Words are the magic of this world. With words we can build. With words we can destroy. With words we can grow. With words we can wither.
What, exactly, is the Christian writer’s duty in life or in life choices?
Christian writers are, by nature, wordsmiths. As such, we are teachers. We create with our words, and we shape people with those.
So of course as we write we have to “speak the truth in love.” This verse must be our motto: “whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Col 3:17).
“In the name of Jesus” sounds like a prayer. What we do is to be done with the authority of Christ behind us. So Christians must write according to Kingdom priorities:
- THY KINGDOM COME
- THY WILL BE DONE
- ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN
- GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD
- FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS
- AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS
- LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION
- DELIVER US FROM EVIL
- FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM, THE POWER AND THE GLORY FOREVER
MAGIC & FANTASY WORLD-BUILDING
But what about new worlds? What about creativity where you delete the Trinity from reality, and put a new God and a new Christ and new set of races into a different universe? Is it a sin? Is it right? Is it dangerous? This is a very important question with many implications.
Using Tolkien and Lewis, who both show a fear of God in their writing, you can go with Lewis’s analogy (lion/Christ figure) or with Tolkien’s ethics (good vs bad). For a character to have a “natural ability” that is magical and tied to the “good side” you’ve already entered into a reality that is different than ours.
Is the magic like the Force? Is the magic a talent? Think of the difference between Spider Man’s or Iron Man’s powers (science-oriented) and what they could still believe about God. Their powers do not deny God’s sovereignty in their world, they just deny physics. Compare that with Thor’s powers (divine) or Dr Strange’s power (mystic-power + science) and what that says about God’s law and God’s sovereignty. Their powers DEFY God’s way.
Compare this with the powers of Gandalf (fighting for right) or LOTR Elves (protecting others) versus Tolkien’s Necromancer (pulling people from the dead; seen as wicked in LOTR) and White Witch (taking rule for herself; breaking the law of Aslan in Magician’s Nephew/Lion, Witch & Wardrobe).
In a fantasy world, you are automatically asking readers to suspend reality. As soon as you have a talking animal, we know things are not going according to the rules (physical & spiritual laws) of this world. However, a Christian is bound to not teach a lie about God, even in fiction.
In Narnia, Aslan was the source of all good things, and he (through Father Christmas) gave “gifts” to Lucy, Edmund, Peter and Susan. Susan’s horn was able to call people from the real world (prayer). Lucy’s ointment was able to heal people (healing), Peter’s sword and Susan’s bow/arrow and Lucy’s dagger (warfare against dark powers—like from Ephesians 6).
The gifts they were given, which had “magic-like” powers were paralleled in this world as parts of the Christian faith.
I think the magic in a fantasy world is not as problematic now as the “world’s God” you are referring to. In Trunk of Scrolls, I have “God” allow earthquakes and bring about miracles for them. In this case, I think the God reflected in my story is identical with the real God. Though it was fiction, it was not blasphemous.
Lewis keeps Aslan doing things that God “would” do. Sure, he shakes his mane, but in human terms that shows things about character.
If you wish to not offend Christians, and keep your story acceptable to mainstream and conservative Christians, you need to either have God be God, or have the giver be completely human or “creaturely.”
I’m thinking about Gandalf, who has a magic that is used for the betterment of the world of men, dwarves, hobbits, elves, etc. The elves have magic, and they use it purely for doing good deeds. In a sense, the “magic” IS good deeds. Kindnesses, helps, healing, love, protection.
The bad magic is self-centered, evil, grabby, power-hungry. (Tolkien and Lewis both made this distinction, White Witch vs. Saruman).
As soon as you make your story’s God invisible, omniscient, omni-present, holy…you’ve got a problem.
A person who fears God would rather write nothing than to write something that uses God’s name in vain, that presents evil as good.
Our world’s God does not allow his covenant people to even dabble with magic. And yet, Paul and Peter and all the apostles had healing powers, which proved they were apostles. Those apostolic gifts have ended.
People today can be healed, but there are no more apostles who have it as a gift. Our world has gifted people who write, sing, heal (doctors), teach, nurse, love, tend, build houses… Our kind of “magic” is seen in Christians staying with the sick, to their own detriment:
I am not the final authority on what God “accepts” in terms of fiction. He may be much more critical than I am, and may prefer no fantasy at all. But God giving magic is inherently problematic. Gandalf or Father Christmas or even an old lady giving magic swords or rings or beans is fantasy. But God does not give magic beans to anyone. Ever.
Remember that Simon the Magician tried to “purchase” the apostolic gift, and he was cursed by Peter. He wanted magic and did not understand what the Holy Spirit was.
It would be better to err on the side of fear of God than to err on the side of “I hope he’ll forgive me, I’m doing it anyway.”
For further thought on the topic, read:
Darlene Bocek's answer to Christians, would it be sinful to write a novel revolving around magic?.
As a Christian author, is it ok to use fictional religion and magic in writing stories?
