Christian Themes in Fiction

One of my students just completed an independent study with me focused on Christian themes in classic literature. I asked him if I could share with you his final analysis. And he said yes:

Christian Themes in Fiction
By Jared Binder

Creative Christians enjoy looking for new ways to express old truths. In our zeal we try Looking for God in Harry Potter, Finding God in the Lord of the Rings, and even examining The Gospel According to Dr. Seuss. Exploring Christian themes in literature is all well and good. The problem comes when we rip these themes out of their proper context. Like the child who licks the frosting off the Mini-Wheat and throws the rest away, we’re far more delighted to discuss the themes we’ve discovered than the story itself. But the message was not meant to exist apart from the story any more than the heart was meant to function apart from the body.

“The gospel itself may be made harsh by precepts void of warm narrative. In spite of the fact that the Bible is filled with parables and stories, our zeal to evangelize and to encounter secular cultures with moral reform has shackled evangelicals to deadening presuppositions. The presuppositions do not kill because they are false (they are indeed true) but because they strip away mystery and process — the very ingredients of a good story.”[i]

I like Calvin Miller’s idea here of mystery and process. A good story does not simply provide us with a cold precept — do not commit adultery. A story gives us a world to explore an idea in, room to experience its mystery, and time to process it. Good stories show far more than they tell. They provide us with an experience of truth. We don’t read about grace in The Idiot; we have an encounter with it in the person of Prince Myshkin.

Many Christian writers write their books in reverse. By that I mean that the writer will think of a theme or truth which he or she wants to communicate. Then the writer will craft a story based on that theme. The characters, plot, and setting, all exist to allow the writer to communicate the agenda. This method has things backwards. The message should not give birth to the story. The story gives birth to the message.[ii] C.S. Lewis explains how he wrote The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

“Some people seem to think I began by asking myself how I could say something about Christianity to children …. I couldn’t write in that way at all. Everything began with images; a faun carrying an umbrella, a queen on a sledge, a magnificent lion. At first there wasn’t even anything Christian about them; that element pushed in of its own accord.”[iii]

One reason, among others, I believe The Shack will fail to become a classic is because it feels as though the writer had an agenda in mind and then set out to create a story around it.

So what makes books such as The Scarlet Letter, Anna Karenina, The Idiot, The Divine Comedy, Gilead, Till We Have Faces, and A Tale of Two Cities so good? What makes a book a classic? First, as we’ve discussed, the authors have made the story primary and the message/theme secondary in each of these novels. They show us the truth rather than beating us over the head with it. Second, all of the authors display a mastery of the craft of writing in their work. Poorly written novels rarely hang around very long. Like a new penny in a dung heap, the best of messages will not shine out of shoddy prose.

Third, these authors displayed an unusual degree of psychological insight and produced vibrant, believable, enduring characters. Because of this we can see ourselves or people we know in their characters. This helps to produce a bond between the reader, the book, and its characters.

Fourth, these novels possess universal elements which transcend their time and culture. They still have the power to speak to us and resonate with us today.[iv]

Fifth, and finally, these writers, as Shakespeare said, spoke what they felt not what they ought to say. That is, they were honest. They described life as they saw it not as they would have liked it to be.[v]

_______

[i] Calvin Miller, “Hope in a Doubtful Age” in More than Words, (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2002) 258.
[ii] Penelope J. Stokes says, “One of the greatest temptations for Christian writers is to have a preconceived idea of what great spiritual truths our readers should glean from the work. We desperately want them to understand, and so we set up neon road markers to point the way to the religious ‘themes’ of the novel. ‘Get it?’ we shout. ‘This is the way a Christian is supposed to live!'
"But the purpose of fiction is not to teach a lesson, preach a sermon, convey the message of salvation or set up guidelines for Christlike living. The purpose of fiction is to tell a story. The purpose of reading fiction is to be immersed in the lives and experiences of the characters. Any spiritual insights that take place in the reader happen subliminally, not overtly.”
Penelope J. Stokes, The Complete Guide to Writing and Selling the Christian Novel, (Cincinnati: Writers Digest Books, 1998) 82.
[iii] Lyle W. Dorsett and Marjorie Lamp Mead, eds. C.S. Lewis Letters to Children, (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1985) 6.
[iv] This is by no means a comprehensive or exhaustive list of what makes a book a classic. It merely shows several key elements.
[v] Philip Yancey says, “When I began writing openly about my faith, I concluded that I had only one thing to offer: honesty. I had heard enough church propaganda growing up. I would cling to the stance of a pilgrim, not a propagandist, describing life with God as it actually plays out, not as it is supposed to play out. Philip Yancey, Soul Survivor, (New York: Doubleday, 2001) p.270.

Update

My parents celebrated their 57 year anniversary yesterday. My dad told me tonight that the 58th year has been pretty good so far.

My girl and I heard the Children of the World International Children's Choir this weekend. Wow. We also heard Kay Warren deliver a dramatic message about how her own battles with cancer led to her advocacy for AIDS orphans and others affected by disease.

Let's see. What else? Oh...my husband's car died. We just spent $1,600 fixing it. So something else broke. The mechanics say it isn't worth fixing. It would have been a lot more fun simply to take six $100 dollar bills and torch them.

It's the end of the semester. All the graduates in my classes have turned in their stuff. Now my GTA and I have less than 48 hours to get it all graded and notify the Registrar's office. So why am I updating my blog?

This weekend I am speaking at the Orchard Hills Baptist Church women's retreat until around Saturday noon; then I join the women from my own church for the second half of our church's women's retreat. My former student and good friend Eva Bleeker is speaking and singing. We still have room for more if you live near Dallas and want to come!

I leave for Indianapolis on Monday. The Evangelical Press Association has their board meetings and national convention. I'm in charge of the "issues" track, so I've lined up speakers for the press to hear from on immigration, what an Obama presidency means for the religious community, current issues in medical ethics, and racial reconciliation. Look for some of those topics to show up here within the month.

She's Done It Again

Heather Goodman returns for a second three-minute interview with me about the intersection of art and faith. In today's offering I explore why we need story, not just propositional truth.



You can view the previous one here.

Releasing Worry, Finding Worth

Charles Swindoll and Insight for Living have recently launched a "workbooklet" in their LifeMaps series titled Releasing Worry and Finding Worth as a Woman. And yours truly had a major part in the writing. The truths in the section on worry particularly blessed me during these meltdown economic times. If you struggle with anxiety or your worth--or both--check it out.

Make an Earth-Day Resolution

Yesterday was trash day in our neighborhood, and it disappointed me to see only one blue recycling bag out among all the garbage cans.

Most of us know what we need to do to move toward a more “green” lifestyle. We just need an extra nudge to do it. So here are some tips for going greener that you’ve probably already heard. What do you still need to do?

1. Lower your thermostat in the winter, raise it in the summer.
2. Stop drinking bottled water and opt for a reusable bottle. My niece Heather introduced me to stainless bottles. Now I carry my sky-blue one virtually everywhere. I like it better than the store-bought plastic stuff anyway, because I can put ice in it, so the water’s colder. And as a result, I’m drinking more of the old H-2-0. Always a good thing.
3. Check out your bathroom. Do you have low-flow faucets, showerheads, and toilets?
4. Start a compost pile.
5. Buy/use compact fluorescent light bulbs.
6. Turn off lights and electronics when you leave the room. Unplug your cell phone charger from the wall when not in use. Turn off energy strips and surge protectors overnight.
7. Car pool. Share the ride.
8. Ride a bike.
9. Walk, jog, or run.
10. Go to your local library or buy used books. Old is the new new.
11. Get off junk-mail lists.
12. Buy products that use recyclable materials whenever possible.
13. If you use plastic grocery bags, recycle them for small trashcan liners.
14. Bring your own bags to the grocery store. Given a choice between plastic and paper, opt for paper.

15. Recycle your trash!

What one thing will you resolve to do to get greener?

The Most-Hated Woman in the Bible

It's my day to post at Tapestry, the bible.org women-in-leadership site. So wander on over to read today's entry, in which I talk about the most-hated woman in the Bible.

Mother/Daughter Sunday

My girl and I had quite the day yesterday.

A group at First Baptist Church—Waco just completed a study of the Book of Ruth using my Bible study, Premium Roast with Ruth. So they asked me to drive down (about 90 miles) for a “Meet the Author” potluck night. And since I’d told some of the story of our daughter’s adoption in my book, they wanted to meet her, too. Generally our daughter loathes being in the public eye, but since she heard they’d probably have a dessert table (complete with chocolate), she agreed to come along.

One of the advantages of attending a small church is that our daughter has about as much interaction with people my age and older as she does with her own peer group. And last night I loved watching her talk easily with a wide cross-section of delightful grown-ups.

The group presented me with a gift bag, and inside I found a journal with notes from the group members telling me something specific they learned or that benefited them—a wonderfully encouraging touch. And how’s this for a touch of class: They presented my girl with a gift bag, too. Hers held a matching journal. Then when individual readers indicated afterward that they wanted a photo with me, they also motioned for my daughter to get in the shot (she teased them about being the paparazzi).

I’d spoken on Naomi as the female version of Job, and my girl must have listened, because she asked me a question about it on the way home. Plus we both love John Denver, so we cranked up “Thank God I’m a Country Boy" (she is, after all, a fiddle player). I confess we played it no fewer than ten times—in a row—during the drive home through hills covered with bluebonnets and Indian paintbrush in full bloom.

Today we learned she passed the state standardized test for math (not her fave), and she celebrated by dressing up like a character from Tom Sawyer, complete with a straw hat. Never a dull moment around here, let me tell you.

I'm Teaching a Writing Class This Summer

This summer I'm planning to teach creative writing at DTS daily for three weeks (mornings only) in May (except Memorial Day). If you want to write for publication, think about joining a cool group of students and me for an intensive but fun three-week roller coaster ride.

The Big Reversal

If you have not yet seen the footage of Susan Boyle singing on "Britain's Got Talent," do yourself a favor and watch. Now. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

This dowdy "old maid" from Somethingford-upon-somethingshire in rural England is a 47-year-old never-been-kissed woman who keeps company with her cats. As she steps on stage, the audience laughs, giggles, smirks. Until...

You have to see it. A great reminder that we must never judge a book by its cover, a candy by its wrapping, a human by his or her outward appearance. Aren't you glad God sees beyond externals?

Caring for Seniors? FYI

More and more of us in the "sandwich" generation are taking care of parents while we raise our kids. Several years ago, we helped my mother-in-law move from Missouri to Texas so we could keep an eye on her and make sure she got better care. At the time I wish we had known about www.newlifestyles.com. It's a web site where you can plug in your zip code and find info on senior housing, communities, centers, home healthcare, and other resources in your area.

Here's an example of just one of the many things you can learn from them: Some realtors are trained as Seniors Real Estate Specialists. They have gone through training to sensitize them to the unique concerns of senior Americans facing major financial and lifestyle transitions (think relocating, refinancing, and selling the family home). If your home is your life story after 30 years, it can be traumatic to let go, and it helps to have someone sensitive helping you. If you have a web-surfing senior in your life, why not pass along that URL?

P.S. They say 90 is the new 65, and I believe it. My mother-in-law started going out and married her 91-year-old boyfriend once she got settled in a new, welcoming community. He turns 94 this month.

Live Near Waco?

This Sunday evening at 5:30 I'm speaking at First Baptist Church Waco, talking about the Book of Ruth. The event is open to the public, so feel free to join us.

Wordless Wednesday

Hallelujah, He Is Risen!

Where is your sting, O Death?
Where, O Grave, is your victory?

Living Christianly in a Post-Modern Culture

Ruth Haley Barton (female on left) and I were in each other's weddings. Mary DeMuth (female on right) is a dear friend. Put these two sharp women together with some other thinkers and you have the CBE/Christianity Today panel on "Living Christianly in a Post-Christian Culture." Have a look/listen:

Good Friday

As a child, I always thought the word "Good" modifying "Friday" was weird. I mean, the day Jesus suffers and dies and the earth quakes--why call this good? Why not "Dark Friday"? Or "Sad Friday"? Or "The Worst Friday of All"?

Yet today I appreciate the irony. It was the worst of days, it was the best of days.

If God could make even humans killing His Son into what T. S. Eliot referred to as the still point of history, it follows that that same One can also turn all lesser evils into good. Lady Julian of Norwich put it most succinctly: “All shall be well and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.” Her optimism was not positive thinking, but rather a great eschatological hope built on the original Good Friday. What starts out looking bad turns into the greatest event of all time and eternity. In it we see God’s power of “again-making” that renews all things to their Creator’s original “making.”

"It may be Friday, but Sunday's comin'."

The Organized Freelancer

One of my students, who is doing a lot of freelance writing these days, wrote, “I need good advice on organizing myself. I’ve already noticed in the few [queries and articles] I've sent out that I’m not sure who’s on first!” She raised some good questions, included below along with my answers. When writing for periodicals, you can organize yourself a thousand ways. Here’s what works for me:

How do I keep track of what I sent, when I sent it, and what to do next if they refuse it?
To keep up with what went to whom and when, use a 3X5 card for each article you've written and a list of a) if you queried; b) where you sent it; and c) where you'll send it next if publication b. does not buy it. I realize many consider paper passé, but it still works for me.

How do I keep track of deadlines?
To keep up with deadlines, on your Outlook calendar or wherever you configure "bring ups" (I use my AOL calendar), set up a message to flag you at the end of six weeks. Once you receive that message, proceed if you've heard nothing from your query/submission. To proceed, find the related 3X5 card, note the latest development (or lack thereof), and follow whatever suggestion you wrote yourself for where to send it next. Seek to turn articles around quickly (the same day) from rejection pile to “next option.”

How do you organize writers’ guidelines?
I recommend a hard copy file in a notebook for guidelines. Again, I know going with a paper version is "old school," but paper’s so much easier to thumb through than e-files and URLs.

Do you set dates for yourself as to when you desire to be done and keep a schedule of on-going articles?
When I wrote a lot for periodicals, I set deadlines--whether imposed by the publication or by me when I committed to a date in my query. Then I'd put that date on my calendar as the due date. (When I have book deadlines, I put the final date on the calendar, as well as self-imposed deadlines for each chapter.)

How do you organize your “ideas” file?
I keep one, big electronic file that’s instantly searchable. I just need one keyword to find a topic or statistic. If you keep multiple files, you have to remember what file you stored stuff in. And if you keep a hard copy, you can’t search easily.

What do I do about an editor to check out my work (a second set of eyes)? Do I pay someone? Over-use a friendship? Trust myself because there’s nothing else I can do?
Never, ever trust only yourself. The best editors in the world have editors. Find a writer friend who will swap editing services—you read her stuff, she reads yours. When writing for your ministry, ask your board or a portion of it to be your “eyes” on everything that goes out. (Send them your final draft and give them twenty-four hours to get back to you with typos and comments.) If you can't find free folks, pay someone to edit for you.

If the publication I’m submitting to doesn’t require a query letter, how will they know my credentials as a writer?
At the end of every piece you write, include a one-sentence bio:

Jody Willis, MA[BS], is founder and president of Going in Grace Ministries. She holds a master's degree from Dallas Theological Seminary.

Use whatever of your credentials you want to emphasize for the publication/submission.

So, to summarize, I use…

• 3X5 cards for keeping track of submissions.
• An electronic calendar
• A notebook full of guidelines
• An electronic ideas file

Happy organizing!

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Wish I could be there with you tomorrow!








Some great memories I have of you:

. Taking five kids swimming at the Y, even when I was teeny tiny.
. Hearing you sing me to sleep with "Tell me why the stars do shine..." and "When it's springtime in the Rockies."
. Your presence at every concert and graduation ceremony.
. Going camping, even in the rain, and somehow making it fun.
. Helping me make stained-glass windows by ironing crayon shavings inside wax paper, and staying calm even when I got wax all over the ironing board.

And so, so much more. I love you!

What Does "Workers at Home" Really Mean?

In the past I've written about the apostle Paul's ideal that younger women learn how to be "workers at home." If you haven't heard my thoughts, skip on over to the Tapestry blog site, where I explored the idea today.

DART Stations of the Cross

If you live in Dallas and want to incorporate art into your Good Friday experience, consider participating in “DART Stations of the Cross.” Between Mockingbird and Westmoreland lie fourteen DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) rail stations along the red line. And CityGallery plans to use these stations for a citywide Good Friday observance. CityGallery is “an interdisciplinary group of artists, poets, philosophers, theologians, social activists and musicians that uses the city of Dallas as their gallery.” According to the CityGallery blog site, “DART Stations of the Cross explores Good Friday through meditation and mass transit. It is an opportunity to move through the final hours of Jesus’ life and enter into Jesus’ journey — living it, reflecting on it, and seeing how it impacts our life now.”

As a participant, you can either stay on the train or follow a guide to disembark at your leisure for an art experience. At one station, for example, you’ll find art that depicts the scene of Jesus stripped. There you can donate clothes to a nonprofit organization benefiting the needy.

You’ll find the DART Stations of the Cross mediation guide at www.dartstations.blogspot.com starting tomorrow (Wednesday). The event will be fully operational on Good Friday, April 10, between 4 and 8 p.m.

(Thanks to Lesa for tipping me off about this.)

Tough Times for the Magazine Industry

NavPress, the publishing arm of the Colorado Springs based U.S. Navigators, has announced that in light of varied challenges in the publishing industry it will discontinue publication of its two magazines, Discipleship Journal and Pray! NavPress will enhance the DJ and Pray! web presence, making use of the resources available in both magazines’ archives.

“It is no secret that we are all in the midst of some very challenging times in our economy and the publishing industry,” says Michael D. Miller, President of NavPress and Senior Vice President of The Navigators. “Magazine publishing has been hit hard. The Internet has been dealing a blow to print media for years. Then the economic downturn—it was like a one-two punch.”

In addition NavPress is further streamlining its book publishing operations by creating a two-pronged structure, dividing the team into trade publishing and direct publishing groups. Navigator staff members were informed of these developments Friday, April 3, and NavPress is now communicating details with its authors.

My Writing affects My Christianity

Heather Goodman shot a four-minute interview with me about art and theology, including how my writing affects my Christianity. You can view it here.

Quotables

These come from yesterday's New York Times:

"A girl is just not as good as a son. It doesn’t matter how much money you have. If you don’t have a son, you are not as good as other people who have one."
--Su Qingcai, a tea farmer in China who paid $3,500 for a five-year-old boy.

The best way to elevate women, by far, is to educate girls and to give them opportunities to earn income through micro-loans, factory jobs or vocational training. It is sometimes said that the best contraceptive isn’t the pill or the IUD, but education for girls. --Nicholas Kristof in "Pregnant (Again) and Poor"

Palm Sunday

This morning we had a processional of little ones waving palm branches. In the same way that Christmas isn't complete for me until we sing "Silent Night," Palm Sunday--the first day of Holy Week--is incomplete without "Hosanna, Loud Hosanna":




Here's a link to the Palm Sunday meditation I pasted in 2006.

That Sardonic Smile

Sometimes it's fun to learn the origin of words. Check out how Pausanias (Description of Greece 10.17.12-13) says we got "sardonic":

Neither poisonous nor harmless snakes can live in Sardinia, nor yet wolves… Except for one plant the island is free from poisons. This deadly herb is like celery, and they say that those who eat it die laughing. Wherefore Homer, and men after him, call unwholesome laughter sardonic.

"...Hospitality to Strangers"

It was one of those movies that start with a conversation in our living room:

My husband: What's it called?
Me: "The Visitor."
Him: Never heard of it. Where'd you hear about it?
Me: Beats me.
Him: (Blank look.)
Me: Sorry. I don't remember.
Him: Uh. Okay. (Interpretation: Oh, no. Not again.)

I sort of deserved it because the last movie we watched under such circumstances was "Julia" (1979) starring Jane Fonda. Ugh. So what if a couple of folks won academy awards? Sheesh.

So I held my breath as we slid "The Visitor" into the DVD player, nervous that my credibility was on the line.

...and I was vindicated!

In this flick that even my skeptical husband ended up loving (and which you can download and view instantly if you have a Netflix account), widowed professor Walter Vale (Richard Jenkins, in an Oscar-nominated role) discovers an immigrant couple, Tarek (Haaz Sleiman) and Zainab (Danai Gurira), squatting in his Manhattan flat. Not wanting to throw them on the street, he lets them stay for a few days...maybe longer.

In the process of sharing a bathroom with them, he becomes wrapped up in their lives--especially when Tarek gets thrown into a detention center through no fault of his own. Hiam Abbass delivers a brilliant performance as Tarek's mother, who forges an unlikely connection with Walter. Thomas McCarthy won a Best Director Independent Spirit Award for his touching drama.

If you want to see a film that challenges you to wrestle with immigration issues, here's the pick for you. Even better--invite a group to see it with you and hold a spirited discussion afterward.

If you're a writer seeking to master the art of storytelling, watch this one to observe how the screenwriters/producers pull off a brilliant character arc in Walter's character.

Elizabeth Gilbert Gets It

My Synergy-writer-co-leader/friend, Lesa, sent me a link to Ted, where Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat. Pray. Love.) talks about creativity and writing, musing on the radical idea that, instead of the rare person "being" a genius, all of us "have" a genius.

How Fun!

I called my parents today to say hello, and my dad told me he saw one of my books featured in Christianity Today.

What? I knew nothing about it!

But sure enough, I grabbed my April issue and found Sexual Intimacy in Marriage listed on page sixty-three in a sidebar on the top five marriage books. They even called it "Cutrer and Glahn's classic book."

The only thing better than CT featuring it was a cheering parent. Thanks, Dad!

Got Books?

Maybe you're too broke to give much right now. But you can still make a significant contribution in other ways.

Like hosting a used-book drive to benefit prison ministries? Christian Library International is looking for people to do so. And they provide the info you need to host such an event at your church or school or study group. They get the books to the prisonsons; they just need people to collect the books. Here's their info.

Reaching out to the Overcommitted, Highly Caffeinated

Here's a link to the audio of my workshop at Dallas Seminary's Women's Leadership Conference titled "Rx for the Highly Caffeinated, Tech-Savvy, Overcommitted Woman: Trendwatch and Response."

The Lord's Prayer

My friend Robin sent this to me, and the sound of it alarmed my cat. What does he know?

Seaux Good!

Once upon a time, there was a brave, little mouse who loved honor and justice and always told the truth. (Camera zooms in on a rodent.) No, that's not him. That's a rat. And anyone who knows anything, knows there is a big difference between a mouse and a rat. First of all, rats hate the light.

Thus begins the movie version of The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread. The film is adapted from a 2003 Newberry Medal winning children's fantasy book. But don’t let the “kid” part stop you. The teen critic—not to mention the grown-ups—in our home loved this flick.

I first heard about Despereaux from an adult, not a child, who raved about it. A grown woman going on about an animated flick? This I had to see…

Now her behavior makes sense.

In "Despereaux" three unlikely heroes (the best kind) find their fates intertwined with that of a princess. There’s the misfit mouse who prefers reading books to eating them; the malcontent rat who schemes to leave the dungeon; and a bumbling servant girl with ears as pretty as, well, eggplants. The characters are aided by the vocal talents of Matthew Broderick (Despereaux); Dustin Hoffman (Roscuro); the big draw for our daughter, Emma Watson (Princess Pea); Tracey Ullman (Miggery Sow); and Kevin Kline (Andre).

In addition to a compelling story (trust me, it's good), Despereaux's animation visuals may be the best I've ever seen.

And that’s before the bonus features. These include a cool look at the efforts made to help the actors get more “into character.” Plus, we were already fans of Kate DeCamillo after reading Because of Winn-Dixie, so imagine our delight to find the “bonus” interview with her. Writers, check that out.

This one gets two thumbs up. Ms. DeCamillo has done it again, and the producers have presented her story in a way that emphasizes the moral premise without moralizing. Way to geaux!

(Despereaux is due out in DVD and Blu-ray on April 7. If you’re looking for something besides chocolate bunnies to go in the Easter Basket… )

Wordless Wednesday