Christian Goodreaders discussion

What role does the worldview of a book play in your rating of it?

I have read some well-written books that come to non-Christian conclusions. For example, I just finished Orange Mint and Honey: A Novel. **Spoiler Alert** The protagonist, Shay, is a burned-out graduate student who returns home for a semester. Her mom is a recovered alcoholic, and Shay must deal with her anger toward her mom for not being there during her childhood. The story does an excellent job presenting the struggles of a child of an alcoholic as well as the struggles of a young black woman. Although Shay is 25 and has mainly raised herself, she doesn't view herself as an adult because she has not yet had sex. She is finally able to start dealing with her anger toward her mom once she has sex with a 19-year old boy.

The story is well-written and, I would guess, portrays a way people think and act. Yet I can't recommend anyone following Shay's actions -- sex does not make one an adult. As a result, I struggled with how to rate the book. For me, I would have given the story 4-stars but I dropped it to 3-stars because of the "worldly" content.

I would like to know what other Christians think about well-written books that center around typically non-Christian actions. And for those of you who are writers, how do you balance presenting the world as it is with the world as it could be?

The subject matter is not so much the issues for me, as both an author and a reader, as it is how the subject is handled. Details are all important in a good story, but the way in which those details are explained or described makes all the difference.

I remember as a young believer in high school, reading Nicky Cruse's (sp?) book, The Cross and the Switchblade. There were some very provocative descriptions in that book of the gang view of sex that I am sure made many uncomfortable, and probably caused them some concern about their kids reading it. But in the end, the level of contrast of what Cruse's life was at the time to what it became was necessary and true.

The Bible itself is full of stories and accounts that are not in keeping with its precepts and some of those can be pretty offensive to some. One woman in an assisted living Bible study once declared that the Genesis 38 account of Tamar was nothing but pornography! I'm not sure it reaches quite that level, but it certainly doesn't pull any punches about the reality of what happened. (The Song of Songs would be a closer match to the ladies concerns I think, but it is still a part of Holy Scripture.)

In my writing, I've dealt with both pre-marital sex and extra-marital affairs because they are very real parts of the world we live in. In fact, the extra-marital affair was by a clergyman. I also deal with racism, murder, and suicide, but I've been told by readers that they appreciated the dignified way I handled these issues.

In short, the "worldly content" should be the central theme of a Christian book, but not as an end unto itself, but in the light of the gospel message of grace and hope. In my humble opinion, if the transformation in the end is a positive one, then the value of the contrasting issues, tastefully handled, are worthwhile and many times are necessary.

Blessings,

Doug


The Making of Tibias Ivory: Freedom's Quest
The Making of Tibias Ivory: Through the Eyes of Innocence

"What role does the worldview of a book play in your rating of it?"

Quite a bit, really. I can admire the talent an author displays, but if I feel that they are lying about life/writing to damage readers, I can't feel the book is "good." Sort of like I can admire the beauty of belladonna, but I wouldn't advise anyone to eat it!

I wrote about this on my blog recently, actually, here: http://www.rachelstarrthomson.com/200... . I'll just quote my conclusion: "What makes good literature in the world’s eyes may be the skillful handling of form and language, the treating of timeless themes, and the ability to endure. For a Christian, what makes good literature is probably the skillful handling of form and language, the treating of timeless themes, the ability to endure, and faithfulness to biblical truth."

I'd love to hear others' thoughts on this as well!

I have to agree with Iris and Rachel,

For me, giving something 4 or 5 stars means that I would recommend that book to others as a good read. But I would not be able, in good conscience, to recommend a book that held up lies as something to live for.

I'd drop my rating of a book like that too.

Thank you. You each have helped me think through this some more.

Like D, I don't have a problem with worldly content as long as it is handled tastefully. And as D points out, the Bible presents things as they are. But I agree with Rachel and Lynnette that the conclusion needs to be faithful to biblical truth. That is what bothered me most about Orange Mint and Honey. The character was transformed (she was able to forgive her mom), and it was a positive transformation, but the "truth" behind it was "to thy own self be true." In following that truth she ended up mirroring her mom's life instead of moving beyond it to something better. And since that truth is not a sound foundation to build a life upon, I would have a hard time recommending this book to someone else even though it is well-written.

What I still haven't figured out is a better ending to the book. As I read through 1 and 2 Samuel this week, I was struck by the fact that many of the characters do not have happy endings (Eli, Saul, and even David), but they still have a place in God's plan. The Bible can show us making mistakes and not recovering in this life because it presents a bigger picture. So, I am not sure that just having the character make the "right" choices in the end is the best solution. I guess the challenge is to show that the character is part of God's bigger story without losing the non-Christian audience!

Iris,

First I would like to reiterate what I ended my first post with, namely,

"In my humble opinion, if the transformation in the end is a positive one, then the value of the contrasting issues, tastefully handled, are worthwhile and many times are necessary."

The key to me is the evidence that the Christian sense of balance and character is maintained or upheld. If a character is an upright believer at point A in a story, but by point Z, he/she has discredited and walked away from that starting position and if the intent of the author is to suggest that this is a valid ending, then I have a problem.

But if the ultimate goal and intent is to exalt the virtues of the gospel and show their redemptive values "then the value of the contrasting issues, tastefully handled, are worthwhile..."

Christian writers, especially, should understand this concept. We should not shy away from the dirtiness of life, but there is no need to become dirty in the process of describing it. I have tried very hard to paint a vivid and accurate picture of the proverbial "good, bad, and ugly" in my writing because the grace that I seek to exalt is best understood against a black backdrop. But the backdrop is something that I want the reader to love to hate.

I don't expect a non-Christian writer to understand or embrace these principles, but a writer claiming to be a Christian better.

Thanks for raising the question,

Doug

The Making of Tibias Ivory: Freedom's Quest
The Making of Tibias Ivory: Through the Eyes of Innocence

Really good, thoughtful discussion going on here! Great points made by everybody who's participated thus far.

I agree that fidelity to moral, psychological and spiritual truth is a key component of greatness and worth in any literary work. That doesn't automatically exclude works by non-Christians, either; all of us humans have consciences and experience common grace. A writing by a non-Christian author can meaningfully and effectively affirm aspects of truth; and while they won't affirm Christian truth in its fullness, they don't always deny it either. And I like D's comment that grace is best understood against a black backdrop. That's a stance that exalts grace, which is very different from exalting and taking pleasure in the blackness. In my own reading (and writing, what I do of it), that's the yardstick that's helpful to me personally.

In my own definition a "good" book is one that has something to learn from.

A good book leaves me feeling challenged in my Christian walk,informed about something I was foreign to,humbled,encouraged,and cleansed. I have read books that were well written and page turners that left me feeling sick to my stomach,dirty and terrified and sometimes just downright disgusted and I would consider them a waste of my time and would never reccomend me them to another soul. After all we will be held accountable for how we influence and encourage others and reccomending books to others falls in that category.

Thank you. These definitions help me. As I think about my favorite books, most of them are ones that have taught me something, usually a new viewpoint.

Michy, just out of curiosity, who are the four or five contemporary Christian authors that you like?

Okay, Michy, I'll check there. Thanks!