Jacqueline Wilson

Louis Markos

Annie Crawford

Jesse W. Baker

Donald W. Catchings, Jr.

Seth Myers

Annie Nardone

Zak Schmoll

Jason M. Smith

C.M. Alvarez

Douglas LeBlanc

Cherish Nelson

Karise Gililland

Alex Markos

Ted Wright

Riz Cresini

Joshua S. Fullman

Iris Zamora

Celebrating the Ancients From before the time of Christ, pagan philosophers and storytellers have been influencing thought and shaping culture. In this issue dedicated to the ancient philosophers that formed the foundation of Western culture, we examine the way Christian thought was influenced by and engaged with those early writers and how the Jewish Messiah fulfilled the best hopes raised by what C.S. Lewis referred to as the "good dreams of the pagans." Contributors C.M. Alvarez: "The Power of the Storyteller: Jesus and Aesop" on the ancient tales that changed the world. Jesse W. Baker: "Listening to the Past" on the value of the Ancients. Donald W. Catchings, Jr.: "The Chain-Breaker in Plato's Allegory" on escaping the cave, and an excerpt from the novelette, Strength in Weakness, a retelling of Theseus. Annie Crawford: "Wisdom Became Flesh and Dwelt Among Us: Pagan Dreams of the King of Kings" on Christian virtues and philosopher-kings. Riz Crescini: "The Imaginative Strategy of Boethius" on the apologetic power of the imagination. Joshua S. Fullman: "A Galatian Marriage / Nasoni" on pagan morals and aesthetics. Karise Gililland: "Sede Vacante" on the Fall of Man. Douglas LeBlanc: "Vengeance is Mine, Saith Everyone" on societal and personal judgment. Alex Markos: "The Return of the Kings: Comparing the Homecoming of Odysseus and the Two Comings of Christ" on the tension between love and wrath, and "Persephone" on Christian re-imagination. Louis Markos: "In Defense of Hospitality and Storytelling" on the rules of xenia. Seth Myers: "Till They Have Faces: Lewis's Psyche Meets the Modern Helen of Troy and Circe" on different perspectives on ancient stories. Cherish Nelson: "The Nicomachean Ethics and the Enemy Within" on horror, power, and self-control. Annie Nardone: "Oh Brother: A Bluegrass Odyssey" on ancient morality, values, and spirituality. Zak Schmoll: "Pius Samwise: Roman Heroism in The Lord of the Rings" on Virgil and Tolkien's chief heroes. Jason M. Smith: "Worth Reading: The Ancients" with a list of suggestions on where to begin to read the ancient philosophers, and a review of After Humanity by Michael Ward. Ted Wright: "Drinking from the Well of the Past: A Reflection on the Role of History in Literature & Philosophy for the Modern World" on the function of history. Iris Zamora: "Ancients of Old," a poem celebrating the thinkers of days gone by. Fall 2021 Volume 4, Issue 3 280 pages Cover illustration by Virginia De La Lastra

Reflections on Ancient Philosophy, Culture, and Influences

An Unexpected Journal: The Ancients

Josiah Peterson

Laurie Grube

Sean C. Hadley

Christy Luis

Jason Monroe 

Alicia Pollard

Megan Joy Rials

Venturing to Worlds Unknown Science fiction writers are our modern seers of sorts. Creating worlds that are not our own, they inspire us to look beyond and imagine “what if?” The summer edition of An Unexpected Journal explores the impact these world builders have had on our culture. From the classic science fiction book The First Men in the Moon to modern sci-fi favorites from Brandon Sanderson, explore the what these stories say about us as a society and individually. Contents "The Spiritual Borders of Sci-Fi: C.S. Lewis and A Voyage to Arcturus" by Jason Monroe. "Ghost" a science fiction short story by Alicia Pollard "Illustrating Faith" by Josiah Peterson on Christian faith in The Ransom Trilogy by C.S. Lewis “Gender, Not Sex: Presentation of Gender Roles in Lewis’s The Ransom Trilogy” by Annie Nardone on the harmonious relationship of masculinity and femininity. “Spacemen without Chests? Virtue and Technology in Star Trek and Dune” by Seth Myers on the relevance of C.S. Lewis in popular science fiction. “Gremlins and the Second Way” by C.M. Alvarez on creation and causation. "To Infinity and Beyond" by Douglas LeBlanc on how science fiction can improve our understanding of God. "Time Travelers." a science fiction poem by Laurie Grube "The Autumn People" an essay by Megan Joy Rials on the way science fiction illustrates goodness, sacrifice, and community illustrated in Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes. “Materialism and Midichlorians: Pantheism, Naturalism, and Hope in Star Wars” by Zak Schmoll on the apologetic value of a galaxy far, far away. "Imagining Morality" by Sean Hadley on moral development in speculative fiction. "Excerpt from Note to Self" by Donald W. Catchings, Jr. An exclusive preview of a chapter of his upcoming time travel science fiction novel. "Starsight Review" by Christy Luis on the need for philosophical depth found in the work of science fiction writer Brandon Peterson. “Ethics of The Matrix” by C.M. Alvarez the dangers of relativism illustrated in The Matrix. "What Makes Us Human?" A reflection and poem by Annie Nardone. "Personhood in Altered Carbon" by Cherish Nelson on the dangers of diminishing bodies." "To Save a Life" by Zak Schmoll on finding resolution in Ender's Game. Summer 2020 Volume 3, Issue 2 230 pages About An Unexpected Journal An Unexpected Journal is the endeavor of a merry band of Houston Baptist University Master of Arts in Apologetics students and alumni. The Journal seeks to demonstrate the truth of Christianity through both reason and the imagination to engage the culture from a Christian worldview.

The Seers and Philosophers of Sci-Fi

An Unexpected Journal: Science Fiction

Douglas LeBlanc

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