Almost all of the books for sale were non-fiction (Christian self-help, historical and biographical), Bibles or Bible related studies. This pretty much confirmed what I think both of us were expecting. However, there were still quite a few books in fiction. Most were mysteries or suspense and there were even a few that dabbled in romance - I don't even want to know how they can justify those :-)
In the sci-fi/fantasy realm there were very few books. Most of them were written by C.S. Lewis a generation ago! A lot of them seem to be a rehash of Tolkein or Lewis, too. The rest were kinda like " The DaVinci Code" knock-offs: throw in some biblical facts, add a pinch of suspense, and a heaping portion of "where'd that come from?", make sure sure your subject matter doesn't offend your core audience and you've got yourself a Christian fantasy novel!
So, as it stands now, I would have to say that fantasy is not something the church wants. Why is that? I think it's because Christians are made to feel condemned if they think on anything but "approved" Christian subject matter - in other words, only the Bible. But the church has to compete with the rest of the world to get their attention. So they copy just about every type of art that the secular world has created, including literature.
Or they try to justify it away by saying things like, "You don't need fantasy. After all, Bible prophecy is sooooo freakin' intriguing isn't it? Why would children not want to read the book of Revelation, for example? That's so cool! You got dragons, the apocolypse, the whore of Babylon, and the second coming of Jesus! How nifty!"
The truth is that at a very early age the church tells children how evil fantasy is. Check this video out for a perfect illustration:
They pound into these kids a guilt that they never should have to carry. It stems from this country's Puritan roots to "abstain from the very apperance of evil". That's why we had things like witch hunts and prohibition. But it obivously did not solve the problem. Why?
Because the church, in its attempt to be "holy", has set and enforced a law for its followers to abide by. The funny thing is that they are not reading their own Bibles. Scripture says that "the Law brings forth Sin" and that "sin leads to death". In other words, by imposing laws that put your followers into bondage and guilt (you can't do this, you can't do that) it produces in them the very thing you are trying to stop! Now, more than ever, they want to read Harry Potter. They want to check out witchcraft. They want to have sex. They want to drink. You get the point.
What the church does not teach its followers is what the Apostle Paul said. "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are beneficial". In other words, I am free to do anything, but it doesn't always help me. Right now I know that I can go somewhere and cheat on my wife, but I love my wife and it's not going to help my marriage so I don't do it.
I do, however, think that Christians should read/write fantasy. These stories (at least the good ones) encourage us to realize that we can be heroes, too. The universe we're thrust into and the characters that are described prove to be fantastic symbols to our everyday lives. Jesus taught in parables and the church was okay with it. So why can't Christians write modern day parables, too, using fantasy?
5 comments:
very interesting indeed Zack. Sounds like you put a lot of thought into this. I agree with what you are saying but think its very important to not let people believe that witches and the like are ok and fantasizing about being one, well, wouldnt that be some what like fantasizing about someone. Sin in the heart is still sin.
Check out this blog, http://genxparents.blogspot.com/2007/07/guest-bloggercara-putnam_24.html for more info on Christian Science Fiction!
I think people miss the point about fantasy...
I liked that you wrote, "these stories (at least the good ones) encourage us to realize that we can be heroes, too. The universe we're thrust into and the characters that are described prove to be fantastic symbols to our everyday lives. "
To me, fantasy was all I would read when I was growing up. I read hundreds of fantasy books. Then when I got in youth group in High School I somehow started to feel like maybe, since I was the only one reading them, I must be doing something wrong... so I stopped.
A few years ago when the LoTr came out as a series of movies I went back and re-read the series. I liked it so much I went an pulled my Terry Brooks series out of my parents attic. I like that so much that I started re-reading all that I had read as a child.
What is so interesting about fantasy literature is that it pulls into a different world and in so doing allows us to examine issues and choices "outside of ourselves" Through the characters we learn about heroic sacrifice and begin to see it as something that we all ought to do. The simple small selfish choices in these books are always the road to pain and ultimately either allowing a great evil or becoming evil.
As I read these books again, particularly the Sword of Shanara, I ended up thanking God that he had used these "evil" books to do so much good in shaping not only who I had become, but the very standards of morality that I measured myself by.
Fantasy "discipled" me and nurtured the heroic impulses within me so that I longed to make a difference. Ultimately as I look back I see that these mystical morality tales are a major piece of how I eventually came to want to be a pastor, and how I am able to use narrative and heroic epic to inspire others to follow Christ.
The Bible in so many ways is a fantasy novel... it has miracles, giants, dragons, and a magical God who is able to do anything... but who chose to save the world through love, instead of subjugate it through raw power.
Plus... much fantasy is incredibly well written... almost art in itself... hp 7 is a great example of this... I wonder if it is not the exact so of thing Phil 4:8 is talking about...
Good post.
great work zack!! i love an open minded argument!!
it is surprising that those who like critisizing rowling endorse Tolkien!! let us be honest with ourselves...fantasy has really enriched this world!
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