A Drowned Maiden's Hair
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Well, my view is simple. I feel a christian genre book, should be sold as such, only if it meets these requirements.1.)We can not judge if the author is a christian, as only God knows this. So the content of the story-line must be from a christain's point of view, whether we agree with what is written or not, it still must pertain to God's will in some way.
2.)The Main Character(s) in the storyline,should carry themselves as christains somewhere in the plot. (they may be saved later in the story, or even in the beginning.
3.)When I read a christian novel, I want to feel like I am walking the story line with a christain character somewhere in the book! Someone that show bravery, or executes good will towards others. Even if its a small part!
4.)Lastly, I would think a religous content would be needed if it were to be labled Christian genre anyway?
Have any of you read any that were not?
Christian fiction feels like a niche market, but I was surprised to discover how many of my 'unsaved' friends have delved into its depths. I guess it lets them explore ideas of christianity in a sotryline without actually letting themselves know they are truly searching, if that makes any sense at all. they fool themselves into thinking its for entertainment when its really a search for God! No wonder there are so many good ones out there! All under his control.
Can I ask a question that is probably demonstrating my ignorance, but I have never heard of the dispensationalist viewpoint. I have heard of pre and post trib, and pan viewpoint but not this one? Can you elaborate a little for me?
Glenda, dispensationalism, at least in its classic form, is an elaborate theological system that divides all of human history into "dispensations," in which God has different ways of dealing with the human race (and different plans of salvation). Its main presupposition is that the choice of natural Israel as God's chosen people is blood- based and irrevocable; the current "dispensation," the church age, is seen as a parenthetical interruption of God's dealings with Israel, caused by its rejection of the Messiah, in which God switches His focus to the mostly-Gentile church. Supposedly, the church age will end with a "rapture" in which God removes the entire church from the world, inaugurating a seven-year-long "tribulation dispensation" just before the Second Coming, in which He switches focus back to Israel. (Because this view sees the rapture as preceding the tribulation, it's called "pre-trib" for short.)The founder of the Christian Brethren (or Plymouth Brethren) in the early 1800s, John Nelson Darby, was also the father of dispensationalism (though dispensationalists would say he simply restored the forgotten teachings of the early church :-) ). It was originally a subset of pre-millenialism, which was then very much a minority viewpoint; but the great popularity of the Scofield Reference Bible (which has dispensationalist footnotes) at the turn of the 20th century made it the majority view among fundamentalists. It still is, and it has many adherents in the broader evangelical community as well. Hope that explanation helps!
Hi Glenda;I was raised Baptist (I no longer am) and I well remember coming home from school (for example), not immediately seeing my parents, and wondering with a sudden burst of fear if I had done something wrong at school and had been "left behind" in the Rapture. Thankfully those days are long gone, and while I firmly believe in the Second Coming of Christ, I don't believe in a seperate "rapture" of the Church.
This rapture idea emerges out of dispensationalism, a type of interpretation formulated by JN Darby in the mid-1800's, so it is of recent origin. Dispensationalism teaches that God deals with humans in a number of different eras or ways, called "dispensations." (I think there are 7, of which the "church age" is one.) The system distinguishes between God's dealing with the Jews and with Christians. The "church age" is basically an interlude; after Christians are removed in the rapture, God will again begin dealing with the Jews.
To my mind, the system is highly convoluted and unconvincing - and, of course, was not part of Church teaching for 1800 years! LaHaye's "Left Behind" books have been heavily criticized - indeed, before Tyndale picked them up, one major Christian publisher declined them because of their theology. There are several available books which criticise this series and the "rapture" idea in general. You might find some of these to be of interest:
Gary DeMar: End Times Fiction (Presbyterian)
Carl Olson: Will Catholics be Left Behind? (Catholic)
Paul Thigpen: The Rapture Trap (Evangelical convert to Catholicism)
Barbara Rossing: The Rapture Exposed (Lutheran)
Gordon Isaac: Left Behind or Left Befuddled (Protestant)
Hope this helps!
Andrew
Hi again Glenda;I agree with what Werner wrote. You'll find dispensationalism mainly among fundamentalist groups, not among mainstream Protestants (Anglicans, Lutherans, etc) or Catholics.
Andrew
Wow, I feel so totally informed, thanks guys. Now I know where to come with my questions! Can I ask another regarding dispensationalism, does it matter what one clings to regarding these events? I mean it's not a salvation issue is it? I only ask because I have heard varied perspectives from considerably wise and trusted leaders in all aspects from the church, and can't seem to be satisfied with the accuracy of any of them.I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm saved and I'm serving, can I just trust that God knows?
The Christian Romance\mystery that I represent has a few direct bible quotes, but moreover it demonstrates how someone can live life holding on to Christian values. Not just paying lip service to it, but living it. I am no longer a Christian, for my own reasons, but as an ex-preacher I know what trying to live right is all about. This book clearly demonstrates that life, even though there are hardships and not everything is beautiful all the time.
Hi Werner and co;Re your comment about Christian fiction. Two comments come to mind. One is from English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams about his Symphony #2. It is called the "London Symphony" and people have tried to give it a program based on the city of London. RVW said, however, that it would more properly be called "Symphony by a Londoner." Similarly, some Christian fiction is very overt, while other books could be described as "fiction by a Christian."
And St. Francis said, "preach the Gospel at all times; if necessary, use words."' If we write as Christian authors, hopefully that message will come through, even if we are not being overtly Christian. God can use all kinds of approaches.
Andrew
Hi Glenda;Is a person's belief in dispensational teaching a salvation issue or not?
The church has taught belief in the Second Coming since the the early days of Christianity, and I think it is important to believe in that. St. Paul mentions it in 1 Thess, and it is, of course, in the creeds - "He shall come to judge the living and the dead, etc." Liturgical churches often have the phrase "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again" as part of their liturgy.
Convoluted dispensational interpretations aside, it seems to me that we actually know little about the Second Coming, apart from the glimpse that St. Paul gives us. And so I don't worry about the how and when of the Second Coming - that's God's business.
What I think is more important is that we be ready for the Second Coming, whenever and however it happens. That is, we need to be faithful servants going about the Lord's business when he comes.
It seems to me that there are dangers associated with the dispensationalist approach. For example, it can lead to a fascination with date setting and trying to fit current events into prophecy to the detriment of other aspects of Christian life and teaching. It can lead to disillusionment if a person buys into date setting, and then nothing happens - I mean, I'm nearly 50, and I was hearing that the world was going to end imminently when I was a little kid. It must have been nearly 15 years ago when my reading convinced me that this "rapture" and dispensational approach to the end times was mistaken. "Prophecy experts" have picked various dates for the end of the world - 1988, 1994, 2000, etc. etc. - and they have been wrong every time. God alone knows.
Dispensationalism can lead to a lack of concern for the earth and environmental issues. After all, if the earth is going to end soon, what's the point of taking care of it? It has also affected politics - since dispensationalism has a unique perspective on Israel and the Middle East, it has affected US politics in that area. Dispensationalists are often anti-Catholic, seeing the Catholic Church as the "great whore" and the pope as "antichrist."
One extreme example of danger is that the approach can lead people astray - I think of radio preacher Harold Camping, for example, whose obession with date setting and end times has led him to extreme views - perhaps the most notorious is his idea that the church age ended in 1994, and that people should abandon the churches. (This despite the fact that St Paul called the church "the pillar and foundation of truth" (in Timothy) and Jesus himself said that the gates of hell would not prevail against his church. )Camping's views have led to him being called heretical by such diverse people as Al Mohler (prior Southern Baptist Convention president) and RC Sproul (prolific Calvinist theologian). So in this regard, I think that what a person believes about the end times CAN be a salvation issue if it leads people away from orthodox Christian belief. Otherwise, I don't see it as a salvation issue.
I agree with you - if you are serving Jesus Christ and trusting God, that's what counts. The times are in his hands. I am more concerned about growing in my daily Christian life and being a faithful disciple, and I don't go any further in my beliefs about the end times than St Paul does.
A long answer to a short question!
Andrew
Werner, I'll be interested to hear what you have to say!
Sorry I took so long to chime in! (I've been on vacation visiting my wife's side of the family, and on those trips I have very limited Internet access; we just got back this afternoon.)I agree completely with Andrew's comments above. It isn't what you believe about the details and timing of Christ's return that makes you a saved Christian --it's knowing and trusting the Christ who's going to return!
Also, I appreciate and see a lot of wisdom in the comments from Andrew and Patricia about the nature of Christian fiction. Jesus' use of parable (story, with all of the communicative possibilities it offers) as the main vehicle for his teaching indeed does provide the model and charter for Christian fictional writing, IMO!
a book cant be called a christian fiction just because it is written by an author who happened to be a christian, right? nor because there are some christian labels, symbols or even verse in there... the way i see it, for a fiction to be called christian fiction, the content must be about Christianity, and reflect Christian values. The content of the fiction in general must be consistent with the beliefs and understanding set out in the bible!
since it is a 'fiction' theological preference is not necessary (or has to be minimized, or put to zero)...it's a fiction after all! i would suggest the content of the fiction to have of what CS Lewis said in Mere Christianity as 'highest common factors' means acceptable to all kind of denominations.
if a book is well written, the theological standing doesnt count. If a christian can read a secular book why cant he read a christian fiction that has different theological view with him. come on it's a fiction!
Agape, I understand where you're coming from in holding a much more restricted definition of Christian fiction than I do; and since our own categories for fiction, and their definitions, are pretty much just tools that we use to organize and make sense of the vast universe of fiction, there probably aren't any "right" or "wrong" definitions --just definitions that work for us individually in finding, and explaining, the kind of reading that we personally want. For myself, defining Christian fiction as anything written by a Christian (based on what I know of the author's professed beliefs, or on the religious views expressed in the writing) works better than saying that it has to be "about Christianity;" the latter criteria is a lot harder to apply than it initially seems. For instance, Anthony Trollope's classic novels The Warden and Barchester Towers focus on the lives of Anglican clergy and their families; but does that mean they are "about Christianity" per se? C. S. Lewis' Narnia series is a good example of a work that uses fantasy motifs to present Christian truths in symbolic form, but Christ and Christianity are never explictly mentioned; so are these books about Christianity, in your sense? And many Christian authors have adapted Old Testament characters and stories for novels, which are certainly marketed as "Christian fiction;" but given that Christianity didn't exist until the death and resurrection of Christ, no one would argue that these books are "about Christianity" as such.I do agree that fiction and theological treatises are two different things, and that heavy theological content in the former is more of a hindrance than a help in accomplishing what fiction writers do. And I'm also inclined to agree that the best Christian fiction promotes "mere Christianity" in Lewis' sense. IMO, though, there is room in fiction for exploring ideas that Christians disagree on, as long as it's done naturally through the story rather than through long-winded debates in the dialogue; The Scarlet Letter, with its Arminian critique of Calvinism, illustrates the right way to do this.
You're right that we can (and should) read books by non-Christians and by Christians whose views we disagree with; that's one way that we broaden our own understandings and test our convictions. Fiction, though, depends heavily on the "willing suspension of disbelief" for its appreciation. For myself, premises that I view as not just fictional, but as impossible and absurd, tend to get too much in the way for disbelief to be suspended as much as it has to be for the book to work. Some Christian fiction, for me, falls in that category, such as novels based on eschatological scenarios I don't believe in. (But that's just me; for other readers, the same books might be right up their alley!)
Even the publishers of "Christian Fiction" don't really seem to know what it means. One book I'm repping is very Christian, but contains a romance AND a mystery. They like the idea of Christian romance, which by definition is dullsville, but not the mystery part. Why? Who knows?
I'm just jumping into this in the middle. The Shack? I would agree that it's Christian. There is God, and the Holy Spirit and Jesus is the son of God, sacrifice and Savior. That's pretty basic. It delves into some mild theological ideas that could be debateable, but try throwing that work the secular way and you'd give someone a shock. As for the discussion in general, I have some ideas and a few questions. Books such as Anne of Green Gables and even the Chronicles of Narnia (since some were mentioned) are not considered Christian Fiction. Even my most secular friends are fully aware of the parallels Lewis intended regarding Narnia, but they are considered a staple of childhood literature. Christian fiction, as I have observed, tends to mean a novel with overt Christian themes and characters. Barnes and Noble keep them in a section all to themselves (where you find the Christian romance, the Christian historical fiction, and the Christian thrillers). I don't really like this seperation because most people (including myself at times) tend to figure that such book section merely contains watered-down sappy versions of the secular genre equivalent. This is not true across the board, but it is a prevailing stereotype.
Now my question. If a Christian writer is telling a story, overtly or not overtly about Christianity, how much "reality" goes into it? Do they write about sex, if they have a promiscuous character? Do they use the vulgar language that they know a certain group to legitimately use? If you were to write a story about soldiers and omit foul language I would never be able to suspend my disbelief. If a Christian writes secular characters, I don't think they should whitewash the unpleasant parts. I'm curious what you all think.
p.s. the comment about soldiers is derived from personal professional experience, in case it seemed out of place
i read it this book it is amazing and makes u feel so sorry for maud
I couldn't stop reading!
I could not put the book down! It was like i was glued right to the pages.
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