Your Guide to Spe Salvi- Saved in Hope by Barry Michaels

Spe Salvi means "saved in hope. This month, Barry is hosting a festival of hope on his blog. Learn how other writers use the theme of hope in their books and their lives at http://barrymichaels.wordpress.com/.

If you are considering a journey through Pope Benedict XVI’s second encyclical, Spe Salvi, you will find no better companion than Barry Michaels. Spe Salvi is a challenging but nonetheless truly rewarding endeavor for any reader. Michaels’ convenient guide breaks down each of the encyclical’s complex topics, providing essential background information and clear explanations. An essential reading companion that makes the profound thought of Benedict XVI simple and accessible for readers everywhere.

What Are People Saying about this Title?
"Is it possible to make the writings of Pope Benedict XVI simple? If not, at least Barry Michaels has succeeded in making Spe Salvi simpler, more user-friendly. Particularly helpful are the guide’s reflection questions, prayer prompts, and suggestions for “putting it into practice” found at the end of each chapter. I highly recommend Your Guide to Spe Salvi to the interested individual reader but especially for use in an Adult Faith Formation small group setting. I hope (which is different from wishing, as the reader will learn) that you enjoy this companion to our Holy Father’s second encyclical letter."
— Rev. Joseph M. Hennessey
Parochial vicar at St. Julia Parish, Weston/Lincoln MA.

“There are two men, two Apostles of Hope, whom Pope Benedict XVI loved, and who enriched his meditations on hope. They are John Paul II and the late Cardinal Francis-Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan. Indeed, in Spe Salvi Pope Benedict XVI wrote that Cardinal Van Thuan became ‘for people all over the world a witness to hope—to that great hope which does not wane even in the nights of solitude.’ “Barry Michaels’ step-by-step guide through the complex teachings of Spe Salvi is most useful, especially for those of us who attempt to speed-read the encyclical. We would miss everything if we did not meditate on every line of Pope Benedict XVI’s illuminating exhortation to embrace hope.”
— Andre Nguyen Van Chau
Author of The Miracle of Hope: The Life of Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan

About the author
Barry Michaels lives with his wife and children in central New York state, where he works as a high school teacher. His previous books include Eucharist: The Church’s Treasure, At the School of Mary, and Saints for Our Times.

Order from the Catholic Company.
OR Amazon: Your Guide to Spe Salvi: Saved in Hope

AND Get Spe Salvi by Pope Benedict

The Midnight Dancers by Regina Doman

Rachel Durham, 18, is tired of her father and stepmother’s staid morality and pristine prosperity. The summer of her senior year, she’s more than ready for a walk on the wild side, and the door opens - literally - when she and her eleven sisters and stepsisters discover a secret passageway out of their historic home on the Chesapeake Bay. At night, boys in boats and a forbidden island beckon from the shore, and Rachel and her sisters jump aboard. The night becomes Rachel’s true world, and her daytime life becomes a disposable mask. Her puzzled father tries to tow his daughters back into line by enlisting the help of Paul, a med student with a seasonal job juggling at the town festival. But Paul realizes that simply blocking the girls from their midnight parties isn’t going to solve the family’s problems. So he embarks on a risky balancing act to gain the girls’ trust – and to make Rachel see that splitting her life between night and light is a dangerous dance.

This new take on the Grimm’s tale, “The Twelve Dancing Princesses” centers on the unusual adventures of med student-cum-ninja Paul Fester, introduced in Waking Rose, and continues the Fairy Tale Novel series with a satisfying summer romance that will delight fans of the original books.





Buy it from the publisher.

What Choices We Made by Sandy Lender

Would the world of Onweald be the same if Enara had acted differently all those years ago? Join Chariss's early ancestor on the shores that become Arcana. Rescue a dragon and flee a screaming horde of edras demons. Step into a fantasy realm where romance and humor meet sword and sorcery—where choices of the past shape the world of a powerful heroine. Step into What Choices We Made.

Check out Sandy's blog at www.todaythedragonwins.blogspot.com

Frankie, the Walk 'N Roll Dog by Barbara Techel

A true, inspirational story about a dachshund whose life started out just like any other dog's, walking on all four paws, until a spinal injury leaves her paralyzed. Frankie is custom fit for a wheelchair and learns to keep on rolling. Her zest for life will have you cheering, and she will give you hope that all things are possible. Frankie will leave an everlasting and loving paw print on your heart. A book for all ages to teach overcoming challenges and also compassion for the physically challenged.

Available at www.joyfulpaws.com
OR

CSFF Presents: John Olson’s Shade

"You will not fear the terror of the night." —Psalm 91

A monstrous waking nightmare is pursuing graduate student Hailey Maniates across San Francisco to Golden Gate Park where she is rescued by a towering homeless man. She seems able to read her rescuer’s mind, but is it just a delusion? Doctors diagnose her as a paranoid schizophrenic and attempt to prescribe away her alleged hallucinations. But too many questions remain around Hailey and the man who saved her. He appears to suffer from her same mental condition and is convinced that some type of Gypsy vampire is trying to kill them both.

Against reason, Hailey finds herself more and more attracted to this strange man. But what if he is a fantasy? What if he is the monster?

John Olson’s Web site: http://www.litany.com/



Learn More:
Brandon Barr
Jennifer Bogart
Justin Boyer
Keanan Brand
Kathy Brasby
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
Janey DeMeo
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Todd Michael Greene
Katie Hart
Joleen Howell
Jason Isbell
Jason Joyner
Kait
Magma
Margaret
Rachel Marks
Melissa Meeks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Eve Nielsen
Nissa
John W. Otte
Steve Rice
Mirtika or Mir's Here
Chawna Schroeder
James Somers
Robert Treskillard
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Jason Waguespac
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise

Dragon Lord of Kells by Brenda Weaver

1092 Ireland--a time when magic and myths should only be legends of the ancestors, yet down in the angry mists of the dark forest of Muir, Rowan of Locks Glen stumbles into a trap. He is the last of his kind. A fierce and mighty Dragon Lord that time has seemed to have forgotten. As Rowan is fighting for his very life, thoughts of his life flash before him, making him even more aware that he should have taken a wife to ensure the lineage of his blood. As a throng of arrows whip through his body, he is unable to forgive himself that error as all goes black.

Kira, a healer from an ancient clan of elves stumbles across Rowan’s prone body. She is shocked to recognize him as the protector of her people. She finds him barely alive, hides him, starts to heal him and takes him to her cottage where, she hoped, he would be safe. While there, Rowan thinks she would make him a good wife and asks her to be his life mate. She at first refuses for she feels unworthy, but, she was born to protect this mighty Dragon Lord. What better way to protect him than to be constantly by his side.

Will this marriage of convenience find a way to bring two lonely hearts together as one? Or will the evil of man and wizard alike, pull them apart forever.





Or get it at the publisher.

A Firestorm of Dragons, ed. by Michele Acker and Kirk Dougal

So you want to know about dragons?

Start with “Dragonscaling!,” a tongue-in-cheek look at a future where the world’s most extreme sport involves the use of genetically engineered creatures. Continue on to read how dragons are kept out of sight in modern Hong Kong in “Dragonkeeper” before turning the page for a humorous look at the importance of listening to one’s mother in “Lessons.”

“The Druid’s Dragon” reveals a possible connection between the ancient people and an enslaved dragon before “Dragon Eye, P.I.” twists all conventions and makes a dragon the lead in a 1940’s-style detective story. “Poison Bird” brings the reader back to modern day for a coming-of-age story told through the eyes of the protagonist’s boyfriend.

“A Reptile at the Reunion” pulls together two things that most people fear: dragons and high school reunions. A hunter learns compassion for his prey in “Dragon Blood” while “No Time for Dragons” takes a humorous tone when an example is made of dragon who is a pesky door-to-door salesman.

“For Your Eyes Only” reveals the power of devotion when lovers encounter a dragon. Both sides of a human and dragon interaction, with wildly different conclusions, are examined in “Shattered Dreams” before the influence of hatred and the cost of sacrifice battle each other in “A Darkness of Spirit.”

A Firestorm of Dragons finishes with a trilogy of stories depicting some possible ends of dragonkind. “Dragon Fruit” reveals the happiest of conclusions when a symbiotic relationship between humans and dragons leaves both to lead their own lives. Dragons continue to live on throughout time in “A Dragon’s Dawn,” though they are relegated to lonely and unfulfilled lives. “Inside the Cavern” is the ending no one wishes for the majestic beings, their race dying in obscurity under man’s unyielding pressure.

For more information, check out www.firestormofdragons.com. We're also blog touring Firestorm this month.

1 (Authors and Characters Interview) Time with Tannia www.timewithtannia.tripod.com
1 (book Information) Tree Lady http://tree-lady.livejournal.com
3 (character interview) The Book Connection http://www.thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/
3 (Information) Interview Joy in the Journey www.teresaslack.blogspot.com
5 (summary) Brenda Weaver http://brenda-weaver.tripod.com
6 (Summary) Kim Richards on Live Journal http://kim-richards.livejournal.com/
6 (summary) Kim Richards on My Space http://www.myspace.com/kim_richards
6 (summary) Kim Richards on Blogger http://kim-richards.blogspot.com/
8 (interview) The Back Room Mat http://thebackroomat.dehanna.com/index.htm
10 (character interview) The Book Connection http://www.thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/
13 (Kim Richards Interview) Bibliophile's Retreat http://bibliophilesretreat.com
14 (Review of Anthology) Bibliophile's Retreat http://bibliophilesretreat.com
15 (summary) Cathi's Chatter http://cathischatter.blogspot.com
16 (review) Cathi's Chatter http://cathischatter.blogspot.com
17 (character interview) The Book Connection http://www.thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/
20 (book trailer) Cathi's Chatter http://cathischatter.blogspot.com
22 (Bios/book information) Books and Authors http://joyceanthony.tripod.com/blog
24 (Karina Fabian and Vern Interview) Bibliophile's Retreat http://bibliophilesretreat.com
25 (Sandra Ulbrich Interview) Bibliophile's Retreat http://bibliophilesretreat.com

Writing Faith-Filled Fiction

One of my pet peeves in reading is characters who lose all common sense when the author needs to further a plot. You know: the brilliant scientist who forgets some basic law of physics; the brilliant military tactician who makes an error even a cadet wouldn't do; the street-tough black belt who doesn't get a punch in when jumped by an unarmed bad guy. These things can work when there's a true motivating reason: the scientist is in an unfamiliar environment and completely panicked; the commander is making an unorthodox move in order to impress his general; the black-belt is drunk.

However, I've sometimes seen religion badly used as an excuse to make characters do illogical and uncharacteristic things. The scientist throws out empirical evidence because his findings contradict his personal (or the author's personal) interpretation of a particular Bible verse; the military man stops fighting or doing a standard duty because it's prayer time and he hasn't received official permission from his superior to miss it; the black belt chooses to be beaten because he might hurt the person if he fought back and "God wants us to love our neighbor." Or, worse yet, the character does something stupid for no other reason than to let the author put him or her into a position where they can preach later.

Another pet peeve of mine is when someone writes about a religion they don't know and makes assumptions they never check out. Thus, you sometimes see Catholic scientists who say evolution is wrong because it's against "the Church's" beliefs. (The Church's official teachings say nothing of the sort.) Or you get Muslim soldiers who simply stop fighting at prayer times.

Sometimes, this is simple ignorance, but sometimes, the writer actually researches a religion he does not know and makes an erroneous conclusion based on misinformation. This is easier than ever because of the Internet.

In order to help writers who want to incorporate religion into their stories, I've started a quarterly newsletter, Faith-Filled Fiction. It's an educational e-zine rather than an entertainment, and contains articles about how to add religion in ways that enhance the story and add depth to the characters rather than use them as mouthpieces for a sermon-as-story or give them a handy excuse to do something stupid and otherwise uncharacteristic. It also has articles written about religions by someone who is a faithful follower of that religion, so you get first-hand information from a believer. These articles usually contain links the writer trusts as accurate for further research. Finally, Faith-Filled Fiction has a guest column where the writer talks about how religion has affected his or her writing.

Faith-Filled Fiction covers all the world religions, and even made-up ones. The goal is to educate rather than evangelize. If you're interested in subscribing, just sign up on the website at www.fabianspace.com. To view an issue, go to http://faithfilledfiction.karinafabian.com.

Nourishment from the Word: Select Studies in Reformed Doctrine by Kenneth Gentry

This book is created for all serious Christians desiring to dig deeper into the Bible and find the truth, as the Truth will set us free. We need to be consuming the meat and not just the milk of theology. Wisdom is the principle thing, so says the Word of God; it comes from the fear of the Lord, from knowledge (Epistemology), understanding of reality (Ontology) and Gods Law (Theonomy), developing our faith by the hearing and reading of Gods revelation. Together we dig for Gods nuggets of gold. Dr. Kenneth Gentry, an astute, brilliant Bible Scholar and devoted man of God, helps the reader find those golden nuggetsdissecting, comparing Scripture with Scripture, deciphering the context and time of eventsall in a systematic theological manner empowered by the Holy Spirit. His background in the Reformed tradition of the faith (see About the Author), his intentional deep study of Holy Writ and his precise and gentle, loving style of communicating, makes this book a must for students who want to follow Jesus lovingly, obediently and wisely. Here is a tiny sampling of the tasty morsels you will discover in this book from Dr. Gentrys informed pen A growing understanding of the Bible comes only through reading it, systematizing it, studying it, hearing it expounded and applying it. (Chapter One, page 8) The fact that the truth of Scripture is of no private interpretation is a foundational principle of creedal theology. No interpreter of Scripture works alone; we all must build on the past labors of godly predecessors. (Chapter One, page 10) Reformed Christians are a people of The Book. We firmly believe that both the Old and New Testaments are Godbreathed and profitable for Gods people. Though we may easily discern obvious progress and development in Scripture, the Bible is, nevertheless, one Book. (Chapter Two, page 16) Actually the defense of Christianity is simple we argue the impossibility of the contrary. Those who assault the Christian system must actually assume the Christian system to do so. In fact, atheism assumes theism. (Chapter Five, page 90) But I believe this sufficiently demonstrates the validity of the Westminster Confession, which declares It pleased God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, for the manifestation of the glory of His eternal power, wisdom and goodness, in the beginning, to create or make of nothing, the world and all things therein whether visible or invisible, in the space of six days; and all very good. (Chapter Six, page 99) Thus, the theme of Revelation is the execution of Gods divorce decree against Israel, her subsequent capital punishment and cremation, followed by His turning to take a new bride, the Church. (Chapter Eight, page 153) My personal gratitude to Dr. Ken Gentry for allowing us to republish his work in one volume, dispensing sound exegetical expository of Holy Scripture, helping all of us to learn, grow and enjoy this Nourishment from the Word in these Select Studies in Reformed Doctrine all to the glory of God. As Dr. Gentry affirms in his initial chapter It is fundamentally necessary to hold as ones credo I believe Jesus is Lord. Gerald Christian Nordskog, Publisher

Dr. Kenneth Gentry, Jr. received degrees from both the Reformed Theological Seminary and Whitefield Theological Seminary. He pastored for twenty-five years in both the Presbyterian Church in America and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. He now serves as Director of NiceneCouncil.com and the executive director of GoodBirth Ministries. Both organizations are dedicated to advancing serious Christian education, scholarship and apologetics. Dr. Gentry is the author and co-author of over 20 books. Nourishment from the Word: Select Studies in Reformed Doctrine is for serious Christians following the Biblical encouragement to “be a good servant of Jesus Christ, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of sound doctrine” (1 Tim. 4:6). Dr. Kenneth l. Gentry, Jr. provides a banquet of nourishing entrees too seldom found on the menu of the modern evangelical church, to help hungry believers grow in understanding.

Christian Fiction and NOT Writing Just What You Know

I've had some interesting comments on Rob's and my latest anthology, Leaps of Faith. This is a collection of 14 stories of Christian science fiction. While I didn't fully itemize each faith represented, there are Anglican, Catholic and Christian stories and one Old Testament Biblical.

However, I've gotten a couple of comments to the effect that Leaps is a Catholic exclusive book. "written by Catholic writers" "a Catholic anthology" "I'm not Catholic but I enjoyed it." And the one that, frankly, insults the non-Catholic Christian contributors, the Christian publisher and my husband and me: "My only problem with this anthology is that uncomfortable feeling that the Catholics are the only people of God."

I'm not going to argue that here--you can check out the reviews on Amazon to see what people think about the mix of Christian and Catholic themes. What I want to talk about today is the ironic fact that many of the "Catholic" stories in Leaps--and some in Infinite Space, Infinite God, for that matter--were written by non-Catholics. In fact, we never asked anyone their denomination when we read the stories, and sometimes have been surprised ourselves to find out who practices what faith.

I'm always ticked at how that amazes and even scandalizes some people, even fellow writers. We think nothing of a housewife writing a detective novel or a computer technician writing a chick lit. Guys write romance with female protagonists while women write military sci-fi with predominantly male characters. Yet a person writes honestly about a particular faith, and people immediately assume the author practices that faith. Why is that?

I'm sure some people believe that to do anything different is to blaspheme in some way. I don't agree. To me, writing the faith that is right for the story is staying true to the creative talent God gave me. As long as I'm not glorifying a heresy or encouraging a sin, I feel safe in exploring other ideas, whether it's an atheist being pursued by a vampire or nuns living in outer space.

So what about writing what you know? I think writers that limit themselves to that do not go very far. There's such a wealth of adventure out there, some of which we will never know about first-hand. But we learn. I don't know asteroid mining--but I'm learning about it as I write Discovery. I didn't know Norse mythology until I started writing Live and Let Fly--and as I learned more, I had to change the story. That's what I love about writing. That's why I do it, even when I don't make the big bucks or get yet another rejection letter.

One person e-mailed me that he believed I preferred Catholic stories because that's what I'm more "comfortable" with. That's not true, not for me, not for a lot of writers I know. I'll stick with me, however. First off, I don't read a lot of Catholic fiction. (Yes, my fellow Guildies, I have not yet read Chesterson or Flannery O'Connor. They're on my list.) I read about wizards and aliens and serial killers and all kinds of non-comfortable things. I've written a story about a psychic teen who was mentally tortured. I've tortured one of my favorite characters while her best friend was forced to watch, and I have a scene for an upcoming book where the main character has to fight off a rapist. Think these were comfortable? Not at all, but they were disturbingly interesting to write and necessary to the story.

If I were to write what I "know" and what is "comfortable," I'd be putting out stories about how my kid didn't want to wear his jacket in the blizzard. That's about as much angst as I get in my life and believe me, I like it that way!

So it is with writing faith--not all my stories are Catholic. In one trilogy, the alien planet is Deist, and the other has its own odd mix of faith. They each had their own salvation stories, too. My Faerie world has what is called a Catholic Church, but "catholic" means "universal" and while it's similar to the Roman Catholic, there are enough differences that it is a unique religious organization. I could have (and maybe should have) called it the Faerie Church; I'm betting I take some heat from both Catholics and non-Catholics for it as time goes on. But if I do, I know it's because I've written a convincing world.

I'm starting to ramble here, but my point is that writers with real talent do not need to be limited by their current knowledge or beliefs. Imagination can take us to many exciting--and sometimes uncomfortable--worlds, and writing talent can help us share those worlds convincingly with others.

That's what the writers of Leaps of Faith and Infinite Space, Infinite God did. That's why I'm proud to have edited these anthologies.

Leaps of Faith: a Christian (not just Catholic) Anthology

I've had a couple of reviewers comment that Leaps of Faith is a book of Catholic sci-fi. This took me aback, because that was not our intention with this anthology. Rather we were looking for Christian stories of all faiths. Our guidelines for the stories were: 1. Great story, 2. Plausible science within the story (no reversing the polarity of a supernova and such) and 3. The science and religion were not inimical to each other.

However, as it turns out, the majority of the stories do have Catholic ideas or Catholic-like settings. Here's a rough breakdown:

Catholic: High Hopes, Leap of Faith, Relics of Venice, Convert, Confirmation, Lost Rythar

Catholic settings, but general Christian: The Faith Equation, Quantum Express, Tampering With God's Time

Anglican: Comprehending it Not

Nondenominational Christian: The Smile, Moses Disposes, God's Gift, Sometimes We Lie

This was not a conscious decision on Rob's or my part, nor would I saw our religious beliefs influenced our story choices. (We were both faithful but casual Catholics then.) We were reading for interesting angle, not doctrine or particular beliefs--in fact, one reviewer has told me he didn't find the Catholic stories especially Catholic in their proposed beliefs. (Which is fine: unlike Infinite Space, Infinite God, we were not looking for stories faithful to a particular doctrine.) I'd consider only one of my stories, Leap of Faith, to be Catholic. The whole time-travel program in Tampering With God's Time could have been done by another Christian denomination--and the crisis that sparked the time travel program had to do with the continual splintering of all Christian faiths more than the Catholic.
I also advertised about the anthology on more Christian writer sites than Catholic. Finally, some of the Catholic stories are written by NON-Catholic Christians. These authors probably didn't know Rob and I were Catholic, either. We never mentioned it in any of the submission calls.

So why the high proportion of Catholic representations?

The Catholic Church is involved in science. Look in the Catholic Encyclopedia or check out 1000 Years of Catholic Scientists by Jane Meyerhofer and you'll find hundreds of scientists who were not only Catholic, but often priests, monks, and even saints. Pope Pius IX established the Pontifical Academy in 1847, which consists of scientists around the world chosen for their contributions to science without regard to their particular religious beliefs--or lack thereof. Although independent of the Church, the Holy See supports its research financially, and its academicians research and publish papers on a variety of topics from theoretical mathematics to molecular biology.


(For the article, click here.)

It's an easily identifiable icon: whether you need a pro-life morality, a place receive sanctuary, or a scene of religious peace and grandeur, or (unfortunately) someone to balk against scientific progress, the Catholic Church comes to mind for many, regardless of religious affiliation. The Church is also known to be organized and budgeted. That's the reason I used it for "Tampering With God's Time." I wanted a religion with the right kind of infrastructure to carry out a secret program, and the non-Catholic Christian faiths I'd been exploring (I was in college at the time) seemed too independent and loosely organized to fit the bill.

Finally, Catholic IS Christian--a more ritualized, organized belief than many, but still holding to the basic tenants of all Christian faiths: salvation through Jesus Christ, loving God and thy neighbor, the working of the Holy Spirit in our world, and more. Those are the beliefs we found in these stories, Catholic and non-Catholic.
That's why Leaps of Faith is Christian sci-fi.

Purchase from The Writers Cafe Press OR

Leaps of Faith E-book Reviews

Leaps of Faith was first published as an e-book back in 2002. It was a finalist for the EPPIE for best anthology and garnered some very nice reviews. Here are the snapshots:


From: http://www.denisemclark.com/scifirevdata.html
Reviewed by Michael Bogert
Seldom does a book come along like Leaps Of Faith, where science fiction is blended with Christianity to produce excellent stories to inspire and enjoy. Karina and Robert Fabian, editors, have brought together several stories written by as many authors, that are based on the Christian faith.

The book was a real delight to read, and the authors wrote their stories well. It was easy to become immersed in each tale as they followed one common theme. Some were not as jubilant and happy, but each possessed an important moral, or lesson to be learned.

In some of the stories the authors had clearly studied and researched modern (and ultra-modern) technology, or had been educated in that particular area. Above all, the mixing of Christianity was a very refreshing change from the norm.
I give Leaps Of Faith two thumbs up, and I look forward to similar works in the future. To Karina and Robert I say, well done.

ScribesWorld.com: FIVE STARS!! "Karina and Robert Fabian merge science and faith in an anthology of fifteen Christian science fiction stories that ignites our imaginations."

TimelessTales.net: "This is the first collection I have read in years where I can say that I truly enjoyed each one of the stories. I heartily recommend them to the discerning reader."

Dog-eared Webzine: "Highly Recommended! ... the stories engrossed me from the beginning. Though SF/religious in nature (as stated by the publisher), each story managed to be more than that. They cover the gamut of human experience--doubt, faith, adventure, and conflict...It poses intelligent questions and offers honest answers. This is a book designed to make you think, and it achieves its goal."

Author's Choice Book Reviews: "This is a collection of stories from authors who explore many different aspects of science and faith, and what that all means when science makes another discovery, or when we reach out to alien races... I found the collection over-all thought provoking and a good read."

MyShelf.com: http://www.myshelf.com/scifi_fantasy/03/leapsoffaith.htm.
By Jo Rogers
There is a prevailing myth that science fact and religious belief are incompatible, although most proponents consider as fact things that are as yet unproven theory and many scientists find their research confirms, rather than destroys, their faith.

With this in mind, Francis Isadore Electronic Press presents Leaps of Faith, an anthology of Christian, science fiction stories. Most of the authors here are Catholic, so questions are explored from the Catholic point of view, but most apply to all points of view in the Christian faith. How will the aliens accept it? Better yet, will we be allowed to take it with us into space? Many of these stories speculate on what will happen when Christians explore beyond our world.

There are several scenarios here, from an alien trying to bring the faith to his world, the acceptance of AI androids into the church, the murder of the faithful by the ungodly and the use of one’s faith to bring about a miracle with the aid of technology. The possibilities are legion, but in all of them, known science facts are presented accurately. They are also realistic, in that all of the endings do not culminate on a miracle from God that comes about without human and technological aid.

I found this book quite interesting. I highly recommend this book. It not only entertains, it makes you think.

Purchase from The Writers Cafe Press OR

Leaps of Faith, ed Karina and Robert Fabian

Believe in a future where science and faith live side-by-side? Leaps of Faith contains 15 stories exploring space, time and faith. Can an ancient religion bring hope to first-line explorers for whom each trip is potential suicide? What does it mean when a physicist finds God's face in the stars? Is there a "saint gene" and can it be reproduced to create miracles? What happens to your soul when your body is shattered into quantum elements and reassembled on another world? How will the Christian faith transform alien thoughts and traditions?
Read as time travelers seeking to change Biblical history and space travelers harvesting "angels" are brought to faith by their experiences. Experience tender romance and heart-pounding adventure. Laugh at the foibles of man.
A 2002 EPPIE finalist for Best Electronic Anthology, Leaps of Faith promises the best in Christian sci-fi.



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