I've read some very poorly "baked" Christian fiction. One literally took a "Bible break" by saying something like "one of the passages of Scripture that gave him comfort during this time was. . ."
That's just lazy and sloppy. That's putting icing on a burned cake. I started referring to this style of writing as "We now pause for a message from our Savior."
The book of Esther never mentions God, but reflects His nature in a powerful way. Fiction can do the same.
I've heard instrumental music that glorifies God, and songs that quote (or misquote) Scripture that do not. The same can be true of fiction (or non-fiction, or poetry).
You bring up some excellent points. As Christians, it is our task to write stories are true and recommend more for others to read. When we say we're pursuing art that is "good, true, and beautiful," I doubt we really let ourselves realize what we really mean by true. Thank you for highlighting that for us!
Years later, I think I would rephrase what that professor said. It wasn’t that I needed to “tone down the religious stuff”. It was that I needed to tell deeply true stories, and trust the Lord to use them.
I think to be a "valid" Christian writer, you need to include the unmistakable truth in your story in such a way that the reader feels God in their spirit. They naturally are drawn to characters who are flawed, as we all are, but redeemed.
Thank you for this. As a follower of Christ who aspires to write publishable fiction this was a much needed warning against the temptation to shortcut the road to excellence by shoehorning the gospel into a poor writing.
Although I kinda wish you hadn’t also made me realise how sad lightsabre fights are!
Thank you, I really appreciate that kind offer and will have a look through my writings to see if there’s anything that would particularly benefit from such focussed feedback.
I suppose the one thing I find helpful with the ‘Christian _’ label is that it gives me a starting point to finding and sharing art and artists that I might want to support, in an industry that’s become increasingly challenging to find a foothold in as a Christian (not to mention increasingly challenging to find anything good and true in!)
But you’re right, just because it gives me a starting point, doesn’t mean I ignore all that you’ve just articulated.
Many Christian circles tend to view art through a pragmatic lens (evangelism, addressing a social issue, alternatives to pop culture, etc.) and I personally think the impulse to want to label works as “Christian” comes from an attempt to justify what is often viewed as a selfish or lazy hobby (reading novels, videogaming, writing simply for the love of the craft, etc.). We tend to not view stories as a good thing in and of themselves, and so the hunt for Christian themes (like in the footnotes about Star Wars here) makes the stories we enjoy seem more useful and spiritual. I’m not saying everyone does this, but I’ve caught myself thinking this way. I’ll worry other Christians will think I waste too much time on fiction, but surely they’ll understand if I can explain a moving redemption arc!
I would say, to the market / audience / consumer, the two biggest parts of "Christian Art" is 1) does the author believe the same things I do? and 2) is the work devotional? And, #1 is so important, because the people that are consuming this stuff really care about #2. But, they can't allow, or let, the piece of art to positively influence them--they can't receive it as a devotional--unless the answer to #1 is "yes." If the answer to #1 is "no," then their fear of being spiritually misled overshadows their ability to enjoy the art. Because no one is trying to objectively enjoy the art. They're trying to "worship" through consumption of art.
Milos Forman's Amadeus is inherently Christian thematically. But, not devotional. So, it's not "Christian Art". Terrence Malick's Tree of Life is Christian. But, not devotional. So, it's not "Christian Art". Same thing for Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Moby-Dick, The Brothers Karamazov, Dantes Inferno, Les Miserables, etc., etc.,
"Christian Art" has guide rails and reinforces the audience's theology, because that's why they're there. That's the specific thing the audience is looking for.
I've read some very poorly "baked" Christian fiction. One literally took a "Bible break" by saying something like "one of the passages of Scripture that gave him comfort during this time was. . ."
That's just lazy and sloppy. That's putting icing on a burned cake. I started referring to this style of writing as "We now pause for a message from our Savior."
The book of Esther never mentions God, but reflects His nature in a powerful way. Fiction can do the same.
I've heard instrumental music that glorifies God, and songs that quote (or misquote) Scripture that do not. The same can be true of fiction (or non-fiction, or poetry).
‘That’s putting icing on a burned cake’ is a great way of describing poorly written Christian fiction!
You bring up some excellent points. As Christians, it is our task to write stories are true and recommend more for others to read. When we say we're pursuing art that is "good, true, and beautiful," I doubt we really let ourselves realize what we really mean by true. Thank you for highlighting that for us!
Years later, I think I would rephrase what that professor said. It wasn’t that I needed to “tone down the religious stuff”. It was that I needed to tell deeply true stories, and trust the Lord to use them.
This is true Philip...
I love what you've said here....
I think to be a "valid" Christian writer, you need to include the unmistakable truth in your story in such a way that the reader feels God in their spirit. They naturally are drawn to characters who are flawed, as we all are, but redeemed.
Thank you for this. As a follower of Christ who aspires to write publishable fiction this was a much needed warning against the temptation to shortcut the road to excellence by shoehorning the gospel into a poor writing.
Although I kinda wish you hadn’t also made me realise how sad lightsabre fights are!
I'm so glad to be a part of your journey! Honestly, let me know if you have anything you'd like feedback on. It can be a lonely journey at times.
Thank you, I really appreciate that kind offer and will have a look through my writings to see if there’s anything that would particularly benefit from such focussed feedback.
100%
I suppose the one thing I find helpful with the ‘Christian _’ label is that it gives me a starting point to finding and sharing art and artists that I might want to support, in an industry that’s become increasingly challenging to find a foothold in as a Christian (not to mention increasingly challenging to find anything good and true in!)
But you’re right, just because it gives me a starting point, doesn’t mean I ignore all that you’ve just articulated.
Many Christian circles tend to view art through a pragmatic lens (evangelism, addressing a social issue, alternatives to pop culture, etc.) and I personally think the impulse to want to label works as “Christian” comes from an attempt to justify what is often viewed as a selfish or lazy hobby (reading novels, videogaming, writing simply for the love of the craft, etc.). We tend to not view stories as a good thing in and of themselves, and so the hunt for Christian themes (like in the footnotes about Star Wars here) makes the stories we enjoy seem more useful and spiritual. I’m not saying everyone does this, but I’ve caught myself thinking this way. I’ll worry other Christians will think I waste too much time on fiction, but surely they’ll understand if I can explain a moving redemption arc!
I would say, to the market / audience / consumer, the two biggest parts of "Christian Art" is 1) does the author believe the same things I do? and 2) is the work devotional? And, #1 is so important, because the people that are consuming this stuff really care about #2. But, they can't allow, or let, the piece of art to positively influence them--they can't receive it as a devotional--unless the answer to #1 is "yes." If the answer to #1 is "no," then their fear of being spiritually misled overshadows their ability to enjoy the art. Because no one is trying to objectively enjoy the art. They're trying to "worship" through consumption of art.
Milos Forman's Amadeus is inherently Christian thematically. But, not devotional. So, it's not "Christian Art". Terrence Malick's Tree of Life is Christian. But, not devotional. So, it's not "Christian Art". Same thing for Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Moby-Dick, The Brothers Karamazov, Dantes Inferno, Les Miserables, etc., etc.,
"Christian Art" has guide rails and reinforces the audience's theology, because that's why they're there. That's the specific thing the audience is looking for.