310. Why Do Young Men Crave LitRPG Action Adventures? | with Jonathan Shuerger

About this episode

The episode explores why young men are drawn to LitRPG action adventures and discusses the cultural implications of warrior versus safety culture in Christian contexts.

You’ve likely met some Christians who emphasize safety for children rather than preparing them for spiritual conflict. That’s why some more genteel-churchy responses to pop culture have said “it’s useless” or else “stay away” from stories like Harry Potter, Doom , or Dungeons and Dragons . So is it any wonder that a top-selling subgenre among young male readers is LitRPG, often with totally epic and jacked soldier good guys (maybe with mech suits) who slay evil aliens and demons? Episode sponsors Perplexity by Chawna Schroeder Realm Makers 2026 Conference & Expo Land of Giants by Laurie Christine Wisdom and Wonder Conference & Expo Mission update New at Lorehaven: new review of Wavemaker by F. C. Shultz Coming in early May: major site upgrades, especially with search Subscribe free to get updates and join the Lorehaven Guild Backstory: Jonathan Shuerger Jonathan Shuerger is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who brings authenticity, faith, and a love of story to every page. His writing is marked by military precision, theological depth, and cinematic imagination. He’s the author of Devil Dog: A Marine vs. Hell , available on Royal Road. Find all his works at JonathanShuerger.com…

People in this episode

Host: Lorehaven

Guest: Jonathan Shuerger

Topics covered

• LitRPG
• Christian culture
• warrior culture
• safety culture
• spiritual conflict
• pop culture

Keywords

• LitRPG
• Christianity
• war stories
• safetyism
• spiritual conflict
• pop culture

Sponsors

Perplexity, Realm Makers 2026 Conference & Expo, Land of Giants, Wisdom and Wonder Conference & Expo

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Lorehaven

Products: Devil Dog: A Marine vs. Hell

Books & works: Wavemaker

More episodes of Fantastical Truth

• 316. What if An Elf Lost Her Dream-Come-True? | The Rending Cauldron with Rebecca P. Minor · June 9, 2026 · 1h 9m
• 315. How Do Incensepunk Stories Imagine the Church’s Future? · June 4, 2026 · 1h 17m
• 314. How Can Your Family Read Better Fantastical Novels This Summer? · May 26, 2026 · 49 min
• 313. Should Christian-Made Stories Evangelize Nonbelievers? · May 19, 2026 · 1h 2m
• 312. Why Do Christians Believe These Top Seven Myths About Heaven? · May 12, 2026 · 1h 3m
• 311. How Do Great Stories Help Us Return to Factory Settings? · May 7, 2026 · 56 min