1. Good post! Thank you!

  2. Dane Tyler says:

    What’s interesting to me is how often someone like Frank Peretti is gunned down by evangelical Christians, not non-Christians.

    It’s weird – years and years ago, I was part of a counter-cult ministry, and a lot of the people in it decried books like TPD and PTD because of bad theology presented. They said it was anti-Scriptural. And, to a point, I see what they mean.

    On the other hand, it’s fiction. Like the ASPCA getting up in arms because Stephen King writes a book in which a wicked character kicks a dog to death, Christians getting upset with Frank Peretti because he fictionalizes the War Unseen is sort of silly. As I said, I get it – some pretty unbiblical ideas are presented in fiction. But no one takes Paradise Lost as a presentation of truth; why is modern fiction treated with a different level of discernment?

    So, maybe this sort of tightrope is what makes Christian writers strive to really lay out the gospel message when they do?

    I know these things are all reasons I, as a writer, won’t tackle ChristFic. I can’t walk that tightrope, and sound theology doth not good fiction make. I think it takes special ability and talent, and yes, calling, to do that and do it well.

    I’m not he.

    • Agreed.

      I’ll put it this way. I love solid teaching and deplore silly nonsense about spiritual warfare. I’m not sure about the idea of prayer giving angelic warriors “health,” video-game fashion, as a theological concept. I definitely don’t believe demons get similar power boosts by, say, Satanic rituals.

      Those are things that Peretti’s novels includes, yes.

      I would also err far more on the side of “God works His sovereign will” than on the side of “the outcome of events depends on the things you do, including prayer.”

      But the problem is not those speculative, fantastical ideas or themes. The problem is people not understanding that they are fiction and supposed to be fiction. Some readers–including but not limited to folks with a more “charismatic” bent–can’t tell the difference. And according to Gene Veith’s 1998 World magazine interview with Peretti, it was Peretti himself who was alarmed by people taking his fun/fantastical elements as anything else.

      In fact, that misunderstanding by readers is cited as one reason why Peretti chose to stop writing over angel/demon spiritual warfare novels.

      Which I think is a shame. Imagine this premise revisited, with more of the same spectacular spiritual-warfare action and visuals, but also enhanced with the benefit of the author’s experience and learning. Maybe someday!

  3. notleia says:

    One thing that does happen that grinds my gears is when an author just blams an emotional problem with some Jesus and auto-magically fixes it, as if someone turned off the psychology in the room.

    Horribly abusive childhood? JESUS-BLAM, and there’s no need to recover and learn how to cope with emotional scars and their repercussions!

    Marriage problems? JESUS-BLAM, and there’s no need to learn communication or interpersonal skills!

    • That would be annoying, and I have seen examples of that kind of “moralistic prosperity gospel” from nonfiction books and teachers. The solution to that is to recognize that Jesus, not self, is at the center of the universe, and out of love and obedience to Him follow His word rather than made-up feel-good religion.

      However, what Christian novels have you recently read that illustrate this kind of false belief?

      • notleia says:

        Well, for the marriage example I was thinking more of films, specifically Fireproof and what I’ve heard about The War Room, but I remember from the couple of Amish romances I’ve read having the undercurrent of “marry Amish man = happiness even if it isn’t immediate” and “marry English man = quiet miserableness because no holy.”

        The one I was thinking of for abusive childhood was……what’s it….Angel Eyes by some amateur lady. Her Love Interest Dude Character had the standard tragic backstory of childhood of drunken-druggie, abusive parents, but there was pretty much no residual effects. I probably would’ve gotten more detail if I could bring myself to read the sequels, but apparently he goes from abused child to well-adjusted teenager through the power of Jesus-blam. I mean, at least we get a few years for this to have taken place, but it’s still seems sketchy to me.

  4. Lisa says:

    Oh yes, the Jesus-blam. Really  hate that myself. But if you point this out to someone who loves a book in which the “Jesus-blam” happens, you will likely get, “Well, Jesus COULD heal a person like that, couldn’t He?” Which leaves you nowhere to go except to hide under a blanket because perhaps YOU are suffering from that same emotional or life problem that the character faced and Jesus hasn’t done any BLAM over you, so you must be deficient, somehow, right?

    Another thing that drives me bonkers is the “talky God” syndrome. Characters that constantly have God talking to them in every situation in their lives, like, Don’t worry beloved, you are mine.

    How many people does this REALLY happen to? I hope that I’m not the only one that it doesn’t, but I really wonder after I read too many books in which God is providing commentary and encouragement on every thing they do. Again, I want to go hide under a blanket because something must be wrong with me, right?

     

     

    • Don’t worry beloved, you are mine.

      How many people does this REALLY happen to? I hope that I’m not the only one that it doesn’t, but I really wonder after I read too many books in which God is providing commentary and encouragement on every thing they do. Again, I want to go hide under a blanket because something must be wrong with me, right?

      That must be because you haven’t “trained” well enough to hear His voice …

      Which of course is a bit of a problem, because the whole “training” notion isn’t Scriptural and in fact leads to a lot of hurt and wackiness.

      Ordinarily I would not mind this notion in fiction. But again, the problem is that if it’s put in there, it’s put in there as a kind of wish fulfillment or effort to show “reality” as we imagine it should/could be. Of course I haven’t seen this in specific novels, at least not that I can remember. Do you mind citing examples — either fantastical Christian ones or otherwise?

What do you think?