Bad words and Good words

As a Christian, I'm pretty nick-picky about the use of words. The Bible says that death and life are in the power of the tongue. Writers everywhere know that we have the power to influence minds. The question is do we influence minds for good or for evil?

We are in an age where worldviews clash. The moral compass of society is by and large based on relativism. Christian writers of every genre decide for themselves how to navigate through this war zone as they promote their books. It's not always easy.

A reader on a website commented that my book, Abba's Lament (formerly called Before The Beginning) was blasphemous and heretical. I didn't mind, because as I read the comments I realized that even among Christians, there are a variety of interpretations of scripture, and some Christians just don't believe that the Bible should be used as a plot for a Christian fantasy fiction--even speculative fiction.

My question is: do our plots and characters uplift, or do they undermine God's word?

In my high school home school literature classes, I used to ask my students: "Does culture influence literature, or does literature influence culture?"  The students learned about both historical and literary eras and the worldviews that weaved in and out of those time periods. At the end of the year, the students concluded that the answer was that both influence each other.

Christian writers can change culture over time. We are in this world, but we are not of this world. Death and life are in the power of the tongue...and in the tool of the pen.

As a parent, teacher, and author, I want to edify people. Doug and I taught our children that name-calling was not allowed. From a young age, they learned to pay attention to the words they speak to themselves and to others. I would never call my son a "bad" boy. How dare I assign that identity to him! He is a boy that did a bad thing, but his identity is defined by his relationship to God. My current work in progress, No Road Too Long, tells the story of Maggie, an unbelieving college graduate, and it has been interesting developing her character in a way that makes her "real and contemporary" especially since my books will always be PG-13 or under. I do not want to undermine God's word even when developing a character. Writers have the power to cultivate culture. No matter what the plot, we have the ability to weave in the revelation of a good God. Readers can be propelled by a renewed sense of divine purpose and significance through books that uplift the Book.

The human heart can be revived by the power of the rhema of God, but culture must be reformed by the good words and good actions of revived hearts.

The book's beginnings...

All was cozy and serene, one cool March night in 2012 as five of us sat on our L-shaped sofa in the great room.  My husband Doug had begun a family bible study to help our teens learn how to thoroughly unpack the treasure of the Holy Scriptures.  This night, however, we would delve into a tangent that would birth the idea for my first published book.

The scripture that started it was, 1 Peter 1:12.  It reads It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look. (NASV)

"....things into which angels long to look ."  Wow!  We had to take a "selah" moment.  What are these things? Enter the tangent.  The implication of this verse brought out our inner detective.  After we poured through other verses, we found ourselves at Ezekiel 28.  The teens were amazed that this verse recorded God's response to Lucifer's demise.  "When did this happen?" was the next question.  My husband and I told them about the Gap Theory and my mind began to wonder.  Gap Theory or not, clearly Ezekiel 28 referred to a time before the beginning as we knew it.

I love words.  I love the power of words and I try to respect that power and use it wisely.  Words form phrases and for me, phrases are like the primary colors.  You can take a phrase, mix up the word order, and get a new phrase that gives a new thought, one with hues of the first.  Couples learn early in their relationship that the same phrase can mean two different things.

The biggest challenge in writing, Before The Beginning, was to give definition to a word-less concept.  Let me explain.  Rebellion, fear, mischief, anger, insubordination were new concepts in heaven.  Even my character Helel Ben Shachar, which is Hebrew for Lucifer, had no words to name what he was feeling until God gave the feeling a name.  I wanted to stay true to the dilemma that Helel and the tenants (angels) must have dealt with.

The second biggest challenge was to stay true to the nature of God as revealed in the Bible and consider what the Father's initial response would have been.  I knew, as a human being trying to portray the God of the universe, that I was probably opening a can of worms that as an author, I would have to suck up and deal with.

Despite the challenges, writing fantasy fiction and trying to stay true to the Bible has been fun.  I love action movies and writing an action scene, although daunting, was exciting.  So I hope you'll get the opportunity to read the book and have some of your own "selah" moments.  C'mon back and share them with me.  I'd love to hear your thoughts.