tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33325729.post116105606507116837..comments2023-11-05T03:47:03.674-07:00Comments on The Lost Genre Guild: Beyond What Ifcynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15514785429568086047noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33325729.post-1161452024202615112006-10-21T11:33:00.000-06:002006-10-21T11:33:00.000-06:00Interesting discussion, but I don't agree with Dan...Interesting discussion, but I don't agree with Dan's opening point: <I>The problem with all spec fic is that it will--by its very nature of being speculative--deviate from God's reality.<BR/>For the Christian, this presents massive issues.</I><BR/><BR/>I think we are forgetting the concept of "pretend." Spec fic does not deviate from God's reality because it does not purport to be REAL. It is make-believe, and we as fiction writers must not lose sight of that point.<BR/><BR/>This is why I am not whole-heartedly in agreement with Andrea about the idea that what the Bible calls evil we must also call evil. <BR/><BR/>To be honest with you, I have no plans to write about witches at all, let alone good witches. But did the author of <I>The Wizard of Oz</I> cross some forbidden line by writing in a good witch?<BR/><BR/>And is depicting witches as good, helpful, positive only wrong when we name them <I>witches</I>? (See the last Pirates of the Caribbean movie or Mary Poppins or Cinderella and her Fairy Godmothers).<BR/><BR/>In other words, I think when the code word which has become synonymous in some people's minds for "evil" is included, then there is the automatic stamp of disapproval. But if only character portrayal is present, readers/viewers (and most critics) seem to have no problem regarding the character as pretend.<BR/><BR/>It is the truth couched within the pretend that we need to be alert to, and in fact teach our children to recognize.<BR/><BR/>BeckyRebecca LuElla Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06823550402103559922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33325729.post-1161289005905074662006-10-19T14:16:00.000-06:002006-10-19T14:16:00.000-06:00To clarify, and I think I said this before, we are...To clarify, and I think I said this before, we are primarily responsible for our work lining up with our own theology/doctrines and what we know of God's character, what we understand to be pleasing to him. Of course, on a personal level, we should all be striving to come to a fuller and more complete understanding of who He is. We should exercize some caution, though, in that we will be held accountable before God for any false doctrines we spread in our work.Andrea Grahamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15704143681030568711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33325729.post-1161270061223808092006-10-19T09:01:00.000-06:002006-10-19T09:01:00.000-06:00You guys have really kept a great discussion going...You guys have really kept a great discussion going here. Good work. Dan (or should I call you "The other Dan?")did a great job pointing out a lot of the controversy surrounding the very concept of Christian Spec Fic. Andrea, great challenges and points made as well. <BR/><BR/>To thrown my own two cents into this (as one of those two authors that scared off Cynthia's pants), I'm right in the thick of the "debate" as a "horror" writer. I've always classified my work as Supernatural Thrillers simply because I don't write just for the sake of scaring anyone, but more to show a "supernatural" twist on things and impart my Christian worldview. In horror, you get right into the thick of things. Do ghosts exist? How much interaction do demons really have in our lives? What exactly are the Biblical restrictions on using Angels? Etc.<BR/><BR/>Frank coined the LGG introduction and said "we own the rights on fallen angels", but I would argue that Christian writers should own the rights on all angels. After all, we're the only ones that have any Biblical support to write anything about them. And fallen or not, angels are angels, right? And so on, so on...<BR/><BR/>Anyway, the point is, the controversy won't go away. In some ways, I personally consider that one of the saddest points. I've never written an alternate past story, but I can off-hand imagine a few ways to do it that wouldn't actually challenge God's sovereignty. Is it really fair to say that anything we write outside the realm of accepted reality isn't Godly? Whether or not it is, some people will think so no matter what success we see. Peretti and Dekker certainly step outside the realm of what spec-fic nay-sayers might tote as "acceptable," but they move more books (and consequentially touch more lives) than a lot of other authors out there. How many Spec Fic writers mention Peretti's Darkness books in their list of "most influential reads"?<BR/><BR/>As Christians, no matter what we write or say, there will be those that speak negatively or those that don't agree with some aspect of what we do. And to Andrea's point, the relevant thing is to make sure that we're always focusing on our primary audience. It's so much easier to please One than to please the world. He is the only one that matters. And if your greatest story since sliced bread never sees a bookstore's shelves, you'll know that you did your best for Him.Daniel I Weaverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00895202139305313413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33325729.post-1161189570661064262006-10-18T10:39:00.000-06:002006-10-18T10:39:00.000-06:00Andrea and Dan,I don't think anyone would disagree...Andrea and Dan,<BR/><BR/>I don't think anyone would disagree with Andrea's statement about the need for writers to ensure their work is theologically-sound. However, as a publisher I have seen firsthand the situation Dan mentions: no two denominations agree on everything, e.g./ the spec-fic anthology we are currently promoting. Several of the stories (or elements of the stories) created a real controversy among the authors! As editor I made the decision that (in regards to theology) if the story conformed to the "essentials" it was going to be considered for inclusion. <BR/><BR/>We have a group of good writers with a flair for Biblical Spec-fic. However, we have folks who hold different eschatological beliefs/ thoughts--despite this, included in the book is a story that essentially challenges premillennialism. <BR/><BR/>Another example is a story that will challenge many people's beliefs about which sins are/ are not covered by Christ's blood.<BR/><BR/>And further, two of our authors, have penned riveting thrillers (read: horror) that scared the pants off me! These stories definitely have a specific audience--they aren't made for pre-evangelical/ evangelical purposes! And, there are certain to be people who challenge aspects of the theology contained in these stories.<BR/><BR/>Augustine's rubric comes in handy in this sticky situation:<BR/>"In Essentials, Unity. In Non-Essentials, Liberty. In all Things, Clarity."cynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15514785429568086047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33325729.post-1161187530206849892006-10-18T10:05:00.000-06:002006-10-18T10:05:00.000-06:00alt-history is irrelevant in my view, as I don't w...alt-history is irrelevant in my view, as I don't write alt-history and don't entirely disagree on that point. And God's character comes into play in all stories, not just those where he appears on stage. When we're world building, we're walking in our creator's footsteps, and we need to ask that question. As the Heavens declare His Majesty, so should our worlds reflect who He is on some level. Besides, all stories say something about God, intentionally or not. It's nigh impossible to escape that. Nothing may be said specifically, yes, like in Ruth or Esther, but the worldview is still evident and the light, or lack there of, shines through.<BR/><BR/>Of course there are disagreements in the christian world, the cessasionist should write a story that reflects God as they understand Him, just as the pentecostal or charismatic should write a story that reflects God as they understand Him. On nonessentials especially, we are only responsible for what we know.<BR/><BR/>He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword. the dictators that stand out in my mind all ended up dying at the edge of their own sword. Sin does have consequences and it's irresponsible at best to indicate otherwise. Whether they appear to "get away with it" or not, sin is wrong and any book that portrays otherwise, and god forbid, glorifies sin, isn't Christian, period.Andrea Grahamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15704143681030568711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33325729.post-1161134719375725162006-10-17T19:25:00.000-06:002006-10-17T19:25:00.000-06:00Dan, we don't know the future, and the advent of C...Dan, we don't know the future, and the advent of Christ proved prophecy only makes sense after the fact, so I would disagree that futuristic writing has anything at all to do with questioning God's Sovereignty. Indeed, "God is Sovereign" could actually be the theme of a futuristic piece. <BR/><BR/>The question you have to boil it down to in approaching spec fic is, "what does this story say about God?" If the story accurately depicts God's character, the gospel, the five fundamentals, and so forth, it's biblical. Areas the bible has spoken on, specifically, are off-limits if you want your spec fic to be biblical. That still leaves areas, such as aliens, where the bible is silent--as long as the worlds we create make sense in light of what we know of God's Character. <BR/><BR/>I agree, though, spec fic writers that consider themselves Christians (I'll leave sorting the wheat from the chaff to God) are often sloppy in their application of theology. Too often, they don't give a whit, and it really shows. <BR/><BR/>BTW, audience has zero impact on the need for correct theology. Whether you're writing pre-evangelical, evangelical, or post, your first audience is God and He expects our work to be theologically sound, at the least to the best of the author's knowledge (which we ought to be growing in all the time, but that's another topic)<BR/><BR/>This doesn't mean sinners shouldn't sin in our stories, of course they will. But the wages of sin had better be death, if you know what I mean. It comes down to, does the depiction encourage or discourage the behavior?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33325729.post-1161115227701941532006-10-17T14:00:00.000-06:002006-10-17T14:00:00.000-06:00You know, a year or two ago, we had this whole ali...You know, a year or two ago, we had this whole aliens and other worlds discussion on the Ted Dekker discussion board. It proved very interesting--we batted around every question you postulated here and came to some unified and not so unified conclusions.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for sharing your thoughts.<BR/>God bless,<BR/>Karrikchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09150824444740146937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33325729.post-1161114113286244512006-10-17T13:41:00.000-06:002006-10-17T13:41:00.000-06:00The question of the 'alternate history' and the li...The question of the 'alternate history' and the life of Christ was discussed by myself and a few other bloggers several months back. My post is here: http://clawoftheconciliator.blogspot.com/2006/05/alternate-christs.html - it links to the other blog posts.Elliothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08144417439505262113noreply@blogger.com