. . . is not necessarily the writer in me. Okay. You knew that. But think about it. Somewhere within the mindset of Christian readers and some writers, many expect and impose their preferences on the rest of us. The question is why?
If you're a parent, you know how different your children can be. What works to establish boundaries for one child produces frustration or rebellion in another. If you're a friend, consider those personalities of your BFFs. What makes one cry will make another laugh. What makes one don a crusader cape will produce indifference in another. Contemplate bosses. One will encourage participation and hard work. Another will discourage effort and breed contempt.
Jesus knows us all, believer and unbeliever. The Holy Spirit can minister to anyone, call anyone, convict anyone, but He stops at demanding anyone follow and obey. That choice belongs to us as individuals.
So why do some readers and writers demand others follow and obey their rules for content and expression in fiction?
Standards for novels are set by publishers. If they choose to move the margins, that's their perogative. The general market's standards seem to be unlimited or undefined. CBA publishers use varying degrees of restrictions and most of them look like a chastity belt compared to the ABA.
The controversy is built on biblical interpretations of key verses applied to storytelling. The verses used depend on which charge a particular reader (and sometimes another writer) is leveling toward words or situations depicted in the scenes of novels. Yes, novels. Stories. Designed to portray people, places, and things interacting in this world or fantasylands. Told with historical or contemporary or futuristic backgrounds. Written in first, second, third, omniscient, or all of the aforementioned points of view. Delivered as allegories, action tales, mysteries and thrillers, crime fiction, romance, westerns - all modes of fiction.
I've never bought into the comparison of novels to the parables of Jesus. Jesus gave vignettes of life geared to the understanding of the everyday man. Jesus also stormed the temple tipping over tables in righteous anger, and he called the Pharisees a "brood of vipers", "dead men's bones in whitewashed tombs". Neither gentle nor shy about leveling poignant insults to those who deserved them. He understood the heart of man. Still does even when we humans don't understand our own. The heart is where He looks.
The approach to stories by many authors is to take a look into the human heart. To show the workings of human thoughts, actions, emotions, and beliefs. Whether in drama or comedy or thriller, whatever genre, different approaches tell the stories of human viewpoints. Expressions of those viewpoints are as diverse as the authors themselves. It's clear by observing people that God is the originator of diversity. He brings along those who choose to be His people at the individual speed and comprehension levels of the individual. He knows each one's vulnerable areas and every time there's failure.
The conflict continually arises when some readers decide what can be included in stories identified as Christian literature. In reality the publishers have already decided this. However, irate objections produce results. Publishers do respond to negative onslaughts. Christian publishers are known to cave in to those vocal complaints which self-righteously proclaim what is "acceptable" for all readers not just themselves.
Yes. Self-righteously. "Offended" by words or commonplace circumstances which incite their holy-meters in a negative way, they insist certain situations will - or should - be repugnant to any Christian reader, negating the spiritual makeup of the writer and the judgment of the publisher. Using scripture to define their points of view, they contend authors/publishers should never be responsible for causing believers to stumble or misleading their thought processes to start meditating on the unlovely, untruthful, ungodly, for heaven's sake. Stories. Not mandatory reading. Stories. Books that you can stop reading at any given point in time and probably return for a full refund because of your "offense".
Please don't mistake these frequent posts expounding on this topic as championing the cause for cuss words, sexual content, vulgarity, or anything else you see regularly in ABA fiction. It's not about general content. Christian authors write for multiple reasons, but ultimately they all answer to the One who's given them their talent. This is significant, is it not? We can judge another's writing for ourselves and choose not to recommend it because it pushes our standards in what we feel is a wrong direction. But we cannot universally state the particular author has crossed the line we constructed and expect all Christians to abide by our judgment. Harping on words and situations in fiction eliminates the ability to create contrast, to demonstrate the human struggle.
You know what "offends" me? An overabundance and neverending supply of particular novels which exalt a religious lifestyle as if it's a biblical and holy example of the Word of God. Have I ever written an angry letter to those publishers who shell them out like bullets from automatic weapons? No. Will I? No. It's not up to me to answer to the Holy One for them.
The writer in me must answer to the Spirit of Truth. And I'm thankful for that. I don't answer to the critical Christian who assumes everyone walks in Christ by his righteous perspective, like he alone can interpret the scriptures and flawlessly apply them to storytelling. The reader or writer who assumes he must be my judge or the presiding director of what stories constitute and must include to contain a Christian perspective is taking on more than he has been assigned. And that, for me, is more offensive than a few words or situations in a redemptive novel.
God, you are righteous and holy and just. You are Love. You are Truth. The Blood of Jesus washes over me. My repentance and acceptance of the sacrifice of your Son gave me new clothes of righteousness because of Jesus. I do not take my position in Him for granted. I acknowledge that grace is not an enabler for sinfulness. My desire is to be obedient in all things even when I fail and ask forgiveness. You right my soul. You don't condemn me. You allow me to grow in you and hear the Spirit of Truth. You give me wisdom when I ask. You show me the Way, Jesus. Holy Spirit, help me to always hear your voice and heed your instructions. I love you. Apart from you, I can do nothing. In the Name, Authority, and Blood of Jesus, Amen.