One of my favorite parts about school was (and still is) reading. I loved when my teachers would read to the whole class, and I loved going to the library to choose a book to read myself. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis was a favorite of mine, and the entire series now graces my bookshelf, along with many other fictional works by Christian authors.
Books have the power to take you to different worlds and to see life from new perspectives. New stories can teach us old truths, and old stories can teach us truth in new ways. The words of stories captivate and convince our hearts.
What is this alluring quality that stories hold? What is it that causes our hearts to be enchanted with fictional people and places? I believe it has much to do with the way God created us: in His image. God, as the Master Creator, endowed us with the ability to create and appreciate creativity. God, as the Master Storyteller, invites us into His true story of redemption and provides us with the ultimate source of truth: His Word.
The Bible is our guidebook for life. It frames the way we think and interact with the world around us. It is the plumbline by which we measure right and wrong. Christian authors approach their creative work with this mindset. Therefore, their stories can be wonderful and exciting instruments for teaching truth and inspiring creativity.
The Master Storyteller and The Ultimate Story
The perfect example of someone who told stories to teach truth is Jesus, the Word of God who became flesh and dwelt among us. He told many parables, which are fictional stories with people, places, and events that symbolize reality. Our Savior spent so much time teaching truth through stories because the Master Teacher knows the power they have to connect with us on a deeper level. Explaining truth by relating it to the everyday items and experiences of the time period in which He lived on earth allowed Jesus to reach His whole audience with powerful and convicting examples of forgiveness, love, and the treasure of salvation.
For those of us who work in education, encouraging our students to read Christian fiction is important for a similar reason. Christian educators can communicate God’s truth in new and relatable ways through the means of storytelling in various genres. We want God’s Word to be firmly implanted in our students’ hearts and to be very real in their daily lives. There is no replacement for reading God’s Word itself, but there is great benefit in seeing God’s truth from a different angle through stories.
We do not look to the characters, places, or ideas that humans write about as the source of truth themselves; rather, we look through them to the greater truth they symbolize and teach. As with all things of the created world, their purpose is to point us back to the Creator with an attitude of worship and awe.
Creativity for His Glory
A great emphasis in the world of education is to teach our students to be creative. We want them to bring new solutions to problems and to develop new products and ideas to contribute to society. Reading Christian fiction is one great way to help students foster the quality of creativity in a way that honors God.
Our Author wrote into our lives the ability and desire to create in order to bring Him glory. What we create – whether it be of wood and stone or words and ideas – must be done to bring Him glory. Therefore, whether we are readers or writers of Christian fiction, we want to bring honor to the Creator with our creativity.
As readers, students can learn from fictional characters creative ways to show kindness to friends, be loyal members of their family, look out for those society overlooks, stand up for their faith, and find new ways to solve problems. By modeling the qualities of Godly men, women, boys, and girls, make-believe characters can inspire students with creative ways to live out their faith.
Christian fiction can cause students to think about what they believe from a different point of view or on a deeper level. The effect is that students bring glory to God by strengthening their faith and being inspired to live the truth.
In conclusion, the creativity that enables authors to write and causes readers to be drawn into stories comes from our Creator. He hard-wired us to be fascinated by stories and with the ability to teach through them and learn from them. The Word of God is the truth by which we filter all else in life, not the least of which is the books we read. Christian authors use their writings to inspire others to meditate on what is true and live more wholly for God by revealing the truths of Scripture in creative ways.
Whether you are a teacher, parent, aunt or uncle, grandparent, friend, or church leader, and whether the children under your care are preschoolers or high schoolers, encourage them to read. Read to them, introduce books to them, and engage them in discussions about their reading. Use the creativity God has instilled in you to understand His truth more fully and to inspire others to do the same.