Biblical Themes in Science Fiction

Biblical Themes in Science Fiction PDF Author: Nicole L. Tilford
Publisher: SBL Press
ISBN: 1628374616
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 281

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Book Description
What does a first-generation female robot have in common with the biblical figure of Eve? Or an intergenerational spaceship with Noah’s ark? If a computer compiles a deceased person’s photographs and digital activities into a virtual avatar, is that a form of resurrection? Such seemingly unlikely scenarios are common in science fiction—and science fiction writers often draw on people, places, and events from biblical texts, assuming that audiences will understand the parallels. Biblical Themes in Science Fiction is a journey from creation to apocalypse where contributors Frank Bosman, Rhonda Burnette-Bletsch, Krista N. Dalton, Tom de Bruin, James F. McGrath, Kelly J. Murphy, Steven J. Schweitzer, Jason A. Staples, Nicole L. Tilford, Christine Wenderoth, and Jackie Wyse-Rhodes trace biblical themes as they appear in contemporary science fiction, including Doctor Who, Lilith’s Brood, The Handmaid’s Tale, Battlestar Galactica, and Fallout 3. Essays are supplemented by images and key science fiction sources for diving deeper into how the Bible influenced writers and creators. An afterword considers the imaginative impulses common to both science fiction and biblical texts.

Biblical Themes in Science Fiction

Biblical Themes in Science Fiction PDF Author: Nicole L. Tilford
Publisher: SBL Press
ISBN: 1628374616
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 281

Get Book

Book Description
What does a first-generation female robot have in common with the biblical figure of Eve? Or an intergenerational spaceship with Noah’s ark? If a computer compiles a deceased person’s photographs and digital activities into a virtual avatar, is that a form of resurrection? Such seemingly unlikely scenarios are common in science fiction—and science fiction writers often draw on people, places, and events from biblical texts, assuming that audiences will understand the parallels. Biblical Themes in Science Fiction is a journey from creation to apocalypse where contributors Frank Bosman, Rhonda Burnette-Bletsch, Krista N. Dalton, Tom de Bruin, James F. McGrath, Kelly J. Murphy, Steven J. Schweitzer, Jason A. Staples, Nicole L. Tilford, Christine Wenderoth, and Jackie Wyse-Rhodes trace biblical themes as they appear in contemporary science fiction, including Doctor Who, Lilith’s Brood, The Handmaid’s Tale, Battlestar Galactica, and Fallout 3. Essays are supplemented by images and key science fiction sources for diving deeper into how the Bible influenced writers and creators. An afterword considers the imaginative impulses common to both science fiction and biblical texts.

Theology and Science Fiction

Theology and Science Fiction PDF Author: James F. McGrath
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1498204511
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 124

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Book Description
What is the difference between a god and a powerful alien? Can an android have a soul, or be considered a person with rights? Can we imagine biblical stories being retold in the distant future on planets far from Earth? Whether your interest is in Christianity in the future, or the Jedi in the present--and whether your interest in the Jedi is focused on real-world adherents or the fictional religion depicted on the silver screen--this book will help you explore the intersection between theology and science fiction across a range of authors and stories, topics and questions. Throughout this volume, James McGrath probes how science fiction explores theological themes, and vice versa, making the case (in conversation with some of your favorite stories, TV shows, and movies) that the answers to humanity's biggest questions are best sought by science fiction and theology together as a collaborative effort.

The Religion of Science Fiction

The Religion of Science Fiction PDF Author: Frederick A. Kreuziger
Publisher: Popular Press
ISBN: 9780879723675
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 180

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Book Description
Science fiction captures contemporary sentiment with its faith in a scientific/technological future, its explorations of the ultimate meaning of man's existence. Kreuziger is interested particularly in the apocalyptic visions of science fiction compared to the biblical revelations of John and Daniel. For some time our confidence has been placed largely in science, which has practically become a religion. Science fiction articulates the consequences of a faith in a technological future.

Religion and Science Fiction

Religion and Science Fiction PDF Author: James F McGrath
Publisher: Lutterworth Press
ISBN: 0718840968
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 194

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Book Description
This multidisciplinary book focuses on the intersection between religion and science fiction. Several perspectives are addressed by scholars from different disciplines: theology, literature, history, music, and anthropology. From Frankenstein, by way of Christian apocalyptic, to Star Wars, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, and much more, and from the United States to China and back again, the authors who contribute to this volume serve as guides in the exploration of religion and science fiction as a multifaceted, multidisciplinary, and multicultural phenomenon.

What If?

What If? PDF Author: Mike Alsford
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 180

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Book Description
Who am I? Why am I here?Where am I going?What if . . .?Science fiction delights in asking old questions in new ways. Rather than being primarily about advanced technology and the imagined future, science fiction novels and films are more fundamentally about issues of human nature and destiny. They provide a unique perspective on the same questions that have dominated theology and philosophy throughout history. In this fascinating book, Mike Alsford aims neither to give a history of science fiction, nor to systematically identify specific religious motifs within the genre, but to create an interdisciplinary, exploratory space where we can engage with the primal themes in new ways. Whether we are already well-versed in science fiction, or have had only the briefest encounters with Frankenstein’s monster and Doctor Who, this book will provide exciting insights into questions of identity, the human condition, our relationships and our destiny.

The Gospel according to Science Fiction

The Gospel according to Science Fiction PDF Author: Gabriel McKee
Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
ISBN: 1611644267
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 291

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Book Description
In this thorough and engaging book, Gabriel McKee explores the inherent theological nature of science fiction, using illustrations from television shows, literature, and films. Science fiction, he believes, helps us understand not only who we are but who we will become. McKee organizes his chapters around theological themes, using illustrations from authors such as Isaac Asimov and H. G. Wells, television shows such as Star Trek and The Twilight Zone, and films such as The Matrix and Star Wars. With its extensive bibliography and index, this is a book that all serious science fiction fans--not just those with a theological interest--will appreciate.

Not in the Spaces We Know

Not in the Spaces We Know PDF Author: Frauke Uhlenbruch
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781463206949
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 136

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Book Description
This volume explores themes at the intersection of the Bible and science fiction. In the genre of science fiction in film, books, comic books, or fan fiction, we find portrayals of possible futures, altered pasts, supernatural or beyond-human beings. Just as in biblical literature, science fiction can contain metaphysical speculation. Departing from this intersection, the authors engage with biblical texts 'as' science fiction, asking different questions of their sources: can science fiction theory and practice yield new aproaches to the discussion of biblical texts? The authors reflect on methodology and offer case studies that include, among others, superhuman biblical kings and uncanny divine intermediaries.

Holy Sci-Fi!

Holy Sci-Fi! PDF Author: Paul J. Nahin
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1493906186
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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Book Description
Can a computer have a soul? Are religion and science mutually exclusive? Is there really such a thing as free will? If you could time travel to visit Jesus, would you (and should you)? For hundreds of years, philosophers, scientists and science fiction writers have pondered these questions and many more. In Holy Sci-Fi!, popular writer Paul Nahin explores the fertile and sometimes uneasy relationship between science fiction and religion. With a scope spanning the history of religion, philosophy and literature, Nahin follows religious themes in science fiction from Feynman to Foucault and from Asimov to Aristotle. An intriguing journey through popular and well-loved books and stories, Holy Sci-Fi! shows how sci-fi has informed humanity's attitudes towards our faiths, our future and ourselves.

Religion in Science Fiction

Religion in Science Fiction PDF Author: Steven Hrotic
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 1472527453
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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Book Description
Religion in Science Fiction investigates the history of the representations of religion in science fiction literature. Space travel, futuristic societies, and non-human cultures are traditional themes in science fiction. Speculating on the societal impacts of as-yet-undiscovered technologies is, after all, one of the distinguishing characteristics of science fiction literature. A more surprising theme may be a parallel exploration of religion: its institutional nature, social functions, and the tensions between religious and scientific worldviews. Steven Hrotic investigates the representations of religion in 19th century proto-science fiction, and genre science fiction from the 1920s through the end of the century. Taken together, he argues that these stories tell an overarching story-a 'metanarrative'-of an evolving respect for religion, paralleling a decline in the belief that science will lead us to an ideal (and religion-free) future. Science fiction's metanarrative represents more than simply a shift in popular perceptions of religion: it also serves as a model for cognitive anthropology, providing new insights into how groups and identities form in a globalized world, and into how crucial a role narratives may play. Ironically, this same perspective suggests that science fiction, as it was in the 20th century, may no longer exist.

Pulpit Science Fiction

Pulpit Science Fiction PDF Author: George L. Murphy
Publisher: CSS Publishing
ISBN: 0788023772
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 98

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Book Description
To keep the Christian message relevant in our rapidly changing times, it's vital that churches come to terms with how modern technology and scientific knowledge have changed the way we understand the world. And because preaching is the church's primary mode of communication (especially with adults), it offers a significant opportunity to shape how we think about the larger questions of our existence. One innovative way for preachers to address these concerns is through popular science fiction. Because many of the genre's stories deal with the impact of science and technology on individuals and cultures, they often have implicit religious implications. Pulpit Science Fiction is a fascinating collection of creative story sermons that shows how you can use elements drawn from science fiction to boldly proclaim the Christian faith. In addition to 14 imaginative "science fiction parables," a pair of essays are also included that illustrate how references to science fiction films and stories can be utilized in preaching. George Murphy has extended Christian parable telling into the 21st century with a series of preachable stories. These engaging, sometimes poignant, and often provocative tales spotlight particular theological themes from scripture. Comments following each pulpit-tested story help to contextualize it in relation to literary sources and the liturgical year. This book is a remarkable gift to those charged with proclaiming the Word to that spacefaring species, Homo sapiens. Jim Miller, Senior Program Associate Program of Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion American Association for the Advancement of Science George L. Murphy is a graduate of Ohio University, Johns Hopkins University (where he earned a Ph.D. in physics), and Wartburg Theological Seminary. An adjunct faculty member at Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Murphy is also a Lutheran pastor who now serves on the staff of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Akron, Ohio. He has been widely published in both scientific and religious periodicals, and has received two awards from the Templeton Foundation for his papers on science and religion. Murphy is the author of Toward A Christian View Of A Scientific World and Cosmic Witness (CSS), The Trademark of God (Morehouse-Barlow), and The Cosmos in the Light of the Cross (Trinity Press International). He is also a member of the writing team for the online preaching resource The Immediate Word (www.csspub.com).