As a writer of fiction I have found over the years, that I have had to move beyond that which I know into territory that is way outside my comfort zone.
My personal Christian journey started around the age of four when I first recognised that I understood and believed in Jesus, and I loved him. You might guess that I was brought up in a conservative home, a conservative rural community, a conservative church. All of this was lovely and I have nothing but fond memories of my childhood.
Somewhere in the 1980s I became aware of political activism, mainly right-winged Christian lobbyists. Any other liberal social movement of the 60s and 70s registered in my childish mind as something disgraceful or outrageous, impressed by either my grandparents or parents’ comments when news stories aired.
As I moved into adult life, I moved to the city, and was suspicious of everyone, as all the bad stuff I’d seen on the nightly news happened in the city. I married and brought up my children in the Pentecostal/evangelical tradition and my children attended Christian schools, the only safe way (in my mind at the time) to educate children (despite the fact that I had enjoyed a wonderful education at my state country high school).
It wasn’t until my daughter reached her end of schooling years in the early 2000s that I found social justice had come into my house. We laugh about it now, but she was quite the activist, determined to set her parents ‘right’ on so many issues. How did this happen? Who was this person?
As she grew up and graduated year 12, she topped the state in Aboriginal Studies, got a masters in the same subject, and engaged in numerous other social justice issues. Anything from refugees, ethically produced chocolate, climate and environment, and rights for the marginalised to poverty and the unions.
At the time most of these topics were regarded with suspicion by conservatives, and my world view felt under attack.
She had a lot of passion mixed with teenage angst and I was a little stunned and confused about what I should do. (It’s okay, she’s read this and given me some sentences to use). I soon learned that continually shutting her voice down was counterproductive to good relationship.
So I learned to listen.
And I learned stuff. I learned loads of stuff that presented another side to the argument, or at least a foundation and understanding of why certain situations existed in the first place.
My relationship with my daughter has weathered many a storm of political difference, but one thing we have both learned over the twenty years of her being an adult is that nothing is gained by outrage, harsh comments or ignorance. Much is to be gained by understanding and relationship. Even if we still have widely different political views on certain things, we have learned to respectfully discuss it. When we both learned that neither of us was out to deliberately destroy the world, we developed the strategy of coming to the common ground and laying down defensiveness. In this space you can gain understanding.
This has helped me as a writer learn to represent characters who are not those familiar conservative evangelical Christian characters.
Familiar and conservative is easy to write, and it tends to keep me out of harm’s way with reviewers.
It doesn’t, however, show a broad understanding of my neighbour, and how I, as a Christian, might love someone who is different to me, and way outside of my safe political ideals.
This journey of listening and learning has also helped me understand why others sometimes accuse me of thinking I am better than others because of my strict Christian codes of conduct. It is a tough accusation to consider. I don’t think I’m better than anyone else – do I? Well, I don’t want to think that way, but I understand how that is sometimes how it is perceived.
Back to the writing. I write for the conservative Christian Fiction market, mostly. I know about most of the strict values that are criteria that Christian Fiction writers are supposed to abide by. While I might adhere to most of it myself, I also know that it doesn’t always represent the world we live in. I know that my neighbour who is not a conservative Christian would not relate, and would perhaps feel excluded from fellowship (such a Christian word). Let’s say they would feel unwelcome and wary of relationship because my standards are often perceived as ridiculous; self-righteous; judgemental.
I get all this, and am sorry that this gaping distance exists between me and my neighbour. (You understand when I’m talking about my neighbour, I’m talking about it in the generic sense).
But I’m not ready to write with all the restraints taken off. I prefer not to drop four letter words, and prefer not to describe steamy, sensual, sexual activity. I’m not a fan of gratuitous violence or generating high levels of fear.
I want to represent the world I live in, and my neighbour.I want to love my neighbour without conditions about their behaviour.I want to understand the social justice movements and why many of their followers are so passionate.
One thing I have discovered, some activists are passionate because they care, and care deeply. Others just love a good scrap, and an opportunity to wave a placard and shout into the face of a TV camera seems better than actually understanding what it is they’re fighting for.
The same can be said for Christian activists who spout out dogma they’ve been fed, without any more understanding about the whole situation than our left-wing scrapper.
I’ve learned how to not be afraid of discussion, which means I’m not afraid to hear an idea that might be seen as the enemy of good Christian doctrine. I’ve got a broader and deeper understanding of a wider community of people. I hope to represent my neighbour in my fiction, not as the enemy of faith, but as a person who feels deeply and loves deeply, the same as I do, even if my political values don’t align.
Representing these issues and people doesn’t come without risk – the possibility of opening myself to attack from zealous reviewers.
This is a situation I have thought about deeply, and I keep coming back to the same point. I live in a real world with real people. My years of living in a conservative Christian bubble are over. I was dragged from that place reluctantly – granted – but you can’t unsee something once you’ve seen it. The same is true of understanding. You can’t deliberately decide not to understand others, and exclude them from your writing altogether just because their outlook on life differs from yours. It does not seem consistent with who Christ was when he mixed with people. He simply brought the essence of who he was, the good news of his love, peace, joy and salvation, whether he was accepted or not. But he loved always.
Great post, Meredith. Thank you.
Great post, Meredith. Christians have always had different views on some issues, but I think that’s been heightened in recent years. I don’t want to mention particular issues at the risk of stirring up a hornet’s nest (EEK!), but I’ve been concerned at some well-known people speaking in the media as if they are speaking on behalf of all Christians, and some of them are definitely not speaking for me.
I’ve recently finished reading ‘Christ in Crisis? Reclaiming Jesus in a Time of Fear, Hate and Violence’ by Jim Wallis, the founder of Sojourners (a social justice organisation). One of the biggest takeaways for me, was that if we really believe that all people are made in the image of God, then that will affect not only how we treat people individually, but also how we construct public policy.
Finding that common ground is a key. Good on you for raising the issue. And if your daughter wants me to wave a placard anywhere, just let me know time and place!
Thanks, Nola. She would take you up on that for sure.
Yes, that’s what we often forget, isn’t it? That the people around us are of infinite value because they are made in the image of God. We sometimes only see an obstacle in the way of what we want, an opponent to our beliefs, a threat to our vision of what ought to be. Jesus didn’t, and doesn’t, see people like that.
Thank the Lord that he sees the heart and value of every person.
Hi Meredith, Thanks for sharing your thought provoking post.
“As a writer, how do you process the idea of your characters (ones you are supposed to love) being different to the conservative model that we may have always known?”
Authenticity is important, and characters who are only one dimensional and tick all the good conservative Christian boxes (from a political perspective) aren’t necessarily a reflection of real life. I’m more interested in who the character really is, rather than the Christian mask they present to the world because that’s what they perceive is expected. A character with conservative Christian values can be just as interesting to me as a character with a different worldview and perspective. I didn’t grow up in the so-called Christian bubble and I’ve always been interested in learning more about people who are different to me.
Readers have certain genre expectations, and that includes their expectations for content in Christian fiction. Christian characters who strive to be Christ-like, and love their neighbour as themselves, are the heart of Christian fiction. I think it’s sad if some of those characters are judged by authors and readers as ‘boring conservatives’ because they hold particular theological beliefs that others might consider wrong or gray areas. There’s space in the genre to explore different characters and stories from a Biblical perspective. Readers will decide whether or not these stories are what they want to read.
“Do harsh reviews focused on your character rather than your writing concern you?”
My first concern is what would Jesus think about my writing and my characters. They say the best books have an equal number of five star vs. one star reviews because the story challenges readers and that generates a spectrum of emotional responses from glowing praise to ‘I hate this book because…’ reviews. A reader will take their bit to the story, and each reader will engage with the story in different ways depending on their background, life experiences, etc.
A reader will take their bit to the story… good thought to remember.
Like you, I’m torn between ‘how it is’ and ‘how it should be’ when it comes to people’s morals. Most people – including dedicated Christians – are a mixed bag. Many of us are politically a blend of left and right that is unique to us. So, we’re not doing any favours by misrepresenting that. If the only misbehaving characters are of the ‘thoroughly evil villain’ sort, we’ve typecast. If all of our ‘pious protags’ are goody two-shoes, likewise. Let there be struggle. Let there be choices and consequences. Just be choosy in how we portray it, imho.
‘Let there be struggle. Let there be choices and consequences…’ Love it. Thank you
Thank you for sharing this glimpse into your heart and life. It is important to be respectful. Thank you for pointing that out.
When I write, I strive to remember the advice to write what I would want to read. There is a fine line between taking feedback, writing real life, and changing me. Ultimately, I think if you write something you wouldn’t want to read, then you will probably end up regretting it more than the reviews you might receive. (And hopefully my support group will remind me of this when I need it!)
Agreed. Sometimes the most convenient and tidy solution to a plot problem, which fits snuggly into a conservative POV is not the best solution, and sometimes I have to take the difficult path, though it is fraught with conundrums, because it is real life.