The Misunderstood Power of Christian Art: Part 3

I’m the person who skips through the ‘preachy’ sections, searching for the part where the romance and adventure begins again. I’m the person who sighs heavily when the beleaguered protagonist falls to his knees. I’m the one who rants on demand about how I can’t stand God’s Not Dead. But why?

In Separating the Pulpit from the Novelist’s Pen, I talked about the notion that novels and movies must contain sermons and ‘lessons’. I’ve often felt guilty for not relating to these parts. I DO believe those sermons, right? I do believe that God isn’t dead, and that faith is rational. Heck, I’m a homeschooled, choir singing, Sunday School teaching Christian nice girl.

Meanwhile, I’ve been writing stories with curses, clones, clandestine romance, gladiator-like fighters and zombies. I toy with profanity, and dance in the grey areas between darkness and light. True, wisdom often dictates that I go back and censor myself, but eventually I had to decide that there isn’t something wrong with me. I was just called to something different.

I am convinced that each artist must fulfill the role that only they can fill–be it in the genre of Christian fiction, or in the mainstream genres. And mainstream is where I belong.

The Box Opened and I Jumped Out

I expect that Christian fiction, as an industry, was developed to provide a clean alternative to mainstream book genres. This is certainly needed, because what passes as a ‘romance’ novel these days is more like soft-core pornography in written form. Even genres that are not pegged as romantic contain a lot of this material. Furthermore, the cynicism and nihilism present there might be useful to provoke thought, but as a regular diet it is not beneficial. Essentially, the mainstream lacks truth.

However, in our efforts to provide an acceptable alternative, I feel we have created a sanitary little ghetto that we dare not poke our heads out of. We keep to the basic basic plot of mission, failure, wise sermon, repentance, miraculous victory and positive resolution. We recoil at the mention of sex, wash the blood out of our violence, and skirt wide around vulgar language.

That’s not wrong, but I don’t like it.

In the genre of speculative fiction, writing becomes even more tricky. Draw in clones, immortal characters, or magic and theology is no longer straightforward. Christian authors begin day-long debates over if clones can have souls, if magic can be attributed to the Holy Spirit, or if granting characters immortality is unbiblical.

“But immortal people don’t even exist!” I say, “Suspend the theology for a second.”

So I guess you could say I left the genre to get out of the box. I want to honour God, make no mistake, but I need the artistic freedom to tell a story without having to check off the boxes or screen it through a certain size of filter. As I said in the first part of The Misunderstood Power of Christian Art, censorship should come from wisdom or conviction–not out of fear of what people will say. To tell a story I have to go places that are uncomfortable. I make no apologies for that. Sometimes one must look past the surface actions and words, and look at the ideas and feelings being imparted, and the questions that may be raised.

The Mainstream Isn’t in the Christian Aisle

The clean offerings of the Christian genre are an excellent alternative for Christians, but are they effective in outreach? Are mainstream readers buying Christian books? Some are, perhaps, but for the most part ‘religious stuff’ is unintelligible to them, and ‘Christian’ isn’t a keyword they are searching for.

Christians have their books, their truth. Who will tell the truth to unbelievers? I want to.

So many blogs are spreading gossip, spewing vitriol and cynicism. I want mine to be positive, speaking hope about personal change and good relationships. The shelves are full of books that glorify violence, sex, self-indulgence and manipulation. I want mine to be about purpose, integrity in adversity, hope and sacrificial love.

I want to tell the truth in a world of lies.

The First Seed

I see my role as preparatory. My generation neither knows, nor respects the Bible. Their gospel is tolerance, and ‘awareness’ is their salvation. If I quote chapter and verse, I might as well be quoting Dickens.

But do they have a purpose to life? Are they fulfilled? Does their life have a foundation? I once asked a coworker, about my age and an atheist, what he based his life on. He had no idea. I don’t think he’d considered this.

That is precisely the kind of question I’d like to raise. I want to be the salter of the oats, so to speak. Or at very least, provide a good story that is full of good principles, not lies.

Missional Media

In the past, authors reached the world through a publishing company. But in this age of the independent author (indie), the writer engages and markets through social media. The reader might stumble across my book, but just as likely they will meet me first. I may start a conversation with them on Twitter. They may read my blog. I may have met them on Facebook and connected over a shared interest. Writing is increasingly ‘missional’ that way. I go to them.

Therefore, what I DO is just as important as what I say. Make no mistake. I cannot sit in my basement (as if a third floor apartment could have a basement… but I digress) and write. I have to genuinely care about people, wade into the stream of social media, notice, encourage, speak out. I can’t claim to be good at this, but the potential in it is breathtaking.

To Conclude the Series

Christian art is a nebulous thing, if my wobbly definition can be trusted. But though it’s hard to pin down, we cannot fear it. It is the primary medium by which my generation absorbs information. Who better than Christian artists to reach them–especially the young artists. They understand the technology, the language, the cultural references. They are the ‘indigenous missionaries’ of North America. They shouldn’t be minimized, or forced to conform. Rather, empower them to produce the best music, film and literature they can–full of grace and truth. And encourage them to take it to as many people as they can.

The Misunderstood Power of Christian Art: Part 1

The Misunderstood Power of Christian Art: Part 2

Stereotyping and one-dimensional portrayal of non-Christians

In their review, Plugged’N (part of Focus on the Family) admits,

Pretty much everyone who’s not a Christian in this story is villainized for being mean, abusive, grouchy or narrow-minded. Several such sinners are condemned to either death or terminal illness, as if they’re being punished for their attitudes.

Obviously (the movie implies), if you’re an atheist you’re a jerk. If you’re a Muslim, you’re going to violently kick your daughter out of the house for converting to Christianity.

That’s not a fair portrayal.

The Christians Win in the End (hurray for the good guys!)

Rembert Browne said:

This is a film in which antagonizers of Christianity are strategically given a platform to speak, just so they can be shut down.

If there’s anything that makes people irate about this movie, it is this one. The atheist MUST be shut down, and therefore he cannot be given a true chance to speak. Both sides cannot be argued fairly. Why? Is it because the questions he could ask are too hard to answer?

And what if the protagonist did not win the class over? What if he had given his best defence and was still considered an imbecile? What if he failed his class? Would he be less ‘successful’?

And then, as if to make everything better, everyone ‘becomes a Christian’ in the end.

Rembert Browne again:

So yes, this movie is absurd. It creates a fantasy world in the name of Christianity winning in the end. It positions a David vs. Goliath scenario with the kid who believes in God and the professor who denounces that belief. After losing to the student in the eyes of the student body, the professor has a revelation, gets hit by a car, and decides to give his life to Jesus as he lies in the street, probably dying.

And then we end with a rock concert. What?

Perhaps what disturbs me most about this movie is that as Christians, we could do so much better. It seems to portray unhealthy ways of engaging with our friends, neighbours, coworkers and professors. I would rather see these two ideas promoted:

When engaging others, remember they are people.

It is entirely possible that their views are NOT well thought through, and that their religion (or lack thereof) is based on a shaky foundation. But assume that it isn’t. For the sake of their dignity as a human and an image-bearer of God, take the time to hear them out. Get to the root. What do they really believe, and what led them there?

Ravi Zacharias, Christian author and apologist, said that one of the most important qualities of an apologist is humility, and it takes humility to listen, risking that the other may have a good point to make.

Winning is not the point

There is no shame in bowing out gracefully, and there is no shame in being out-gunned. Learn from it. If you can’t win the crowd over, as long as you have spoken the truth and as long as you have conveyed God’s love and character, consider it a job well done.

I recently had a debate with a coworker that dragged on (by email) for almost a month. A professor of mine, who I turned to for advice, urged me that arguing with him was probably not the best method. I disregarded him at first, but I eventually realized that we were getting nowhere, and so in order to preserve the relationship, I bowed out. It felt like caving, honestly, but it was the right thing to do.

Debates, if done well, are extremely useful. If you keep your mind open, and focus on learning instead of winning, they will force you to reconsider what you hold dear–what is truth, and what is just pet idea of yours. In the end, you are likely to walk away stronger (or perhaps with a new viewpoint).

If you are interested to learn how to engage people of other faiths, or defend the Christian worldview, I encourage you to listen to podcasts by Ravi Zacharias, read some of his books, or if possible, see one of his apologists in action. Their simultaneous knowledge and humility is a great example to uphold.

By nature, a movie like this will polarize. I get that. Friends of mine who saw it all loved it, but it was no surprise that IMDB.com was full of vitriolic reviews (from Christian and non-Christian alike).

I expect there were instances where God’s Not Dead inspired thought. Perhaps it stiffened the spine of some. I appreciate the idea: stand up for your faith no matter what. I just wish the movie-makers used a bit more wisdom in how they did it. We, as Christians, are already viewed in stereotypes of hypocrites, bigots and intolerant fools. Let’s not prove them right.