What Is Christian Fantasy?
Well, honestly, I have yet to find a definitive answer. You will find many views on the subject should you search the web. I will share my personal views on the subject and why I chose Christian Fantasy for my first series.
Christian Values
Full disclosure follows… I am a Born Again Christian, which means simply that I accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I started writing short stories when I was ten years old. Forty-two years later, I made the resolution I would start writing and publishing my stories. The decision to finally follow my childhood dream of authoring stories to share with strangers was empowering and worrisome. Do I have what it takes to craft a story worth reading? Would anyone read my stories? How would I get my work into the hands of the public? Getting picked up by a traditional publisher has about the same odds as winning the lottery!
The most important issue for me was the desire to create stories that didn’t violate my Christian faith. I didn’t want to turn away my fellow Christians, and I wanted my stories to be appealing to a wide audience. That was my primary goal.
Back to Christian Fantasy
I define Christian Fantasy (and Christian Science Fiction) as fictional stories that anyone can read without fear of enduring salacious sexual themes or graphic violence. Young adults and older should be able to read my books without fear of being assaulted with depictive details of murder and mutilation, or the use of God’s name in vain. Honestly, there are hundreds of authors and thousands of books available which are written within that vein. They won’t miss my absence.
I admit there are scenes in my stories that reference events or people found in the Bible. This was deliberate. Some may say a story about a dog who can talk to a girl is fantasy. After all, how could a Christian author write about such things. Well, I drew from the story of Balaam, who was a prophet who disobeyed God’s wishes.
The Story of Balaam
Balaam took off to see the king of Moab, Balak (Numbers 22, Verse 22, KJV). God sent an angle to stand in Balaam’s way, but he didn’t see the angel before him, sword drawn. The donkey saw the angel and, being a faithful servant to her master, tried to protect Balaam by trotting off the road and out into a field. Well, that ticked Balaam off and he beat her to move back onto the path where stone walls were on both sides of the road. Again, the angel stood in the way, so Balaam’s faithful servant donkey slammed into a wall, crushing one of Balaam’s feet. This really ticked Balaam off and he beat the poor donkey again! The entourage slipped past the angel, traveling a little further down the road, but the path narrowed where there was barely room for the donkey to pass. The donkey saw the angel standing before them, sword drawn. She had nowhere to turn this time, so she fell down onto Balaam. Now, Balaam had had enough, and he beat her with his staff!
This is where the story gets interesting. God allowed the donkey to speak so Balaam could understand. You could imagine she was pretty incredulous because Balaam continued to beat her even when she had saved his life three times, and she said so. Balaam just didn’t get it and scolded her, threatening her that if he had a sword right then, he’d kill her for disobeying his wishes. God allowed Balaam to see the angel for the first time, in all the angel’s glorious supernatural splendor, glistening sword drawn (I put that part in there).
The story goes on, but here’s what I take from this passage. Animals can have independent thought not always understood by humans. They can perceive supernatural beings like angels. Animals can show bravery to protect those they serve. Surely, the donkey understood the angel had drawn his sword, and therefore meant to harm her master, and possibly lose her own life. If God wishes, man and beast can converse. Another side of this story is the imperfect nature of man, even those whom are prophets of God. Though Balaam was a prophet of God, he disobeyed God’s wishes because he desired power and influence. Still, God used Balaam to execute His wishes.
Heros and Heroines Aren’t Perfect
Anna is the main protagonist in Paired: Book One – Call to Action. She’s a young adult preparing to graduate high school and has all kinds of problems. She lost her parents when she was ten and stuck with an overprotective grandfather. Anna didn’t have friends in school and hated living in her boring Southwest Virginia home in the Blue Ridge Mountains. But there’s more for Anna to do than languish in a boring little mountain community. Unknown forces thrust her into events and decisions for which she was unprepared. And she must make an impossible decision, to accept the calling to become a holy warrior, a Paladin, to fight righteously against the forces of evil. She will need help, and that’s where her companion comes in, a Seeker, which is a dog who can converse with Anna and help her. Ah, the parallels…
While you read my books, keep in mind the Bible, which is filled with stories of imperfect men and women, granted supernatural powers to fulfill the will of God. Why can’t our modern heroes and heroines do the same?