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Honest Christian writing
By Jonathan Dawe
Guest Writer
To be considered a so-called “Christian author” and to write so-called “Christian novels” is somewhat of a curse among some Christian writers today. One does not have to think for very long about common conceptions of the Christian novel to realize from whence the stigma comes. Too many of the Christian novels we find on the shelves of our favorite bookstores (no doubt segregated into the Christian, or sometimes oddly enough, Theology sections) are either fictional books about sensational eschatological theories or didactic works, thinly disguised as perhaps an adventure story of some sort. So, why is it that Christian books, aside from the explicitly theological or philosophical works of non-fiction, generate so much suspicion from the literary world?
Perhaps one should consider just when Christian novels became subject to suspicion. Many centuries of literary history have given birth to great authors of Christian literature—names like Dante, Milton and Dostoevsky. These authors are read and revered by both the Christian and non-Christian alike, yet all three of these men were Christians who wrote from a Christian point-of-view on Christian themes. So, what’s gone wrong? Enter the 20th century. The Enlightenment has run its course. Modernism has effectively killed God in literature and took human dignity with Him. A man named Charles Darwin begins to wax theoretical about the origins of humanity. The faith in science begins to mount an attack on faith in Christ. The conservative Protestants in America aren’t too pleased. Thus began what is known as fundamentalism, an early 20th century phenomenon that has left its stamp on almost all of conservative, American Protestantism today.
Fundamentalism, while many things, was a reactionary movement against theological liberalism and progressivism. It sought (and continues to seek) zealously for an evangelical approach to Christianity. It is this self-conscious evangelical approach, I’m afraid, that betrays fundamentalist Christian novels and gives Christian literature a bad name. Our English teachers always said “Show, don’t tell” when guiding us in our writing. Unfortunately, that telling is what we’re reading in fundamentalist literature. We go to churches to hear sermons—we don’t expect sermons in our art.
People can see propaganda coming from miles away. Propaganda is no fun. There can be no engagement with propaganda. Sadly most Christian novels reek of it. To illustrate this by analogy, think of some of the most popular contemporary Christian music. If you dislike it, what is it about the music that makes you reach for the stop button? Perhaps it’s the fact that when you played a few songs on the album you immediately thought, “Hey, this sounds a lot like [insert the latest Top-40 hit here].” It’s a copy of a successful formula for its own sake. It’s merely a “baptizing” of so-called “secular music” in order to make it “Christian.” The commandment says, “Do not take the Lord’s name in vain”—perhaps it’s just that the simplistic lyrics consisting of little more than pluralistic theological truisms, oversaturated with phrases like “I love you, Jesus” are failing to do justice to the mystery of the faith. This is true in some Christian books too, I’m afraid. Simplistic approaches to the hellish—and joyous—experiences of human beings (Christians or otherwise) are insulting. It’s dishonest.
The honest reader demands honest writing—honest characters, with honest hardships and real experiences. I’m not interested in what other kind of reader you are, so long as you’re honest. Some Christian readers are not honest. For instance, at the high school I attended many great books were not taught or even banned for using words like “damn” and talking candidly about things like sex. This isn’t being honest. Some people we come across in this world curse—and even more deal with things like sex in their lives. Shocking, huh? What may further shock you is that many of my fellow classmates were lobbying for the bans, not just their parents! Sadly, these are the readers which are dictating the “Christian novel” market. A simple Google search on the topic landed me this result: “The Complete Guide to Writing and Selling the Christian Novel” by Penelope J. Stokes, sold on Amazon.com for just over $10. The demand for this kind of material is fierce. However, this demand further aggravates the problem. As more and more entrepreneurial writers are entering into the so-called “Christian novel” market, and more and more publishers, hoping to capitalize on the craze, publish them, the chances of poor literature being placed on the bookshelves of Christian bookstores increases
substantially.
But more than good writing, it’s honesty I demand in a writer. If you want to write Christian novels, do so, but do so without proselytizing. We live in a culture of advertisement, a culture of propaganda. The last thing the mature reader wants is the literary equivalent of an advertisement. Shock the reader, for he or she might be dead to life. Does violence and perversion shock us anymore? For many of us, sadly, the answer is no. Find new ways to shock. Do not sanitize the real world anymore than you would sanitize the Gospel. Flannery O’Connor, a marvelous 20th century Christian writer says, “The fact is that the materials of the fiction writer are the humblest. Fiction is about everything human and we are made out of dust, and if you scorn getting yourself dusty, then you shouldn’t try to write fiction. It’s not a grand enough job for you.” So, unless Christian writers begin again to shed their Puritan skin and tell their shocking stories—stories of characters who are more real to us than even the real people we know and love—protagonists like Nicolae will unfortunately be all that’s left behind.
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