Imagining A New Fantasy

Imagining A New Fantasy

“Fiction is the lie through which we tell the truth,”

-Albert Camus

Are you a writer? A Christian? Do you wish to incorporate your faith into the literature you write but hesitate at the thought? Is it possible that you hesitate at this thought because you feel like you have to write books within the Christian fiction genre, but that particular genre and the qualities it’s adapted don’t appeal to you as a writer? Perhaps this isn’t your story, but perhaps it is. It is certainly mine. What if we, as writers, don’t have to compromise our vision for the fiction we write to fit a certain mold. What if we challenge the views of modern Christian writing to reach new audiences. Audiences who, perhaps, have never heard about our Savior’s love for them. Audiences who don’t even know how to imagine a love like what Jesus offers. I think about the stories I want to tell of fanciful worlds full of beauty we will never encounter on this earth, and I think about how I want to include my faith in those stories while not making it exclusive to those who share this faith. Imagine with me for a moment, dear brothers and sisters, what that would look like. The fantasy fiction I wish to produce and encourage all of a similar mindset to produce focuses on three aspects: Purposeful engagement of the imagination (aimed towards meditation on the character of God), sound theological teachings, and accessibility beyond Christian audiences.    Ever since I was a small child, I have been transfixed by fantasy. My imagination was often wild, and I need something that would come in and give me a clear direction. I needed something that would promote goodness as my mind could easily venture into dangerous territory. The stories that made the greatest impact will sound predictable for the exact purpose this paper exists: Not only did The Chronicles of Narnia capture my imagination and attention, but they pulled me back time and time again, as a teenager, as an adult, only enriching themselves every time I dove back in. These simple children’s stories astound me by the profound theological truths they carry. It was upon my returns after I gained further knowledge of God that I was left in wonder and was taken even deeper in my relationship with God. These were stories that, before I even knew my God, laid a foundation for how I understood who He was when I was at last brought to a saving knowledge of Him. They still give me new takeaways each time I visit. My experience with these books mirrors many others’ experiences with them. They are often labeled as cliche in the Christian world because of this shared experience and lack of other similar influences. This is just my point. The Chronicles of Narnia, along with the Lord Of The Rings series, are the only fiction books which accomplish this accessible fantasy literature that communicates theology in a way many people respond to. There is a reason these series are so beloved and so impactful and have stayed that way. There are also reasons that the genre of Christian fiction has yet to accomplish what these two classic series have. There is no reason, however, that it has to remain this way.One of the reasons these books are so successful is that they have uniquely captured audiences. The tool of fantasy engages the imagination to use the context of things we have experienced to inform a picture of things we have not. To utilize the imagination in this way, in the context of literature, we use it as a means to open up a space that informs the reader of characteristics of God. The Christian subculture has become defensive against imagination as a theological tool. They do so as an attempt to protect themselves from the claim that Christian faith is merely a fairy tale. Imagination has become viewed as separate from “real life” and from genuine faith. Imagination, however, is essential to connecting deeply with the world around us while also building a meaningful relationship with a God who is surrounded by mystery. The power of imagination goes beyond thoughts and concepts but has scientific implications we need to understand to utilize it properly. Our brains have a hard time processing something they have not experienced. Considering that much of how we experience God is through internal means and experiences, the imagination is a natural fit for engendering a greater understanding.  The neuro-pathways that lend to comprehending the concept of a greater being are created by exposure. By seeking out knowledge about the character of God through the imaginative processes, we begin mapping out these pathways. Ultimately it is through this process that we can come to a better place of recognizing and understanding the greater being of God. If we use our art and creativity to engage this meditation, we begin to teach others to create neural pathways they would not produce on their own. One cannot come to a saving knowledge of God until they can come to an acknowledgment of His existence.    “Trying to describe God is like trying to describe falling in love, and that’s a serious problem for people who doubt that God is real.  It’s also why Christian apologists have such a difficult time reaching those who don’t believe. While believers, when asked to focus on God, demonstrate a rich, elaborate neutral construct, atheists presented with the same request show nothing but neurological frizzle. The unbelieving brain has no God construct, no neurological model for processing spiritual ideas and experiences in a way that feels real. This is why Bible stories and arguments for God’s existence will always sound like nonsense to a skeptic. For the unbeliever, God is truly absent from his and her brain.” (Finding God In The Waves)    So if we, as writers, want to engage these neuro-pathways through fanciful, imaginative writing, we need to know how to do so theologically. We must never abandon our dedication to the study of God’s word. The more our knowledge and understanding of God grows, the more we have to offer our readers. We must approach our writing with the utmost respect to God’s word and base our own words off of those He gave us. God’s word is given to us in literary form rather than a list of facts, rules, and numbers. Jesus taught through parables and analogies. Our God is a God who desires to communicate with us in a way that engages our imagination. Through my personal studying of the Bible and its intended message, I can practically hear the words “picture this” as I enter into a new narrative. In Timothy 6:16 we are told God is a God “no one has ever seen or can see,” which speaks to the confinement we face within our fleshly existence. But in Colossians 3:2 we are told to “set our minds on things above” and in 2 Corinthians 4:18, “ So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal”  We strive to understand and serve a God we will never see in this lifetime. We must engage what we know with what we are continuously learning about Him and try to fathom the implications of all of these things together. We cannot understand who we are meant to be as Christians without continually striving to understand God. Our ability to understand more about Him is deeply connected to our ability to imagine the truths we are taught. As writers, then, we must continuously seek out the truth of scripture in the imaginative pictures we are trying to paint. Similar to what I said earlier, we should always be purposefully incorporating what we are learning in what we are writing. In simultaneously striving for theological excellence and beauty we will draw closer to the starting point of imagination. The One who first imagined so perfectly,  He brought everything out of nothingness.This Christ-centered fantasy can serve as a ministry when we understand the fundamental differences between those who have Christ and those who do not. Those captured by the world are disenchanted and are incapable of meditating upon the idea of God the way those with revelation can (as explained earlier). With all the world a rather dull and dreary stage, it is hard for them to view Christianity as anything different from what they already know and see. If you have yet to be enchanted by the love of God, how can you fathom such a good God even existing? We must invite them to come and see, “to taste and see that the Lord is good” so that they might come to know how good it can really be. What better way to enchant then through a fantasy that is informed out of an understanding of the greatest being who will ever exist. To minister well, we must learn to engage our own imaginations in creating art that carries truth in lovely, vibrant ways. Then we can show the world what truth is in all its splendor and draw in these wanderers that roam all around us.“Imagination is the partner of the intellect. One is not more important than the other; they do different things”. I believe we currently approach imagination and fantasy with strong apprehension. I believe this apprehension is rooted in fear of being judged as forgoing intellect for the sake of belief. Fantasy could be just the way of unifying imagination and intellect as a way that can communicate theology. We gain intellectual knowledge from reading and striving to understand the content of the Bible. If we employ our imagination in our study of the Word of God, we can further equip ourselves to learn more in doing so. Now, what if we apply this pursuit of intellectual and imaginational engagement for theological purposes in the literature we write? Could it be that we add to the work of enchantment which the Bible begins in someone, or that we could help to begin their journey with a fanciful tale that leads them straight to our source of truth? “Reason changes our mind; imagination changes our hearts.” The Word of God has mastered this practice, and I believe it is only natural that we, as Christ-following authors, would seek to follow suit.    We can use fantasy and the literary tool of allegory to share the truths we are called to spread to “all the ends of the earth” while also effectively re-engaging the reader’s imagination. Here again is where I will turn to the Christian fantasies of Lewis and Tolkien who set a great example for us to follow as Christ-following fantasy writers. Granted, both Lewis and Tolkien lived in a time during which Christianity was a bit more normative. To a large degree, this led them to write books for the general public. This allowed them the freedom to focus on the artistry of what they were writing, while also incorporating some of the biblical themes and ideas that had changed their lives. This idea of writing for the general public while still incorporating faith is what I want to encourage writers to strive for. These books were not written as “Christian fiction,” but simply as fantasy and they have accomplished what every book hopes to. They transcend generations; they have withstood the test of time; they have transcended cultures and are read all over the world; they have been taken into the medium of movies and music and are considered classics that almost any parent would read to their child. Millions of people who would likely never pick up a Bible have read the account of Aslan and the stone table that so beautifully mirrors Christ’s loving sacrifice on the cross. People have been captured by the ideas of talking animals, loyal dwarves, evil witches, noble elves and caring fawns for years and years and that isn’t changing any time soon. If you want to teach people to keep their eyes on the unseen in relation to knowing God, isn’t the genre of imagining the impossible a great tool to do so? We grow up on fairy tales; the “happy ending” has become ingrained within us. As we grow older, we have more to put into the experience of reading them; therefore we can take more out of the experience. It only seems natural to use this genre of fantasy, that has largely introduced people to the narrative of good triumphing over evil, to communicate the ultimate victory we have in Christ.When considering writing literature that is accessible beyond a Christian audience, I want us to critically look at the problems the genre of “Christian Fiction” has. Personally, I am turned away by this genre in the ways its fallen prey to consumer ideals just as much of Christian media has. These consumer ideals have shaped the genre into simply being “clean, pg, Christian versions” of successful stories in the mainstream markets. This only makes for cheap imitations that are often viewed as cheesy and overly conservative. One of the largest problems of current literature from a Christian worldview being classified into its own genre is that it has become excluded from other fiction. With everything from advertisement, to content, to sectioning out Christian literature away from other fiction in bookstores, this genre has become exclusive.    The authors of “Christian Fiction” easily fall into making it more “Christian” than Christ-centered, an important distinction. Writers haphazardly throw in language that is normal to those of us who have Christian experience without thinking about how those without that context will receive it. There are concepts and ideas in the writing that are assumed to be known by the reader, leaving anyone without a traditional church background feeling confused and left out. The author’s main concern has become making these books as  “Christian” and moral as possible rather than striving to create art that reflects God. The Christian subgenre is actually preventing success for reaching larger audiences with our message, and its authors have become comfortable and complacent in many ways. For those of us who wish to write outside of this genre, it is important to recognize our problems with it and not fall prey to them ourselves. I’m not saying we need to try to eradicate this genre, rather, let us produce our own stories outside of it. Stories that are written with the purpose of being good stories. Stories that are written as an art form. Stories that are written with personal meaning behind them that strives to connect to its audience. Stories that point to a deeper truth while being written for anyone and everyone.    One last point I feel that needs to be addressed in how we write for a wider audience is the balance that needs to be found. While we should absolutely feel free to write fiction that incorporates our faith without that “Christian” stamp on it, we need to be incredibly purposeful about what we write and communicate. As communicators of the Gospel, we are teachers who, we are told in James 3:1, will be judged more harshly, so we must always put great care into what we are teaching through our writing. If we wish to write literature that honors God, teaches solid biblical theology and engages the imagination in a powerful way, we have to do so with great care and intentionality. There are many incredibly famous authors who have religious backgrounds but don't purposefully engage a deep understanding of faith in their writing.  For instance, I discovered that J.K Rowling has a background in the Protestant church and admittedly believes in a being she calls God, although I have yet to find anywhere where she discusses a personal relationship with Christ. In some of the Harry Potter books, there are several small references to this background. There are even Bible verses on a gravestone heading in one description she gives. However, without the influence of a deeply intentional faith, these references become lost, hidden, and fall flat for communicating the life-changing truth of the Gospel. So, in our writing, we must intentionally mix inclusion with the vulnerability of sharing our faith. We must take care to speak the truth clearly while communicating it in a way that does not make it exclusive.    I’m a dreamer.  Perhaps you are too; maybe we both are true believers in the hope that change can happen. Change, like people slowing down to stop to look, really look, at the world around them and then imagine something more. Change, in rethinking how we as Christian creatives tell our stories. Change, like creating a space for those who wish to write outside of the Christian fiction genre while not abandoning faith in their writing. I hope the audience of people reading books with biblical principles will change because of this new space. I hope we will begin to challenge ourselves to engage our own imagination and creativity to dive into the genre of fantasy. I believe we can lean greater into the aspect of being an image bearer by creating whole new worlds of our own that declare the majesty of our maker. Who will conjure up the next Narnia or Middle-earth? Who will introduce readers to the next Aslan or Gandalf? Will it be you? Will it be me? I believe there are new tales ready to be told full of imagery, analogy or even modern parables that will all serve to glorify the name of God. I believe that a book can make a difference in someone’s life and that books centered around a solid faith, written both for those with faith and without, can minister to people. I believe unbelievers have been moved by Lewis and Tolkien’s writing in a way that left them seeking more and I believe more books can be written to do just that.So my dear kindred spirit, will you join me in this pursuit of creating new tales around the enchanting truth of our Lord and Savior? Let us start to reimagine Christian writing as Christ-centered writing and reach new audiences. Let us teach ourselves to use our imaginations for the noblest pursuit and, in turn, teach the world. For further readingChristian ImaginationC.S Lewis on writing for children