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<\/figure>\n\n\n\n(Note: This post is an introduction to the next one, where we will study what the Bible\u2019s example can teach us.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before we get into anything else, we need to answer the question, \u201cShould<\/em> Christians include their faith in their works?\u201d Of course, most authors who call themselves Christians will immediately say yes to this. However, the evidence says otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Generally, there are two types of Christian authors. The first type writes a poor-quality story with perhaps good potential, then they stick their faith in wherever it\u2019ll stay. This type of author is the reason why some people dislike the Christian genre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The second type of Christian author is the one who sees the poor quality of the first author\u2019s works, shudders at it, and runs as far away from it as he can. The result is that he writes a book that may be good quality, but includes either no mention of God, or an incredibly vague and nebulous message that you will find only if you read carefully between the lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, I will say that not all Christian authors are like this\u2026 there are definitely some gems out there. But the large majority of Christian authors I\u2019ve read fall into one of these two categories. So, without further ado, let\u2019s address the problems both types of authors present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To those who hide their faith (or at least water down), I would say that our purpose in life is to glorify God. Not just in church, not just during personal devotions, but all the time. This includes our writing time. We as writers hold a position of influence that we must use wisely. And as Christians, what better message could we share than the gospel of Jesus Christ?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Inevitably, writing from a Christian viewpoint means that you will most likely never be on the New York Times bestsellers list, nor will you earn huge wads of cash from our books. But who knows? Perhaps God will use your book to change someone\u2019s heart. And even if that\u2019s all it ever does, I believe it will be worth it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you believe God has called you to be an author\u2014either full- or part-time\u2014there should be no question as to whether or not you will include your faith in your writing. Rather, it should be a natural thing that flows directly from your heart. Our worldview extends beyond those things that people deem \u201cspiritual.\u201d It should affect our entire life, and that includes our writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then there is the Christian author who throws their faith in wherever it will fit and thinks that\u2019s good enough. This is the poor quality often pointed out by critics of the Christian fiction genre. And, to be honest, these critics have some valid concerns. Just because we have the right viewpoint doesn\u2019t excuse us from not doing our best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So here are several mistakes that many Christian authors make:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. Sticking God in as an afterthought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So many authors will throw in a scripture verse, sermon, or Christian character into their story somewhere to \u201cspiritualize\u201d it. While it\u2019s better than not including their faith at all, it\u2019s still a far cry from good quality Christian fiction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When Christ is the foundation of your life, shouldn\u2019t He also be the foundation of your books? So, instead sprinkling some Jesus over the top of your story, I suggest starting with Him. This will enable you to weave God\u2019s truths into your stories in an effective and natural way. (More on this technique next time.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Everything turns out alright as long as you trust God<\/p>\n\n\n\n While this is ultimately true, some things will not be made right until Heaven. Don\u2019t get me wrong\u2026 my books have happy endings, but you can be sure that my MC won\u2019t get them until they\u2019ve gone through plenty of trials. And, even then, the Resolution may still have a bittersweet tinge to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For this point, we have two examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n One is the movie, \u201cFacing the Giants.\u201d While there are definitely some memorable moments in this movie, there\u2019s one thing it got wrong. Basically, when the characters decided to trust God, things magically seemed to get better. That\u2019s just not how it is with God. Now, He does bless us, but sometimes He chooses not to. We have to be careful as writers not to portray an unrealistic view of God in our happy endings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A movie that got this right is \u201cWoodlawn.\u201d While I wouldn\u2019t agree with all of the doctrine in this movie, the plot-line is an awesome example of how God\u2019s plans sometimes differ from ours. (And keep an eye out for one of the key moments in \u201cWoodlawn\u201d that would have made \u201cFacing the Giants\u201d a whole lot better.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. Unsaved people are always the bad guys, and the Christians are always goody-two-shoe Flat Arcs<\/p>\n\n\n\n Okay, yes, Christians have the power of the Holy Spirit in them, and they should look different from the world. But the truth is, we all sin. And to have every single Christian character be a Flat Arc (more about this in our Writing Tips series) is pretty unrealistic. Also, even though God sees it as filthy rags, unsaved people do <\/em>sometimes do \u201cgood\u201d things. The world is not black and white\u2026 no one is perfect aside from God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While you should make sure there\u2019s a distinction between the unsaved and the Christians, remember that an unsaved character can<\/em> do an act of kindness, and a Christian character can<\/em> struggle with sin. Just make sure to properly distinguish between right and wrong. The point is not to make everything vague\u2014rather, it\u2019s showing the audience a clear example of real-world problems so that you can point them to Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. Ultimately, a great idea (or even a not-so-great idea) is sacrificed for the sake of an easy way out<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is pure laziness. If you\u2019re an unskilled writer\u2026 do research! Read good books, and, above all, keep practicing. If you really want to learn, you will learn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And if you are <\/em>a skilled writer, you should seek to do your best in your work. I\u2019m not saying at all that our writing has to be perfect\u2014indeed, mine is far from it. What I\u2019m saying is that if we truly believe writing is our calling\u2014if we truly want to glorify God\u2014if we truly want to do our best\u2026 our writing would constantly be improving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You might look at this a bit like the sanctification process. Strive for excellence. No, you haven\u2019t obtained yet, and probably none of us are anywhere near that point. But keep learning, researching and writing, and you will find that you\u2019re steadily growing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A couple of things to note before the end of this post. First, I want to say that I have<\/em> read and watched some pretty awesome Christian books and movies. (I\u2019ve got plenty of recommendations if you\u2019re interested.) While the broad representation of the Christian genre is lacking in either quality or message, there are definitely some jewels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Secondly, I realize that we didn\u2019t really get to the Bible analysis part of this topic, but I really wanted to make sure that the problem was understood before we move on to the solution. So next time, Lord willing, we\u2019ll be looking at how to write good-quality Christian fiction, using examples from the Bible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Comment below what your favorite Christian books or movies are!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In this post, we\u2019ll be addressing the topic of Christian writing. 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