Let’s start with the original Greek, shall we? (I always like starting with the original Greek. It makes me happy!) As many of you may know, the Greek word for “defense” is Άπολογία (Apologia). We find this word in the famous passage of scripture 1 Peter 3:15, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (NKJV).
Apologetics today is commonly defined as “defending the faith”-reflecting the courtroom terminology of the word Άπολογία- or, offering proof for the validity of the Christian faith.
Now onto the whole story thing. You may be wondering what in the world fiction has to do with proving the truth of God. Well, if you read literature, watch movies and television, enjoy comics, ect., you might have noticed that stories seem to be about a bit more that just entertainment. Authors communicate real-world ideas and meaning through their work, whether they mean to or not. Fiction is a conduit for reality.
Don’t believe me? Then maybe you’ll take it better from a famous playwright. Ever heard of William Shakespeare? (I hope so. Even Klingons have heard of William Shakespeare). Here’s a quote from Hamlet on the purpose of theater, (another notable form of fiction), “For anything so overdone is from the purpose of playing, whose end, both at the first and now, was and is to hold, as ’twere, the mirror up to nature” (Act 3 Scene 2).
So, stories have meaning. I think we’re all clear on that. Authors, playwrights, creators, artists all infuse their worldviews into the things they make- whether they be Christians, Atheists, Buddhists, Mormons, New-agers, whatever. Does this mean only stories written by Christians convey truth? I’ll get to that. Suffice it to say that people definitely do let their personal worldviews shine through in stories, and many are definitely false.
Now, where does apologetics play into all of this? You see, I believe that God Himself created the concept of story. Think of all the parables Jesus told. And think of the way God composes the life stories of every human being. The way He weaves those stories together. Think of the ultimate story God has written- the redemption of the human race through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. That is it. That is the story. And I think that by their very nature, all stories try to reflect it in some way.
If you've ever taken a literature class, you probably are pretty familiar with many of the elements that make a good story- foreshadowing, symbolism, setting, characters- as well as themes that make a good story- sacrifice, hope, redemption, the fallenness of man. All of these are played out in their fullest sense in God’s story. (I hope to get into many of these in detail in later posts).
Why do stories written by New-agers include Christ-figures? Why do stories by Humanists have any semblance of Hope? Perhaps it’s because stories, by their very nature, point back to the inescapable truth of the God who created them.
Sure, it’s not the ultimate proof that there really is a God, but if you look at the impact of story in our culture-in every culture- I think it’s a pretty strong argument.****
Thanks for reading! I hope you are finding these ramblings of mine thought provoking! If so, please join me this Saturday, when I'll share my logical argument for why sci-fi is valuable, as well as next Wednesday when I'll be reviewing the Christian movie God's Not Dead and giving my opinion on Christian arts and media!
Keep on glowing in the dark,
Elora
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