistic framework that has dominated Protestant Christianity in America for a century is largely to blame."
Yep. The Roman Catholics are kicking our butts in several arenas today, sad to say. A fear of speculating even a little bit past what scripture explicitly says has tied our hands. (E.g. who is leading the fight for a Christian anthropology in the public sphere today? Catholic intellectuals are overrepresented.)
People are getting less imaginative, as I said in a comment on David's blog last month. Medieval and Renaissance maps, made by Christians, Catholic and Protestant, had made-up continents, made-up peoples, etc. There was no theological danger (right?) in speculating about life on the Moon, or Mars, other planets. Or spontaneous generation from decaying organic matter.
Mmm, interesting. I think it's fashionable mowadays for Christians to be as confident they know everything as the atheists are that they know nothing (and everything).
Do you know the work of Brent Weeks? Another Christian who writes fantasy, and the truths are there. I think he's a great example of what you're looking for in SF. I interviewed him on my podcast last year - that interview fits what you're describing here, and perhaps illustrates another side of the "ghettoization." Christian publishers won't touch hard stuff about sex in their stories. They'll publish endless soft-Amish-romance-porn, but wouldn't touch a female character whose too-tight vagina means she can't have intercourse and doesn't figure it out until after marrying the protagonist (because she was a virtuous woman). Brent handles that plot line really really well, and in doing so he shows the resources Christianity has for approaching hard truths and suffering in life. But Christian publishing would never run his books.
I've listened to 20 minutes so far, great conversation. Thanks for recommending! I relate to a lot of what Weeks says about wanting to be "good enough for mainstream," not just "safe" and "good enough for the Christian bookstore."
"I think the hyper-literalistic framework that has dominated Protestant Christianity in America for a century is largely to blame."
Yep. The Roman Catholics are kicking our butts in several arenas today, sad to say. A fear of speculating even a little bit past what scripture explicitly says has tied our hands. (E.g. who is leading the fight for a Christian anthropology in the public sphere today? Catholic intellectuals are overrepresented.)
People are getting less imaginative, as I said in a comment on David's blog last month. Medieval and Renaissance maps, made by Christians, Catholic and Protestant, had made-up continents, made-up peoples, etc. There was no theological danger (right?) in speculating about life on the Moon, or Mars, other planets. Or spontaneous generation from decaying organic matter.
Mmm, interesting. I think it's fashionable mowadays for Christians to be as confident they know everything as the atheists are that they know nothing (and everything).
Do you know the work of Brent Weeks? Another Christian who writes fantasy, and the truths are there. I think he's a great example of what you're looking for in SF. I interviewed him on my podcast last year - that interview fits what you're describing here, and perhaps illustrates another side of the "ghettoization." Christian publishers won't touch hard stuff about sex in their stories. They'll publish endless soft-Amish-romance-porn, but wouldn't touch a female character whose too-tight vagina means she can't have intercourse and doesn't figure it out until after marrying the protagonist (because she was a virtuous woman). Brent handles that plot line really really well, and in doing so he shows the resources Christianity has for approaching hard truths and suffering in life. But Christian publishing would never run his books.
Here is the podcast link if anyone is interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tM_7msRQEHI&t=1038s
I've listened to 20 minutes so far, great conversation. Thanks for recommending! I relate to a lot of what Weeks says about wanting to be "good enough for mainstream," not just "safe" and "good enough for the Christian bookstore."