Comments on: Christian Fantasy Literature, Minus Hogwarts http://www.bloggernews.net/18754 High-quality English language analysis and editorial writing on the news. Wed, 25 Nov 2009 03:54:35 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Andrew http://www.bloggernews.net/18754#comment-1077466 Andrew Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:15:30 +0000 http://www.bloggernews.net/18754#comment-1077466 Certainly a refreshing insight. I think sometimes Christians feel guilty when they write anything that isn't actively evangelizing in some way. They refer to verses such as the one mentioning no idle talk (Ephesians 4:29), and things like that, however, on the other hand, the publishing of a work of art that is an honest expression of one's vision and convictions is sure to not be idle. And if you think about it, what can be more idle than spitting out the same theme over and over again to an already saturated market? I also think that there are other approaches to strengthening our faith through narrative besides simple allegory or direct symbolism, and I hope to see more authors dig a little deeper, and realize you don't have to "talk down" to children as much as you think you might, and that there are also a lot of more mature readers out there looking for narratives that show more than just a spark of intelligence. There are so many issues out there that Christianity has an answer for that authors leave untouched (just search "apologetics" for just a few examples), and which can be approached through narrative, and there are many other ways one can relate to/be attracted to a character than just making him some cookie-cutter teenage hero swept into a magic world that needs saving or something. Certainly a refreshing insight. I think sometimes Christians feel guilty when they write anything that isn’t actively evangelizing in some way. They refer to verses such as the one mentioning no idle talk (Ephesians 4:29), and things like that, however, on the other hand, the publishing of a work of art that is an honest expression of one’s vision and convictions is sure to not be idle. And if you think about it, what can be more idle than spitting out the same theme over and over again to an already saturated market?

I also think that there are other approaches to strengthening our faith through narrative besides simple allegory or direct symbolism, and I hope to see more authors dig a little deeper, and realize you don’t have to “talk down” to children as much as you think you might, and that there are also a lot of more mature readers out there looking for narratives that show more than just a spark of intelligence. There are so many issues out there that Christianity has an answer for that authors leave untouched (just search “apologetics” for just a few examples), and which can be approached through narrative, and there are many other ways one can relate to/be attracted to a character than just making him some cookie-cutter teenage hero swept into a magic world that needs saving or something.

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