Fallen and Flawed

Couldn’t you write a great novel AND have a blog that clearly delineates the gospel? Seems there’d be people that would say, “Loved the book! Didn’t know he had a blog TOO…” Seems the bottom line is a)whatever you eat or drink…and b)What burns in your bosom so much that you HAVE to do it? Plus, you really need to read “Til We Have Faces and the Space Trilogy-Ha.

How Christian does a novel from a believer need to be?

I’ve read all of the Narnia series as well as Lewis’ apologetic material. I’m a left-brainer so I probably often completely miss the metaphors and such, but I found that while the Narnia series was quite allegorical it didn’t scream Christianity. More general religious themes were present such as salvation, a deity, sacrifice, etc.
Other readers might chime in here, but I found that even the apologetic stuff was grounded in natural theology and rarely involved the Bible in the way that a modern counterpart like Philip Yancey does.
I put this down to the time in which it was written. Lewis probably rightly felt that theism in general was under threat and that appeals to scripture were useless in the face of growing atheism. He attacked naturalism and defended miracles and the supernatural.
It appears to me (an athiest) that these days the hype has died down and most people have some belief in the supernatural. As a Christian, you longer have to convince people that there is a god, rather that your god is the correct one.

That’s my $0.02 anyway.

I’ll second Martin’s suggestion for reading Til We Have Faces and his Space Trilogy (especially Perelandra and That Hideous Strength). Til We Have Faces convicted me of my sin and enabled me to rejoice in Christ’s sacrifice for me far more than Mere Christianity ever could. I had similar feelings after reading Perelandra and That Hideous Strength. Exposition speaks easily to our brains, but stories (for me at least) speak more readily to my heart, and we need both.

Write what you want to write. Write it well, for the glory of God.

Does a Christian carpenter need to etch a cross on every house frame he puts up? Whatever you do, work for the Lord. Novel, allegory, treatise…

I can’t imagine anything you write, cursing the whole way through, will be worth reading. So if you want to write that novel, go for it. If at a later date you want to write something that treads the line closer to your faith, write that then.

I imagine that one brilliant novel is more likely to have people read this blog, or a book on your faith, than a stack of pseudo-Christian novels. Plus, it is most likely that your world view and view on sin would show through in some way, no matter what you write.

And is C.S. Lewis a genuine Christian novelist? Well yes of course, he was a genuine Christian and a genuine novelist

You don’t know my college roommate but he is producing and directing a secular movie that will probably be big enough to come to a theater near you this year or next. His faith came to him after his skill. He’s gifted at what he does and he specifically moved his family to the middle of Hollywood to live with and love on some very lost, confused, and hurting people, for the glory of God, while he made excellent movies.

I’ve heard a quote attributed to Luther when asked by a cobbler what he should do now that he was a Christian. His reply was to make a good shoe and charge a fair price for the glory of God. Write the good story and give God the glory in your hard work, creativity, integrity, and with wherever He decides to take you with it.

In the same vein as 1 Corinthians 10:31 and Romans 12:1, I can’t think of a better way for you to give a quick and dirty guide to living a vivid, meaningful Christian life than using your God given gifts and talents to write some fiction (however Christian) to the glory of God.

Lastly, I think the last three paragraphs of this page speak well to what you’re talking about.

http://www.urbana.org/complete-book-of-everyday-christianity/calling-vocation

Demian – let me start by saying that I don’t know anything about writing, or theology for that matter. With that disclaimer out of the way, I say that if you have a book to write, then write it. No matter that you can’t see how it threads into Kingdom building, that’s not your problem.

My reaction to C.S. Lewis is interesting, well at least to me it is. I’ve read a very little of him, a long time ago, The Screwtape Letters I think. It wasn’t life changing and I quickly forgot all about it. But looking back, I think it was a small part of God’s ringing my phone. Over the years He’s kept ringing both loudly and softly until I finally picked up. What I am trying to say is that even if your book is not a pillar of theology or a cornerstone of the Kingdom, it’s still important.

Write it. I’ll buy a copy.

Knowing your theological/spiritual/commitment consistency, I’m aware that I’m presenting a ridiculous example, but I believe the parallel could be useful. Last Christmas my 15-year-old nephew gave me a copy of “The Shack” by William P. Young (in Portuguese). The book is a disaster, theologically speaking. The problem, however, is the author’s standpoint, not the way he communicates his ideas. For the rest, it’s an astonishing success that surpassed the limits of the evangelicalism and debuted at number 1 on the New York Times best sellers list, having sold 5 million copies in USA and is published in many languages in only two years.

My point is not the success nor the numbers, but the fact that the author conveyed the message in an extraordinary way. The only problem was the message itself.

Please, I’m not trying to offend you comparing your work with the work of Richard Young, but only highlight the fact that your task is totally viable. And even if anybody had succeeded before, you might be the first.

Go for it and forgive my English.

You may not have found your blog voice, but you have drawn a good number of readers who are drawn to read what you write. Your blog is spiritual, insightful, often provocative, and fresh. Thanks.

D,

I first read your post late last night and almost responded, but sleep called. Loudly. So when I looked again this morning, I was delighted to see so many people saying much of what I was thinking!

First, let me say that this blog already reflects your “voice,” that is what you say and how you say it. As far as “theme” for the blog goes, let me propose that you continue to write about whatever interests and engages you most. Doing so will naturally produce interesting and engaging work. So what if it is a mix of different types of material and themes. You’re an eclectic guy. Different things interest you, so go with it and let the blog reflect this fact. When you write from your heart, as well as your head, the result is true art that speaks to others the same way.

Speaking of art and being a Christian artist, (and I’m using the term “artist” here to cover all disciplines) a topic on which I’ve been deeply engaged over the years, let me simply say that if you’re an artist and a Christian, you are a “Christian artist.” Does that mean everything you create needs to be evangelical (the verb, not the noun)? Absolutely not.

For too long, too much shoddy work has been created in the name of Christian art. This is wrong on so many levels. We have a relationship with the Creator of the Universe. By that fact alone, we should be demonstrating to the world what great art looks like. When I read about the first artist, Bezalel, in Exodus 35, I see a man not only “filled with the Holy Spirit”, but a man God also “filled with skills, abilities and knowledge in all kinds of crafts.” Bezalel honed his craft, developed his skills and then created work that glorified God. This is our model as Christians who are artists. I could say a lot more here, but I don’t want to consume too much space or time.

And let me touch on your novel for a moment. What happened to you in your initial consumption to be a writer and then to have that “die” is a process that I went through as well. As artists, it is much too easy for our work to become an idol, particularly as we are becoming creators ourselves, an exercise that mirrors God’s very own nature. As a result, God often takes away from us the means to create for a time, so that it dies and we learn to see that it is not the work we should worship, it’s the Giver of the gifts and skills we possess. First, death, then resurrection. It sounds to me like this process has made you ready and free to now create, using the gifts, skills and adjusted heart that God has formed in you. Does this novel need to be a “Christian novel”? No matter what you write about, it will be so because of who you are and to Whom you belong. Madeleine L’Engle, in her book, Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art, said this vital, penetrating and liberating truth: “There is nothing so secular that it cannot be sacred, and that is one of the deepest messages of the Incarnation.”

While I don’t have a Christian novel to recommend, I can’t recommend highly enough L’Engle’s book. I’ve quoted it often on your blog, both directly and indirectly. I think every artist of every discipline who is a Christian should read it as I did: with a highlighter in hand.

Demian, I want to encourage you to write from your heart, both here in this blog and in your novel, and you can’t go wrong. Keep up the great work. And you can bet I’ll read both!

“Yes, C. S. Lewis wrote extraordinary novels. But do they promote a clear, graceful articulation of Christ? Do they have to?”

The people you want to reach with the gospel will probably not read a novel that offers a clear articulation of the gospel.

They also will probably not read anything published by a Christian publisher (they’re in a different section of the bookstores).

“How Christian does a novel from a believer need to be?”

Lewis wrote that the purpose of his fiction was to “baptize the imagination.” I think he meant he strove to introduce ideas to the reader that would create fertile ground for the gospel. “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” introduces the idea of atonement for sin. “Out of the Silent Planet” introduces the idea of a general falleness of humans. His goal, no doubt, was that his non-Christian readers would come across these notions later (maybe when hearing the gospel) and find them more familiar, less offensive, than someone who’d never heard of them.

Today religious pluralism, a postmodern epistemology, and “the scales of justice” dominate popular American religious ideas. Nudge people away from those ideas, and you will be nudging them towards the gospel.

If a book is written with a Christian worldview (especially anthropology and epistemology) for the glory of Christ, I think it’s Christian enough.

As you might know, I have started writing a fitness blog. This is a hobby of mine, and yet, I am not entirly sure how it glorifies God. I do not take biblical tips to a healthier life.
In that respect, I do understand physical fitness is a way to glorify God and respect His creation.
As a fiction writer, you will have the same issues. It is a hobby, and it might be harder to glorify God with it because of the fictional nature. On the other hand, you are using your brain in a way God created you to use it, so you are glorifying Him.
I read fiction (Ted Dekker, Frank Peretti) when I can, or when the publisher sends it to me to review. While Peretti is pretty outspoken, Dekker just recently become more outspoken. You may want to read Three by Dekker and see how he progressed to his newer works.

Fiction can glorify God as well as be a tool to minister to others. Just look at The Shack! LOL

Sssseriously, even though you and I do not see eye-to-eye about The Shack, I honestly felt closer to Jesus and was motivated to seek His face more intently when I finished reading it.

Ok, so this post isn’t about convincing you of the benefits to portraying God as Aunt Jemima.

If you want to write fiction and continue presenting a clear-cut Gospel message, I think you can and should.

Continue your blog and bring us along with you as you write your book, or 2.

P.S. If you ever started blogging about writing effectively for Christian organizations or for sharing Jesus with nonbelievers, I’d definitely subscribe.

Okay, first and foremost: I apologize it’s taken me almost a week to reply. Not the way I’d want it. Yet, immediately after I posted this, we put our house on the market and spent the next five days cleaning, decluttering, restoring and repairing. On top of that, work load grew at the same time. So…

Martin: Indeed…and not sure why I wasn’t seeing the possiblity of doing both. I think I needed the proverbial “smack in the face” for the obvious. [Not saying you smacked me in the face, but you get the point.]

James W: Very impressive insight on Lewis and the current state of Christianity. I like that a lot.

Andrew + Martin: I have the Space Trilogy on my shelf. Inherited it from my father–who was NOT a Christian. Support for the idea that Lewis stories speak to non-believers.

Sam Pursell: Thank you for the thoughtful advice. Esp. “do it for the glory of God” and “a brilliant novel is more likely to have people read this blog than a stack of psuedo-Christian novels”. And that my worldview would obviously bleed over.

Rob: Thank you for the Luther quote and the Urbana quote!

Matthew: You humble me by your statement: “Write it. I’ll buy a copy.” Thank you, sir. Also, I’m very intrigued by your statement that the novel doesn’t have to be a pillar of theology or a cornerstone of the Kingdom. That’s helpful. I think I get hung up on this idea that a “true” Christian writer pumps out theological works, a la Piper or Carson.

Jorge: I’m grateful for your comparison. And I totally understand what you meant. No offense taken. Thank you for commenting [and your English was spot on!]

Steve: I’m indebted to your vote of confidence on the blog. Thank you.

Richard DeVeau: I was so hoping to hear from you! And as I suspected, sage advice. I think you’ve pegged it when you mentioned the “death, resurrection” metaphor and, indeed, with the now transformed heart, I am prepared to write a novel. That L’Engle quote hit home, friend. Thank you for sharing.

Chris B: As I mentioned above, I inherited a copy of Lewis’ Space Trilogy from my father…and as you pointed out, my father, a non-Christian, was drawn to it. He shunned clear articulations of the gospel. And as Matthew said above, one book I write may be nothing more than a single link in a chain of events that leads someone to Christ. That’s overwhelming, humbling and stirs me to be obedient. Thank you, sir.

Don: I know my wife has a few books by Dekker. I’ll have to take a peek at ‘em.

Sid: Love your comment. Not sure why I didn’t see the obvious–that I can write novel and blog. And when you say “portraying God as Aunt Jemima” do you know something that I don’t? Has someone else already stolen my idea?! No!!!

Everyone: THANK YOU for taking the time and sharing your thoughts. In then end, I realize I was creating a false dichotomy [novel v. blog]…that seems so obvious this side of the post.

I’m honored for every single piece of advice you gave. You make writing this blog uber-fun, challenging and encouraging. Thank you and look forward to hearing from you again.

Demian, thanks for your humility. I enjoy reading your blog and though I don’t comment often, leave enriched with more things to chew on.

I agree with many of the comments above and would highly recommend Till We Have Faces by CS Lewis. When an author as prolific as Lewis says its his favorite, that’s something I take notice of. And having read much Lewis, its my favorite as well. As far as Dekker goes, I would recommend you start with the Cirle Trilogy (Black, Red, White). Its a great story of redemption but is, like Lewis, appealing to more than just a Christian audience. I have recommended it to many of my unsaved friends, knowing its an enjoyable work of fiction but also is a great way to introduce them to a new aspect of themes such as redemption, sin, etc.

I’m praying for you as you pursue this endeavor.

Emily, Thank you so much for your Dekker recommendation AND, more importantly, your prayers. Much, much appreciated and always a treat to hear from you.

My 2c,

For a Christian writer, I think the most important thing is to keep the Cross in your sights while writing (just like we should in every aspect in our lives).

Focusing on that will bring out the Gospel in your writing even if you never directly quote a passage of Scripture.

Taste and see that the Lord is good. Let your writings give your readers a taste. Remember, “And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.” (John 10:16). If they are sheep, they will hear His voice in your writing and their ears will perk up if you keep your mind on Christ while writing.

Demian, from what I have read on your site, you certainly seem to have a good case of retinal burn-in (like the old TVs or computer monitors left on the same scene too long). The Cross is burnt into your vision and it shows.

Goodness, Eric, great advice. Of course, it’s by God’s grace I’ve been “burned.” I get enormous joy from that.

I think we think too much.

I think (there I go thinking again) we should step out of the boat and stop analyzing the water.

That being said, The Chronicles of Narnia appeals to my heart. I think God appeals to our heart. So I think that a novel with Christian analogies gets through to the heart.

I esp liked the part of (okay, the movie) The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe when Aslan speaks privately to Edmund. What a powerful scene that speaks volumes to all of us who have been face to face with our failures and sin.

From another writer and author wanna be. : )

Just watched the movie, Kathy, and have to agree with you: That was a great scene. Thanks for the comment!