What are the important stories for Christians to be writing right now?

[Tarin]

What kind of stories do you think we, as Christians, particularly need to be telling?

It’s one thing to write a story and stick some Christianity in there just to make it a Christian book—but it’s something else entirely to write a story that is specifically intended to share a particular Christian message. I imagine most of us try to do this already in our work, but it still bears discussing.

What messages do you think Christianity as a whole needs to hear? And what stories will most effectively tell those messages? Any thoughts?

[Phy]

What kind of stories do you think we, as Christians, particularly need to be telling?

It’s one thing to write a story and stick some Christianity in there just to make it a Christian book—but it’s something else entirely to write a story that is specifically intended to share a particular Christian message. I imagine most of us try to do this already in our work, but it still bears discussing.

What messages do you think Christianity as a whole needs to hear? And what stories will most effectively tell those messages? Any thoughts?

There are a number of different thoughts, here.

Addressing the first question, we need to be telling the kinds of stories that God gives us to write. That doesn't mean that we're all going for the same target audience. At Ray Gun Revival, we're trying to reach the sci-fi crowd turned off by church. Therefore, our content is going to be heavy on characterization and action and rely on moral crossroads to 'minister' instead of writing to evangelize. This is the focus that God has given us (and has ben independently confirmed by a number of people).

Personally, I think we need to ask God what He would have us write, and then I think we should stick to our guns. Some are writing to the lost of the world. Others are writing to fellow Christians. The audience will likely change what and how you cast your stories and what you will say.

I have written as a Christian to a secular audience, and I have written as a sci-fi geek to the Christian audience. My latest effort along those lines (trying to show that it's possible to write a Christian story and still have solid sci-fi tropes and questions) in the new e-zine Wayfarer's Journal. My story asks 'do androids have souls' and was an attempt to wrestle with thorny social and theological issues while telling a compelling sci-fi story from a Christian worldview:
http://www.wayfarersjournal.com/cook.htm

[melw]

I love romance. I will admit it. I know that many romances out there don't uphold Christian values and morals. i belive that you can be a Christian and have a wonderful relationship with a person who you will one day marry. There are a lot of woman who want to know that a Christian can have a marriage that is full of love and passion. I don't go into that!!!

Anyway that is what i believe.

MEL

[Naomi Musch]

What kind of stories do you think we, as Christians, particularly need to be telling?


Simply, the ones God lays on our hearts.

I figure, if my God made spiders and called them good, or a couple of hundred kinds of Octopi instead of just 3 or 4 or 1, or all those crazy looking critters on the Galapigos Islands (and in Australia -that's for Mel) then He likes diversity in stories, music, and poetry too. Who is anyone to say, "sci-fi doesn't glorify God" or "romance is worldy" or "that message isn't as needful for our day as this one is".

He plays a different tune on each of our hearts and through each of our stories. And that's pretty cool.!thumbsup!

P.S. Tarin - love the look of your book cover. Nice site, too.

[ProfessorAlan]

I agree with all the responses above; there are no "kind of stories do you think we, as Christians, particularly need to be telling," other than the range of stories that God leads us each individually to tell.

[ahusbandlikehim]

ProfessorAlan I too agree with all of the above responses. We all definately should be conveying what God lays on our heart.

I do, personally, feel to be just a tad more specific. We should, all of us, in all of our stories or teachings, convey the love of Christ to those around us. Remember that this was the primary focus of His ministry: "Love God", and "Love your neighbor."

[psychoceramic]

I think that we should be telling stories that exalt Christ and God the Father.

How we get there is up to what God would have us write.

I do not think or believe that God would have us write about something we do not enjoy writing about or in a genre that we would not enjoy.

[tlm]

What a great thread.

Naomi, you said that so eloquently!

Tarin, I will have to share your ezine with my son, who is into sci-fi. He doesn't like the anti-God messages of some sci-fi or the gore.

My writing is varied, whatever God puts on my heart. Sometimes it is a message for a youth magazine, other times it might be a biographical story to inspire others. I was working on book length stories and took a break to work with a couple of magazines recently.

Lately, I have felt inspired to write a Christian romance. I am almost finished with the 1st draft. It was fun, too. I felt I was reaching deep within myself to make the story real. That is what a reader wants from an author. I also think there is a spiritual message that will make the reader think, too.

[quadfather]

I think this is a great question. I would add to some of the honest insights that we need to look for ways to incoporate our testimonies. What we have had a victory in and over. Not as just as personal testimony and recounting but as inspiration of plot, theme and purpose. An instument of drama and resolution, or for the poetic, lyric exhaltation and alliterated assurance.

Mixed with the Blood these are victory over that other unsavory and much lesser created entity. When I recapture these mountain top time passion can become potent. Just a thought, could help.

[Phy]

It is one thing to ask God what and how to write, to develop characters and ideas that are winsome or provocative.

It is another to artificially impose Message on stories. <shiver>

There is a fine line between Art and the preacher's lectern. As a reader, you lose me when I detect that you're preaching Agenda at me. However, if I'm caught up in the story and agree through the dialogue and the activity that such-and-such an event means such-and-such a thing, I'm more inclined to buy the truism.

It's a fine line.

[DraperJC]

Like Phy is doing, I think we need to reach out to the unsaved and gently tug at their sleeve. I do it through fantasy, thinking that there are plenty of those that are allured by its premise of non-God worlds.

[jacks girl]

Hi guys,

I often pray that I'm writing poems and stories that some day may have a great or little effect on people. I want to do God's will. I feel a small pull to write my life story i wonder if people will care. I want to do what is best for me and learn what God's will is daily in my life.

I have an outline started on my life story. So I'm going to pray some more and try to do what the Lord is calling.

[Tarin]

Tarin, I will have to share your ezine with my son, who is into sci-fi. He doesn't like the anti-God messages of some sci-fi or the gore.

Actually, it's Phy's e-zine!


P.S. Tarin - love the look of your book cover. Nice site, too.

Thank you, Naomi.:)

I couldn't agree more about writing the stories God lays upon our hearts. It's hard sometimes (all right, most of the time:rolleyes: ) to believe that God can actually use the small little offerings that we scribble in our spare time. We can only pray that in His infinite wisdom and knowledge, He can somehow use something we write to touch someone's life in even a small way.

I suppose it is really quite arrogant for any of us to actually assume that our writing, in itself, can transform anything, much less the world! It is only through His might that He takes the small and the weak and ridiculous and uses it to magnify His greatness. How I pray that somewhere in the mire of my work, he may find a diamond to shine for Him.

[Phy]

Actually, it's Phy's e-zine!

Our zine, Ray Gun Revival (http://raygunrevival.com/), is space opera and golden age sci-fi. It's not overtly Christian, althought it's not secular humanistic, either. It has quiet morality crossroads where the reader is left to make of the moral choices what they will. It's a very softshoe approach.

I recommend The Sword Review (http://theswordreview.com/) (a sister zine) for slightly more overt Christian-friendly stories.

How I pray that somewhere in the mire of my work, he may find a diamond to shine for Him.

Amen. Count me in on that as well.

[stoplight]

Bill Wilson, who has 20,000 kids each week for Sunday school in Brooklyn, New York once said something to the effect of, "If you see a need then there is your calling" In writing we are told to write about what we know. I write children's church material and have never had kids of my own. I wrote a novel about a ghost, but have never been one of those either. This only shows me that what you dear people say is true, "WRITE WHAT GOD PUTS IN YOU HEART TO WRITE."
I am humbled by the diverse knowledge and wisdom that I have run across. It pleases me to no end to "meet" such an honored group. There is a blog on the Amazon.com Christian Book section and it seems there are more atheist there then Christians. IT'S GOOD TO BE HOME AMONG FAMILY!

[tlm]

Actually, it's Phy's e-zine!

Oops, sorry.