February 5, 2007
By Chantell Smith 

 

“The cloak that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments” (II Timothy 4:13).

 

Though this seems like some obscure scripture that served more of a practical purpose than a spiritual one at the time it was written, I love it because it shows the fervency of one of the first and most prolific Christian writers in history.  The Apostle Paul placed such a high value on reading to keep his mind sharp (the books) and writing to get his message out (the parchments), that he determined to do so even while imprisoned.

 

Many of us, like Paul, are determined to make our creative voices heard through writing.  So, Christian voices being what they are, how does our faith affect our work? What does it mean to be a Christian writer?  Is it a person who writes for a specific genre, or simply a writer who just happens to profess Christianity?  Are “quality” and “inspired” mutually exclusive terms?  And where does one draw the line when attempting to depict realism in one’s writing? All of these questions are worth tackling. Even if they cannot be satisfactorily answered, perhaps through examining them we can draw closer to understanding what it means to maintain integrity as a writer.

 

Christian Writer or Writer Who Just Happens to Be Christian?

 

A similar question was asked during the literary era of the Harlem Renaissance when African-American authors and artists burgeoned and thrived in an unprecedented way.  Some proudly considered themselves producers of Black art and literature.  Others preferred to be recognized solely on the basis of their work and not their race.  But in response to the question “Do you consider yourself a Black writer?” many asked, “How can I help but write from my experience?”  I ask Christian writers the same. 

 

Whether we’re cool with being lauded as Christian writers (genre wise) or whether we feel pigeonholed by the prospect of being pegged with a label, how can we help but write from our experiences?  Whether our purpose is to write specifically for a Christian audience or for a mainstream audience, the voice of our experience (as a result of our faith) should resound. 

 

That said, it may be limiting to exclusively tailor our work for Christians only, just as it may be inauthentic to shy away from presenting anything that could be seen as coming from a Christian worldview.  A quality Christian writer (whose target audience is usually Christians) is Francine Rivers.  Her novel The Atonement Child is a deeply moving example.  Another that falls into this category is Donald Miller of Blue Like Jazz fame.  He is known predominantly as a Christian writer, but anyone who has read his books knows that they have mainstream appeal as well. 

 

On the other hand, two writers whose books you probably wouldn’t find in a Christian bookstore but whose writing resounds from a Christian worldview is Marilynne Robinson, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Gilead, and Leif Enger, who wrote Peace Like a River.

 

"Inspiration" vs. Quality

 

I hate to position “inspiration” and “quality” as diametrically opposed ideas, but unfortunately the idea that any work is acceptable simply because it was inspired plagues Christian circles today.  There are writers (who will remain nameless) whose work is widely accepted in spite of its lack of quality simply because they claim “God laid it on my heart.”  I take huge issue with this. 

 

If God truly laid an idea on someone’s heart to present to others, would He be pleased by one’s producing a half-baked final product and passing its grammatical errors, lack of coherency, gaps in flow and logic, or unconvincing plot and character motives off on its being “inspired” by Him?  I’m sure we’ve all heard the adage, “God don’t make no junk.”  I’m sure we can all agree that He doesn’t “inspire” junk, either.

 

Solomon wrote, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might” (Ecclesiastes 9:10).  In other words, if we undertake anything, we should do it with our might, with ambition, not in a half-hearted, lazy fashion.  God would be displeased with slovenly writing done on His behalf; furthermore, slovenly writing does not reflect well on the author when examined by others.  Quality and inspiration can (and should) co-exist.  The first Apostolic writer who comes to mind when contemplating an impressive synthesis of quality and inspiration is David K. Bernard.  His writing is definitely inspired because his goal is to help readers understand complex theological topics, such as the nature of the Godhead, yet his writing is also of high, professional quality: his ideas aren’t cluttered with distracting grammatical errors, have a logical flow, and are always sufficiently supported by Scripture and other historical sources.

 

Keeping It Real

 

Another issue that arises when attempting to let our creative voices shine is that of depicting life realistically.  (I was inspired by this post by fellow blogger J. Michael Rivera.) Let’s face it: We do not live in a Pollyanna world.  Our daily encounters are full of things that we probably wouldn’t hear described in detail over the pulpit on a Sunday morning.  So, as Christians, how do we balance wanting our work to be credible and realistic (including unsavory elements of real life), without slipping into the profane? Is it possible?

 

I was talking with a friend of mine about avoiding profanity (by ‘profanity’ I don’t simply mean ‘cuss words,’ but the general sense of the word), and she said that if the Bible were made into a full-length major motion picture it would be rated R, hands down.  That’s true.  The Old Testament itself is so full of violence, I don’t know if I’d be able to stomach seeing it portrayed on film. Let’s not get into what would be done with The Song of Solomon.  As an earlier review in 90&9 mentioned, a few of our modern swear words can be found plain as day in the KJV. But the Bible tells it how it is.  The Bible is the Word of God.

 

So, where does one draw the line?  I think I’ve come up with a counter-question that may approach the answer: Do the unsavory elements one may be debating over have a purpose?  What I mean is, does it serve to illustrate a particular point? Would it do the book an injustice to gloss over it or omit it?  That, I think is the key. 

 

Though the negative things in life that come about as a result of our fallen nature are not glorified in Christian circles, it does not make it any less a part of life; whitewashing the truth in our writing simply for the sake of its being accepted in Christian circles is not being true to our work.  Yet, profanity for profanity’s sake is also fallacious.  We’ve all read books and seen movies, where 90 percent of the “unsavory elements” were wholly unnecessary. These elements provided no further depth and, in fact, cheapened the work.  We should include what is meaningful, not what could be considered a cheap garnish in the name of “authenticity.”

In The End . . .

Let’s step up to the plate.  Let’s be true to our work, our faith, and ourselves.  Let’s write with creativity, verve, and integrity.  Let’s use whatever talents God has given us, be it writing or otherwise, for His glory.  Let’s let our voice be heard.

ninetyandnine.com

 

© 2007, Chantell Smith

---------

Chantell Smith is an avid reader and occasional writer in Montgomery, AL.