My very first blog post!
At the risk of seeming naïve and making a permanent blunder before I even learn the technique of “blogging,” I’m going to do the unthinkable for an introvert, non-confrontational person like myself.
I’m going to state my opinion.
And that is this: “Christian fiction is more important now than ever.” What do I mean by “Christian”? I mean it has to state that God, who became man, died on the cross as the sacrifice to forgive our sins and rose from the dead on the third day. Some important words here: God, died, forgive, rose. Without the Christian faith in writing, how will Jesus be glorified? How will the reader be drawn to Christ and be saved, or his/her faith strengthened, if the statement isn’t there?
What do I mean by “fiction”? It’s a story. A narrative. A time and place and set of characters the readers can relate to, can dwell among for a time. The characters’ feelings become the reader’s feelings. The grief, the joy, the freedom becomes the reader’s. (I’m not saying nonfiction and devotionals can’t do this. I’m saying, “Christian fiction has an important place in advancing the gospel of Jesus Christ.”)
Why am I so adamant about Christian fiction? I have the impression that fiction is gleaned over. That some don’t believe God can save a soul by reading something made-up. I’ll be the first to say that salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ. The Word of God and the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
In Romans 10:9, Apostle Paul tells us, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” In John 3:5, Jesus himself says, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.”
As for the value of God’s Word (from the Bible itself), in Hebrews 4:12, we learn, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow.” And 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness…”
Faith cannot rest solely on Christian fiction, which may be inspired, but is not God-breathed and, although encouraging, cannot give life. Reverting back to Romans 10, this message must be told. Verse 14 tells us, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?”
I’ve also heard Christian fiction is written by wounded people who need an outlet. These published stories are simply journal entries needed for the author’s healing. (To be fair, isn’t the best testimony from a wounded soul? So what is the author is healed in the process?! Does it really matter if the story becomes a blessing to someone else? A blessing of eternal significance?) And fiction is fake. It’s not true. The gospel is true. God is true. Therefore, Christian fiction cannot declare the true gospel or the true one and only God.
I disagree.
The point of a story is to tell a truth about life. Why not share the most valuable truth of all? God Almighty became a man to save all mankind from their sins.
But sharing the gospel like the sentence above is – Eh-hem – boring. Lifeless. (I wrote the thing and can’t bear to meditate on it.) Enter, the realm of story-telling!
I’m not a talented orator. I’m not gifted to write a Bible message. I don’t have the knowledge needed to write a commentary on a spiritual truth. But I’m a creative story-teller. Oh, how I weave a story out of nothing!
I have one more point to bring to my defense: Jesus Christ himself used fictional stories to teach about the kingdom of God. These stories are called “parables,” but they are fictional stories all the same. He made them up! True, Jesus is called the Author of Life! (Apostle Peter – inspired by God himself – says so, and his words were recorded in Acts 3:15!)
That said, I want to commend and encourage my creative brothers and sisters in Christ: Now is the time! Glorify Christ through story-telling! Your audience is waiting.
Share with me your thoughts. Is Christian fiction a godly platform for witnessing?
Like what you've read? I'm also on Facebook and Twitter!
