Christian Star Trek?

What if Gene Roddenberry (the creator of Star Trek) or Isaac Asimov (scientist and sci-fi author) had been Christians? It might be easy to think, as I once did, that if these two brilliant and extremely creative men had been followers of God, then they surely wouldn’t have developed the amazing works they are known for. However, I think this couldn’t be more wrong!

As followers of Christ, we sometimes not only buy into the world’s cartoonish portrayal of Christians as uninspired Bible-reading robots trudging to church each sunday, but we also sometimes come under the false assumption that whatever the world offers up in the arts is the golden standard for creativity. This isn’t to say that there are some fantastic works that I’ve come across in my life. There are a lot of secular books, music, movies and games that I find extremely creative and even artistically inspiring – but don’t necessarily have a christian worldview. What I mean by this is that although we might be able to have political or philosophical discussions about these secular creative works, they’re all based around a very fleeting and even limited view of how humans view their “world”. It’s all ultimately passing away. Whether 100 years from now, or 20,000, a lot of the time we spend on artwork, politics, science, philosophy and business ultimately will either be seen as a mere curiosity down the road or will fade from memory all together.

An Awesome Future! This is why I’m suggesting the need for Christians to become ever more involved in creative pursuits like writing amazing science fiction novels, creating fantastic game worlds, illustrating graphic novels and developing thrilling and inspiring movies. If we truly believe in a hopeful and exciting future where people are saved from destruction and the individual finds purpose and love in life, then why wouldn’t we be motivated to share this message with a broken world? For example, could you imagine a Star Trek type of show that wasn’t just good TV, but actually inspired people to look to the eternal, and offered people the only way to live with purpose and peace?

Now I’m certainly not suggesting that everything Christians create be full of Bible verses and Bible commentary. But sometimes maybe it should. We know our audiences, and are certainly capable in utilizing good wisdom and judgement to know how to best deliver God’s truth! If unsure, pray about it, check your Bible, and talk it over with other Christians. Also, consider checking out fellow Christians who have a positive view of Christian Reconstructionism (and not the cartoonish view that leftists or secularists attempt to assign to this view of Biblical Christianity).

Great Christian Sci-fi and Fantasy: As for some of my favorite christian authors who have written what I consider to be some especially noteworthy science-fiction or fantasy works, check out The Chronicles of Narnia or the Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis, Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien and the excellent Lamb Amongst the Stars trilogy by Chris Walley. I’ve also really enjoyed Robot Wars by Sigmund Brouwer (for younger readers), Dragonspell by Donita K. Paul, Arena by Karen Hancock, The Personifid Project by R.E. Bartlett, Winterflight by Joseph Bayly, Lilith and Phantasies by George MacDonald, The Search for Fierra by Stephen R. Lawhead, and Nate Wilson’s 100 Cupboards series.

What do you think? How does your worldview or the things that interest you impact the way you look at the world? How does this impact your view of the future? What are some effective ways you think christian artists and writers could better engage their audiences? What are some of your favorite books, movies or games that you believe have a powerful christian message? Let us know! Also, be sure to check out our Artwork tab for awesome christian illustrations and more!