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42: Discovering Faith Through Fandom
Don't Panic! Despite what many churchgoers say, God doesn't think Dungeons & Dragons is "Satan's game" or that cosplay is childish. In fact, God has imprinted Himself into nerd culture. Yes, all your favorite stories and games point to the LORD Himself. You may doubt, but you know your nerdy hobbies are more than just escapism. They resound with you for a reason. Perhaps you're not sure why, but they do. Regardless of your spiritual beliefs, there are profound truths to be mined from those tales. Join us on a 42-day journey of discovery. Why 42? A famous "Guide" would have you believe that's "the Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything." The trouble is you have to know "the Question." Maybe that question for you is, "How many days will it take me to learn the Truth?" Or maybe you already know the true "Answer" but want to deepen your faith. Either way, this book is for you! We promise it'll be fun and challenging. You may never look at your favorite stories, characters, and/or hobbies the same again. Don't forget your towel!
142 pages, Paperback
Published July 7, 2015
3 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
About the author
Nathan Marchand
25 books10 followersNathan Marchand is a young writer from northeastern Indiana. Born June 29, 1983, in Fort Wayne, Indiana, he was homeschooled starting in first grade. He discovered his talent for writing in sixth grade English. He was given the assignment to write a “fanciful story,” so he crafted one about his toys coming to life and fighting each other. He enjoyed it so much, he wrote many sequels (he still has them all…somewhere). He eventually expanded into writing other stories and genres. He has wanted to write science fiction since his dad introduced him to the original “Star Trek” at age three.
He attended Taylor University Fort Wayne from 2002-2006, earning a B.A. in professional writing. He was taught by Dr. Dennis E. Hensley, one of the premiere writing instructors in the country. While there, he wrote for The Express, the school newspaper, and Calliope, the literary magazine, and authored various freelance articles.
He worked as a reporter for the Bluffton News-Banner in Bluffton, Indiana, from 2007-2008. He now writes for www.Examiner.com, and as a freelance writer. He’s served as marketing director/staff writer for Breakthrough Writing Services, a writing business he helped start with fellow TUFW graduates, from 2011-2012.
Nathan believes Jesus Christ is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). His stories, he hopes, communicate this at least implicitly.
His first novel, Pandora’s Box, was published in 2010 by Absolute XPress. He’s also the co-creator of the ongoing fantasy web serial, Children of the Wells.
His literary influences include C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Robert Heinlein, and Orson Scott Card. His favorite books are The Lord of the Rings, C.S. Lewis’ Space Trilogy, The Chronicles of Narnia, Starship Troopers, and Ender’s Game.
When not writing, he enjoys other creative endeavors like photography, acting, and amateur filmmaking.
He attended Taylor University Fort Wayne from 2002-2006, earning a B.A. in professional writing. He was taught by Dr. Dennis E. Hensley, one of the premiere writing instructors in the country. While there, he wrote for The Express, the school newspaper, and Calliope, the literary magazine, and authored various freelance articles.
He worked as a reporter for the Bluffton News-Banner in Bluffton, Indiana, from 2007-2008. He now writes for www.Examiner.com, and as a freelance writer. He’s served as marketing director/staff writer for Breakthrough Writing Services, a writing business he helped start with fellow TUFW graduates, from 2011-2012.
Nathan believes Jesus Christ is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). His stories, he hopes, communicate this at least implicitly.
His first novel, Pandora’s Box, was published in 2010 by Absolute XPress. He’s also the co-creator of the ongoing fantasy web serial, Children of the Wells.
His literary influences include C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Robert Heinlein, and Orson Scott Card. His favorite books are The Lord of the Rings, C.S. Lewis’ Space Trilogy, The Chronicles of Narnia, Starship Troopers, and Ender’s Game.
When not writing, he enjoys other creative endeavors like photography, acting, and amateur filmmaking.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 17, 2018
Yes, the Christian geek is a real thing. I should know since I'm one of them. Unfortunately, there are too few resources affirming that it's possible to believe in God AND enjoy sci-fi, fantasy, cosplay, and the like.
Eric Anderson and Nathan Marchand have done us all a favor by offering up their experience as two Bible-believing fans of Dr. Who, Douglas Adams, Star Trek, Star Wars, and pretty much all the other major franchises of the last few decades. Many of those franchises get a thoughtful shout-out here during the course of the 42 devotions.
As another reviewer pointed out, the devotions do tend to pre-suppose that the reader is a relatively new Christian. That being said, this is well worth it for the novelty and for seeing which of your favorite scenes from literature, TV, and film make it into the book (and you might just discover a new favorite or two).
Give it a chance if you're looking for something other than the typical mainstream devotional. ESPECIALLY if you're a member of the target audience, as I was.
Eric Anderson and Nathan Marchand have done us all a favor by offering up their experience as two Bible-believing fans of Dr. Who, Douglas Adams, Star Trek, Star Wars, and pretty much all the other major franchises of the last few decades. Many of those franchises get a thoughtful shout-out here during the course of the 42 devotions.
As another reviewer pointed out, the devotions do tend to pre-suppose that the reader is a relatively new Christian. That being said, this is well worth it for the novelty and for seeing which of your favorite scenes from literature, TV, and film make it into the book (and you might just discover a new favorite or two).
Give it a chance if you're looking for something other than the typical mainstream devotional. ESPECIALLY if you're a member of the target audience, as I was.
December 1, 2018
I met one of the authors at a comic con and he gave me a copy of the book. I enjoyed it and seeing how they implemented geek culture with Christian messages. With that said, the book is directed toward a very inexperienced Christian and I didn't not get much out of it spiritually. I thought it was a fun and interesting read.
August 29, 2025
Great devotional using illustrations from fantasy and sci-fi media!
August 3, 2016
This is a great book to hand to a young geek Christian, or to a young Christian geek. In other words, as a pastor myself for the last 21 years, there weren't many devotions is that I found especially challenging theologically.
BUT it does a very good job of covering the basics of the faith with several excellent examples from geekdom that were very relevant to the topic for the day. So, I would give this to a young person in the church who displays a fascination with geek media, or with a new Christian who is already a solid geek.
One thing I found extremely helpful are the "quests," or follow-up items at the end of each chapter to encourage action or further reflection. This is something that I would consider to be a main strength and very useful feature.
BUT it does a very good job of covering the basics of the faith with several excellent examples from geekdom that were very relevant to the topic for the day. So, I would give this to a young person in the church who displays a fascination with geek media, or with a new Christian who is already a solid geek.
One thing I found extremely helpful are the "quests," or follow-up items at the end of each chapter to encourage action or further reflection. This is something that I would consider to be a main strength and very useful feature.
October 16, 2023
Unexpectedly solid. It’s not high theology, but it doesn’t need to be to get across the simple truths of Christ. Many of us in the nerd/geek community have been misunderstood by most of the people around us for most of our lives. The author gets us, because he’s one of us, and writes for us, in our language.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews