Christians in Fiction
May 1st 2008 05:55
It’s hard for me to find Christians in novels that I actually can relate to. Most of them seem to be pretty two-dimensional and unrealistic. Christian fiction contains characters that may have had a past, but who have left all that behind them when they made a commitment to Christ. They fact temptations, but they overcome them. They may sin, but it’s usually pretty minor and they repent immediately afterwards. Christian novels usually end with all temptations overcome, all prayers answered, all doubts laid to rest and all loved ones embraced into the Christian fold.
Secular novels also seem to have a lot of unrealistic Christian characters that fit into one of three stereotypes. Either they’re good natured, but slightly naïve, characters. They are likeable, but basically out of touch with the real world. Or they are religious fundamentalists, filled with hatred, judgement and anger and lacking in love and compassion. They’re hard to like because there’s usually so few likeable things about them. Or – as someone who likes historical novels – they are priests, cardinals, bishops or other religious authority figures, who care a lot about their position as men of God, but very little for the God they are meant to be serving.
Admittedly, I don’t read a lot of fiction. I tend to be pretty picky with my fiction. So I stick with either the authors I know I love or those books I have a pretty good reason for reading. So there could be a lot of great Christian characters in books that I don’t know about.
The Abstinence Teacher, by Tom Perotta, was one novel that I decided I had to read. The back said that it was a portrayal of the American religious right. I thought it would probably be more of the same stereotypical religious right views, but nevertheless I wanted to see what it said. I like reading the views other people have about Christians – even when they’re less than complimentary.
I expected to dislike their portrayal of Christians. I expected to see two-dimensional unlikeable Christians. I expected to cringe in parts and argue with the author at other parts. What I didn’t expect was absolute brilliance.
This book is undoubtedly the best novel I have read this year. The main Christian character, Tim, was authentic and real. He had a pretty wild past, but cleaned up his act when he gave his life to Jesus. He had a genuine desire to follow Jesus and do the right thing from a Christian standpoint, but he also has some very real feelings and struggles.
He leads his soccer team in prayer and faces the anger of their parents. He still has feelings of desire for his ex-wife and finds it hard to love his present wife. He ends up getting drunk and stoned at a poker game. He attends a Christian event and wonders whether he really belongs.
Admittedly, there are some parts of the novel I wish had gone differently. I didn’t like the ending at all. But at least Tim came across as a real person. This wasn’t some glossed over view of a Christian overcoming temptation. Nor was it some attempt to show all Christians as religious nutcases. It was actually a very good portrayal of a Christian’s struggles. I liked Tim. He’s the kind of person I would have liked to know if he was real. And there are very few Christian characters I can say that about.
Secular novels also seem to have a lot of unrealistic Christian characters that fit into one of three stereotypes. Either they’re good natured, but slightly naïve, characters. They are likeable, but basically out of touch with the real world. Or they are religious fundamentalists, filled with hatred, judgement and anger and lacking in love and compassion. They’re hard to like because there’s usually so few likeable things about them. Or – as someone who likes historical novels – they are priests, cardinals, bishops or other religious authority figures, who care a lot about their position as men of God, but very little for the God they are meant to be serving.
Admittedly, I don’t read a lot of fiction. I tend to be pretty picky with my fiction. So I stick with either the authors I know I love or those books I have a pretty good reason for reading. So there could be a lot of great Christian characters in books that I don’t know about.
The Abstinence Teacher, by Tom Perotta, was one novel that I decided I had to read. The back said that it was a portrayal of the American religious right. I thought it would probably be more of the same stereotypical religious right views, but nevertheless I wanted to see what it said. I like reading the views other people have about Christians – even when they’re less than complimentary.
I expected to dislike their portrayal of Christians. I expected to see two-dimensional unlikeable Christians. I expected to cringe in parts and argue with the author at other parts. What I didn’t expect was absolute brilliance.
This book is undoubtedly the best novel I have read this year. The main Christian character, Tim, was authentic and real. He had a pretty wild past, but cleaned up his act when he gave his life to Jesus. He had a genuine desire to follow Jesus and do the right thing from a Christian standpoint, but he also has some very real feelings and struggles.
He leads his soccer team in prayer and faces the anger of their parents. He still has feelings of desire for his ex-wife and finds it hard to love his present wife. He ends up getting drunk and stoned at a poker game. He attends a Christian event and wonders whether he really belongs.
Admittedly, there are some parts of the novel I wish had gone differently. I didn’t like the ending at all. But at least Tim came across as a real person. This wasn’t some glossed over view of a Christian overcoming temptation. Nor was it some attempt to show all Christians as religious nutcases. It was actually a very good portrayal of a Christian’s struggles. I liked Tim. He’s the kind of person I would have liked to know if he was real. And there are very few Christian characters I can say that about.
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