287. How Do Great Stories Help Us Defeat Monsters? | with Geoffrey Reiter

To fight real monsters, we don’t need toxic empathy or the notion that exorcisms can resolve all demonic problems. Instead we start with the gospel of Jesus Christ that alone brings holiness. Yet how do we also train our imaginations with better stories to help us battle the beasts? Geoffrey Reiter returns to the studio to explore how great literature reflects God’s grace that helps us defeat the darkness. Episode sponsors Maxine Justice: Galactic Attorney by Daniel Schwabauer A Faie Tale by Vince Mancuso Above the Circle of Earth by E. Stephen Burnett Mission update New at Lorehaven: reviews for Lord of Winter and Picked Up Pieces Subscribe free to get updates and join the Lorehaven Guild Backstory: Geoffrey Reiter Geoffrey Reiter is Associate Chair of Arts and Sciences and Coordinator of Humanities at Lancaster Bible College. He is also an Associate Editor at the website Christ and Pop Culture, where he frequently writes about weird horror and dark fantasy. As a scholar of weird fiction, Reiter has published academic articles on such authors as H. P. Lovecraft, Arthur Machen, Bram Stoker, and Clark Ashton Smith. His poetry and fiction have previously appeared in Spectral Realms, Star*Line, Psenumbra, ParABnormal, The Mythic Circle, 34 Orchard, and Black Wings VII. His book The Lime Kiln and Other Enchanted Spaces was published by Hippocampus Press earlier this year. Geoffrey Reiter at Christ and Pop Culture The Lime Kiln and Other Enchanted Spaces from Amazon The Lime Kiln and Other Enchanted Spaces from Hippocampus Press 1. Behold the monsters we may see in reality. Last week critics were discussing when to “deplatform” monsters. Today’s popular memes and franchise stories portray evil demons. Others talk about human “monsters” who abuse and manipulate. Some victims or bad counselors advise empathizing with real evil. Others leap straight for exorcisms or aggressive countermeasures. But secular folks may have limited success with combating evil. As one Spider-Man 3 poster said, “The greatest battle lies within.” First we must address the problem of our own monstrous hearts. Our solution is true repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Only then can we truly begin fighting back against other monsters. Listen to this episode from our first year. 2. How to fight back: the weapons of saints “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” —Romans 12:21 Our battle often depends on our unique callings and vocations. For instance, some battle evils mainly in their families or churches. Others may be called to move outward to engage the wider world. If we fight back with sinful tools, we risk reversion to monsters. This legacy haunts many Christians, but we needn’t be slaves to it. Nor need we focus solely on the problems amongst ourselves. Behind the gospel, we have many great tools to identify monsters. An underrated tool: great stories that also happens to expose evil and illustrate biblical ways to defeat these monsters in reality. Lately there’s grown a divide between folks who want to “win culture wars” and those who fancy literature. Why not both? A wise “culture warrior” needs reason and imagination. And a wise “literature scholar” must consider real-world applications. These are among the “weapons” with “divine power to demolish strongholds” (2 Cor. 10:4) built by enemies who are not human. 3. Defeating the monsters of The Lime Kiln Geoffrey has previously joined us to explore Stoker’s Dracula. This brilliant book explores a monster of many potential elements: the suave seducer, the toxic male predator, the foreign conqueror. Geoffrey’s new book The Lime Kiln and Other Enchanted Spaces collects “weird stories” and poems that feature various spooks such as ghosts, a killer robot, a vampire, and unpleasant beasties. These aren’t just pulp favorites, but enduring imaginations. Each monster reveals a particular kind of real-world analogue. We find evil lurking in surprising places, challenging assumptions. And we also find surprising heroes who survive or defeat evil. Com station Top question for listeners Which real monsters have you met, survived, or even defeated? Next on Fantastical Truth We still believe in cultural engagement. That’s the Christian mission to share our faith in the real world, seeking to win souls to Jesus. These souls naturally seek biblical influences in stories, songs, and beyond. So let’s explore a growing challenge: why some believers claim that they want “cultural engagement” but then, when angry or manipulative anti-Christian critics engage us right back, effectively surrender and call for pietistic separation.