February 11, 2008
Another one of those changes I’ve encountered since my Rip Van Winkle style spiritual awakening is the emergence of fiction as a genre for Christian books. Seems like someone has figured out that the mountain of how-to volumes over at the Christian bookstore can be livened up some if you put your message in the context of an engaging story line. Check it out. There’s a whole section called Fiction.
My mentor of seventeen years didn’t like fiction. He told me so. He became famous for his “book a week” rhythm. It was no empty claim; he read a book every week for his entire career. I still remember how painful it was for him when his eyes went. He bought a contraption that would project the pages on the wall enlarging the print. He listened to books on CD. He had an insatiable appetite for books. Right up until his transition to Heaven at age ninety-one.
But he had no time for fiction. “Waste of time,” he called it. I guess I can confess now what I kept to myself in those long conversations I miss so much today. I like fiction. There, I said it.
A long time ago, another friend challenged me to take on James Michener. Sure his books are hopelessly voluminous; but sure enough, I got caught up in the big landscapes, the sweep of history, the scope of the centuries and the characters who shaped nations and fought wars and built cities and civilizations and when I put down one, read cover to cover, I picked up another. I devoured so much Michener back then I managed to figure out his formula. That’s when I moved on.
But in the journey, a whole world opened up.
So when a successful businessman handed me a book of fiction a couple weeks ago and said, “Ken, you’ve got to read this,” I did. It’s the story of the pastor of a mega-church who, after twenty years, had to admit to himself that the CEO role he played so well publicly was about to crush him.
One of the first real hints of burn-out happened in front of the home theater. He watched a movie with his youth pastor; Jim Carrey in The Truman Show. Pastor Chase Falson opened up as the movie credits rolled. “What a great movie,” he said. “I loved Truman’s search for meaning in a contrived and shallow world. He longed for something more.”
Chip, the youth guy, shrugged and said, “I thought it was dumb.” He thought about it for a moment. “Yeah, I like Carrey a whole lot more in Dumb and Dumber.”
Falson knew it. The generation gap. A yawning chasm. Dumb and Dumber.
It wasn’t long after that, The Truman Show became his story. The final trigger – the young daughter of a single mom dies in a random bicycling accident. After the memorial, in a private room, Maggie, the little girl’s mother, cries out in agony. “How could God do this?” Her reddened, weary eyes reflect the horrific tragedy. She locks her painful gaze on the man who just officiated the memorial of her child. And Chase runs out of answers.
He melts down on a Sunday morning, thousands in attendance. Video cameras rolling. He confesses that he’s empty. The old easy answers don’t work anymore. He’s not sure that this mega operation, burning up millions of dollars a year, comes anywhere close to living up to its mission. He’s finally told the truth. But it’s going to cost him.
The Elders put him on a leave of absence. They think a rest will bring him back. That’s chapter one.
And that’s where Chase Falson’s unexpected journey begins.
The airplane lands him in Rome. His Uncle Kenny, an American refugee who left it all behind to become a Franciscan Monk, meets him at the gate. Father Kenny.
An in a pilgrim’s tale, the weary senior pastor embarks on a new quest – Chasing Francis.1
* * * * * *
It’s Monday morning, and as a seasoned leader, you can point to those moments in time when everything changed. They were turning points. Or tipping points. Like Chase Falson, you emerged to a whole new world of experience.
In one of God’s mysterious twists, just this morning, just after writing the text above, I listened to the pastor of a large church share some tragic, unsettling news. A little eighteen month boy, Isaac, the son of new young missionaries en-route to their first tour of service in Cambodia. The accident occurred in the Denver area. Isaac’s mom is recovering from a serious corrective surgery. Two other adults traveling in the car were killed.
Unlike the character in my book, this pastor relayed the hard facts with passion and grace, pain and hope, sorrow and grace. People were moved to care. Tears flowed in that sacred place. No easy answers here. He invited us to enter into the grief; and there find living water.
Falson’s fictional journey led him to a new and deeper understanding of God’s work in the world… in history, in a far away land, and in an open, honest search for the living God. The spiritual crisis led to spiritual renewal.
As it has for me.
Copyright Kenneth E Kemp 2008
1 Chasing Francis, Ian Moran Cron (2006, Navpress)
Additional note – I wrote this week’s edition early morning Sunday over coffee before Carolyn and I ventured over to worship at the church. There were two surprises this morning. The first is that our pastor shared the hard news regarding the beloved missionary family, the Swards. (The fictional pastor Chase Falsom had the same awful assignment in Chapter One.) The second surprise was an interview with a new author – apologetics professor Craig Hazen, who has just published his first book. Five Sacred Crossings, as he calls it, is (wouldn’t you know?) a Christian book. The genre? Fiction.
Great message Ken!
It really made me think about how much we can be caught up in life and miss the point. I have enjoyed reading Christian fiction for the reasons that you stated. The message is still there but the delivery method is more interesting. Thanks for all the great work you do for Him!
R
Good morning. I was an English Literature major so I read everything, entering vicariously into other people’s lives while wondering why mine was so boring. A seminary education moved me into another type of intense reading, and it is this reading that gave meaning to my life, and gave meaning to all of my other reading. I have discovered that there are no original thoughts; everything originates in Scripture. Even human pain originates in Scripture. Brian McLaren writes fictional narratives on discovering answers to life’s questions through listening and interacting with others. It is ministry through interaction, moves beyond the rhetoric of theological categories into stories of the heart. I just finished “The Last Word and the Word After That.” I would still like to have some hard answers to deep theological questions, but until I meet my Father, those questions will have to be held in my heart.
Ken, you always make me think! Sorry for rambling….
Blessings to all.
Don’t worry, Ken. I like fiction too. Love it in fact. Have for as long as I care to admit. What gets me is the knowledge that I tend to grow right alongside the imperfect ficticious characters. If they face insurmountable obstacles and come out whole on the other side, why can’t I? Some of the most powerful history lessons I’ve learned have been through the medium of fiction (Brave New World, 1984, Fahrenheit 451) not to mention some of the most poignant life lessons. And my favorite ones I’ve read two and three times through, always picking up new nuggets I’d previously missed. Occasionally I’ll lapse into a taut biography or travel book, but they’re not the same. They often lack imaginative flare.
Your friend (mentor) sounds like a wise individual. Anyone who’s read a book a week must be a fascninating coffee conversationalist. But I can’t square with his opposition to fiction. Too many great stories to miss!
Ken,
I love Christian fiction. The authors using their imagination to write a book that could biblically happen gives me the “push” I need to study the Bible more thoroughly. Many of the stories I read, give me encouragement in my Christian walk. I’m thankful that Christian writers have gotten the vision to write fiction, although I know non-fiction is good to read too.
Always enjoy your writing, Ken. I’m an avid reader of fiction of all kinds….probably a book a week on average (one a day on the sailboat!). I haven’t convinced Andy that it’s a worthwhile pursuit, however. I’m always looking for new authors, so thanks for the ideas today. Take care.
So friend, when are you going to give us your first fictional work…
I, for one, but more likely in a legion of many, will be waiting…answer the call dear friend, move us to see Him better with the gift God has given you. Just a thought…
your loyal fan,
Pam
I would like to second Pam’s suggestion–do you think all that reading and writing was for anything other than a great work in Christian literature? I think not. I’m of the opinion it is your destiny. If you sense God is directing you, forge ahead one exhilirating paragraph at a time.
Blessings in the journey!
Scott