When I was in middle school, I tried to write my first piece of “Christian fiction.” It was an allegory, which was (very transparently) about my atheist friend finding God. I gave a copy to that friend, hoping that in some metaphysical way it would help her better understand the nature of God. Her immediate response was, “Yikes!” – Definitely not the praise middle-school-me had hoped for! I learned very quickly that using fiction as a tool to convert my friend was not the way to write well, nor did it effectively express my faith.
The idea of “Christian fiction” can and should be about much more than evangelism. Writing is about expressing the deepest elements of the human soul, and what could be more profound than expressing what it’s like to experience God? As Christian writers, we are given an opportunity to express our faith through what we write. But, how do we do this in a way that inspires a “Yay!” and not a “Yikes!” from the world?
Some writers choose to reflect their faith in themes of virtue, sacrifice, and the experience of God without actively endeavoring to create a piece of “Christian writing.” When Christian author Veronica Roth wrote the popular Divergent series, she made no secret of her faith, including a thank you to God in her acknowledgements, but did not construct her work to be “Christian fiction.” Instead, she made an effort to present her main character Tris’s questions about God as honestly as possible. In an interview with USA Today, Roth stated,
“I wanted to be true to the teenage experience, which often involves a lot of consideration about existence and about God and even whether you believe in a God or not. I didn’t feel that Tris would be a real person unless she considered those things … My opinions don’t really bleed onto the page, but the things that I think about she also thinks about. I just try to make it as honest and real as possible.”
Others speak Christ-like encouragement into specific contexts, using the symbolic language of their audience. One of the earliest examples of “Christian fiction” is a musical play written in 1157, called Ordo Virtutum (The Way of the Virtues). It was written to encourage solidarity among a group of nuns, who had just moved to a new location together. Personifications of different virtues encourage and fight for an unnamed Soul, who learns to overcome the Devil in Christ. Even though it was written for a very specific context, the universal experience of virtue and victory in Christ continues to resonate with audiences today. The very specificity of the work actually creates its universality.
Our opportunities as Christian writers are vast – as vast as creativity itself. Whether we choose to be explicit in our faith when we write or not, incorporating both honesty and specificity into our writing breathes a special kind of life into it. If I could tell my middle school self anything, it would be this:
Be true to your own experience of God and speak your audience’s language. Don’t worry about creating a specific response – create a specific experience!
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Maggie Langdon graduated summa cum laude from Concordia University Irvine in 2014 with a major in international studies and a minor in creative writing. As an undergrad, she served as section editor for the Concordia Courier, co-editor of the Aerie, and the periodic president of the poetry club. After graduation, she worked as a technical editor for an engineering firm. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Theology at Concordia University Irvine and remains involved on campus with the Master’s Chorale.