I'm rather afraid some of you are going to shun this topic because I've expressed doubt about the effectiveness of Christian fantasy on the basis of its being fantasy. Please don't. This is a great excerpt whether you agree with me or not.
[Btw, epistemology is the part of philosophy concerned with the theory of knowledge, its nature, limits and validity].
Disclaimer: I'm not trying to start a debate, and I'm not going to argue everyone who posts. 
I'm happy to discussed it in PM's if that's preferable too. I'd just sincerely love to get this whole issue sorted out in my head.... THe Epistemological Necessity: The Answer from He Is There and He Is Not Silent wrote:
The third result of the Christian view of epistemology concerns reality and the imagination. In a way, this is the most important of the three. We were considering in an earlier chapter the modern view of epistemology, where modern man has no distinction between reality and fantasy. Now I am talking about the reverse side of that for the Christian. I live in a thought world which is filled with creativity; inside my head there is creative imagination. Why? Because God, who is the Creator, has made me in His own image, I can go out in imagination beyond the stars. This is true not only for the Christian, but for every person. Every person is made in the image of God; therefore, no person in his or her imagination is confined to his or her own body. Going out in our imagination we can change something of the form of the universe as a result of our thought world--in our painting, in our poetry, or as an engineer, or a gardener. Is that not wonderful? I am there, and I am able to impose the results of my imagination on the external world.
But notice this: Being a Christian and knowing God has made the external world, I know that there is an objective external reality and that there is that which is imaginary. I am not uncertain that there is an external reality which is distinct from my imagination. The Christian is free; free to fly, because he has a base upon which he need not be confused between his fantasy and the reality which God has made. we are free to say "This is imagination." Is it not wonderful to be made in the image of God and be able to use our creativity in this way? As a Christian I have the epistemology that enables me not to get confused between what I think and what is objectively real. The modern generation do not have this, and this is the reason why some young people are all torn up in these areas. But Christians should not be torn up here.
Thus the Christian may have fantasy and imagination without being threatened. Modern man cannot have daydreams and fantasy without being threatened. The Christian should be the person who is alive, whose imagination absolutely boils, which moves, which produces something a bit different from God's world because God made us to be creative.
I love Mr. Schaeffer's approach and explanation. The place where I get stuck is if the above is true, ministry through fantasy isn't going to do much good in the long run. It will seem like another great optimistic make-believe... especially as it isn't allegory. I know fantasy is the most popular genre. But going by the above quote it seems even the permeating worldview that there is a Creator and He
does care will seem like a big joke, simply because of the way its portrayed.
The world as you know it... does the excerpt fit?
