An Unexpected Journal: Dystopia: Hope and Redemption in Dystopian Stories
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This collection of essays and first release short stories illustrates the journey dystopian stories take us on, highlighting the problem, the answer, and redemption.
Volume 2, Issue 3
Fall 2019
272 pages
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Daniel Asperheim is an essayist, novelist, and an EFL (English as a Foreign Language) instructor. He currently lives and works in Japan where he has been teaching and lecturing for more than a decade. He holds a B.A. in English Literature and an M.A. in Apologetics.
Annie Crawford lives in Austin, Texas with her husband and three teenage daughters. She currently homeschools, teaches humanities courses, and serves on the Faith & Culture team at Christ Church Anglican while working to complete a Masters of Apologetics at Houston Baptist University.
Donald W. Catchings, Jr. is Founder and Board Chair of Street Light Inc. and Pastor of The True Light Church in Conroe, Texas since 2009. Donald graduated from Liberty University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Biblical and Educational Studies. He is currently enrolled in Houston Baptist University’s Apologetics program. Academically and creatively, most of Donald’s writing experience has been theological in nature; however, it is his desire to produce creative apologetic work that displays the power of friendship as defined in the Christian faith. He is currently working on a broad spectrum of creative apologetic materials ranging from Children’s Literature to Historical Fiction that will promote Christian friendship.
Karise Gililland is a coach by day, writer by night, and 24-hour-a-day mama of two! She holds a B.A. in English from Southern Methodist University and a Masters in Apologetics from Houston Baptist University.
John Gillespie is a Professor of History at San Jacinto College in Houston, Texas. He received his B.A. at Texas Tech University, his M.Ed. at the University of Houston, and his M.L.A. at the University of St. Thomas. Currently, John is working toward a Ph.D. in Humanities from Faulkner University. An 18-year veteran of the classroom, John has taught middle school, high school and college History and Humanities, as well as high school courses in English, Government, and Philosophy. He has presented at numerous academic conferences including the World History Conference of Texas and Texas Community College Teachers Association annual symposium. John is an author for American Biographical Center for which he has contributed entries on Thomas Merton, Liberation Theology, and the Prosperity Gospel. Most recently, John’s article, “The Pedagogue of the Pond: The Educational Philosophy of Henry David Thoreau,” was published in the winter edition of the Fourth World Cooperative Journal. John is also a volunteer and guest educator for Jerusalem Peacebuilders, an interfaith, non-profit organization with a mission to create a better future for humanity across religions, cultures, and nationalities. Additionally, John is also an active member of Good Shepherd Episcopal Church where he is a teacher in the Adult Education Ministry and a volunteer for Lord of the Streets, an outreach ministry to Houston’s homeless population.
Dr. Michael S. Heiser (PhD, Hebrew Studies, UW-Madison) is the Executive Director for the Awakening School of Theology and Ministry in Jacksonville, FL. He is author of the bestselling book, The Unseen Realm, and hosts the popular Naked Bible Podcast. He also writes fiction (The Facade, The Portent) and ministers to those who have adopted fringe and alternative beliefs via YouTube at FringePop321
Nicole Howe is a wife and homeschooling mother of four and currently resides in Illinois. She holds a Masters of Apologetics from Houston Baptist University. When she isn't writing, she enjoys cooking, exploring nature, and performing improv comedy at her local theater.
Korine Martinez is a full-time High School English teacher and part-time writer. She holds a B.S. from Liberty University and an M.A. in Apologetics from Houston Baptist University.
Jason holds a B.A. from York College in York, NE, where he studied English and Psychology. He also recently completed his M.A. in Christian Apologetics from Houston Baptist University. Jason's hometown is Pierre, SD, but he recently moved a bit West to Spearfish, in South Dakota's beautiful Northern Black Hills. His primary research interests are Inklings studies, philosophy of science, and Catholic theology. Some of his favorite activities are cantoring, drumming, and teaching RCIA at church, and hiking the Black Hills.
Seth Myers completed his MA in Cultural Apologetics from Houston Baptist University in 2017. As a power systems engineer, he has been involved with transformer diagnostics and rural electrification projects by partnering with NGOs in West Africa. A volunteer with international students through local churches, he enjoys conversations with friends from all cultures. He considers himself rich in friendships across time and space, including but not limited to C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Bede the Venerable, Augustine, Ravi Zacharias & friends, and many student friends (chess-playing when possible, but not required), typically from throughout Asia. He has recently begun taking online courses in Faulkner University’s Doctor of Humanities program.
Annie Nardone is a two-year C.S. Lewis Institute Fellow who is currently reading for her Master of Arts in Apologetics, Cultural Apologetics emphasis, from Houston Baptist University. Annie researched, photographed, and wrote an historically accurate cookbook covering the time between A.D. 64 through the medieval age for Bright Ideas Press. She contributes and edits for An Unexpected Journal. Her sonnets and stories have appeared on www.literarylife.org, Literary Life Book Club on Facebook, and www.ThePerennialGen.com. Her sincere belief is in the significance and reintegration of the arts and humanities with theology and the Christian imagination.
Annie’s current project, entitled Reclaiming Beauty, is a leader-directed art appreciation program intended for older teens and adults who want to develop their spirituality by training their eyes and minds to see beauty and holiness in everyday life. Annie resides in Virginia with her Middle Earth/Narnia/Hogwarts-loving family, piles of books, and a large assemblage of cats who read with her daily, but don't give a tick about her ramblings regarding any of it.
Cherish Nelson is an adjunct professor of World Religions at Kankakee Community College and the Director of Youth Ministries at Kankakee Asbury United Methodist Church. She has a B.A. in English from Olivet Nazarene University and a M.A. in Apologetics from Houston Baptist University, where she specialized in Cultural Apologetics. Cherish also creates and shares apologetics curriculum for youth groups. Her apologetic interests include the historicity of the resurrection, the problem of evil, and imaginative apologetics.
Cherish has a long-standing passion for building a confident faith in her students. She integrates Christian education and discipleship into the retreats, mission trips, and outreach events she organizes. Cherish is particularly interested in integrating the arts into youth ministry to supplement traditional propositional teaching. Throughout her time in ministry and academia, Cherish has written apologetics curriculum for youth groups related to fiction and poetry, science and faith, the resurrection, and the problem of evil.
Alicia Pollard grew up in New England and earned a B.A. in English from Grove City College. She works as a technical writer for software. Through her blog, aliciapollard.com, she explores “yearning” (related to C.S. Lewis’s idea of Joy) and storytelling as a medium of worship and witness.
Zak Schmoll is the founder of Entering the Public Square, a blog founded on the sincere belief that every Christian should understand the importance of discussing Christianity in the marketplace of ideas. He earned his MA in Apologetics at Houston Baptist University and is currently a PhD student in Humanities at Faulkner University. His work has been featured on several websites including The Federalist, the Public Discourse, and the Fourth World Journal.
George Scondras is an artist with many attempts and few successes, a plight that is analogous to the Christian journey. He looks forward to an eternity of joy in the luminous presence of his Creator. He lives in the hills of north Georgia with his wife and children. He is currently working on a PhD in Christianity and the Arts from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Virginia de la Lastra is a physician, illustrator, and apologist. In 2015, while studying a Master’s degree in Apologetics at HBU, she discovered a love for drawing and has been doing it ever since. She has illustrated several books, and she regularly illustrates for The Society of Gilbert Keith Chesterton, An Unexpected Journal, Teen STAR, and of course, for her medical students, nieces, nephews and little neighbors.
