Fantasy in the Crossfire
Among Christians, it's true that fantasy divides people into a lot of camps. There are people who assert that if something isn't true, (citing the definition in Phillippians 4:8*) that at the very least, it isn't worthy of the time it takes to read it; at worst, it leads down a path to damnation. There are folks who say as long as the fantasy functions as an unmistakable Christian allegory that can be aligned seamlessly with scripture, then it's acceptable. There are people who feel that as long as the story isn't rife with promiscuity and flagrant glorifying of the occult, then it flies with them. And of course, there are all shades in-between.
Myself, I fall a little to one side of the folks who support allegory. In my own work, I strive to interweave concepts and themes that are God honoring. Are they specifically trying to teach theology or scripture? No. Will there be people who bluster at me because what I am writing doesn't paint an exact picture of the God of our universe? Probably. But am I losing sleep over that? No.
The reason is this: I write because when God created man, he breathed his image into Adam, and I believe as part of that has blessed us all with some degree of our Creator's love of creating. But in what I write, I realize that there is simply no way to please everyone. Even in a single church body, you will find a wide spectrum of what people believe about, say, the Harry Potter series. Some will condemn them as the gateway to real-life witchcraft, while others will dismiss such claims and swear the books are innocuous entertainment. And a wide host of people, who have never read word one of the books, will attach themselves to one opinion or another, feeling that they should at least have a position. Now, I realize that Rowling's series is a secular example, but I have found that similar attitudes crop up when dealing with Christian authors. (Except maybe Tolkien and Lewis, who get larger passes than most. But who can, or should, be them?)
So, as you've probably guessed, I'm not somebody who feels you need to write specifically about Jesus to provide a Christian with worthwhile reading material. I do pray that by writing about concepts that reflect some of God's nature, that perhaps I will point either a pre-believer or a shaky one toward the one God of this world. While that's not the end goal of my writing, it certainly is a worthy aim to include.
In the process, I remind myself that we live at war, and sometimes we Christians struggle to all fight on the same side. But despite what high emotions Christian fantasy elicits among Christ's people, I believe if the Lord has given someone a story to tell, then He, in His wisdom, knows how He will use it.
*Philippians 4:8 (New International Version)
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Myself, I fall a little to one side of the folks who support allegory. In my own work, I strive to interweave concepts and themes that are God honoring. Are they specifically trying to teach theology or scripture? No. Will there be people who bluster at me because what I am writing doesn't paint an exact picture of the God of our universe? Probably. But am I losing sleep over that? No.
The reason is this: I write because when God created man, he breathed his image into Adam, and I believe as part of that has blessed us all with some degree of our Creator's love of creating. But in what I write, I realize that there is simply no way to please everyone. Even in a single church body, you will find a wide spectrum of what people believe about, say, the Harry Potter series. Some will condemn them as the gateway to real-life witchcraft, while others will dismiss such claims and swear the books are innocuous entertainment. And a wide host of people, who have never read word one of the books, will attach themselves to one opinion or another, feeling that they should at least have a position. Now, I realize that Rowling's series is a secular example, but I have found that similar attitudes crop up when dealing with Christian authors. (Except maybe Tolkien and Lewis, who get larger passes than most. But who can, or should, be them?)
So, as you've probably guessed, I'm not somebody who feels you need to write specifically about Jesus to provide a Christian with worthwhile reading material. I do pray that by writing about concepts that reflect some of God's nature, that perhaps I will point either a pre-believer or a shaky one toward the one God of this world. While that's not the end goal of my writing, it certainly is a worthy aim to include.
In the process, I remind myself that we live at war, and sometimes we Christians struggle to all fight on the same side. But despite what high emotions Christian fantasy elicits among Christ's people, I believe if the Lord has given someone a story to tell, then He, in His wisdom, knows how He will use it.
*Philippians 4:8 (New International Version)
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
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