“When I wake up, well I know I’m gonna be…”[2]
These are the opening lyrics to a famous, catchy song by the Proclaimers.
Gonna be? For me, the question is, gonna be what when I wake up?
Well, I did wake up, and the world I’m living in is looking less and less familiar. For many years I lived in a safe and happy Christian, rural community, unaware that life outside my bubble was less happy and less safe for many people in different minority groups. I didn’t wake up of my own accord. My daughter gravitated quickly to social justice, excelled in those ideologies as a student, and has furthered them as an adult. She was not prepared to let me dwell happily in my bubble of ignorance. To say it has been a rude awakening would be an understatement. But I’m awake now, so watcha gonna do?
As a Christian writer in an increasingly uncomfortable world, how do I bring ideas of social concern into my writing? It seems apparent that a metaphoric line has been drawn down the middle and the overwhelming pressure is to choose sides. Either you’re a social justice warrior, always on the offense, or you’re a conservative Christian, fighting to maintain the status quo that served the majority groups so well for many years.
Personally, I’m not happy with the line, the either/or, the ‘if you’re not for us, you’re against us’ ideas that seem to be finding so much traction.
There is a loud mantra called ‘woke’. I took the following definition from an article credited below:
“Woke nowadays refers to being aware or well informed in a political or cultural sense, especially regarding issues surrounding marginalised communities – it describes someone who has “woken up” to issues of social injustice.”[3]
On one side of the line, it is anger at the apathy and resistance of those on the other side, who in turn stubbornly dig in with ridicule and resistance to the social concerns.
What is this strange new world we live in? Social concerns have been the bread and butter of Christian mission for centuries, and historically have met with resistance at every push for change. I guess now, the difference is those leading the charge of social justice concerns are not necessarily Christian leaders. Not so say there are no Christians involved, but stereo-typically, it seems that the Christians have been earmarked as the resistant enemy.
Wow! That turned to custard fairly quickly.
What went wrong, and how?
Well, I don’t plan to address that question. I don’t really know.
I’m quite certain the Holy Spirit must have a plan. Is it time to sit still, hold our impassioned opinions for a bit, observe the situation and listen to the Holy Spirit?
As a writer of Christian fiction, I love romance. I’ve written historical romance and lately embarked on a series of light-heated contemporary romance. As a reader, in recent times, I’ve become a little bored with a lot of contemporary romance. Ho-hum. The strong guidelines of conservative Christian thinking have us writing in that safe Christian world, with safe and long-held conservative values. It’s nice. It’s safe. It neglects the possibility of minority groups and difficult, untidy relationship dynamics. A Christian writer dares to tackle a controversial topic with great risk of getting backlash that could well affect sales.
From life experience I realise that it is possible to live in a Christian conservative bubble, happy and unaware of the nuanced difficulties experienced by others who are of minority groups.
To become aware – woke, if you like – is not comfortable, brings a sense of helplessness because traditional solutions don’t always apply. Quilting circles, bake sales, church choirs – I love them. Love, love, love, them, but there are too many people outside who do not fit, cannot fit, are lost, broken, lonely, angry, afraid.
While writing Christian fiction, I’ve attempted to be aware of more than my Christian Conservative buddies. I’ve tried to understand beyond my world. I’ve had other people beta read and alert me to insensitivities, or ways in which my plot and character could be misunderstood. It happens a lot—me not understanding or being clumsily insensitive.
Even taking these precautionary measures, I still meet with readers – or read reviews – which indicate I’ve trodden on sensitive ground. There has been reaction from both those who are sensitive in a minority group and from conservative Christian readers who get their hackles raised because I may have drawn a sympathetic image of a character who is traditionally seen as one of those ‘left-winged secularists’. It is not easy to please both groups.
While trying to be mindful of today’s hot current issues, I also want to represent the world in which I’ve live most of my life. That world is also real with good, bad and ugly sides. You can have a feminist daughter and a chauvinist dad in the same room, loving each other. Both words—feminist and chauvinist— have connotations of evil (depending on your world view), but if you paint a deeper picture, examining core character beliefs, neither need be a bad-guy. Both can be lovable character, with faults, and part of a normal happy family. I’d like to examine some of this in more depth later.
How is your personal writing journey going with this concept of ‘being woke’ in mind? How are you representing the world in which you set your novels? What sort of responses have you received for your efforts?
Next time I blog, I want to talk more specifically about one of these issues in my writing. Let me know your thoughts, and perhaps we can dig a little deeper, carefully negotiating any hidden landmines.
[1] Image by Bruce Mars, Unsplash.com, https://unsplash.com/photos/wBuPCQiweuA?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditShareLink
[2] Reid, C; Reid, C., I’m Gonna Be (500 miles), The Proclaimers.
[3] Rhona Shennan, 21st Oct 2021, https://www.nationalworld.com/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/what-does-woke-mean-meaning-of-woke-culture-and-woke-generation-in-2021-and-definition-of-anti-woke-3215758
Wow – what a great reminder to ‘wake’ up! Thanks Meredith. Great food for thought.
I’ve stuck strongly to my belief that we Christians must be united, even if we make different choices about all the current issues. I do feel we need to be ‘awake’ and aware of the issues troubling those around us so we can empathise or at least care and pray. I have chosen to ‘just trust God’ through most of the current things and to love and accept my Christian – and non-Christian – friends. I believe it is important for us to let our lights shine amid the darkness now, not by campaigning etc but by finding my security in Jesus. That’s my current take on it anyway. Yes, I sometimes sign petitions if I feel they are important.
Regarding my writing, I’ve tackled several social issues in my WIP but not the current ones and have set my novel in 2017-8.
This sure is a time to be aware, but to be wise, trust God and be full of His Grace. Not always easy to negotiate.
Hi Meredith,
What an excellent and thought provoking post.
The truth is many aspects of the ‘Woke’ culture make me sad and concerned, especially when it comes to fiction writing. I’ve seen well-meaning Aussie fiction authors with white, middle class backgrounds get criticised for being too insular and not inclusive enough in their stories. I’ve also seen other well-meaning Aussie fiction authors with white, middle class backgrounds get criticised for attempting to be more inclusive, and being told in no uncertain terms that they don’t know what they’re talking about, so should steer clear of trying to represent other demographics than their own, because it can only end in a typecast shambles.
I have to be honest, this feeling that we can’t win either way is one big factor that has scared me off writing for the fiction market for quite some time. I really admire people who are warriors for social justice issues, yet on the other hand the extreme degree of sensitivity that puts people in the firing line for unintentional gaffes frightens me more than a bit. Sadly, sometimes the Woke culture sometimes seems to evoke a critical spirit for its targets that doesn’t differ essentially from the wrongs they seek to address. I’d love to see forgiveness and tolerance extended across the board.
I hear you, Paula. Being a target of harsh criticism is not pleasant. It is ironic that some of the ‘woke warriors’ target the white, middle-class representation using tactics that they condemn when used against minority groups.. However, we are all sensitive to hurt. And it is also ironic, as you’ve indicated, that trying to be inclusive can be as easily condemned for trying to represent other groups we do not identify with, while at the same time being condemned for not including them. Is it all too hard? I’m sorry you’ve backed away from writing, because I love your style and insight.
Thanks Meredith. There is a world that needs Christ outside our doors and being a follower of Jesus, implies that we will have his heart – which was always for the outsider, those considered ‘sinners’ (a word used by self-righteous people who couldn’t see their pride/hypocrisy …).
I am working hard to have migrants in each of my novels (just ordinary Australians) and also those the word looks down on. One of my favourite characters is in books 2, 4, 6 and is a 24 y.o. man with Down Syndrome. I wanted him to have some realistic hero moments and he has plenty to illustrate the principle that God can use anyone and everyone and sometimes people are so hurt that they can only listen to someone outside their normal circles.
Being aware of the world who do not know Jesus, or who do not worship Jesus the way we do is a study, and a constant challenge to keep up with. Praise the Lord that He is up with it all. I guess, now we need to keep our ear inclined to Him to receive his wisdom and grace in all circumstances – with humility.
I love that Christ gives us freedom to wrestle with these issues with grace, compassion, sorrow and hope! Thanks for having the guts to write about this Meredith! It’s the elephant in the room every time I consider how my WIP might be received, and consider stories to tackle.
A hot potato indeed – do we swallow the heat, let it cool down, juggle it and risk burning the fingers or dropping the lot? While there is no simple answer (and a lot of ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t deliberations) I think it inconsiderate (if not downright arrogant) to ignore issues which have the potential to create barriers and cause harm, so I commend you for sharing your contemplations and questions.
Now, more than ever, we need to seek the wisdom of God for his words and for an outpouring of love and sensitivity towards all.