Rumors of the unholy love affair spread fast throughout the country. But it wasn’t the rumors that got me off my knees and out the door. Some say God speaks in a still small voice, but I know that’s not always true. When God told me to go tell a story to the high king, the instruction came like a thunderclap.
Before I knew it I found myself admitted by the guards, led upstairs, and standing outside the doors of the throneroom. I’d heard chilling songs about the thousands of men this king had killed with his own hands. Hesitating to open the door I swallowed as I remembered that the kingdom was in a time of war. I knew my chances were slim as it was.
I had half a mind to turn around. I mean, what are the odds the king would repent if I told him a story? What can a story do to turn the heart of such a war-hardened monarch, able to take whatever he wants? Then I remembered, the story I had to tell wasn’t a lie or a joke or avoiding the elephant in the room. My story was a secret messenger, able to bypass the watchful mind of the king and penetrate to his heart. Taking a deep breath and muttering a prayer, I entered the throne room.
Maybe you remember the story of king David and the prophet Nathan from the book of 2 Samuel. David, God’s anointed king, had jumped headlong into a depraved affair with Bathsheba and had her husband killed to cover it up. You couldn’t make up a more immoral and conniving act. But, the crazy part is, David actually repented and was forgiven. How? Not because someone read article nine sub-section Q in the legal handbook of the kingdom. God sent someone to tell David a story, involving a rich man and a poor man, and stealing sheep.
Nathan’s story allowed David to uproot himself from his shame-ridden, self-deceived world and plant him in a fictional scenario that taught him about reality. David was able to come to the hard truth of his situation by listening to a simple story. God-centered fiction isn’t about making up unrealities, it’s about changing our perspective on reality to better see the truth.
This is a principle you can take to the bank. Humans aren’t rational robots, we’re moved and motivated by stories. Today we’re saturated in stories that pound worldly unrealities into our neural pathways. You don’t need anyone. Follow your feelings. We’re alone in a soulless universe. These are some of the constant themes that get pumped into our heads from watching movies and reading books born out of a hopeless secular mindset. Admittedly, most of us choose to consume this kind of media because Christian movies and books are usually just flat-out bad.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not telling you to quit watching Marvel movies or to stop reading mystery novels. What I am saying is there is a vacuous need for imaginative fiction inspired by a biblical Christian worldview. Christian fiction is more than entertainment, the same way any work of fiction is more than entertainment. It trains our thinking and sets our values without us even being aware. The fiction we consume plays a massive role in how we identify ourselves and what motivates us to action. Think about it, Jesus didn’t come teaching systematic theology courses. He taught beginning with, “There was a man who had two sons…” (Luke 15:11-32), or “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field…” (Matthew 13:44-46).
Story fuels us, and that’s not a bad thing! What matters is what stories we choose to dwell on, think over, and share with others. In a world so full of immoral main characters and godless resolutions, we need stories that wean our imaginations off worldly wisdom and teach our hearts the way of Christ.
You may actually be surprised how much good Christian fiction there is out in the world right now! They may not be New York Times Bestsellers, or even be published by big publishing houses, but creative and brilliant Christian fiction writers are out there (I’m not just talking about myself). I encourage you to look into it. Search the web and pick up a book from a Christian author you know nothing about. Be a part of the movement away from secular media and toward a Christ-centered escape from unreality. You might be surprised to find a treasure hidden in a field.
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Devotional from the Imitation of Christ: A Contrite Heart