Brian Niemeier's Blog: Kairos - by Brian Niemeier, page 6

Why Preaching to the Choir Isn’t the Solution

In his response to my recent post about the limitations of Christian Fiction A.H. Lloyd raises points on the importance of reinforcing Christian themes via content made for Christian audiences, essentially preaching to the choir. While I understand Lloyd’s concerns, his response ultimately misinterprets my critique of the Christian fiction subgenre. Here, I’ll clarify my original arguments and…

Source

All Holy Saints, Patriarchs, Prophets and Angels

November 1 is the Solemnity of All Saints in the Latin Church. What is All Saints’ Day? Catholic Answers explains: Related: Millennial Saint of Gamers There you have it. Go to Mass. All holy saints, patriarchs, prophets, and angels, pray for us! Dark fantasy minus the grim plus heroes you can relate to battling vs overwhelming odds Start the epic quest now!

Source

The Christian Origins of Western Horror

Halloween is the perfect time to reflect on how Westen horror fiction stands apart from other fiction genres. Whereas other storytelling forms have veered away from their spiritual and moral foundations, only horror has retained a clear link to its Christian roots. From medieval Europe’s tales of demonic possession to Victorian Gothic novels to modern psychological horror, the genre has explored…

Source

Why Luce Is the Right Way to Make Culturally Relevant Christian Content

With the launch of the 2025 Jubilee, the Vatican introduced Luce, an anime-inspired mascot designed to capture the attention of younger generations. The decision to develop a character with a fresh anime aesthetic might seem unusual to some, but it reflects a smart, current approach to cultural content creation. And it’s already taking the internet by storm. Instead of traditional…

Source

No, Men Do Not Hate Reading

Spend enough time online, and you’ll notice the phenomenon of recurring zombie memes that pop up from time to time. The claim that men hate reading books has been making the rounds again, leading to fretting, and in some quarters, feting, about the book insdustry’s alienation of male readers. Figures cited as proof of dismal male readership fall as low as 20 percent. Yet, when we dig into the…

Source

Best Proof of the Paranormal?

Just in time for the Spooky Season, renowned high strangeness YouTuber Bob Gymlan returns with what may be the best proof of the paranormal yet. And this time, it’s personal. Initial response: I don’t see how any of the anomalies in the video could have been illusions resulting from tricks of light and shadow or phone glitches. The only two explanations for what we’re seeing are fakery or…

Source

Last Day for Lord of Fate Late Pledges

The Lord of Fate Kickstarter is our most successful crowdfunder yet. This is the last day to claim late rewards, so if you haven’t yet gotten your Kickstarter-exclusive items, don’t miss your final chance! Besides, we kept the best perks for last. Check them out … Get the highly anticipated audiobook as a standalone late reward or an add-on. This hot item will not be sold on Amazon…

Source

The Real Cause of the Comic Book Crash

The American comic book industry, once a cultural powerhouse, has been struggling for survival in recent decades. Here is a story from last year about Marvel and DC cutting artists’ pay by 90%. Fast forward to this week, and we now have fresh reports of convention attendees groaning at a Spider-Man editor’s every word. While many trace the collapse to a pattern of customer relations disasters…

Source

How Nintendo Changed Retail Shopping Forever

Everybody credits Nintendo with reviving–and reshaping–the video game industry. But the Big N’s impact extends far beyond games. Over the years, Nintendo has transformed the retail sector, influencing how businesses manage inventory and how consumers interact with the marketplace. And the revolution has been so thorough, you probably never stop to think about it. So that’s just what we’ll be…

Source

The Fabrication of Grunge: How Record Labels Faked the 90s’ Most Hyped Genre

The early 1990s music scene underwent a seismic unpheaval when the grunge genre burst out of the Pacific Northwest. As far as the general public knew, bands like Nirvana, Alice in Chains, and Soundgarden were spearheading a new wave of music. But a closer look reveals that the rise of grunge wasn’t as organic as it seemed. In fact, major record labels deliberately fabricated the genre…

Source