Why Read Christian Fiction?This website raises two logical questions. First, why read fiction? Second, why read Christian fiction? Both are legitimate areas of discussion and should be answered.Why read fiction? Some have made the argument that all fiction is ultimately pointless. Shouldn't we as Christians be studying just the Truth? Shouldn't we be spending our time spreading the Truth? This can be answered in two ways. First, I contend that leisure itself has a divine purpose, and second, that fiction can be used for more than just leisure. The central theme of the book of Exodus is God's deliverance of His people so that they can rest. God set aside the weekly Sabbath (which literally means rest) for his people. Yes, the Sabbath was primarily a time of worship, but it also establishes that "time out" from work is an important and God-ordained part of our lives. But the Sabbath is based on more than just Exodus: it's based on Creation. Israel was commanded to rest because God Himself rested on the seventh day of creation week (Exodus 20:4). God's rest followed His determination of His creation as "very good" (Gen. 1:31). It was not just an end of His work, but an enjoyment of what He had made. In Proverbs, Wisdom (Christ) is pictured as a craftsman delighting in the world He has made (Prov. 8:30-31). The theme of enjoying all of creation is throughout the Bible. Beyond that, the Bible regards it as a curse for a man to work without being able to enjoy the fruits of his labor (cf. Deut. 28:30; Is. 65:22). Enjoying the fruits of labor is more than just admiring God's Creation. Partying, laughter, and play are included in the Bible as part of God's plan for leisure. Numerous examples exist of God's people partying and celebrating, both for "religious" reasons and "non-religious." When Christ rules the earth, children will play in the streets and at the nest of vipers (Zech. 8:5, Is. 11:7). Of course, leisure must be subject to God's Law, and it should not dominate our lives. There is a time for everything under the sun. "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might." (Ecc. 9:10) We should enjoy our leisure and our work. We are created in the image of God. God Himself is the greatest story-teller of all time. He has woven a historic plot that began in Genesis 1, had its climax at the cross, and has not yet concluded. Because He is a story-teller, so are we. We can never hope to come near His abilities, of course, but there is not a person on earth who has never imagined a story or repeated a story heard from someone else. Stories are a vital part of who we are. It can be far more than just leisure. As the quote at the beginning of this essay points out, they can illustrate the transcendent story that God is telling. They can point us toward the Truth in many ways. Why is the Bible so full of stories? Couldn't God have just given us a textbook? A systematic theology? No. He knew that we would relate more to stories. We learn so much more about the love of God from the story of Hosea, for example, than we do from the simple statement, "God is love." We understand more about the Golden Rule by the story of the Good Samaritan than by just the recitation. We learn much more about what a marital relationship can be from the Song of Soloman than by just reading, "Husbands, love your wives." God knew that He created us to be people of stories. That we would learn from stories. That we would be inspired to create our own stories in imitation of Him. (I could write a much lengthier essay on the importance of reading as it relates to God's Word and the gift of language. Suffice it to say that I believe the best way to absorb any story is through the written word.) So why read Christian fiction? God desires for us to make the best choices in all areas of our life. That includes our leisure activities, in this case: reading. Can we gain insights on God from secular fiction? Yes. However, you'll have to dig much deeper, and quite often, your shovel will be digging through some real garbage. There is no justifiable reason to read that which glorifies what God has called sin. Is all secular fiction to be avoided? No. There are some real jewels out there some powerful stories that, while not necessarily Christian, still reflect great Truth without glorifying evil. In fact, one could make the case, as C.S. Lewis did, that what the world really needs is not necessarily more Christian writers, but writers who happen to be Christians. (The Testament, by John Grisham, is a powerful example of this.) Some have the idea that Christian fiction is nothing more than stories of how people find Christ. I'm sure there's a lot of that available, just as I'm aware that there is a vast amount of Christian romantic fiction which seems to be obsessed with the plot: Christian girl falls for non-Christian guy and manages to convert Him so they can get married and live happily ever after (a somewhat dangerous idea to promote). But there are many more choices out there, ranging from fantasy to thrillers, Westerns to sci-fi, and so on. Part of what this website is about is sifting through to find the best. Good Christian fiction can both fulfill our need for good stories and leisure and reinforce our life in Christ. It can inspire and thrill us for the right reasons. That's why I read it, anyway. Check out the reviews and see if you agree with me. |
