After witnessing government attacks on Guatemalan refugee camps (in the early 1980’s), and the seemingly indiscriminate killing of women and children, Canadian folk musician, Bruce Cockburn, expressed outrage. In his song, If I Had a Rocket Launcher, Cockburn vents. His anger culminates in the chorus, “If I had a rocket launcher, some son-of-a-bitch would die.” [...]
The audiobook version of Christian Horror: On the Compatibility of a Biblical Worldview and the Horror Genre is now available on Spotify. Brian Godawa, screenwriter and author of Chronicles of the Nephilim and Cruel Logic: The Philosopher Killer says this about the book: Frighteningly profound. Duran’s balanced reasoning and sound biblical exegesis provides a sure [...]
Most trace the origins of “cozy fiction” to the emergence of “cozy mysteries.” Emily Martin writes, “Cozy mysteries are still a fairly recent development in the mystery genre. The term ‘cozy mystery’ was coined in the late 20th century at a time when contemporary writers were trying to recreate the feel of the mystery novels [...]
Childhood is full of horrors. Which is why the horror genre is full of children. Films like It, the Babadook, The Sixth Sense, Poltergeist, and many more, all feature children grappling with real, or imagined, terrors. Indeed, growing up in a fallen, evil world is a horror every child must face. It’s no wonder, then, [...]
The Church is not immune to scandal. Christians, like everyone, are sinners. Nevertheless, many Christians suffer disappointment, even abandon their faith, when a prominent Christian leader is exposed as a liar, pervert, or thief. What can Christians do to prevent their faith from being swayed by the un-Christian conduct of trusted pastors, leaders, or friends? [...]
YA Fiction has become a valuable tool for educators, activists, and LGBTQ+ advocates seeking to indoctrinate young adults into progressive ideologies and aberrant sexual lifestyles. Barnes & Nobles kicked off Pride Month by listing 19 Must-Read LGBTQIA+ YA Books to Read During Pride Month. Epic Reads followed suit with 25 Must-Read YA Books Featuring [...]
“This is the most serious problem within Protestant Christianity that I’ve seen in my lifetime.” Pastor Derek Kubilius, vicar of Uniontown United Methodist Church in Uniontown, Ohio, shared these cautionary words with Vice Magazine back in October 2021. Kubilius hosted Crossover Q, a now-defunct podcast that aimed to prevent the spread of QAnon conspiracies among [...]
It’s a question that could only be borne out of some paranoid evangelical fever dream. Which it partly was. I graduated high school in 1976. The 60’s counter-culture movement was winding down. I’d taken my share of LSD and exhausted the little monies I had on rock concerts and vinyl albums. So by the decade’s [...]
LGBTQ+ characters in film and novels have skyrocketed over the last several decades. Some of this is simply representative of a growing cultural acceptance of gay lifestyles. However, part of this is also the result of growing representation of alternate sexualities in art and culture. Not only has the media helped change views about gays [...]
The Second Edition of Christian Horror: On the Compatibility of a Biblical Worldview and the Horror Genre, is now available in audiobook. Narrated by Randy Streu, this updated edition has almost twice the content as the original, clocking in at nearly 65K words (as opposed to the first edition’s 35K). Of course, I’ve included references [...]
