11/09/2007

My Last Word on Defining Christian Writing

~Andrea Graham~

To clarify, no where, either here or in the forum, has anyone said Christians are obligated to write anything, theme-wise or otherwise.

All I've ever said is Christian writing of any sort is one where the author is submitted to God, as the Church teaches we should be, and has written what He told them (lead them) to write. The material might be wholly secular if judged by the world's measures rather than the biblical measure of the author's relationship with Christ.

As I've said, all books, whether Christian or Non-Christian, have a message and can be measured for Truth by the scripture apart from any regards for genre, personal preferences, or target audience. But that is a whole different topic.

Again, what makes your work Christian or not has nothing to do with the words on the page in and of themselves, and everything to do with your relationship to God and submission to Him in this area of your life. If anyone here really, truly doesn't want to Christ to be Lord over your writing and hence are convinced He doesn't care--you're free to make that choice, whoever you are. I do not say this to condemn you. We all have areas that we struggle to lay down control of to God, but still we remain His. I do pray that someday you will become willing to lay this crown down at His feet, but that is still up to you.

Though, one chief barrier is we tend to fear He'll demand the writer's version of being a foreign missionary, which is why stuff no one here is saying keeps getting refuted. In reality, He's probably already positioned you where He wants you. He just wants you to scoot over and let Him at the keyboard; or for Country music fans, to let Jesus take the wheel.

But, I've said more than enough. Please everyone, debate this with Him. I'm finished.

2 comments:

Frank Creed said...

Well said.
I look forward to more last words.
No, of course not that way.
Oh, go Google GEICO caveman already!

Faith,
frankcreed.com

Deborah Cullins Smith said...

Frank, you are OBSESSED with that GEICO caveman.... You really need to get out more!! **giggles**

Andrea, I think Cyn was right in her comments on Wednesday's post. We ARE probably saying the same things, just phrasing differently. I do agree with you that we need only be willing vessels in order to be used -- in whatever manner God moves us to write. Perhaps it was my "however" that made you think I wanted to pick a fight? That was not the intention.

At any rate, if I have offended you, Andrea, I do apologize. Maybe I have misunderstood your intent, both in the group site discussions and in this blog. If so, I'm sorry. Frank is right -- you have come a long way in the past year. You and I have found many areas of common ground in the past. I hope it will always remain that our common ground, AND our mutual faith, will outweigh any differences. You are my sister in Christ, and I value YOU highly.