How does your faith peek out in your writing?
9 posts in this topic.
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Just as the title suggests! We might not write exclusively about God, but clearly Jesus is a big part of our lives. So, how does our faith form and inspire our writing?
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In one of the novels I'm trying to write, one of the races has a monotheistic religion that is very similar to Christianity. They worship in much the same manner, they believe in the singular and all-knowing deity, and they discard the antiquated beliefs of fate and predetermined destinies. I also include Christianity in Daddy in my short story series that I'm working on.
Outside of my writing, I post Bible verses in a lot of places, even on my own body, and I journal once a week (more if I can manage the time for it) where I read, break down, and analyze what a single Bible verse actually means using the context of the passage it came from. -
That's neat, @AyumiGosu17!
I love this topic, @Snoink!
On the outside the novel I'm currently working on (Model on a Magazine) may appear to be super secular as it includes very modern characters and incredible darkness. But by the end, I draw out the light in all the darkness which leads to a conversion of two characters I won't say to Christianity itself, but to a more moral way of living.
(So if you start reading it and go "This girl's a Christian???" just wait until the end.
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Great question Snoink! I love seeing how Christians incorporate faith into their life and art in both quiet and obvious ways.
Here's my long answer ~Spoiler
Sometimes I write expressly devotional poems - and actually have a half-written poetry collection called "liturgy" that I hope to one day finish that is part prayer / part poetry / but very religious! Professionally I also usually am writing things of a religious nature and the two non-fiction published writings that I have were religious. One of those two non-fiction writings was actually part of a book presented to Pope Francis by a Bishop - which is probably one of my proudest random writing accomplishments - did he actually read it? Probably not! But maybe I'm on his long reading list?
Usually though I think my religious allusions tend to be more subtle; so may not hit or resonate with non-Christians, but since faith is the breath of my life it certainly comes out in everything I write. A lot of my poetry is about forgiveness, hope, pervasiveness of human-sin, purpose, the importance of place, redemption, the persistence of family / ancestry - all of which I consider Christian themes. I think that God is the best poet of all time, in how He weaves allusions and symbols throughout scripture and creation (like the theme of fire, water, or bread!) - and I was very fortunate to have actually taken two "Biblical poetry" language courses where we analyzed the poetry of scripture; and which have certainly influenced how I write too!
I love using little pieces of scripture in my poetry or to inspire my poetry. Two good examples would be two of my most recent NaPo threads - all these loose ends will bind into a net which was my imagined expansion of Isaiah 2:4, and years lost to locusts a reference to Joel 2:25.
One of my most common poetry themes in the last 3 years, is the idea that problems are inherited down our family trees, but that there is "one day" that our family tree will be redeemed. I would consider that one of the main themes of my life, and a very Christian theme that I think is only true in light of a Christian view of eternity.
A few scripture images that I use almost constantly is the creation story / story of the fall - > especially the "forbidden fruit" and "dust to dust, ashes to ashes". And then the idea of a "homebound / transcendent river" which is a theme that pops up all over the Bible - from references to Eden, to heaven, to Revelation, to the Jordan, and Red Sea, Baptism, the Living Water etc. In scripture it is cool because the reference can be layered in meaning a concrete literal river, but also pointing towards the eternal heavenly river -> in my poetry I also often talk about "the river" which both means the piece of the Missouri River that is near my hometown, but also means the "heavenly river". Now do most people pick these up as Biblical allusions? no clue!
As a Christian author, I'm not necessarily scared to write in ways some people might find sacrilegious about the divine (ie. I have multiple poems imagining birds as Jesus) but I do try to be tasteful, respectful, and in my spiritual poems ask myself if what I'm writing is honoring God or just using God to be "intriguing / artsy" which I find objectionable. You're not going to find my poetry advocating for adultery, violence, swearing, murder, drug use, or heresy - though any of those subjects may be touched upon.
(I'm also working on a novel project that includes a retelling of the Adam and Eve story, but not ready to talk about it yet because it's still hatching out of my brain! but that will most certainly have a lot of Christian themes!) -
alliyah that story you are working on sounds so interesting!! please keep me updated?!?
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I definitely have a long way to go when it comes to this, as I am still relatively "new" in my walk with Christ.
Recently I have been writing more Christ-centered poems that focus on the message of renewal, growth, and hope. These poems kind of express a before finding God vs. after finding God perspective of how much life is different with Him. I use a lot of nature appreciation to reflect His power and beauty. But I also write about the troubles of living in this world and my worry and hurt related to it but using God as a beacon of hope.
In poems or works that are not explicitly Christ-centered, I will still use themes and lessons taught in the Bible, such as; trust, kindness, humility, and wisdom. Things that Jesus teaches during His ministry. I try to keep my writing light-hearted, innocent, and pure to reflect the type of joy He's brought me. Even if writing about serious or deeper topics, I try to refrain from vulgarity or self-centered themes.
I want to incorporate more of my faith in my writing so I can reflect Him in what I do
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@AilahEvelynMae - you got it!
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So... like. I have a bunch of incomprehensible thoughts on the matter that I am still trying to form into a cohesive manner, lol.
Currently, I am finishing Book 4, which is the last book in my series. And essentially, Book 4 is a retelling of the story of the Prodigal Son. That idea that even the worst sinner, if he runs back to God, will be embraced by God as a son. Which is a crazy idea, if you think about it because that prodigal son HURT so many people. And yet God would still embrace that son as his own.
But also, like... the Prodigal Son had to run back to God first. Which is a crazy idea in itself. Can you imagine how much humility it took for the son to realize how much he effed up his life and then crawl back to his father and beg to be merely a servant? And how amazing (and also humbling) it would be to be embraced as a son instead? It's crazy talk, lol.
Though like... Book 3 also has another retelling of the Prodigal Son, but in a different way. In fact, one of the chapters is called "The Lost Son" and one of the alternative meaning of prodigal is lost. And essentially it is a retelling of the Prodigal Son. Except not quite.
ANYWAY. I've been thinking about this a lot. >.>
Also, one thing that I really really like about what I've been writing is how demons are portrayed. When you meet the main demon at first, it's like, "Lol, this is going to be good... this character seems kind of interesting and funny!" But then like... the demon is absolutely terrifying. He is a liar. He is cunning. He is strong. And all he wants to do is tear you apart and destroy you. So I like that. I think there are a lot of demons in modern writing that are like... not so scary. In fact, they can be very hilarious at times. So, I'm kind of glad to be writing them to be utterly terrible and terrifying. -
Aside from making a conviction not write anything including bad words or to promote anything that is against God's Word, I have an innate desire to write about how good God is. In reality, one of the main things I write are scripts for our local church's kids Bible lessons. It is one of the main ways I write as I write 1-2 scripts (or more) every month. On the side, it has been a dream of mine to write a Christian nonfiction for teens or a Christian fantasy that prompts others to follow Jesus more actively.
I could go on and on, but I really hope to one day fulfill this dream of mine. And hey! If you have anything you want me to write on like a poem about Jesus' sacrifice, I'd be happy to! (that was very random and out of context, but I felt I had to put that there)
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