An effective literary dystopia does not have to be perfectly plausible to make for fascinating reading, and the tendency for readers to turn away from stories that make their own side the bad guy can reflect a failure of imagination and self-scrutiny.
In this sense, conservative Christians should approach “The Handmaid's Tale” as something more than just a hate-read for the same reason that socialists should read “1984” or even “Atlas Shrugged” and techno-optimists “Fahrenheit 451” or “Brave New World.” So long as you don't accidentally decide that what you're reading is not a warning but a blueprint, it's always a useful exercise to think about how the ideas you treasure can be turned to wicked or inhuman ends.
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