Why I choose to write Christian Fiction rather than Popular Fiction.
Will you Survive the Twelve Question Gauntlet? (at the end)
As I write through the drafts of this Excavatia series of novels, I have come to realize the clarifying purpose of this project and the target audience it was meant for. There are supernatural concepts here that connect to transcendent truths.
1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned.”
This story will require a reader who has the humble capacity for this spiritual discernment, to be able to grasp those deeper concepts. (Titus 2:11-15)
Many creative writing course instructors and published authors warn us to be careful not to narrow our audience for our stories. This admonition holds true for those who identify as faith-based authors who, in turn, are teaching aspiring Christian writers to crossover into the secular market for the purpose of writing stories that uphold traditional values, without being “preachy”.
But just for once, I felt that with these Blog Novels, I needed to part from the conventional wisdom and do something radically different from what other writers are doing. God gives each of us a Purpose for the gifts He implanted within for His Kingdom building.
I head some wise advice, which could be applicable to either a career or a ministry, which was to “find a gap in what is present [in a market or ministry] and fill it.” Deep down, I knew I needed to be true to myself and take practical ownership of my faith in the One who gifted me with this ability. I’d been given the charge to live out my faith authentically and not just try to infuse covert faith in my works. That might be okay for some folk, but I was called to be brave enough to be overt. I wanted it to be clear where these values come from. not left up to a reader’s interpretation or speculation, without being overbearing or highhanded in the delivery. (Luke 12:8, 1 Peter 3:15) There is a balance in all things, but I felt that in an effort not to offend, we believers were too often swinging the pendulum too far, and capitulating to the world’s petulance, hostility and contentious nature over anything they might not agree with. The blinded world serves itself, their own whims and their base nature. They are in effect serving themselves as their own god, and they get offended at anything that might suggest they are not a very good sovereign in their own kingdom. To suggest to any monarch that they are not effective in their own self-rule is going to offend them. Bur God calls us to do that very thing as watchmen on the wall. (See Ezekial 33:2-6)
But in observing this trend of Christians writing for secular markets, I began to notice something that I found to be alarming. Christian readers who wanted to read faith affirming stories that were overtly Christian were getting less and less Christian-devoted literature that challenged them to the boldness that we believers are called to be in a dark and amoral world. Instead we were sending them a distorted message: If you want to be popular and achieve success as a writer/imaginarian, you must tailor your works to appeal to the secular market to get the recognition you earn, and the income you need to sustain your continuing creative efforts. As if God blesses those who compromise, and bow to the world’s sensibilities, over being a bold and unapologetic witness for Him.
I couldn’t ignore a gap that I saw beginning to widen in the works of Christian writers abandoning writing for the Christian market in the hope of appealing to the secular market at large. When did we become averse to having works labeled as “Christian fiction”? In my routine visits to bookstores, I see the shelves marked “Christian fiction” have smaller and smaller inventories, as the faith-writers are having more of their works shelved in the general fiction and YA fiction areas. I realized that this trend was a result of what was the “advised course” given to burgeoning writers who wanted to get into what they may view as a more lucrative market.
As a collector of Christian fiction, I was having more trouble finding well-written “Christian” works, that are admittedly targeting the faith market. If “making money” becomes the goal of an “aspiring” author, to allow them the ability to make a career of their writing, I find it hard to avoid questioning the motivation that might cause one to look to the world for enrichment, rather than Jehovah Jireh, Who, I am told by my bible, “owns the cattle on a thousand hills” (Psalms 1:1-3; 20:4; 37:5; 50:10 & Proverbs 16:1 & 9; 19:21 & Daniel 2:21), and I knew needed to publicly produce something that was bold and identified with my worldview as a Christian.
The world doesn’t just need more moral stories, it needs a clear and unapologetic connection to Jesus (The One True God incarnate). There is no empowerment to do or be authentically good without reference to Him. In fictional world-building, it becomes hard to justify a presentation of good vs. evil, if the Moral Law Giver is absent in that World, or if the role of “creator/lawgiver” is ascribed to some capricious and temperamental “god”, unwilling to sacrifice himself for his creation.
I believe, too often, there are writers who feel the need to be a commercial success to be able to write as a career. I get that. I really do. And I can see how that path may “make sense” to others. There is nothing wrong with writing “moral fiction” shelved among the secular shelves. But for me, and my own path, I believe this first public step in exposing my writing to the world, should be boldly and unapologetically connected with who I am as a Christian. Like Paul wrote to the Roman church, (Romans 1:16), “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ“. I cannot deny The Very One, who inspires creativity within me, and has given me this passion to write works of “faith-in-fiction” for His Namesake. (Matthew 10:33)
I mean, why should I not be identified with the One who brings meaning into everything I do? It strikes me that that kind of “authenticity” SHOULD be shown using the internal and external struggles of a protagonist who must learn to live out his “Kingdom” walk by embracing faith and his own inadequacy over merely trying to do and be heroic in pursuit of a moral goal.
Like so many weary Christians (2 Thessalonians 3:13 & Galatians 6:9-10), I became tired of living in such a way that my faith took a backseat to my quote-unquote “real life” in the secular business world. It is one of the reasons why, I identify with many, if not all, ways with the struggles of my “Main Character” (which shares my first and middle name). It is very humbling to do this, but I am of the opinion that being used as an instrument of God to produce anything “good” should be personally image-conforming to the “yielded instrument” before it can make a difference in the lives of those who read the final works. Especially those works produced in submission to the internal creative flow of The Vine. His (Mister O’Brian) character arc, therefore, shares some similarities with my own personal “image conforming” character arc journey. (Romans 8:29)
As a reader growing up in a home where our faith was central to our lives, I delighted in discovering imaginary lands and exciting characters through books. In a way, I was able, through fiction, to explore concepts and perspectives that are not necessarily as extensively, and emotionally unpacked with non-fiction. Fiction is a rich and expansive world that allows readers to see the multi-faceted faces of an idea, and carry those concepts out to their conclusions without being bound by the limits of empirical, quantifiable, concrete experience. Fiction is the world of concept, with limits only bordered by the reach of an author’s imagination.
So often, “Christian writers” write their fiction with the underlying purpose of evangelizing the lost world. This is why that kind of “Christian” fiction must appeal to a broader audience who do not come to those authors’ stories from a context of belief and faith. Their intent is to lead their readers, through the experiences of relatable characters to the concept of a faith-based worldview, or one that emphasizes a particular faith-based theme or virtue. To me, that is what the main focus of “Christian Fiction” has in many ways “become” nowadays. I understand the need for it, but I also understand that there are those within the Christian community who need something more than just to be “re-evangelized” by a story. A belief in God is not the end of our journey, but the beginning of it. An entrance into a whole new world that, for once and with a biblical worldview, is beginning to make sense.
Jesus didn’t just end His ministry by just converting the lost. He had an ongoing relationship with those He gathered to Himself and a discipleship ministry in which He took these new converts, from being fledgling believers into ones whom He had a personal and daily fellowship with so that they became champions of the faith that they had embraced.
To me, it seems that those who like me grew up having accepted Christ at an early age, do not just need evangelical stories that target the lost world, but stories in which we might be led into what it means to be “being discipled” and strengthened in faith and equipped for supernatural warfare. As believers, since we have identified with Christ, we have essentially declared war on the powers, principalities, and rulers of darkness that the Scriptures say are arrayed against us. (Ephesians 6:12) It is to those believers that I feel are underserved by the Christian community in evangelical fiction, that I write of this fantasy concept of a “faith outworking” journey to Excavatia.
Philippians 2:9-13 says, “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things] under the earth; 11 And [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of [his] good pleasure.”
To me, the concept of “Excavatia” represents a land of possibility where our connection with our returning Savior becomes a physically discernable and fully unifying event. A place where noble aspirations find expression and can be commissioned to charge into the seeming bleakness of a cursed world under the dominion of the Devil and prevail against the gate of Hell. (According to Scripture (The Ancient Text) [Ref. Matthew 16:18], this is the conferred prerogative of the church/kingdom of believers.) We are meant to realize that we are “more than conquerors, through Christ” but too often we do not live out that truth, because we fail to allow the “hidden kingdom” to flow through us freely. Christians seem to acknowledge that concept, but few of us walk boldly in it. The powers of darkness cloud our vision so that we doubt ourselves in our new identity. We are a pile of paradoxes living in a perceived dichotomy between worlds limited by our own perceptions. We readily acknowledge our place in a physical body in a physical place, within a physical universe. And to a lesser extent, we acknowledge that we have a metaphysical existence as a redeemable person reflected as a soul that is destined to take on an incorruptible body that awaits us, upon leaving this physical realm. (Ref. 2 Corinthians 5:1-8) If the enemies of our faith can keep us blinded to the greater reality of our promised destiny, even though we are freed from the bondage of our past, they can keep “those who have escaped into Christ” living within the cages of their former lives, rather than in the liberty that was bought for us by Precious Blood. We must, therefore find our purposes and meaning in the Living Christ, working through us to establish and free a kingdom of believers who do not yet realize what it means to be more than conquerors in their personal lives and their relationships and, yes, even in their dreams of finding their gift expressed in a meaningful and purpose-driven life. This journey, in these stories, is symbolized by the seeking of a mysterious, internal kingdom called “Excavatia”. The Stone Quests are aspects of that progression of carrying the “remaining” virtues to discover that prophesied Kingdom.
Therefore, as narrow as it might be, my target audience is those believers who love the freedom that the field of fictional stories offers, with a chance to look at characters who, imperfect as they are, do share a conviction that life is more meaningful when it is lived in connection to the One whose mind conceived of all things in existence and all things that are yet to be. I want to add yet a few more fantasy tomes to the shrinking shelves labeled Christian fiction in the bookstore with the courage to still stock such works.
I want to plunge into mythology boldly to determine if there is any value in using these constructs to tell us something about the human struggle to understand our lives. I believe ancient cultures, besides those mentioned in the story of faith, were seeking to fill a very human and shared void, when those separated cultures conceived of gods and goddesses, and mythological creatures and circumstances that sought to answer and explain the tragedies and triumphs of the human condition. Though their fictions descended into paganism and took them away from the truth, these did show that in each culture, all the peoples of the earth were commonly seeking answers to the why and meaning of their existence here–The God-shaped void, that others have spoken of.
So yes, my writing in this Blog is overtly identified and rooted in a Christian worldview, for as I see it, that is the only one in which we can find a God who purposed our lives, who specifically crafted us with uniqueness and individuality, unlike anyone else in the world or since time began.
To me, belief in God, and trusting in Jesus as the Savior who offers His life in the place of your is only the beginning.
The Scriptures say:
“19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.” [James 2:19 NLT]
But I want to go beyond the mere belief that even a demon can approximate. I want to explore the implications of that belief and see how those play out through character and story. I want to be able, like my anticipated target audience, to take the journey first as an author. Exploring these concepts through the vehicles of fiction, to find what is lacking in me and what I need to discover in the path of discipleship to be effective in my calling and in the utilization of my gifts.
For me, this is an act of obedience that I must take in response to the buried gift I have hidden in a field for so long. It is time to dig it up and take ownership of it. To “excavate” the talents I have previously buried in fear of failure. To invest my Master’s talents that He gave to me and intended for me to use for Him. To bring forth fruit and those things that come of investing it for His Kingdom and Will.
God owns the cattle on every hill. He makes the plans prosper when they are committed to Him, or fail if they are opposed to Him. He brings the rain that waters the fields of our imaginations.
This then is offered to the believing one, like the young Brian, I once was–The believer who loves fantasy and science fiction and imaginary worlds, and colorful characters, yet feels unsatisfied with drinking from the offerings of a secular fountain, this story is given. It is what I longed for as a youth and what the young man inside of me still wishes he more easily could find in the years that have ensued since. It is another C.S. Lewis-type story employing the canvas of fantasy, to introduce the Lion of Narnia to the world. Another J.R.R. Tolkien to acquaint readers with a Middle Earth land of Hobbits and Fellowships to jointly seek to thwart the power of the cursed one ring that would be employed to subject and imprison all of Middle Earth under the iron rule of Sauron the Sorceror.
In my mind, for the Christian, it is not enough to be admonished from the pulpits of this land to be good and to follow all of the rules in Scripture that will show to the world that we are good Christians. As if that ever worked.
Even if we could live good lives and follow every rule, I don’t think that would bring a single person to faith. Rather, I think it takes something far more powerful than that, that we, with our good works alone, cannot convey.
I think people need to know that there is a God who specifically loves them. That He purposes them to live in the joyful experience of His abundance and be empowered to live a life of meaning and purpose beyond what any one of us could achieve through our feeble efforts alone.
I cannot, though I try with all my might, live the Christian life expected of me. I never could nor never shall be able to. But my weaknesses and inadequacies do I find within do not disqualify my hopes.
It is a calling that requires an intimate and daily fellowship with the Almighty. To discover what it means when He says:
“24 Faithful [is] he that calleth you, who also will do [it].” [1 Thessalonians 5:24 KJV]
I want to explore what that means when He claims that He will also do it.
I think understanding that is worth the effort, and the key to unlocking the power that keeps us from living an empowered life beyond our plans or expectations.
I am no longer satisfied with what I can accomplish by my own willpower alone. I want to find out what it means to become the writer God has called and gifted me to be. I want to live beyond my own abilities and feel His wisdom and Breath infuse this gift of writing with something more than I could have ever dreamed or hoped for.
Whether I am a commercial success or not is irrelevant to me. God raises up what He chooses to bless. I won’t meddle with the responsibilities that are the domain of The Lord of The Harvest. But I do want and hope that this gift to be used to touch and encourage others.
So here are some honest, upfront things to consider before starting this Quest novel:
- If you easily become annoyed by any reference to the Christian Gospel with Jesus Christ as the Virgin-Born, Incarnation of God who came to Earth in Human flesh, then this Blog Novel is not intended for you.
- If you are annoyed by Scripture Verses appearing within the text of a story, and find those irritating and distracting, then this Blog Novel is not intended for you.
- If you expect clean, tight, sentences, punchy dialogue, and pristine prose, then this Blog Novel is not intended for you.
- These Blog Posts are written as a First draft and have seen no editor, or gone through a series of proofreaders before they are published. I write these Chapters raw and as fresh as they come to me. Unkempt and uncombed, as it were. This is not how I would approach creating a novel for print publication, so please do not expect that this will have that level of polish. It won’t. It is raw and unvarnished. If I took an editor’s pen to this draft, you can bet it would bleed with red ink and scratch-throughs.
- If you are easily offended by ill-timed humor or think there is no room in the Christian worldview for speculative or fantasy fiction, then this Blog Novel is not intended for you.
- If you seek an allegory with a precise exactitude correlation of every doctrinal concept presented in Scripture, then this Blog Novel is not intended for you.
- I am an imperfect instrument, prone to make mistakes and I do not strictly create allegorical fiction, but more along the lines of types and shadows of Christian principles are they are revealed to me in my own personal walk with God. I am a mere child in that respect and I do not claim to understand all the mysteries of The Father who leads me into each day’s discoveries.
- There are two worlds presented in this story. The Surface World in which you and I, Dear Reader, live and this Mid-World area with imaginary lands and passages through time and space. My central character invariably will speak of experiences within the Surface World in which we both live and of experiences within the Mid-World. He does this to provide a frame of reference and context for the differences that exist between the two worlds. If this bothers or annoys you, then this Blog Novel is not intended for you.
- The concept of this Blog Novel was intended to be interactive from the beginning, but that only works if there are readers who respond in the comments section of each post. Unfortunately, that concept presupposes a level of engagement with readers that is impractical and unrealistic. Readers want to read, more than they want to write and engage. Also, they may not like where the story goes, or the pace of the story, if it is led from behind rather than from the front. So the comment has been given a specific, more realistic intention. It is open to readers to state what they like or dislike about the story and to encourage them to vote for any of the embedded stories within the context of this Quest story, for development into larger stories. If unprecedented methods of story-telling distract you, then this Blog Novel is not intended for you.
- If you have ever wondered what it is like for an author to produce rough work, in its raw state, before it is washed and cleaned and made more professionally appealing, then this Blog Novel is for you. BUT, if you want to wait for the movie, or the polished, edited, and commercially appealing version, then this Blog Novel is not intended for you.
- If you are inclined to be an Internet Troll and are looking to be profane, vulgar, or vent vitriol, then, then this Blog Novel is not intended for you.
- If you thrive on controversy and being argumentative, or want to berate or belittle these writings, then this Blog Novel is not intended for you. I do not have the time or the patience for it, and will not waste my writing on people who have no interest in any opinion that is not their own.
- If you feel your compulsion is to be the voice of the Holy Spirit to set this crazy writer straight, I should tell you now that that job is already occupied and He needs no assistance. He speaks to me from evidentiary love and a genuine desire to empower me to become more than my human failings. We have a history, so I am inclined to listen to Him more than others who attempt to speak for Him. He knows my name and my current hair count, and he knows the intents of my heart. If this Blog Novel offends that sensibility, talk to Him about me. I’m sure He will relay the messages to me that I need to hear. If that offense continues based on the content of this Novel, then this Blog Novel is not intended for you.
- If you detest Novels that do not follow what you believe to be hard science, and if you demand an explanation and accounting for every loose thread in the tapestry of this story, then this Blog Novel is not intended for you.
So, if you have made it through the 12 intentions list above, ignored the warnings and the exit door signs, and still want to give this Blog Novel a read, I congratulate you for your bravery and intrepid sense of adventure.
Set aside your disbelief for a moment. Grab the torch there. Ignite it with a spark of imagination and read on…
C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien commentary video on Primary and Secondary Belief in Myth and Faerie Stories (Fantasy) akin to the True Myth of the First Storyteller.
Excavatia 