Strangers and Aliens: Science Fiction & Fantasy from a Christian Perspective

A few years ago, Ben and Steve decided to do a podcast. That podcast was not Strangers and Aliens, but it DID lead directly to Strangers and Aliens!

To celebrate our second anniversary and our upcoming 100th episode, we thought it would be fun to look back at where everything started!

This episode features Ben and Steve talking about comics and books and movies in the first and second episodes of The Comic Book Crossover. Well, HALF of the first episode, anyway.

We hope you enjoy this look into the past, at a podcast that lasted three episodes but that spawned 100 episodes of something else!

This episode: a special presentation of Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles, as told to us through various Old Time Radio sources!

Ray Bradbury is one of the giants of sci-fi and fantasy, with his thoughtful and thought provoking, character driven stories. The Martian Chronicles is one of his most beloved and best known books, highlighting his mastery of the short story form.

If you like what you heard, you can find more Ray Bradbury (in print AND audio form) here: http://strangersandaliens.com/raybradbury (Anything your order from this page will actually help Strangers and Aliens cover operating costs!)

Thanks for listening!

We are proud to present a series of episodes featuring Dr. Jayce and his work at RED Church, by presenting some of his sermons that focus on living a life of spiritual depth.

This episode is part 1 of 4 in the series of sermons that Dr. Jayce O’Neal presented at his church,  RED Church in Virginia Beach. It focuses on “simplicity” and fair warning, it asks you to take a hard look at how you think about and use money.

Parts 2, 3, and 4 will be forthcoming, although you CAN go to RED Church’s website NOW (or looking them up on iTunes) to listen ahead, as well as catch other sermons from D.r Jayce.

The website: http://theredchurch.tv

Thanks for listening!

For this episode, Ben interviews Tim Baron, a Christian artist who draws bizarre comic books that feature zombies, monsters, and creatures of all sorts.

In the interview, they explore how faith and art are connected, how stories with monsters can have a divine spark, some of Tim’s inspirations, how his book Julius Destructus went from his brain to the printed page, and advice he has for other Christian artists.

Visit his website to see more of his art and to order his books: http://timbaron.com

Also, make sure you send us your list of your favorite 10 (or so) characters from sci-fi and fantasy! Anyone who sends us their list will qualify to win a signed copy of Julius Destructus and an original sketch from Tim Baron!

In this episode, Ben talks about three things:

1. Please send us your top 10 sci-fi and fantasy characters. Ben explains what we are looking for and how to send it to us. You can use our contact information found here: Strangers and Aliens Feedback

2. PLEASE vote for The Sci-Fi Christian podcast in the Podcast Awards. Voting starts on November 1 through November 15, and you can vote for them once per day! You can find information about voting here: http://podcastawards.com

3. Where did the name “Strangers and Aliens” come from? Ben explores some of the Biblical and musical references that came to mind as Ben. Dr. Jayce, and Steve were figuring out what their podcast should be called.

Thanks for listening!

With SHADOW and SUBSTANCE, we start a new subseries with a look back at the Twilight Zone, starting with the William Shatner classics “Nick of Time” and “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet”!

The Twilight Zone is a giant of sci-fi and fantasy. Whether you are a long time fan of the series or just discovering it, this series is meant to be an exploration of the rich themes and classic twists of this series that shaped sci-fi for decades after it first hit airwaves.

Join us as we talk about William Shatner, Richard Matheson, and Richard Donnor(?), looking at questions of fate and sanity and what it could mean for those of us who are not just fans of sci-fi, but also followers of Christ!

 

In our first Old Time Radio episode, Ben and Steve listen to and talk about an episode from the classic horror series Lights Out.

Lights Out is a series created by Willis Cooper. When Cooper left the series, Arch Oboler took over. The Dream is an episode written by Oboler and featuring horror icon Boris Karloff.

Did you like this episode of Strangers and Aliens? Please, let us know! if you like it, we will return to OTR with more classic radio dramas!

Dr. Jayce, Steve, and Ben talk about some of their favorite speeches from sci-fi and fantasy.

With a special guest performance from Shazbot!

Did we miss your favorite? Probably . . . so please, go ahead and let us know! You can contact us here!

Ben records the summer movie series finale he WISHES could have taken the place of Riddick and/or Elysium! To help him talk about Gravity, ben has called up an old school-time chum, John Kanost.

Ben and John talk about this masterpiece of a sci-fi movie in this episode and even though it’s fall, they believe it easily stands with the other summer movies of 2013 . . . or perhaps stands above it?

With the release of the news about production moving forward on The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair and the trailer for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, the Strangers and Aliens trio talk about what is happening in the future of fantasy movies and take a look back at favorites!

Featuring the return of Shazbot!!!

What has Ben admitting that he was wrong?

What are their favorite fantasy movies?

What are their favorite “so-bad-it’s-good” fantasy movies, and what traditions have sprouted up around them?

What are the listener’s choices for favorite fantasy movies?