Why Christians Should Read Fairy-Stories

It is a question dividing Christendom: should Christians read fairy-stories? Should Christians read and enjoy fantasy of any kind? I believe they should. There is much to be had from a fictional tale, an epic of heroism, courage, and perseverance. There is much to be said for a story that promotes fighting against evil to your last breath. Here are some reasons:

1) The woven tale gets the point across in a way that non-fiction prose sometimes cannot.

a) when a fantasy story includes things like witches, or sorcery, or any magic, it is - nearly 100% of the time - not meant to promote witchcraft. Such things are an afterthought, and the utilization of such characters and powers is for a purpose. The characters are used just like the rest: to promote the message of the story. I have read stories that include witches, and I have never once come away from the book thinking about witchcraft or magic. Rather, I think about the turn of the tale, the message of the story, and whether the author got it across very well. 

b) including witchcraft in a story does not go against what the Bible condemns. It is the practice of witchcraft and sorcery, the telling of fortunes and interpretation of omens that is an abomination unto the Lord. To mention them in a tale does not equal practicing such things. If it did, then the Bible promotes witchcraft and magic in the mentioning of them.

2) Fairy-stories, if proper, show that good wins out over evil.

a) No matter how close the battle, good has the victory in the end. Tolkien wrote an essay on fairy-stories, and talked about the idea of "eucatastrophe" - which essentially means that good rises to the victory even if it is bittersweet. Is that not akin to life? Fairy tales should reflect life, and the good ones do so. Think of Jesus - He is the absolute Victor, and yet His heel was bruised. In our own lives we can see that there is a mix of joy and sadness. We go through things that affect us deeply. We get hurt. We fall down. And yet, in the gospel there is the sweet and comforting hope of final victory. In Jesus, believers are more than conquerors! Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ - not persecution, nor famine, nor nakedness, nor sword, nor anything else that attacks us on this earth. Paul mentions these things in Romans 8 because we do go through such things. We are not living a life of ease, a life free from pain. So fairy-stories, in showing the bad, in showing that bad is very evil, that it wants to see good destroyed, reflects life in a way that stays with you. In the best of fairy-stories, bad is shown to be bad and good is shown to be good. And good, ultimately, always wins. 

Based on the points above, I would heartily recommend Tolkien's Lord of the Rings (and any of his other tales, actually) and Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia. These stories show ultimately that good is good and bad is bad. They show that there is something "worth fighting for". They show that evil destroys itself, it is corrupt, and it collapses in the face of good. They show that when Jesus (in Narnia, Aslan) appears, He wins. There is no contest. Evil falls down. Evil is destroyed. There is no duel between Aslan and the white witch (though there is a duel between Peter and the witch - another message that shows how vulnerable we are when battling the devil without relying on Jesus). He simply destroys evil. 

These stories also show the nobility of self-sacrifice. In fact, they show many heavenly qualities even without specifically mentioning them, which is what fairy-stories ought to do: give the sense of greater things within an enjoyable tale. At the finish of a fairy-story, one ought to contemplate the message, discern the meaning, and see the truth. Now, I do not advocate reading just anything. I do believe there ought to be discernment when reading anything - fiction or not. It is not the genre that is dangerous, but the message within it. Many non-fiction books are dangerous, and so are many fantasy stories. Not because they talk about magic, or talk about violent or evil things; these simply point to the main message of the tale. It is the message we should discern, not how the author goes about relaying it. 

There are so many messages springing up out of Tolkien's work, it is difficult to say only a few. (I am considering further posts that will go into these things.) There are even places which show the sovereignty of God - such as, in the Hobbit, Bilbo "stumbling upon" the Ring, which the Ring itself did not intend. God  is sovereign over evil, and He works through it to bring about the victory. We can see that throughout the Bible when it comes to God's people - Joseph, David, Paul, Peter, etc. 

We see weakness in Frodo - but, ultimately, it is not about Frodo. Just as this life is not about us. It is about good (I would say, God) working through Frodo, a very weak vessel, and all the others of the "Fellowship", to accomplish His will. Fairy-stories, as I said earlier, ought to reflect reality. When they do, they are definitely worth reading, and I would heartily recommend them. 

L.I.S.T.E.N.

I have a love/hate relationship with acrostics. I love them like I love salad. Occasionally you get a salad that is as close to perfect as salad can go. Usually, I am not the one who has made it. The lettuce is delicious and crisp, the tomatoes are juicy and actually have flavour beyond that of cardboard, the olive oil is light, just flavourful enough without being overpowering and bitter. On the flip side, you can get salads where the lettuce is all limp and brown, and there's really nothing good to go on the lettuce. So basically it's not a salad. It's a lettuce. And it's gross.

While I have a slight fascination with acrostics, I'm not very good at making them. Kind of like salad.

I've been thinking lately on what it means to listen. Naturally, I made an acrostic of it.

Listen:

Love

Inquire

Sympathize

Turn

Encourage/Exhort

Nurture

Love

The whole law of God is summed up in loving Him with our whole being, and loving our neighbour as ourselves. I would not imagine listening to anyone without love being the foundation of the interaction. Often we find ourselves listening to things that we do not necessarily wholly agree with, and therefore the definition of love from 1 Corinthians 13 is applicable to listening as much as to every other situation. I would say that patience is especially important when listening.

All too often I'd prefer not to listen. I'd sooner jump in with my own conclusions, or the solution to the problem, even if I don't really know what the problem actually is. I want to fix things. I want to connect the dots. Love means taking the time to truly listen, to patiently hear, to understand. God truly listens to us, because He loves us. We know that when we pray to God, He hears our cry. He inclines to us. Do we incline to others?

Inquire

I would suggest that listening often leads to questions. When you are listening, questions spring up to help you delve deeper into the issue, to get at the root of the problem. In order to do that, you have to pay attention. Listening means you do not let your attention wander. You focus, so that you can understand all the particulars, and inquire as to the things that you don't quite understand. Jesus always asked the important questions. He got down to the bottom of things. He remained focused on the true issue, not on the rabbit trails that could develop through the conversation.

Sympathize

If you truly listen, you do not remain aloof and indifferent to the struggles of others. You feel, as best you can, what they do. You put yourself in their place in order to grasp the truth of the situation. Jesus sympathizes with our weaknesses. He knows us. He is tender and gentle with us. He knows our frame. He is so careful, in every sense of the word. Are we careful with others?

Turn

Turn the conversation back to what is most important: Christ Jesus. As you listen, keep your mind on the gospel, on how God has spoken His healing (and admonishment) upon a given situation. Remind the hurting of the hope in Jesus. Remind the joyful of the ultimate source of their joy. Give praise to God, cry out to God, lead to God even as you listen. Point back to the Beloved Son. Listen to Him.

Encourage/Exhort

Listening is an encouragement all by itself. For the person relating their struggles, it is an encouragement to know that someone is hearing them, walking with them. Don't leave them to flounder in self-pity. Be there. Speak the truth. I find so much comfort when I pour out my heart to my Saviour, because I know that He listens and hears every word by His grace. I have nothing special or spectacular to say. My words are often small, weak, and pitiful. I repeat myself, carry on with the same old, same old. Yet, God never tires of my repetition. He speaks His words of love, His words of rebuke, His good news over and over to my heart, spreading the balm of grace all over my wounded soul.

Sometimes, when you are listening, there comes a time for you to speak up and admonish, to rebuke. This, too, should be done in love, with a mind toward a deeper understanding of the truth. People tend to share so that you will communicate. Now, this is not always the case - sometimes people merely want you to listen - but be prepared to respond. This also requires you to focus on what they are saying.

Nurture

Cultivate your relationship through communication. Seek something deeper. Point to Christ. Seek a furtherance of trust and understanding, of wisdom and resting together in the grace of God. Jump in. Go deep. Jesus never stayed on the surface. He went straight to the heart. He was always refreshingly real. He always listened, and He always will listen.

O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy.

Daniel 9:18