In my quest to find a defintion for Christian Fiction, I knew starting from scratch would be both a waste of time and rather ignorant. Those smarter than I must have looked towards this question before. In Part 2 we examined the contributions of Goulton to the discussion; now we arrive at a place much like a grand shipyard where we see a beautiful vessel taking shape.
Madueme and Barham’s Challenge: “Stories That Gleam Like Lightning”
In the academic journal themelios, Covenant College professors Hans Madueme and Robert Erle Barham articulate the spiritual tension of modern fiction (which they call “cross-pressure”) and the ways Christian Fiction often gives itself just too much distance from the modern reader. Having put forth these, they propose a few goals for Christian storytelling.
Read their piece here; I encourage you to engage with it in its entirety, for if you’ve already read this far and at least browsed Goulton’s piece, you’re really in it now. Might as well get academic. It will give you a full understanding of their quotes below.
Within their sweeping article, we have some phrases which begin to bring a definition of Christian Fiction into focus:
Scripture invites an acceptance of supernatural realities that impinge on mortal life, from dreams and visions to angelic encounters, all of which suggest a world saturated with mystery and wonder.
Since fiction entails a kind of world-building, the Christian fiction we envision represents worlds that engage with this mystery and wonder without the strictures of a naturalistic perspective and the associated spiritual ambivalence.
[…] the outrageous fiction that we are advocating depicts the feel of life revealed in Scripture, including those aspects of life often neglected in contemporary fiction.
Instead of a general list of plot devices, we have a action that fiction can take: depicting the feel of life revealed in Scripture.
Now, here’s a sticking point. What is the life revealed in Scripture, and the feel of it?
If you are a creative of any kind and any skill level, and do not feel inspired by the sweeping work of God in the Bible, I would ask you to consider engaging again with it. The immensity of who God is and what He has done is in there, and you will find it if you seek it.
However, you may already understand what Madueme and Barham say here, and it is a fantastic lampost in the woods. They land on what is quite nearly a definition in another part of their article:
This kind of fiction would dramatize biblical realities, not systematically in a paint-by-numbers way, but rather transmuted according to artistic vision and literary form.
A Definition Of Christian Fiction
Now we have two complementary parts of a defintion:
- “Depicts the life revealed in Scripture”
- “Dramatizes biblical realities, transmuted according to artistic vision and literary form”
Which we may combine to what I propose as our definition, pulled completely from Madueme and Barham:
“Christian Fiction depicts the life revealed in Scripture and dramatizes biblical realities, all transmuted according to artistic vision and literary form.”
I am thankful to Madueme and Barham whose deep consideration on the topic generated their excellent piece in themelios and provided the building blocks for this definition. I have only adapted it from them, and I hope it remains true to their vision. It is a joy to go out into the world seeking a rare treasure that may not even exist, and you find that others have fired up their forge and brought something excellent, beautiful, and helpful from it.
This definition is excellent because it serves well as a qualitative standard to measure fiction against. We may read a work of fiction and ask “Does this depic the life revealed in scripture? Does it dramatize biblical realities? Does it succeed in the transmutation, using the catalysts of artistic vision and literary form?” The most fruitful discussions will begin with questions like these, and end with a few Bibles and a novel open on a table between friends whose understanding of God, literature, and each other has deepened.
This definition is the principle with which we can evaluate the merit of works.
And the Christian Fiction author – myself aspiring among them – may look upon it as they pour words out.
Help me depict the life revealed in Scripture; help me dramatize biblical realities; stir up the artistic vision you have gifted me.
A Note On The Moral Limits Of Content
While our definition should call out specific limits on the content of fiction, our obedience to God does call each author to limits on what they will write. For instance, sex scenes and scenes of grotesque violence should not be present. Not that these things don’t happen among characters, but the author’s eye should not bring these things to the page.
The open question is: what is our standard? What questions or guidelines should be used here?
For now, I’ll suggest a pithy phrase until there is something better: “When in doubt, zoom out.”
If you have uncertainties about what to include, and have conferred with trusted advisors on it, zoom out the point of view for the scene. There are a hundred ways to indicated what happened without showing it specifically; and often, beyond any moral consideration, this ends up being good art when done well.
Barham And Madueme Defined Christian Fiction. Now What?
This definition is a gate. The wide land beyond must be traversed to be understood. You’ll traverse it saying hello to neighbors at the grocery store; in time with the Lord; at funerals and birthday parties; through relocating your family to follow the call of missions, or from a long tenure of Christian service in your hometown.
It takes time to understand “the life revealed in scripture” and “biblical realities.” These categories are vast. I began to write a fourth, explanatory piece regarding the defintion above which is pulled nearly directly from Barham and Madueme. In reviewing their article, however, anything that I wished to expand upon was already addressed in their work. If you see to know more of the intent behind “the life revealed in Scripture” and “biblical realities,” please read their article. They even address the dynamics of the definition across both contemporary fiction (set in the ‘real world’ in our present time or recent past) and science fiction and fantasy.
The dynamics of how the definition works in both contemporary fiction and fantastical settings is worth examination, consideration, and reflection, no matter your reading or writing preference. There are some things contemporary fiction will do with Christian reality that the fantastical genres cannot, since it holds close to the reality of the reader; but when we take the reader to a fantastical place via the imagination, the truths which remain in both genres will gleam with the same light through a different lens.
When experience and reflection are combined through an intentional life in Christ, then the artistic gift transmutes these jewels into new treasures which echo the True Story of God. Let us plant and water by our gifts, that we may take joy in the increase the Lord brings.
I would be glad to hear your thoughts on this piece. Please comment, email me, or blog your response let me know you’ve done so.
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