In the last post, I discussed objectionable elements in fiction, and three reasons that writers tend to include them: for realism, for hedonistic purposes, and to further an agenda (for or against). Using principles from God’s Word, I evaluated whether or not these reasons are valid for the Christian writer.
Ok. Though the topic of objectionable elements is important for a Christian writer to work through, I am glad to turn from that to this topic, which interests me so much more.
This is at the heart of the questions that bothered me as a beginning writer. How exactly do I write fictional stories that are “Christian”?
Worldview
How do I write with a Christian worldview? How do I write a story that is spiritually “in tune,” that rings true and expresses truth that resonates and transforms? Unbelievers do it sometimes, while many Christian writers utterly fail to do so. What? How can that be possible?
Many times I can pick up a book and be quite certain that the author does not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and yet the story is insightful and powerful, expressing truths that are absolutely in harmony with Scripture! And again, I can pick up a book written by a Christian author and come away feeling deeply unsatisfied with the subject matter and the truths the author tried to communicate. On the subject of worldview and art, apologist Francis Schaeffer said, “It is possible for a Christian to be inconsistent…and it is this latter which is perhaps the most sad” (1973). How can I explain this phenomenon, and how can I avoid being inconsistent?
A Mirror
A writer’s purpose, according to French novelist André Maurois is “to raise life to the dignity of thought, and this he does by giving it a shape. Borne aloft by the world as reflected in himself, and producing a sounding echo of his times, he helps to shape it by showing to men an image of themselves which is at once true and disciplined” (1960).
For him and many writers, the point of writing stories is to reflect something about the world as seen through their personal worldviews. I agree with this statement in part. I believe each individual has unique experiences and insight about the world that they can express in a way unique to themselves. However, this “world as reflected in himself” is always going to be warped. People are imperfect mirrors. If I were to stop there, I would merely be expressing my personal truth. This is relativistic thinking. If someone thinks they can be wise and create their own meaning, Paul warns them: “Let no one deceive himself. If anyone…thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool…the wisdom of this world is folly with God” (I Cor. 3:18-19).
A story filled only with my own opinions and observations about life will reflect a flawed view of the world. At some angles, maybe if you stand in just the right spot, the view might be accurate, but at others the reflection will be stretched, distorted, or even upside-down.
People are imperfect mirrors.
Reality: Defined by the One Who Created It
I would take Maurois’ idea a step further. It is not enough to reflect the world in myself according to how I see it: I have an Interpreter. A good story reflects God’s reality; i.e. reflects Truth. I may have a unique perspective, but as a Christian, I spend my life studying God’s reality, “being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine” (I Tim. 4:6). It is one of my highest callings—to learn more about God, about His world, about His purpose, about how He relates to me. Everything, including my stories, must be aligned with Scripture. Francis Schaeffer wrote in his book Art and the Bible, “The greater the artistic expression, the more important it is to consciously bring it and its worldview under the judgment of Christ and the Bible” (1973).
We can judge stories based on how well they coincide with true Reality, God’s reality. This is why someone who does not believe in God’s existence, who may even be hostile towards Christ, is capable of creating a good story. The non-Christian, whether they know or acknowledge it or not, also lives in God’s reality. On the flip side, this is also why a Christian author might fail to write a good story. The Christian author may be ignorant or or deceived about certain aspects of Reality. In fact, it would be more accurate to say that we all have holes in our understanding of Reality, and we should be striving to fill in those holes over the course of our lives.
Does that mean every story that lines up with Reality must include God as an explicit character? Christians? Conversions and churches? No! That would be a very narrow piece of Reality indeed. God’s reality encompasses everything, from the problem of evil to fairytales, from war to a flat tire, from terrorism to Buddhism, from grief to a joke. If it exists, God relates to it. “And he put all things under his feet” (Eph. 1:22). “A good story reflects God’s reality” is an incredibly broad statement. God’s reality is all around us. It is no wonder that unbelievers write good stories too. You don’t have to believe in God to know true things—like the dignity of life, the wrongness of suffering, or the value of beauty.
When I understood this concept, I felt a great sense of freedom. I could write about almost anything, as long as I was expressing truth, and God could be glorified!
If it exists, God relates to it. “A good story reflects God’s reality” is an incredibly broad statement. God’s reality is all around us.
Hope
There is only one concept that I think every Christian’s work ought to contain. Hope.
One of the greatest realities of the Christian worldview is hope! Many modern-day stories are pessimistic. Morality is blurred, and ultimate truth was abandoned long ago. Many stories end on a depressing note. The dystopian genre expresses the impossibility of man ever becoming his own salvation. While true—“dystopia is an admission of depravity” (Duran, 2014)—these stories often end without giving answers.
But for a Christian, faith is the assurance of things hoped for. We have the privilege of knowing [some of] the answers. We know that the Shadow is a small and passing thing. Its doom is already written. That powerful message of salvation and redemption should seep through our writing. The greatest victory came to pass through death. What is the cross without the resurrection? Paul said without it our faith would be in vain (I Cor. 15:14). It would be a dark, twisted world indeed if the cross meant nothing, and the grave remained silent. We should never let our books pretend that it is.
One of the greatest realities of the Christian worldview is hope!
Conclusion
“Those who tell the stories rule the world,” is sometimes attributed to Plato and sometimes as a Native American proverb, but regardless, stories are powerful and legitimate tools of persuasion. As a Christian, I have the responsibility to be thoughtful in my writing, a good steward of my talents.
I must be careful with how I use objectionable elements in my writing. I must strive to depict a Christian worldview in my stories, stories that not only reflect my unique view of the world, but also depict Reality as God knows it. A big part of that Reality is hope, hope for future justice, restoration, and the triumph of all that is good.
With this philosophy in mind, I can enter the arena of fiction boldly, equipped to write gladly, seriously, and well, with the fear of God under each sentence that I write.
I can write gladly, seriously, and well, with the fear of God under each sentence that I write.
References
A Biblical Approach to Objectionable Elements in Christian Education. (2015, October 1). BJU Press. Retrieved from https://www.bjupress.com/resources/christian-school/solutions/objectionable-elements.php.
Duran, Mike. (2014, Oct. 6). Christian Worldview and Dystopia. Retrieved from http://www.mikeduran.com/2014/10/06/christian-worldview-and-dystopia/.
Farrow, Erin. (2015, September 25). Honest and subtle: writing about sex in young adult literature. The Conversation. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/honest-and-subtle-writing-about-sex-in-young-adult-literature-48002.
Lewis, C.S. (1982). On Stories: And Other Essays. [e-text]. New York: Houghton Mifflin.
Maurois, André. (1960). The Art of Writing. Bodley Head.
Schaeffer, Francis. (1973). Art and the Bible. [e-text]. InterVarsity Press.
Tolkien, J.R.R. (1939). OnFairyStories. Retrieved from http://brainstorm-services.com/wcu-2004/fairystories-tolkien.pdf.