The Sci Fi Catholic Yak Module
I rather like _The Transcendent Adventure_ and _The New Awareness_; _Scientific Mythologies_ is new(s) to me-- which is no surprise, since it looks like it just came out last month.
"Pulpit Science Fiction" is new to me & an appalling concept. But I hopped over to Amazon to see & I'm relieved it's Lutheran. So I'm not too concerned I'll be hearing about sci-fi from the ambo any time soon. Still, even though the Lutheran idea of liturgy/preaching is probably a lot different than ours, I can't help but wonder what audience demographic he thinks that would be appropriate for.
Incidently, there's a big panel discussion going on now at Inside Catholic about Hansen's "Exiles", and secondarily what makes 'Catholic' fiction. The remarks by Bishop Flores especially are well worth the time to read them.
I figured most of these would have to be books already on your shelf, Gabriel, since one of my new acquisitions you wrote yourself! (And I'm very much looking forward to it, by the way, and I'll have to get your book on Dick, too, but only after I've read more Dick.) I only learned of Scientific Mythologies last month myself, but realized when I read the description that I'd have to have it. I hope it has a good discussion of the Cthulhu Mythos and its influence on some new religions. My copy hasn't arrived yet.
Incidentally, Xena, I haven't gotten Pulpit Science Fiction in the mail yet, and am dubious of the concept myself, but will at least point out that the idea isn't quite as brand new as it may sound; after all, Charles Sheldon was doing the same thing way back when, as discussed in a previous post.
I find it a bit ridiculous, however, for a preacher to go out of his way to produce science fiction parables. I like The Sacred & the Profane, of course, but I'd like it to stay on my bookshelf and not come to me from the pulpit. I like sermons and stories both, but I don't usually like sermons in stories and I don't think I care much for stories in sermons, either.
Now, as to your question of the target audience--the target audience is Sci Fi Lutherans, of course!
I'm going to have to go see that discussion of Exiles (thanks for pointing me that way), but I think I have an answer to the question of what makes Catholic fiction--Catholic fiction is what happens with a Catholic sits down and writes fiction.
I haven't read the novel, but Bishop Flores's discussion is reminding me somewhat of The Bridge of San Luis Rey.
Now, as to your question of the target audience--the target audience is Sci Fi Lutherans, of course!
Very funny!
but I think I have an answer to the question of what makes Catholic fiction--Catholic fiction is what happens with a Catholic sits down and writes fiction.
I'm going to push that around in my head a bit & see what happens, but my gut instinct is that you've got a darn good definition. It isn't mentioned over at Inside Catholic, but Hansen was ordained a deacon about a year ago. Over at the Deacon's Bench blog today, there's a link in which Hansen distinguishes between preaching faithful to Church teaching & being faithful to an artistic vision while writing fiction. It's a tantalizing quotation.
I'm pretty sure my priest has referenced Star Wars in a sermon, but that's not quite the same thing. Also, we have a very nerdy parish.
I'm pretty sure my priest has referenced Star Wars in a sermon...
For whatever reason, a lot of religious speakers want to reference Star Wars, and based on my experience, most of them shouldn't. They either mistake it for a Christian parable, which it isn't (Lucas created it with a copy of The Hero with a Thousand Faces in hand, not the Bible), or else they vilify it, sometimes for odd reasons. I once heard someone say that Episode IV's off-hand mention of something ambiguously called the "Clone Wars" was an insidious means of preparing us to accept the immorality of human cloning, just another bit of evidence that there is nothing, absolutely nothing, that the Christian sf/fantasy police can't interpret as evil propaganda.
I don't remember him ever making a literary reference, Star Wars or otherwise, that wasn't pretty innocuous, as such things go. I think he's mentioned Star Trek, too. And if his son ever becomes a priest too, he'll definitely be quoting Tolkien on a regular basis. But that's what you get with a family like theirs...
And if his son ever becomes a priest too, he'll definitely be quoting Tolkien on a regular basis. But that's what you get with a family like theirs...
My college dorm chapel often had a celebrant who used Tolkien well before the films. And 'though it worked for me, I'm not sure how many folks in my all female dorm got it. Even in Medieval Studies, men were a lot more likely than women to know LOTR well. The movies may have changed this--ALL my female students in medieval lit. a few yrs. ago knew it ('though they seemed to think it was about Aragorn). But hey, I'm all for priests coming from nerd families....
...they seemed to think it was about Aragorn...
I was under the impression that female readers generally thought it was about Legolas, but perhaps the movies changed that, as well. I'm not a good judge of such things, probably, but I would have to say that, in the movies, Aragorn Incarnate was a good deal sexier and more interesting than the cardboard cutout they had standing in for the elf.
Maybe my batch of students just happened to admire dirty & disheveled more than elven cleanliness? Maybe Bloom wasn't a good cast--I was mostly deeply grateful it wasn't Leo DiCaprio in the role, which would have rendered it unwatchable.
Another couple of books to add to the list of possibles might be:
Stephen May's "Stardust and Ashes: Science fiction in Christian perspective"
and
Richard’s Burridge’s “Faith Odyssey: A Journey Through Lent”.
The former is more academic, the latter more devotional.
Of course, YMMV.
I recall encountering some of these books in my earlier researches (there are only so many books on this theme out there), though others I hadn't heard of. Please do inform us as to what you discover. (I do of course have copies of Gabriel's books, shelved proudly in a prominent place!)
As it happens, James McGrath at Exploring our Matrix just posted a lengthy and mostly negative review of 'Scientific Mythologies.'
http://
exploringourmatrix.blogsp...scientific.html
From his description it sounds like it displays some of the unfortunate traits you commented on above: "there is nothing, absolutely nothing, that the Christian sf/fantasy police can't interpret as evil propaganda."
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