Episode Details

In our last episode, we explored the fact that Christians actually need fiction as part of our daily lives. However, we could stop there and presume that we only need “realistic” stories, such as historical or contemporary fiction. Instead, we’ll explore how Christian readers also benefit from fantasy stories, so much that we could also say that we need stories about fantastical other worlds, in order to pursue our chief end of glorifying Jesus and enjoying him forever.

• By “chief end,” we mean our highest purpose in God’s true story.
• The phrase comes from the Westminster Shorter Catechism:

Q: What is the chief end of man?

A: Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

• This famous quote is like the answer to the Ultimate Question.
• It’s a foundational truth behind everything today and in this series.

Introduction to why Christians need fantastical imagination

A few biblical texts seem to warn against fantasy.

“As I urged you when I went to Macedonia, remain in Ephesus so that you may instruct certain people not to teach false doctrine or to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies. These promote empty speculations rather than God’s plan, which operates by faith.”
—‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭1:3–4‬, ‭CSB‬‬

“But have nothing to do with pointless and silly myths. Rather, train yourself in godliness.”

—‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭4:7‬, ‭CSB‬‬

But do these passages mean we should not read fantasy stories?

• Are novels on the same level as Scripture’s “silly myths?”
• Other Scripture texts seem to endorse fantastical imagination.
• We read the Bible by God’s (and human authors’) intent. Including genre.
• Scripture has fantastical flourishes that describe real truths we must believe.
• Examples: Jesus’s parables, prophecy like Daniel and Revelation.
• Judges 9:7–15, Jotham tells a “fairy tale” about talking trees to Shechemites.

Some defenses about fantasy seem extra-biblical.

• For example, it’s not good enough to say, “well, fantasy is in the Bible.”
• I mean: God, not us, could have prerogative to write about miracles/worlds.
• It’s also partial answering at best to talk about how fantasy helps people.
• It’s also not enough to approach this from a secular/human/literary view.
• Even our frequent Lewis/Tolkien quotes can err on side of human reasoning.

 To freshen this topic, today we’ll explore it this way:

1. Fantasy trains us to imagine God and his true story.
2. Fantasy trains us to imagine Jesus and his heroism.
3. Fantasy trains us to imagine our world and its peoples.

Concession stand

1. We’re actually going to minimize the Lewis/Tolkien quotes in this episode.
2. They’re all right, of course. But we’d like to take a fresher approach.
3. We’re not exploring specific issues of fictional magic. Already done that.
4. Also, note our emphasis on God’s glory as the chief end of every person.
5. Our highest human purpose is not entertainment, evangelism, edification.
6. Other episodes defend this statement biblically. First things must go first!
7. We defend all fantastical stories, including (not limited to) fantasy proper.

1. Fantasy trains us to imagine God and his true story.

• God is utterly fantastical. Only the fantastical can best show Him.
• Scripture itself is fantastical in genre. That’s how we look at the world.
• If