CC articles on science fiction, reading, Pentecost, and more.

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** Nerdiness for the win
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Here’s a fun fact about me that you may not know: I’m a big science fiction nerd. In middle school I discovered Ender’s Game ([link removed]) , in high school I was amazed by Snowcrash ([link removed]) , and as an adult I have read basically the entire catalogue of Philip K. Dick (my favorites are Ubik ([link removed]) and Three Stigmata ([link removed]) ). Most recently, after a friend kindly pointed out to me that women and people of color have also written great sci-fi, I thoroughly enjoyed Rebecca Roanhorse’s Black Sun ([link removed]) (more fantasy than sci-fi but still).

So I was delighted to discover that the May issue of the Century ([link removed]) has not one but two Voices columns that mention science fiction! In an ode to the genre, Melissa Florer-Bixler compares the work of sci-fi authors ([link removed]) to that of Jesus the parable-teller. Then in a piece about re-reading texts, Yolanda Pierce discusses her repetitive reading ([link removed]) of the Bible—and books by others like James Baldwin and sci-fi master Octavia Butler.

Our video of the week is an instant classic. Discussing his somewhat controversial recent column in the magazine, Julian DeShazier chats with me ([link removed]) about the push for pastors to get PhDs—and how it’s standing in the way of the church’s movement.

Email me: Are you a fantasy or sci-fi nerd? What are some of your favorites?

Jon Mathieu
[email protected] (mailto:[email protected]?subject=Re%3A%20Editors%E2%80%99%20Picks)
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** Science fiction writers imagine the way out ([link removed])
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“Writers of new worlds have imagined their way into the cracks and stretched out, freeing space for my creative hope.”
by Melissa Florer-Bixler
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** Reading again ([link removed])
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“I often marvel that we are rereading and retelling a story that is as ancient as days, and yet it is still speaking across time and culture.”
by Yolanda Pierce
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** Julian DeShazier asks the question: why would your pastor need a PhD? ([link removed])
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Jon chats with Voices columnist Julian DeShazier about the push for clergy to get PhDs. Julian shares some ideas for how the church might better skate to where the puck is heading.
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** In the Lectionary for May 28 (Pentecost A) ([link removed])
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Jesus is no ghost; his breath reeks of resurrection.
by Victoria Lynn Garvey

Pentecost A archives ([link removed])
Get even more lectionary resources with Sunday’s Coming Premium, an email newsletter from the editors of the Christian Century. Learn more ([link removed]) .


** The interesting life ([link removed])
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“I’ve long believed there’s something beyond a life of mere pleasure or a life dedicated to meaning and purpose. What about being an interesting person?”

by Peter W. Marty


** Is The Hero of this Book a novel or a memoir? ([link removed])
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“Elizabeth McCracken’s recurring themes are spiritual questions that she meets with just enough humor to carry us from one grave-rubbed page to the next.”

review by Lawrence Wood
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