What Kind of Christian Writer are You?

As everyone knows, there are only 10 kinds of people in this world--those who understand binary, and those who don't.

Now if you don’t get it, then you know which group you’re in.  If you do get it, though, think about it a moment. There's a lot of truth in that joke, most of all that it’s rather foolish to group 6 billion unique individuals into any number of groups smaller than, well, about 6 billion. The terminology will always be too limited, and what one person sees as 10 might be 2 to another, depending on the perspective and the frame of reference. But it would still be futile, even if our frail language could produce enough definitive labels, because the closer you look at an individual person, the less neatly he or she will fit into any broad category.

It’s the same with fiction writers. Even--believe it or not--with writers of “Christian Fiction.” So let that be my disclaimer that this post is not an attempt to set up some kind of hierarchy of the 2 or 3 or 28 kinds of “Christian writer.” Instead, I'm going to deal with the only two types I know I can write about with any authority: the kind I used to be and the kind I am now. 

The awful, painful truth is that the kind of fiction writer I used to be can very closely be compared to this guy.

Now, maybe you think I'm exaggerating or being too hard on myself. Trust me. I'm not. I mean you really should have seen me back then, swelling with certainty and self-righteousness and the overbearing weight of my "ministry." Back then, I was the kind of writer I now call The Prophet. You know this type. There are many, many still out there. This is the writer whose primary purpose in putting pen to paper--even when writing fiction--is to convey some critical message that will, ultimately, fulfill the Great Commission. Often, The Prophet believes the message has come through some direct or indirect revelation from God. And maybe it has. I don't know. 

What I do know is that it didn't work for me. At least not after I realized that the only way to make disciples of Christ is to get involved in people's lives. Writing, no matter how well executed, no matter how pertinent the message, cannot accomplish this. Just imagine how different things would be if Jesus had not walked and ate and drank with his disciples, but merely wrote them letters from the comfort of his own home. I bet those fishermen and tax collectors wouldn't have stuck with the program for two weeks, much less become the men who would later turn the world upside down.

When I came to realize that what I was actually doing through my fiction was trying to fulfill this mandate without actually having to deal with people, I had to re-examine my "writing ministry." And at the root of it all I found a kind of laziness bordering on rebellion.

God said, "Go."

I said, "Nah, I'll stay here and send telegrams."

But even if my motives had been pure, there are still problems with The Prophet approach to fiction writing. For one, I don't believe the medium of fiction is even capable of accomplishing what The Prophet expects it to do. Trying to make a story preach a sermon is asking it to lift more weight than it can handle. The focused strain towards theme--merely one element of a good story--will inevitably begin to tear the muscles and sinew of the narrative, and the story-dream will collapse under the weight of the message. We know, of course, that Jesus was a story-teller. But the stories he told were used as illustrations for his sermons. If Jesus had told only stories, we would have a much different faith than the one we have now, because every word spoken by Christ would be open to literary interpretation. And The Prophet may be disappointed to learn that, no matter how carefully he has planned out his message, his fiction will also be subject to this kind of interpretation.

I do believe there is a place in Christian literature for The Prophet, and even a legitimate need for him. But I don't think that place is in fiction. And when this kind of writer steps into the realm of fiction, it's hard for me to trust him. When I walk through the door of a museum, I don't expect it to open into a lecture hall. And when I pick up a novel, I don't want a sermon. The "art" of The Prophet so obviously (whether he realizes it or not) takes a back seat to message and theme, and it seems to me dishonest for an author to pass himself off as a fiction writer when his real ambition is to preach. In short, he's out of his league (just as I was twelve years ago).

Imagine you're interviewing construction contractors to build your long-awaited dream home, and you come across one who makes it clear that his area of expertise is telephone-line installation. He considers himself, first and foremost, a facilitator of messages, and his main concern is getting those lines installed. He may be very good at this. He may be the best telephone installer in the world. But would you hire this guy to build your house?

Of course not. You don't want just a phone. You want a house with walls, a roof, plumbing that doesn't leak, a solid foundation. Is the telephone important? Sure. Do you want one in your house? Absolutely!  But fiction, like a house, is a complicated thing made up of several elements and systems. Once we get beyond third grade, we expect more from a story than theme, or message, or the "moral of the story." And we don't want to sit through 400 pages of moralizing from someone who should probably just drop the act and find a pulpit.

But all complaining aside, that was me. That's the kind of Christian writer I used to be.

Next time, I'm going to talk about the kind of writer I am now. . . or at least the kind I hope to be.

Comments

[J. Mark Bertrand]

So Chris, does this mean you take back all the trash you talked about Hugo Chavez? :)

Seriously, the thing I wonder is, what made you give up on the old approach? I'm happy for the change, but I'm curious if there was a single epiphany or if it was more of a creeping realization. I sense that, in response to experiences like yours, there are folks who feel driven to cling even more tenaciously to the writing-as-ministry conviction, which they see as a wonderful thing that's being prematurely abandoned. Maybe knowing more about how you turned the corner would help them appreciate the change.

[Melissa Marsh]

Fascinating post, Chris. I've had a bit of a struggle to define myself as a Christian writer for a few reasons. One, I don't want to just reach Christians, but Christians are, for the most part, the only people that buy Christian fiction. Two, I don't want to be constrained by the rules and regulations of the CBA. I want to write realistic, Christian-based fiction. I'm still trying to determine what type of Christian writer I am - a Christian who writes secular fiction (which my current novel is) or a Christian writer who writes Christian fiction (my last finished novel is an inspirational historical). In the end, can I be both and still be true to my faith? I'm still pondering that one. :-)

[Madison RIchards]

Great post Chris! Excellent analogies and wonderful fodder for discussion. Wish we were all together in a coffee shop for this one instead of scattered across the globe!

Thanks for sharing your heart. Looking forward to the next installment!

[mike duran]

This is terrific stuff, Chris! I'm guessing your observations about the disjunction between preaching and "making disciples" is key to our perspective as writers. "Christian fiction," by definition, has to be "Christian" enough, or it's just fiction. We've come to believe that the "message" is what makes it Christian enough. Yet if the overarching objective of the Christian author is to "get the message across," then won't they inevitably see themself as a Preacher or Prophet? I think you're right that our view of The Great Commission and the process of disciple-making is at the heart of our current misunderstandings regarding Christian fiction. Thanks for the thought-provoking post!

[Deborah Gyapong]

Chris...great points. I agree. We can't ignore the art of the story.

But so often the pendulum can swing in a direction where people say, okay, then I'll take out any explicit Christian content.

I'll be most interested to read your next installment. It has me thinking, too, about what kind of Christian writer I am and about certainty.

Got to get back to my journalism, but I wish I could linger longer for more discussion.

You are a great addition to this community!

Deb

[Nicole]

While I understand your distaste for "the prophet" in fiction--or at least how you define it--I'm not sure in the almost 200 various CBA novels I've read by a variety of authors, both bestselling and not no well sold, that I've encountered the kind you disdain here.

A story does "preach" something, erupting from the inspiration of its author, however that comes to an individual. It might be emptiness, lust, self-indulgence, or a closeness to Jesus, but it sermonizes about something. The characters in a story better resonate as real and have their lives speak of something whether desolation or devotion.

Believe it or not, some Christian authors who've written about such things as adultery, rape, divorce, and addictions in story form with the inclusion of the gospel "rescue" for one or some of their characters without tidy endings of happily ever after results are "preaching" without a pulpit and fulfilling a part of the Great Commission, effectively entering the lives of their readers as well as those they engage in life on a daily basis.

Perhaps I'm reading you wrong, but you seem to imply that to include an evangelical theme within a story cannot be done with any craftsmanship or writing skill that would measure up to a level or standard you consider "worthy" of good literature.

I'm not judging your analysis as wrong or inaccurate. Perhaps I just disagree with your definition/premise.

[Angie Poole]

Chris,

Loved this post. And I'm there with you. I tried to write those stories too, contorted my stories into all kinds of gymnastic poses and just ended up with cramps when it came time to write the next one.

Long and short of it was: I couldn't fake it any more.

My faith walk has been messy. While I don't get cut and dried epiphanies, I get glimpses that make me think--make me see if it's just for a second of peaceful understanding.

I'll take those glimpses. And with grace, I'll write them.

[Michelle Pendergrass]

Damn. And I thought I'd get a sermon today.

[Dee Stewart]

Hi, Chris. I enjoyed reading your journey. However, this discussion of writing ministry vs writing as art won't stop, because so many Christians--for some odd reason- expect to hear the Word in a word. Or maybe it's my culture.

We tend to think if you managed to get a book deal, then God has called you to do more than just tell a story. In the same vein, I think that we, writers have a fall sense of need. We need to be more than His Artist. Our works have to do more than just glorify God. And that's sad, because it means that society is pulling us away from being who we were meant to be.

Yet on another note, more similiar to Deborah and probably Mike's thoughts. . . Is that although are works aren't prophetic or sermonettes they should still edify the Body o f Christ. Lately I've read interviews from Christian authors who have stated that there intention is to hide Christ in their stories. I think that is an absurd task, and if God was in their story, then because of who He is Christ could never be hidden.

We don't have to hide our faith to write compelling stories. Like you said we need to write our stories for story sake. Since Christ is within us, supernaturally He will shine through anyway. And . . . supernaturally the things are characters do--bad or good-- will bring the BOC closer and stronger.

[Lisa Boyd]

I just stumbled across this blog and enjoyed your post. I am beginning to write -- or recently have begun to write. I've been arguing with God for a long, long time that no one wants to read what I have to say.

With that, what I pulled from your post is that "The Prophet" tends to get all caught up in preaching the sermon -- explaining things of God -- that they forget to write about the human side of things. Maybe "The Prophet" concentrates too much on the underlying truths than the illustrations like Jesus used -- ones that people could relate to and understand.

I appreciate this explanation as I have been struggling with what I'm going to write. Initially I thought it's going to be my ministry so writing non-fiction type stuff (articles, devotions, books, etc.). Now I think God may just want me to write some fiction in there as well.

[Nathan Knapp]

A little (very!) late reading this, but what a great post. Very thought provoking and some very good points here, Christ. Can't wait for the next installment.