As I survey the landscape of both fantasy fiction and Christian
readers, I am saddened by a trend happening across the nation. It is not a new
trend, but a slide down a slippery slope that has been going on for nearly half
a century. We have all heard the old
adage about boiling a frog by putting it in cold water and slowing turning up
the heat. A similar fate seems to have overtaken the legacy left by the
founders of fantasy fiction. It is the secularization of the genre, and the
alienation of Christian readers.
Epic fantasy has its deepest roots dating back hundreds or
thousands of years, into ancient myths and legends. But around the time of
World War II, two friends produced works that brought myths and legends to life
in vivid works of fiction, blended with themes of faith and Christianity. C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien are widely
recognized as the fathers of modern, epic fantasy. They were also Christians,
with Tolkien actually leading Lewis from agnosticism to faith in Christ. Lewis
went on to not only be an amazing fantasy writer, but his theological work,
especially in the area of Christian apologetics, was profound.
So with such profoundly faith-based roots in the founding
fathers of modern fantasy, and in those who followed closely on their heels,
why do we find today the majority of Christian readers retreating from anything
resembling fantasy? While there have
been stalwart Christian fantasy authors who have fought the good fight, from
Tolkien and Lewis, through Madeline L’Engle, Katherine Kurtz, Frank Peretti,
Stephen Lawhea, Ted Dekker, and others, Christians seem to have largely lost
their beachhead in fantasy fiction.
A look at the recent top-selling authors in the fantasy
genre is all it might take to turn away most Christian readers. Best sellers
filled with gratuitous gore and sex, soaked in foul language, and reveling in
glorifying sin in all its manifestations are a large reason Christian readers
are retreating in droves from a genre that seems to have lost any glimmer of
light whatsoever.
But I would urge Christian readers to pause a moment to
recognize, all is not lost. There are faithful fantasy and science fiction
authors who have not checked their faith at the door in order to sell books to
the masses. In addition to the breakout Christian authors mentioned above,
there are a plethora of Christian Speculative Fiction authors grinding away in
near obscurity, producing great fantasy and science fiction stories that are
firmly grounded in their faith. There
are faithful Christian Speculative Fiction review sites, like David Bergsland’s
“Reality Calling” ( www.radiqx.com ) or
Peter Younghusband’s “Christian Fiction Review” ( http://christianfictionreviewguru.blogspot.com
) who dedicate time and energy to informing Christian readers about wholesome,
faith-based fantasy and science fiction stories. There are many Christian fantasy reader groups
on Facebook and Goodreads, like “Why Christian Fantasy/Sci-Fi Books Totally
Rule” (https://www.facebook.com/groups/18977857016/
), “Christian Fiction Gathering” (https://www.facebook.com/groups/christianfictiongathering/
), to help readers connect with faithful authors.
I say all this to make one point crystal clear. If you are a
Christian that loves Tolkien and Lewis, don’t despair. There are many more adventures waiting that
do not require you to check your faith at the door or steel yourself for a wade
through filth just to get your fantasy fix. If you are willing to search for
these authors, I can promise there are thousands of faithful authors desperately
looking to connect with YOU! Remember
the story from 1 Kings 19 where Elijah felt like he was the only one in the
world that still believed and served God, but God answered and said He had
reserved seven thousand to Himself who had not bowed a knee to Baal. Both Christian authors seeing to connect with
readers, and Christian readers despairing of the state of modern fantasy are
both crying out like Elijah that they are alone. Yet I can tell you, faithful brothers and
sisters in Christ, that if you seek, you will find.
Readers, there are authors out there who have not bowed
their knee, and who are writing for you.
Authors, there are Christians who love fantasy and science fiction, and
are desperately seeking faithful reading options. With a little effort, we can
find each other and send a message to the publishing industry that Christians
have not abandoned this marketplace, but that there are millions of faithful
readers out there willing to support faithful authors. When we do that, these
publishers currently making their livelihoods off pedaling sin-riddled
literature will have to get on board and be a part of turning this industry
back to its Christian roots.
