Apr 30, 2009
Ideas that may feel odd (or even wrong) in “real” life sometimes win our hearts in stories.
A guest post by S. D. Smith
Imaginative stories can be an indirect avenue to biblical truth.
Consider chivalry: There’s clarity in fairy tales’ beautiful distinctions between the sexes.
I think that’s the power of metaphors and parables. Also, in stories we can fill in the blanks and shape the imagery to our liking, whereas in the real world we have to face what is.
I’ll be back at the Rabbit Room.
We just talked about this last night in a seminar I was running for homeschool students. We were trying to frame a response within the Christian tradition to Augustine’s critique and dismissal of stories like the Iliad, Odyssey and Aeneid.
I might quibble with a precise definition of “biblical truth” in this context, but overall and against Augustine (one of the few places I’m against him), Bravo!
I’m not bustin’ on Augustine
Nor do I rhyme all the time
But isn’t all “sub-creation”
just a picture of the sublime?
Don, I am most impressed!
True, Sam.
Surely we’re not referring to “imaginative stories” such as The Shack here though, right?
About The Shack and “hack-a-Shaq”
Fouls intentional and unconventional
Neither winsome, but one wins some
The Shack’s a loser, Shaq a bruiser!
The devil has an imagination too, so it’s certainly not a morally neutral activity. But I think many of us who are serious about theology and serious about exposing error (and thus, in love, rescuing people from the horror of bondage to lies) have frequently thrown the ole’ baby out alongside that bathwater stuff.
There’s plenty of wonderful stuff out there under the umbrella of “imaginative stories” to explore which is very helpful (Lewis, Tolkien, Chesterton, Andrew Peterson, N.D. Wilson, etc.).
I believe we need to develop an appreciation for this kind of story. I think we may find ourselves reaping many benefits, many pertaining to our Godward affections.
Truth. Beauty. Goodness.
Many stories make me root for the “bad guys” such that I WANT them to get away with lying, cheating, and stealing. It would probably be tragic to avoid all literature, movies and music that do that. But it sure bugs me that they can make me feel okay with fictional evil, since they could be an “indirect avenue” to enjoying real evil.
There a quite a few “politically correct” ones out there now. They give me the eeks.
I agree. The truth in imaginative stories appeals to something deep and unspoken inside of us, and when encapsulated in a story, it is able to cause assent while bypassing the normal cultural and intellectual barriers.
[...] I Am the Blog of Abraham If you’re interested in seeing me make an effort at brevity, my guest post is up over at Abraham Piper’s blog. [...]
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