Religion & Fiction Podcast

Religion & Fiction Podcast

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Religion & Fiction Podcast episodes

  • Religion & Fiction Podcast Ep. 029 | RFBC Week 5: Chapters 32–39

    The end of the year and entrance into another is the perfect time to consider our spiritual journey. So I thought I would offer a space to do that here with Book 2 of my spiritual coming-of-age series, Faith Reimagined. A Rediscovered Faith follows the spiritual journey of Peter Daniel Young as he considers deep questions of faith, life, and everything in between.

    Whether you are facing your own faith crisis and wonder if Christianity is still relevant to your world, or you know someone who is struggling themselves, discover with Peter why the story of Jesus and his love still matters. For him, his family and friends, the Church — and for you.

    Join the journey now to get ready for the final book in the trilogy coming next month: A Refined Faith. I’m launching a Kickstarter hootenanny, with self-study and reflection workbooks and video studies to go along with the series.

    👉 GO HERE to follow and get notified about the final book, the workbooks, and the spiritual courses.

    The book club is finished, but you can still get the book on discount below and follow the study along through these links. Amazon.com has it HERE. Most other online retailers are HERE.

    🗓️ Here are the dates and deets:

    * December 20 | Chapters 1–8

    * January 3 | Chapters 9–16

    * January 10 | Chapters 17–25

    * January 17 | Chapters 26–31

    * January 24 | Chapters 32–39

    The story takes a tragic turn for Peter and his family that provoke deep questions about faith, life, and everything in between. He must confront his own beliefs, and others, and rise to the occasion to fight for others while keeping the faith.

    After you have a listen, here are some questions to guide your reading, with more inside the episode:

    * Have you ever experienced guilt, confusion, regret over a relationship, as the characters had in this story? Why, and was was that like?

    * What was it about JT’s confession that made Peter question his relationship with God? What was his brother relying on?

    * A constant theme in the book is ideas have consequences. What do you make of this theme, and how does this final week showcase it? What do you think it means for others—for you, as Peter wondered for himself?

    * How had the Prosurgent version of Christianity offered false hope, rather than genuine hope? How was it not honest about the Christian faith?

    * What do you make of Peter’s reference to Jesus’ exhortation to ‘Stop doubting and believe’ (John 20:27)? Where are you in relationship to this almost command, to let go of doubt and embrace belief—in Jesus?

    * In what was is doubt considered a virtue nowadays? Why do you suppose belief is almost ridiculed?

    * Consider that journal article from JT that Peter read. Can you identify with his opinions about faith? Do you know others who share the same understanding? What is your own trust for God’s acceptance?

    * Near the end of Chapter 38, Peter offers a prayer of confession and repentance, a turning toward Jesus in faith and belief. Have you offered such a prayer? If so, I would love to hear about it! If not, what’s stopping you?

    * In what way does this story reinforce the urgency of faith, both for ourselves and our relationship with others?

    * Consider Peter’s closing meditation and prayer at the end of Chapter 39. How does it reflect your own feelings, if any? Do you know where to turn with God? Do you know where your faith is heading? What might it meant that Christ’s grace, his crazy love for you is enough for you and journey?

    This book club is meant to be a self-study exploration rediscovering faith. Feel free to read and listen along, then come back to offer your comments and discussion below!

    J. A. Bouma believes nobody should have to read bad religious fiction—whether it’s cheesy plots with pat answers or misrepresentations of the Christian faith and the Bible. So he tells compelling, propulsive stories that thrill as much as inspire, while offering a dose of insight along the way. Available at most online retailers and direct: shop.jabouma.com.



    Get full access to Religion & Fiction Newsletter at bouma.substack.com/subscribe
    43 min
  • Religion & Fiction Podcast Ep. 028 | RFBC Week 4: Chapters 26–31

    The end of the year and entrance into another is the perfect time to consider our spiritual journey. So I thought I would offer a space to do that here with Book 2 of my spiritual coming-of-age series, Faith Reimagined. A Rediscovered Faith follows the spiritual journey of Peter Daniel Young as he considers deep questions of faith, life, and everything in between.

    Whether you are facing your own faith crisis and wonder if Christianity is still relevant to your world, or you know someone who is struggling themselves, discover with Peter why the story of Jesus and his love still matters. For him, his family and friends, the Church — and for you.

    Join the journey now to get ready for the final book in the trilogy coming next month: A Refined Faith. I’m launching a Kickstarter hootenanny, with self-study and reflection workbooks and video studies to go along with the series, so GO HERE to follow and get notified.

    The book club runs through January 24, 2024, with a week break for Christmas. Each episode will discuss 8 chapters with some questions to consider.

    👉 Amazon.com has it HERE.

    👉 Most other online retailers are HERE.

    🗓️ Here are the dates and deets:

    * December 20 | Chapters 1–8

    * January 3 | Chapters 9–16

    * January 10 | Chapters 17–25

    * January 17 | Chapters 26–31

    * January 24 | Chapters 32–39

    The tension ratchets this week for Peter — both with his own faith and with a number of people close to him. He begins to think differently about the newfound faith that had saved his Christianity.

    After you have a listen, here are some questions to guide your reading, with more inside the episode:

    * How did Lexi’s childhood inform her faith? How has yours?

    * Part of the attraction of more progressive versions of Christianity is its permissiveness with question-asking. How can this be helpful for a person’s journey of faith? What might be the danger? What are your questions about Christianity?

    * What was Peter’s point with his The Village metaphor? How have you experienced this yourself?

    * What did JT think about Bryan’s book when he finished it? Why was Peter alarmed? What tension did this create in him, and how did Jake help him figure it out?

    * Jake’s wisdom in how to walk with his brother was to give him love and truth. Why are both necessary? How can you be deliberate with both, especially with someone you know?

    * In what way is Peter caught between his past and present?

    * What does Peter experience at the Love Will Win book signing, especially with overhearing conversations? What does JT express, and how does Trevor Bohls answer him? Why doesn’t Peter find this hopeful?

    * How does Peter find freedom in the vintage, historic Christian faith? How does it contrast with progressivism?

    * Peter’s story seems to affect Lexi, his wrestling and journey. How have others’ stories affected your own journey of faith?

    * What does it mean to be a loyal radical? How might your yourself reflect this attitude?

    This book club is meant to be a self-study exploration rediscovering faith. Feel free to read and listen along, then come back to offer your comments and discussion below!

    J. A. Bouma believes nobody should have to read bad religious fiction—whether it’s cheesy plots with pat answers or misrepresentations of the Christian faith and the Bible. So he tells compelling, propulsive stories that thrill as much as inspire, while offering a dose of insight along the way. Available at most online retailers and direct: shop.jabouma.com.



    Get full access to Religion & Fiction Newsletter at bouma.substack.com/subscribe
    43 min
  • Religion & Fiction Podcast Ep. 027 | RFBC Week 3: Chapters 17–25

    The end of the year and entrance into another is the perfect time to consider our spiritual journey. So I thought I would offer a space to do that here with Book 2 of my spiritual coming-of-age series, Faith Reimagined. A Rediscovered Faith follows the spiritual journey of Peter Daniel Young as he considers deep questions of faith, life, and everything in between.

    Whether you are facing your own faith crisis and wonder if Christianity is still relevant to your world, or you know someone who is struggling themselves, discover with Peter why the story of Jesus and his love still matters. For him, his family and friends, the Church — and for you.

    Join the journey now to get ready for the final book in the trilogy coming next month: A Refined Faith. I’m launching a Kickstarter hootenanny, with self-study and reflection workbooks and video studies to go along with the series, so GO HERE to follow and get notified.

    The book club runs through January 24, 2024, with a week break for Christmas. Each episode will discuss 8 chapters with some questions to consider.

    👉 Amazon.com has it HERE.

    👉 Most other online retailers are HERE.

    🗓️ Here are the dates and deets:

    * December 20 | Chapters 1–8

    * January 3 | Chapters 9–16

    * January 10 | Chapters 17–25

    * January 17 | Chapters 26–31

    * January 24 | Chapters 32–39

    The tension ratchets this week for Peter — both with his own faith and with a number of people close to him. He begins to think differently about the newfound faith that had saved his Christianity.

    After you have a listen, here are some questions to guide your reading, with more inside the episode:

    * Do you resonate with Peter’s desire for something fresh and new in his faith? If so, what?

    * Why might asking questions about faith, life, and everything in between be so vital for growth? Why might people be resistant to them?

    * Some conflict rises between Peter and his parents. Who do you identify with? Can you understand both perspectives? How so?

    * What view of the Bible do you identify with in this reading? Why?

    * Why might it be helpful to go backwards in order to go forwards in our faith? What might be the benefit?

    * Why does tension rise between Peter and his brother JT? Who do you identify with most, and why?

    * The week ends with Doc VanDyke and his patience and understanding. Who has been this person for you during a similar period of questioning and doubt? How did it make the difference? Who might you come alongside in the same way?

    This book club is meant to be a self-study exploration rediscovering faith. Feel free to read and listen along, then come back to offer your comments and discussion below!

    J. A. Bouma believes nobody should have to read bad religious fiction—whether it’s cheesy plots with pat answers or misrepresentations of the Christian faith and the Bible. So he tells compelling, propulsive stories that thrill as much as inspire, while offering a dose of insight along the way. Available at most online retailers and direct: shop.jabouma.com.



    Get full access to Religion & Fiction Newsletter at bouma.substack.com/subscribe
    47 min
  • Religion & Fiction Podcast Ep. 026 | RFBC Week 2: Chapters 9–16

    The end of the year and entrance into another is the perfect time to consider our spiritual journey. So I thought I would offer a space to do that here with Book 2 of my spiritual coming-of-age series, Faith Reimagined. A Rediscovered Faith follows the spiritual journey of Peter Daniel Young as he considers deep questions of faith, life, and everything in between.

    Whether you are facing your own faith crisis and wonder if Christianity is still relevant to your world, or you know someone who is struggling themselves, discover with Peter why the story of Jesus and his love still matters. For him, his family and friends, the Church — and for you.

    Join the journey now to get ready for the final book in the trilogy coming next month: A Refined Faith. I’m launching a Kickstarter hootenanny, with self-study and reflection workbooks and video studies to go along with the series, so GO HERE to follow and get notified.

    The book club runs through January 24, 2024, with a week break for Christmas. Each episode will discuss 8 chapters with some questions to consider.

    👉 Amazon.com has it HERE.

    👉 Most other online retailers are HERE.

    🗓️ Here are the dates and deets:

    * December 20 | Chapters 1–8

    * January 3 | Chapters 9–16

    * January 10 | Chapters 17–25

    * January 17 | Chapters 26–31

    * January 24 | Chapters 32–39

    The tension ratchets this week for Peter — both with his own faith and with a number of people close to him. He begins to think differently about the newfound faith that had saved his Christianity.

    After you have a listen, here are some questions to guide your reading, with more inside the episode:

    * This is a book primarily about relationships, the people walking with us through our faith journey. Who has been that for you? Who has walked with you through your spiritual journey? How has it made the difference?

    * What is theology, doctrine? What’s the point of studying it? Peter says the point is to continue to paint the faith, joining in with others searching and forming what we believe. His professor says the point is to preserve and contend for it (Jude 3). Where do you land?

    * Peter is encouraged at various points to rediscover, not reimagine, his faith. How have you yourself rediscovered

    * What do you make of Doc VanDyke’s encouragement for Peter to hold to a regressive (rather than progressive) Christian faith — to go backward in order to go forward in his faith? What does it mean to hold to the fundamentals of Christianity without jumping into fundamentalism? Do you think that’s even possible? Explain.

    * One major theme is the fact that ideas have consequences. How have you seen the truth of this statement, in a variety of ways?

    * Peter finds himself caught between the tension of progressive Christianity and a traditional Christian faith. Have you similarly felt such tension? If so, how?

    * Peter dreams a dream I myself received twenty years ago, a word from the Lord: “I’ve revealed, therefore you can know.” What does that mean that God has revealed? What has he revealed? Why does it make all the difference to our journey of faith to know that our confidence is rooted in God’s own revelation?

    * There’s a shift that begins to happen in chapter 13, where Peter begins to change in his perception of the reimagined faith he had embraced. What is that shift, and why does he seem to start to make it?

    * Again, this book is about relationships, and how they affect Peter’s spiritual journey. Two of those reveal themselves at the end of the week’s reading: Lexi and Pastor Dave. Both seem to have been burned by the Church. How has it affected them, so far as you can tell? Have you yourself been burned by the Church? If so, what was that like?

    This book club is meant to be a self-study exploration rediscovering faith. Feel free to read and listen along, then come back to offer your comments and discussion below!

    J. A. Bouma believes nobody should have to read bad religious fiction—whether it’s cheesy plots with pat answers or misrepresentations of the Christian faith and the Bible. So he tells compelling, propulsive stories that thrill as much as inspire, while offering a dose of insight along the way. Available at most online retailers and direct: shop.jabouma.com.



    Get full access to Religion & Fiction Newsletter at bouma.substack.com/subscribe
    47 min
  • Religion & Fiction Podcast Ep. 025 | RFBC Week 1: Chapters 1–8

    The end of the year and entrance into another is the perfect time to consider our spiritual journey. So I thought I would offer a space to do that here with Book 2 of my spiritual coming-of-age series, Faith Reimagined. A Rediscovered Faith follows the spiritual journey of Peter Daniel Young as he considers deep questions of faith, life, and everything in between.

    Whether you are facing your own faith crisis and wonder if Christianity is still relevant to your world, or you know someone who is struggling themselves, discover with Peter why the story of Jesus and his love still matters. For him, his family and friends, the Church — and for you.

    Join the journey now to get ready for the final book in the trilogy coming next month: A Refined Faith. I’m launching a Kickstarter hootenanny, with self-study and reflection workbooks and video studies to go along with the series, so GO HERE to follow and get notified.

    The book club runs through January 24, 2024, with a week break for Christmas. Each episode will discuss 8 chapters with some questions to consider.

    👉 Amazon.com has it HERE.

    👉 Most other online retailers are HERE.

    🗓️ Here are the dates and deets:

    * December 20 | Chapters 1–8

    * January 3 | Chapters 9–16

    * January 10 | Chapters 17–25

    * January 17 | Chapters 26–31

    * January 24 | Chapters 32–39

    The book launches with Peter heading back home again to a place he vowed he would never again return (a very similar vow I took that I have to imagine God thought was funny!). What he finds creates tension and raises the stakes for those closest to him.

    After you have a listen, here are some questions to guide your reading, with more inside the episode:

    * Where are you in your own spiritual journey? At the start, the messy middle, or well on your way?

    * What was your childhood faith experience like? How did it influence your spiritual journey? How similar or different are you to that past?

    * This is a story about relationships — our influences in both direction, and the tension that comes with our faith. Who has most influenced your own faith, and how have you influenced others?

    * Have you faced similar tension that Peter has with his faith and those closest to you? If so, what was that like? What sort of tension has come between you and your faith and those closest to you?

    * Who do you most identify with in the story so far? James Thomas (who seems to have reneged on his faith) or Peter Daniel (who has more reimagined his faith)?

    * What is your reaction to JT naming his beer mug To the Unknown God (a reference to Acts 17) and this confession: “I don't know, man. Just where I'm at, I guess. God seems unknown, foreign” along with “I don't know what I am. Or where I stand with God. Or even if there is a God…I gotta tell ya, Petey, it's way less complicated than Christianity.”?

    * Peter’s return to his childhood church ends in disaster. What can we learn from Maggie and her feelings? What about Peter, and the way he is navigating his changes?

    * How does chapter 8, and what Peter reads from the Prosurgent authors, reflect your own spiritual questions, or even your wrestling with Christianity itself?

    This book club is meant to be a self-study exploration rediscovering faith. Feel free to read and listen along, then come back to offer your comments and discussion below!

    J. A. Bouma believes nobody should have to read bad religious fiction—whether it’s cheesy plots with pat answers or misrepresentations of the Christian faith and the Bible. So he tells compelling, propulsive stories that thrill as much as inspire, while offering a dose of insight along the way. Available at most online retailers and direct: shop.jabouma.com.



    Get full access to Religion & Fiction Newsletter at bouma.substack.com/subscribe
    55 min
  • Religion & Fiction Podcast Ep. 024 | The Next Book Club Pick

    New Years has to be one of my fave times of the year.

    The end of the year and entrance into another — with its celebration of Christ’s birth and the promise of new life — offers the perfect chance to take stock and set goals for the road ahead.

    One area I always consider is my spiritual walk, which brings up all sorts of questions: Am I closer to God at the end of the year than I was at the start? Am I growing more or less like Christ? Am I deepening my relationship with my Savior in ways that bring transformation to my world?

    Maybe you think about the same sorts of questions this time of year. If so, I’ve got the perfect way to enter into 2024: the next Religion & Fiction book club!

    A year ago I walked through the first book in my Faith Reimagined series. I thought I would pick up the same theme with Book 2, A Rediscovered Faith. It follows the spiritual journey of Peter Daniel Young as he considers deep questions of faith, life, and everything in between. In particular, he is haunted by this one:

    What do you do when your newfound faith is challenged by those closest to you?

    The question comes hot on the heels of a crisis of faith that transformed him in powerful ways. A crisis and transformation that mirrored my own 15 years ago.

    Whether you are facing your own faith crisis and wonder if Christianity is still relevant to your world, or you know of someone who is struggling themselves, discover along with Peter why the old, old story of Jesus and his love still matters. For him, his family and friends, the Church — and for you.

    The book club will start next week, December 20, 2023, and run through January 24, 2024, with a week break for Christmas. Each week’s podcast episode will cover 7-8 chapters, running around 25 minutes with some questions to contemplate and discuss (should you desire to pop into the comments!).

    👉 Amazon.com has it HERE.

    👉 Most other online retailers are HERE.

    Today’s episode is a prequel to the book club, a sort of behind the scenes intro to the story — the very FIRST novel I wrote 11 years ago! It explores the why behind the story, and what sort of spiritual empowerment and insight you can expect.

    Next week, we’ll dive into the first chapters of the book in the podcast so you can listen and follow along at your pace.

    🗓️ Here are the dates and deets:

    * December 20 | Chapters 1–8

    * January 3 | Chapters 9–16

    * January 10 | Chapters 17–25

    * January 17 | Chapters 26–31

    * January 24 | Chapters 32–39

    Hope to see you along for the story ride starting next week! Last year was a blast and I plan to have as much fun this go around 😀

    J. A. Bouma believes nobody should have to read bad religious fiction—whether it’s cheesy plots with pat answers or misrepresentations of the Christian faith and the Bible. So he tells compelling, propulsive stories that thrill as much as inspire, while offering a dose of insight along the way. Available at most online retailers and direct: shop.jabouma.com.



    Get full access to Religion & Fiction Newsletter at bouma.substack.com/subscribe
    28 min
  • R & F Podcast Ep. 023 | Stephen King is my theological hero. Here's why.

    It may seem like an odd addition to the library of a former pastor, but it’s precisely because I’m a former pastor that I appreciate his stories and his perspective, or at least one aspect of it: humans have a unplumable capacity for evil, with an equal measure of longing for justice.

    Intuitively, we know that things aren’t the way they are supposed to be, and we aren’t either; we’re bent as much as the world is broken. And we long for a fix to make things right. His Bill Hodges Triology is one of my favorites that fully explores this tension.

    Now I add Holly to the list. And I explain why in this episode fit for Halloween.

    What I appreciate about King and other horror writers is their honest interrogation of our relationship with monsters — both outside ourselves, the darkness we confront in life, and also those hiding within. Holly takes an especially hard look at an important theological insight into human nature:

    Just when you think you’ve seen the worst human beings have to offer, you find out you’re wrong. There’s no end to evil. (p. 442)

    Listen to the episode and don’t miss the last day to grab my own interrogation of the darkness with Rite of Darkness, the 7th book in my Order of Thaddeus series that leverages the occult supernatural suspense sub-genre to spin a spooky tale.

    The novel is on sale for $2.99. OR...buy directly from my bookshop for $1 — PLUS get a FREE behind-the-scenes audio commentary + story concept outline.

    Whispers of Stephen King and echoes of Frank Peretti haunt every page, crafting a soul-stirring collision between the diabolical and the divine that will keep you up at night! ⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆ "A great scary Religious thriller about Occult!!" ~ Reader Review

    For a spooky thrill on the cheap, jump to your retailer of choice to start the page-turning, heart-thumping ride! But hurry: the sale ends when the candy's gone at the stroke of midnight today.

    This frightening tale combines faith, fact, and fiction to weave an explosively inventive religious thriller steeped in occult suspense that raises the stakes for the Order of Thaddeus like never before — taking the series and its characters in a direction that will leave fans speechless.

    J. A. Bouma believes nobody should have to read bad religious fiction—whether it’s cheesy plots with pat answers or misrepresentations of the Christian faith and the Bible. So he tells compelling, propulsive stories that thrill as much as inspire, while offering a dose of insight along the way. Available at most online retailers and direct: shop.jabouma.com.



    Get full access to Religion & Fiction Newsletter at bouma.substack.com/subscribe
    43 min
  • R & F Podcast Episode 022 | Ancient evil. Modern terror. A Dark and Spooky Story . . . with Commentary!

    Finally, the days are colder here in West Michigan after several 80 degreers. Not that I'm complaining. The weather people say we're in for a polar vortex kind of winter. So the extra days with shorts and T-shirts and flip-flops was a nice gift.

    Fall is definitely my fave season, though, so I'm enjoying cider and donuts as I finish a surprise book and gear up for a cool challenge. I’m also getting back into the Religion + Fiction Podcast with a sort of season 2 offering a special glimpse into one of my frightful tales perfect for the season.

    The episode is an exclusive behind-the-scenes commentary to my 7th religious conspiracy thriller, Rite of Darkness. You’ll hear my own perspective on the story and the ideas and themes behind the dark tale, taking you into the intersection of the sacred and story using this spooky thriller.

    The story itself centers on a series of frightful events that cast my favorite Order of Thaddeus characters into a historical, spooky tale. It’s an adventure ripe for a world plagued by a rise in frightening wickedness and a fascination with witchcraft, plumbing the depths of the demonic and our only source of hope.

    That means there are spoilers :) So if you haven’t read Rite of Darkness yet, first grab the spooky read — which is at a nice discount until the end of the month.

    For October, I’ve put my spooky supernatural suspense story (whoa! now there’s an alliterative mouthful!) on sale for $2.99. OR...buy directly from my bookshop for $1.

    Ancient evil. Modern terror.

    When hell is unleashed on Halloween, it wears the mask of man and mystery alike. And the Church’s special agents are ensnared in a devilish scheme woven from the darkest strands of history. 

    As the threads of past and present intertwine, every revelation propels the agents closer to a climax that will sear itself into your nightmares.

    Whispers of Stephen King and echoes of Frank Peretti haunt every page, crafting a soul-stirring collision between the diabolical and the divine that will keep you up at night! ⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆ “A great scary Religious thriller about Occult!!” ~ Reader Review

    For a spooky thrill on the cheap, jump to your retailer of choice to start the page-turning, heart-thumping ride! But hurry: the sale ends when the candy's gone at the stroke of midnight on Oct 31, 2023.

    Then come back to enjoy the behind-the-scenes commentary to one of my more frightening stories. I hope it inspires and offers a bit of insight for the journey of faith as much as the story offers thrilling entertainment for your week :)

    J. A. Bouma believes nobody should have to read bad religious fiction—whether it’s cheesy plots with pat answers or misrepresentations of the Christian faith and the Bible. So he tells compelling, propulsive stories that thrill as much as inspire, while offering a dose of insight along the way. Available at most online retailers and direct: shop.jabouma.com.



    Get full access to Religion & Fiction Newsletter at bouma.substack.com/subscribe
    54 min
  • R & F Podcast Episode 021 | 'Forgotten Bones' AI-Narrated Short Story

    Today’s episode was meant to set this space on surer footing the next few months with some deeper dives into religious fiction — but the past few weeks have been crazy! With falling under the weather and finishing an 8-month multi-book project, then starting my next thriller…I fell behind and am still climbing up to the surface.

    So I’m giving you another AI-narrated short story from my Order of Thaddeus action-adventure thriller series. It’s actually quite a good listen, featuring a lovely female voice courtesy of Google AI :) The story is from Martyrs Bones, a collection of five original short stories, giving readers page-turning, thrilling rides with mysterious turns. Grab it direct for a few bucks for this week with the 30% off coupon code THANKS30.

    This story connects to a rather remarkable pair of women mostly forgotten from Church history — until Naomi Torres unearths something that connects to their memory. Like many of my books, things go sideways quickly and she’s forced to fight for that memory.

    Next week we’ll get back to sitting at the intersection of the sacred and story — and I’ve got a few ideas I’m toying with to help get us thinking about that intersection. Stay tuned :)

    If you like the story and want the full collection of original short stories, grab Martyrs Book at most online retailers or buy the ebook direct from my bookshop at 30% off with code THANKS30.

    J. A. Bouma believes nobody should have to read bad religious fiction—whether it’s cheesy plots with pat answers or misrepresentations of the Christian faith and the Bible. So he tells compelling, propulsive stories that thrill as much as inspire, while offering a dose of insight along the way. Available at most online retailers and direct: shop.jabouma.com.



    Get full access to Religion & Fiction Newsletter at bouma.substack.com/subscribe
    50 min
  • R & F Podcast Episode 020 | Apocalypse Soon: A Modern End Times Series for Today's Christian Challenges (Pt. 3)

    Because my Kickstarter launching the last part to my End Times Chronicles sci-fi series ENDS TOMORROW, I thought I would drop one final Religion + Fiction Podcast episode exploring the theology behind my own apocalyptic series.

    Because this modern end times series is not yo mama’s end times series :)

    While major blockbusters suppose Christians will be taken from Earth in a secret snatching just before those apocalyptic events of the Great Tribulation unfold, I (and frankly the historic Church) suppose otherwise.

    Start the apocalyptic adventure >>> www.endtimesworld.com

    This episode will give you the theological background to the series if you’re still wondering what the adventure is all about, especially how I approach the enigmatic events of the Book of Revelation — from a rising apostasy that ravages the Church to a rising apocalypse that destroys the world.

    And of course how to survive a rising Antichrist and the persecution he bears pressuring believers to abandon their faithful allegiance to Christ and submit to the Red Dragon in order to survive.

    Survival will hinge on the Resistance, which is the only way during these last days. Allegiance to Christ will be challenged. But through it all, victory is assured — for Christ will triumph over his enemies, and the Church’s!

    Don’t worry: this isn’t a heavy theological deep-dive! The episode will help you frame John’s Apocalypse for yourself, even if you don’t read my own fictional portrayal of it. So if you’ve always wanted to understand how the end of the world as we know it unfolds, take a listen! And if you’re curious, one of the major influences on my own understand is George Ladd’s A Commentary on the Revelation of John.

    The End Times Chronicles saga captures the heart of the Church's mission in these last days — offering a unique, page-turning adventure that not only entertains through thrilling action and mysterious suspense, but explores the urgency of our own day and inspires for the journey of faith.

    Enjoy the episode taking a final behind-the-scenes peek into my own end times series! If you missed the previous two, check out the inspiration behind the series and get to know the heroes of the SEPIO Resistance!

    If you’re interested in a modern take on the apocalypse, follow the Kickstarter story project and start the adventure for as little as $5. Tomorrow is the last day to grab exclusives to the campaign, so dive into the apocalyptic adventure today!

    J. A. Bouma believes nobody should have to read bad religious fiction—whether it’s cheesy plots with pat answers or misrepresentations of the Christian faith and the Bible. So he tells compelling, propulsive stories that thrill as much as inspire, while offering a dose of insight along the way. Available at most online retailers and direct: shop.jabouma.com.



    Get full access to Religion & Fiction Newsletter at bouma.substack.com/subscribe
    43 min

About Religion & Fiction Podcast

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The intersection of the sacred and story, offering a space of short stories that inspire and thrill with commentary drawing out the religious elements of our favorite yarns.