Faith in Christian Fiction

On Monday I posted some exclusive background to the character of Daisy Pierce, Nathan Pierce’s sister and a character around whom the entire Black Earth series seems to orbit. Throughout the series, Daisy’s character explores what true conviction and boundless faith can look like in Christian fiction, and in life in general.

So what is faith? Faith, according to the Bible (Hebrews 11:1 NASB), is “…the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Essentially, it is the belief that something is going to happen even if all visible indications say otherwise. But faith can also extend to our relationship with God. The Bible states (Hebrews 11:6 NASB), “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” So our relationship with God depends on our faith – belief that He exists, that He knows what is  best for us, and that He has the best in store for us.

In a lot of Christian fiction I have read, I notice the theme of faith is portrayed on a very basic level. The characters have faith that God will get them out of horrible situations – or walk with them through horrible situations – and that God will save the day. But in reality, true faith calls for a more mature belief in God. What if things don’t go well?  What if God doesn’t save the day? Regardless of our own well-being, do we believe that God can turn all things around for good, that He can use every situation to the best it can be used?

In my Black Earth series, Daisy’s faith and relationship with God are tested to the extreme. She ends up being beaten and tortured and made into an example of what will happen to those who disobey the powers that be. Instead of giving in completely to despair and discouragement, she pulls close to God who gives her many episodes of respite from the horrible demon that plagues her. He also gives her answers as to what her purpose is. In so many words, God acknowledges that things will get worse, but that Daisy has been chosen by Him to set an example. To carve a path. To change the world.

How many people have been called to the impossible only to deny walking it out because of lack of faith? Faith is more relevant in fiction than many readers believe because fiction threads together events that haven’t happened, the chords of imagination. God is a God of imagination, and He calls many people to walk out the impossible but sadly many never do. They get stuck in the in-between and give up somewhere along the journey, or maybe they don’t step foot into the journey at all. They lack faith, and that lack of faith results in a lack of relationship with God.

This brings me to another thing I’ve noticed about some Christian fiction: the fear some writers have of portraying God. The Bible is clear about adding or taking away words from its text, but we’re talking about fiction here, not altering the Bible. There seems to be anxiety with a lot of Christian authors when it comes to portraying God – not just the idea or reality of God, but the actual presence of God. In truth, each relationship with God is unique. He’s seen our most despicable behavior, he reads our dirtiest thoughts, he knows us on such an intimate level, and yet we’re afraid to portray that level of relationship to others, as if we’ll dishonor God by doing so. What better place to lay out characters and their relationships with God than the fictional world? Fiction leaves room for speculation and room for what ifs.

In my Black Earth series, God speaks to Daisy. He answers her tough questions. He comforts her in her darkest hours. He even communes with her on a joyous level. God is all these things to Daisy, but in reality, He should be all these things to us. Daisy shows us what a relationship – a true relationship, not a religious relationship – with God can really mean. She doesn’t just pray to Him and then take another beating. She prays, she speaks, she listens. And in return, God speaks and listens and comforts her.

Writing Daisy’s character and the relationship she has with God, I found I was able to create a character who is broken and yet searching with everything inside her for healing. Daisy realizes what true faith – and maturity – is when she realizes that God is asking the impossible from her.

This Friday, Daisy’s profile will be added to the Compendium. Next Monday we’ll take a look at Pearl’s background, and next Wednesday we’ll dive into the theme of inherited religion.
        

Blazing A Trail For Edgy Christian Speculative Fiction

I've been running this blog for a little over four years now. It's gone through many changes - both in regards to design and content - but I think I'm finally feeling comfortable and confident with what it stands to represent now: edgy Christian speculative fiction, and my road through self-publishing. The two go hand in hand because A) I write edgy Christian speculative fiction and B) I self-publish the edgy Christian speculative fiction that I write.

That being said, now that the solid themes of my blog have risen to the surface, I'm ready to start getting real serious about my blogging habits and the direction I want this blog to head in. For a while now I've been attempting to blog three times a week, if anything to keep me disciplined in my non-fiction writing habits. Until now, it was hard to stay disciplined when I wasn't all that clear on what my blog was trying to focus on. I easily put up posts about my books and some fun tidbits about self-publishing, but overall I feel - whether it's true or not - that this blog has been missing some meat. It hasn't been used as effectively as I'd like it to be used.

I want to blaze a trail for edgy Christian speculative fiction and self-publishing.

In a post I put up last week, I explained how my Black Earth series came about and I talked a little about some of the challenges I have faced trying to mix Christian themes with science fiction, fantasy, and edgy content. But what good is simply doing a single post where I gush about a few hurdles? The genre that I describe is a tough one to sell - both to Christians and non-Christians alike. Many Christians are put off by anything containing edgy content - including movies, books, music, etc. (More on that next week.) Many non-Christians have no desire to read Christian fiction in any form, mainly because their idea of Christian fiction is a well-told (if that) sermon.

So here I am, three books into my Black Earth series, and I have a monumental challenge ahead of me. See, I write for a living. I don't work a '9-5', I don't scribble out short stories in my 'spare' time, I don't do this for giggles. I am serious about my writing because it is my calling, my purpose. It is my ministry. It is NOT my everything, but it is what I have been called to and that means I am expected to give 110% to it. My best.

The real question that rises to the surface of this dilemma is this: How do I reach both sides of the fence with my fiction? I mean, I know how to write good stories. If you check out most of the reviews posted on Amazon for my novels, you'll see that my work is given pretty good ratings and reviews. So the next step in this is to get this unique work out there to more people.

And that's where this blog comes in.

Part of my plan to spread the word about my writing and this particular genre is to bear down on this blog and introducing some real, though-provoking content. Yes, I'll still be revealing stretches of my journey through the self-publishing obstacle course. But I want to start talking about real issues, real-life themes, many of which are found throughout my Black Earth series. I want to discuss how these themes came about in my series, how they can be used in Christian fiction to help build a realistic world that readers can relate too, and how these themes can be used effectively to tell a great story in general.

Themes like violence, inherited religion, slavery, sexual promiscuity, aliens, super powers, faith, etc.

A good time will be had by all. I guarantee it. I'll be diving into these themes, and exploring the many characters of Black Earth and showcasing how they fit into these themes and into real life. I may even throw in some exclusive content relating to the Black Earth series, like fiction pieces and the like. I will also be posting new Compendium entries that tie in with these posts on the website. In between it all I'll be dropping posts on other things as well, such as self-publishing, book reviews, and miscellaneous whatnot.

We'll start this party out next week when I'll be exploring Christian attitudes toward art and entertainment, looking into some of the negative stigma surrounding Christian fiction, and discussing the need for excellence in the self-publishing realm. From there, we'll head straight into a detailed look at Cynthia Ruin, a complex and broken character in my Black Earth series, and explore the theme of sexual promiscuity.

In the meantime, have a great weekend everyone!