How To Incorporate Christianity In Writing

Christian writers are all influenced by their faith, just as any other writer is influenced by their own worldview. Christian writers will undoubtedly write something that reflects their worldview, whether directly or indirectly. Today, I’m going to explore the different ways that authors may integrate God and the Bible in their work. I’m not necessarily going to be exhaustive––you may be able to think of other ways this is done––but I am going to cover what I think are the main approaches.

The first approach that a Christian author can take is a strictly accurate approach, or a more blatant approach. This kind of story could be fictional or nonfictional, but it would be based in this world. The author could mention things like God, Jesus, and His death on the cross. It could span from modern day to ancient times, as long as it mentions the God of the Bible. The advantage with this approach is that the author has the opportunity to clearly demonstrate God and the gospel. However, someone who is not a Christian may be put off by the obvious mention of God in the story, so it can be hard to reach an audience of unbelievers. Even so, it can be an encouraging read for believers who want to be strengthened or challenged in their faith.

The next approach is having another God to reflect the actual God. Christian fantasy often does this, and this can be a way to see God through fresh eyes. As a Christian, I believe taking a step away from the reality of this world and taking a step into a different kind of world can allow someone to see the wonder of God at a different angle. It can also appeal to people who don’t believe in Jesus because the author isn’t explicitly talking about Christianity. The only disadvantage would be that readers may not take the morality or truth about God to heart, and they may merely interpret it as a fantastical story.

Third, authors may choose to use mythology to reflect Biblical ideas. I think that Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis or even Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien fall in this category. This is the unique approach of using pagan stories or sources and redefining them. Christian writers may choose to use pagan ideas as an interesting backdrop for their tale, and even pagan stories can have some truth and morality in them that can be good fodder for storytelling. Again, a reader may not understand what the author is trying to portray, and important details about God may not come across well, so there are drawbacks. Some Christians may dislike this approach, arguing that believers shouldn’t play with paganism, and I respect that. However, not every element in a pagan story is necessarily wrong, and often there are grains of truth among the myths.

Another approach is using allegorical elements in a story. I know some people don’t like this approach (e.g., J.R.R. Tolkien), but I think it is a perfectly legitimate way to incorporate God and the Bible into a story. The Chronicles of Narnia has a lot of allegory, although much of the books move away from being strictly allegorical. If well done, allegories are a great way to think about intangible realities in a more down-to-earth, physical kind of way. Sometimes they can seem a little too obvious or even too weird, but they have a place and they can help readers see the world in a different light.

Some Christian writers simply choose not to use a Biblical system at all, whether that is not having a God, or following a character who doesn’t believe in God, or simply having a completely different system than the God of the Bible. However, there is still a sense of morality and truth, even in this kind of story because the author is influenced by his or her beliefs. Even if the characters don’t have a God-figure to believe in, they still will experience character development and discover truth along their journey. One advantage for this approach is that people who aren’t Christians would probably feel less preached to. It still might help them see morality and truth better, and it could help open their minds to Biblical ideas, even though Christianity is not explicitly mentioned. However, the very advantage can also be a drawback because unbelievers may not see who God is after reading the story. It also might not feel quite as personally applicable for Christians on their spiritual walk. However, overall, it can still have great benefits of helping people grow and recognize goodness in this world.

All of these methods have pros and cons, but they are all great ways to incorporate Biblical truths that Christian writers want to share. Remember that no way is necessarily right or wrong, but if you are a Christian writer, think about what would work for your story and what kind of audience you want to reach. No matter how you do it, do it with all your heart, and have fun writing!

~Evelyn Knight