Pastorally Speaking
Pastorally speaking, I have authority and credibility. If I say something about Scripture, you’re supposed to be able to believe me. That’s part of the burden of responsibility of a call to ordained ministry- my words have impact and power. When it’s a good thing, I attribute it to the Holy Spirit. When someone better understands a theological topic or opens their heart to be more like Christ through increased empathy, I recognize that I may have been an instrument of peace, but it is the Holy Spirit’s power and work that effects the real change in a person. When I write about Scripture or preach the Word, I do research to make sure that what I am presenting is the best information that is available. The same moral responsibility is not a requirement for authors writing works of fiction, poetry, or satire. They get to make things up. And maybe that’s why I’m mad about it.
Broadway has provided us with an example of this from The Book of Mormon. There’s a whole song, “Making Things Up Again” about one of the characters making things up. “You’re recklessly warping the words of Jesus!” and “You can’t just say what you want, Arnold!” are parts of the song. As it is a musical written for adults, it comes with a trigger warning and an advisory warning to listen to it before you play it for any children. The fact remains that when people of faith make things up, even if they are trying to do the right thing, it becomes the wrong thing. A lie is a lie is a lie. Honesty is the best policy and the only way to have that is to have truth.
And sometimes what people believe to be the truth is different. Eyewitness testimony isn’t reliable, the fish gets bigger every time the fishing story gets told, and even the best of us answer “I’m fine” when we are not. In real life, outside of any kind of fiction or media, this matters so much. We have to be truth tellers. We have to stick to what we know, not just make things up because they are convenient. Which becomes especially irksome to me when the work of fiction has to do with God.
I find it acceptable to search for Gospel in works of fiction. Many available books touch on how the author’s faith was emboldened and enlivened by things like Star Wars. (The Gospel According to Star Wars, May the Faith Be With You, and Star Wars Redeemed being three top Google searches.) Y’all already know that I can shoehorn the pharisees into a book about penguins. Whether it is intentional or unintentional, God tends to show up in media.
I give a huge pass to allegory. I do like The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia and other writings that take theological concepts and apply them. That to me is an acceptable expression of faith. You take something you understand about who God is or who we are supposed to be and you expound upon it in a way that makes sense to you. Jesus spoke in parables so gifted authors who take the Gospel and find new ways to present it so that it is understandable, relatable (as a city kid, lots of the agricultural references require more information to make sense to me), and otherwise connects to our modern understanding seems to fit with the idea that we are to spread the good news of Jesus Christ in all that we do. This does involve making things up, but it is the names of the characters and the settings that are imaginary, not the theological truth that the works are sharing. The theology, as a general rule, is still sound. God is still good. Christ is still willing to sacrifice himself for all. It just makes sense.
But when our own theology does not agree with what has been written, we run into a problem. This can happen with a work of fiction, like The Princes and the Goblin or The Divine Comedy. The storyline, plot, characters, etc. might be great, but when the theology doesn’t mesh, what do we do with these works of fiction? We can definitely still read and consume them, but it is generally a good idea to think through what you share or suggest. Just like with a post on social media, if you just impulsively hit the share button or copy/paste something without verifying it, there is a very real and definite risk that you will become someone who makes things up. Or believes things that are easily disproven. It is a move away from truth. Would you repeat that same thing to others in a situation other than the internet? Do you really believe what you’ve just shared? And what if the work talking about Scripture is a Bible study? Or comes from a pastor? There are all sorts of interpretations of Scripture out there that do harm, do not mesh with Christ’s teachings, and espouse a theology that could be considered heresy (depending on who you ask).
Each of us as individual followers of Christ has a responsibility to THINK. Before we say something, share something, support something, how does it help us to live like Christ? Is what we are sharing true, helpful, inspiring, necessary, kind? There is a place for the silly and the frivolous, especially in fiction. A thought exercise that stretches our brain and our faith can be super beneficial to our spiritual growth. But when we look to our leaders, in the church, in our communities, in any space or place, their words are not silly or frivolous. It makes it hard for me to give a pass to authors with whom I disagree, but people can say or do things we do not agree with anytime, not just in writing. We are still called collectively to discuss, to not give credibility or boost (sharing on social media is boosting) harmful words, and to always give our own consideration if a piece of media is right for us. That judgment is for each individual to make and we do not all have to agree.
However, we do all have to live together in God’s world. So let us pray for peace, seek to be good neighbors and live out Christ’s commandments, and to respond to the Holy Spirit so that we may be transformed.
