252. What if Space Missionaries Fought the Secular State? | Above the Circle of Earth with E. Stephen Burnett

The fight for the Space Mission begins in his homeworld. Brock Rivers never wanted to be a repairman on Mars. Years ago, he failed to protect his family, and now he labors across a frontier planet to keep his children alive and escape CAUSE. Now he is summoned back to Earth for an impossible dream: to resist CAUSE, confront the secret adversaries among his own people, and to restore gospel missions in the 22nd century, Above the Circle of Earth. Episode sponsors Enclave Publishing: Above the Circle of Earth by E. Stephen Burnett Sunrise Publishing: Squire of Truth by Jill Williamson Fragments by J. A. Webb Share this episode and enter to win Above the Circle of Earth Share on Facebook, Instagram, or X, tagging @‌Lorehaven and @estephenburnett We’ll enter you in our free drawing for the epic ACE Launch Day giveaway Includes a signed hardcover copy, spaceship to build, and behond Share by end of day this Friday, March 7 to be entered Then we announce a winner on Tuesday, March 11 Mission update Lorehaven Onscreen: House of David early review Lorehaven Onscreen: Gabriel and the Guardians series review Lorehaven Onscreen: ‘The Gorge’ Brings Human Connection to a Bleak and Cruel World Shannon McDermott reviewed Above the Circle of Earth New review coming this Friday Subscribe free to get updates and join the Lorehaven Guild We start the Above the Circle of Earth book quest Monday, March 10 Backstory: E. Stephen Burnett E. Stephen Burnett explores fantastical stories for God’s glory as publisher of Lorehaven.com and its weekly Fantastical Truth podcast. He coauthored The Pop Culture Parent and creates other resources for fans and families, serving with his wife, Lacy, in their central Texas church. Stephen’s first novel, the sci-fi adventure Above the Circle of Earth, launched in March 2025 from Enclave Publishing. 1. Command deck: heroes, plot, ideas 2. Living deck: people, dialogue, details 3. Labor deck: craft, science, world Com station Top question for listeners If you must choose, would you rather be astronaut or a missionary? Andrew Swearingen said he felt ‘ambushed’ by episode 250: This episode snuck up on me. I wasn’t expecting to be quite so affected by it. But it really hits a lot of my doubts that I’ve had as a creative person trying to find my place in the world and (if I’m honest) the church. Great episode and can’t wait to read the book. Jordan Taylor emailed with thoughts on his favorite translation: Howdy, I’ve been listening to this podcast since the 2020 pandemic and have been blessed ever since. In the past, my favorite Bible translation was the New Living Translation. It was the first translation that I ever read from and really opened my eyes to Scripture. From there, I’ve dabbled in the NIV (1984 & 2011), ESV, NKJV, NASB, and CSB. Currently, my favorite translation for daily reading is the NIV 2011 because it feels like I’m reading a novel. Fun Fact: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy inspired me to read the ESV Bible for a time because they both should similar (Thanks Tolkien!!). To the second question, my reading of the Bible has motivated me to start reading Historical Fiction that takes place in Biblical, Medieval, and/or Greco-Roman time periods. Joel Crumbley emails with some good fiction in the Bible: Love this week’s episode, just wanted to chime in and say that the ESV is the only way to go! Also, in terms of Christian fiction in the Bible, I wanted to note that when Jesus says “I am the Vine”, I believe that this is a great example of Christian fiction. It isn’t true (in one sense) that he is a literal vine, so does that mean Jesus lied? No, on a deeper level, a more real level you could say, he was telling the truth, and it gave us an image of who He is better than if he had just said “I am the source of your life and you must maintain a constant connection to me to truly do good works in this world because as I flow through you you’ll flow into life that looks more and more like mine.” When we write or read fiction, I believe it should follow this model. Speaking a direct and deep truth about life or God without needing to state it directly. True stories are always an image of God because He has a monopoly on truth. Next on Fantastical Truth The planet Mars. Named after the Roman/Greek god of war. Fourth from our sun. A frigid desert, with gravity 38 percent Earthen level, and many secrets lurking in its frozen rock. This world looms large in the public imagination, thanks in part to the many fantastical stories orbiting this alien land. From princesses and Tharks, to inspiration for Arrakis, and from high fantasy and hard sci-fi, how why does this crimson circle shine bright in our skies?