The Christian Imagination

Fiction: “The telling of stories which are not entirely based upon facts. Although the word fiction is derived from the Latin fingo, fingere, finxi, fictum, “to form, create”, works of fiction need not be entirely imaginary and may include real people, places, and events.”

Parable: “The word ‘parable’ comes from the Greek parabol, the name given by Greek rhetoricians to any fictive illustration in the form of a brief narrative. Later it came to mean a fictitious narrative, generally referring to something that might naturally occur, by which spiritual and moral matters might be conveyed. A parable is like a metaphor that has been extended to form a brief, coherent fiction.”

I was having a talk with an indepedent, apolostic pastor several years ago in reference to a popular book of fiction written by a Christian. The pastor told me he didn’t see a point in reading something that wasn’t true.

Jesus, the savior and Lord of all Christians, certainly did a number of things that make you wonder. Like, with Him being God incarnate, why wait till he was 30 to start his public ministry? And then, in a world desperate for hope and truth, he tells stories, lots of them, primarily using a form of short fiction called a parable. In Matthew 13:34, it says, “Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable.”

So, instead of speaking the truth directly, and appealing directly to the intellect, he told stories that people could relate to, yet stories that many didn’t understand. Even the disciples weren’t sure what Jesus was talking about at times. It’s even harder for us to understand that sort of thing. We aren’t very patient people, and ruminating over a story or poem to find the layers of meaning is not very natural in a very busy society. Yet, these stories of Jesus gave people a chance to discover meaning for themselves. And we are more likely to retain and ‘own’ what we discover ourselves.

We say we believe the Bible is true, so is it? Are metaphors true? Are parables true? Is Biblical poetry true? If we define true as factual, then the answer is no. Yet, we can get really hung up on facts, and we can lose the story. We can also lose the heart. And Jesus, he knew the power of story. He spoke to many who were the least, and he gave them hope. And he told them truth, by using fiction.

In summary, I believe the Bible is true, and factual in regard to what should be interpreted as fact. The Bible makes great use of metaphor and short fiction as well in the wisdom literature, prophets, apocalyptic lit, and parables of Jesus. As such, I rejoice in both fact and fiction in the Bible.

We underestimate fiction and it’s place in our lives as Christians. We underestimate how well fiction can convey truth.

And if you have any comments, agreeing or disagreeing, feel free to share.

Paste Magazine is one of the fastest growing entertainment publications in the US. Based in Decatur, Georgia, the magazine was founded as a quarterly in July 2002 by Josh Jackson, Nick Purdy, and Tim Porter. The magazine’s mission is to discover and champion Signs of Life in Music, Film & Culture, introducing its readers to inspired and inspiring music, books, film, games and other art forms. In 2005, Paste was listed at #21 on The Chicago Tribune’s list of “50 Best Magazines.” It was also named Magazine of the Year by the PLUG Independent Music Awards in both 2006 and 2007.

Paste Magazine is available nationwide, including every Borders and Tower in North America. They even followed in the steps of Radiohead and let readers choose their own price for a limited period of time. It’s primary focus is on music, most noteably adult-album-alternative, Americana and indie rock.

One Paste writer, Andy Whitman, had this to say about Paste:

A few months later the first issue of Paste Magazine showed up in my mailbox…It was a slick, professional-looking magazine, printed on nice paper, with color photos and an eye-catching layout, and a bunch of genuinely well-written articles on music, film, books, and popular culture….

They had a vision for something a lot better than a photocopied fanzine, and a vision for engaging the culture as Christians. They didn’t put out a “Christian” magazine. That was never their intention. But they put out a magazine that was true to its tagline: “Signs of Life in Music, Film, and Culture.” By focusing on what was excellent, creative, thought-provoking, beautiful, challenging — wherever it might be found — they tried to raise the level of general cultural discourse.

Paste Magazine. Quality publication. Founded by Christians. Part of the conversation with the culture at large.

The Aesthetic Elevator has a post referencing this Wall Street Journal article. It’s a condensed version of a commencement speech by Dana Gioia titled The Impoverishment of American Culture: And the need for better art education. Gioia is Chairman of the NEA and an internationally known poet.

Gioia makes the case that American culture used to place more emphasis on a broad range of the arts, both in mass media and in education. Now, she contends, the emphasis is on pop culture with a strong alignment towards entertainment and money.

The quotes I like:

The loss of recognition for artists, thinkers and scientists has impoverished our culture in innumerable ways, but let me mention one. When virtually all of a culture’s celebrated figures are in sports or entertainment, how few possible role models we offer the young. There are so many other ways to lead a successful and meaningful life that are not denominated by money or fame. Adult life begins in a child’s imagination, and we’ve relinquished that imagination to the marketplace.

But we must remember that the marketplace does only one thing–it puts a price on everything. The role of culture, however, must go beyond economics. It is not focused on the price of things, but on their value. And, above all, culture should tell us what is beyond price, including what does not belong in the marketplace. A culture should also provide some cogent view of the good life beyond mass accumulation. In this respect, our culture is failing us.

Most American artists, intellectuals and academics have lost their ability to converse with the rest of society. We have become wonderfully expert in talking to one another, but we have become almost invisible and inaudible in the general culture.

I love the second quote above. I once heard a talk by Dr. Elaine Storkey that sounded very similar. This is from the chairperson of the NEA! As a Christian, I thoroughly agree, we need to resist our culture’s determination to put a price on everything and put everything into a nice little box where we can understand it and control it. Consumerism and Materialism are gods we like to pretend don’t exist. It becomes all the more difficult when so much of American Christianity has aligned itself so directly with Capitalism and the so-called Free Market. The problem isn’t with the systems, but rather, how much we identify with the systems. Sometimes we end up shaping our theology around our culture, rather than the other way around.

Gioia also says we need to do more to develop student imagination and creativity within our educational system. Absolutely.

After the Baby Boomers: How Twenty- and Thirty-Somethings Are Shaping the Future of American Religion, a book by Princetown sociologist Robert Wuthnow, explores how today’s generation, labeled Generation Y, compares with the Baby Boomer generation. It is complete with statistics and analysis.

According to Wuthnow, today’s generation is “spending more time in school, remaining financially independent on their parents longer, marrying later in life, having kids later (and fewer of them) and changing jobs more often.” The post on Reveries.com further states:

One upside of these differences is that, because of this “extended adolescence … divorce is less common.” He says they see marriage more as a “capstone” than a “starting” event. He also says that this slower path to adulthood gives them “more of a chance to finish their education and … if they’re middle class, a chance to decide from experience what kind of career they want.” One downside, he says, is that they are sometimes “paralyzed” by “all these choices — whom to marry, what kind of education to get, what kind of career to pursue.” Another is a “dependency” on parents for such a long period of time.

I’m from Gen X, but I relate to all the above. I can say from experience that analysis paralysis when trying to make choices can be challenging, especially if we’re sold false life formulas about how to make life work. Some bloggers I’ve read really dislike these trends, such as the so-called ‘extended adolescence.’ Sounds like an interesting book.