September/October 2000

Sacred Light from Secular Fiction

by Deborah Rau

It was his duty to confess, to suffer public shame, and to make public atonement. There was a God who called upon men to tell their sins to earth as well as to heaven. Nothing that he could do would cleanse him till he had told his own sin."

One might expect to find this statement in a personal testimony of conversion, or perhaps in the biography of one of the church fathers. But its source claims no Christian tie whatsoever. The words come from the tortured protagonist in Oscar Wilde's novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray. For years, this powerful story of a man ignoring his conscience has struck readers with the awesome reality of God's ultimate judgment. And yet some Christians won't read it.

Why not? Because it's a secular novel. In recent years, the Christian community has drawn a sharp line between what's sacred in reading material and what isn't. Religious fiction dominates the bookshelves in many Christian homes. Christian publishers even reject the traditional mass market paperback size in favor of their larger trade paper versions, as if they don't want to risk looking like a secular book. In essence, we've labeled the secular novel unclean.

And we've done so for some very good reasons. Many secular books advocate actions and lifestyles that we oppose as immoral. Some openly mock our beliefs, portray graphic sex and violence and spew foul language. So in an effort to maintain our spiritual purity, we steer clear of Barnes & Noble and seek refuge for ourselves and our families in the Christian bookstore or the church library, where the offerings are "safe" and wholesome.

While this reflex reaction is understandable, it's also unfortunate. For we're allowing the negative content of some secular novels to darken our opinion of all secular fiction. And by summarily dismissing the genre, we're losing ground in both our evangelistic efforts and our spiritual lives. Many secular novels have tremendous sacred value.

As Christians work to erase traces of the secular in what they read, secular writers inject

observations about religion into their work. Whether their remarks ask simple questions or raise serious spiritual issues, each comment is a knock on our door. But as we push their work away unread, we forfeit any opportunity to respond. We lock the door before we even peek out to see who's there.

"The spiritual life. It was a phrase he had often heard. He had occasionally tried to visualize this mysterious other existence. Was it lived at the same time as the ordinary regulated life of getting up, meal times, school, holidays; or was it an existence on some other plane to which he and the uninitiated had no access?" (P.D. James, The Black Tower).

"The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together, and we have fallen apart" (Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart).

"Forgiveness is a reflex for when you can't stand what you know. I resisted that reflex. That's my sole, solitary, lonely accomplishment" (Jane Smiley, A Thousand Acres).

Starting Point for Evangelism

Secular fiction gives us a starting point for evangelism; it sets us on common ground where we can begin a meaningful dialogue with non-Christians. The apostle Paul certainly used it in this way when he quoted Greek poets during his sermon in Athens. Secular literature bridges the gap between believers and unbelievers, opening the door to serious conversations with a comment as simple as, "I've read that book, too." But when we focus on religious fiction, we're talking to ourselves.

Secular fiction helps us to glean valuable insights from the very absence of God in the lives of the characters. Our desire to share the gospel can only intensify when we're reminded of the futility of existence without his love and guidance.

"What more do you want?"

"I don't know," Brig said, frowning at the gracious countryside going by. "Peace of mind and a heart at rest, I guess. Is that too much to ask for?"

"The Frome gravestones slanted at crazy angles through the snow. Ethan looked at them curiously. For years that quiet company had mocked his restlessness, his desire for change and freedom. 'We never got away -- how should you?' seemed to be written on every headstone; and whenever he went in or out of his gate he thought with a shiver: 'I shall just go on living here till I join them'" (Edith Wharton, Ethan Frome).

Secular Excellence

Many "secular" authors are Christians who have simply offered their skills to a wider audience. Their softened, subtle approach doesn't lessen the impact of their message. And a great many others, while not professing to be Christians, still present a moral perspective consistent with our values. By avoiding secular fiction, we overlook many fine writers whose work often mirrors the struggles and joys we experience in our daily walk with God.

"The trouble with me, he thought unhappily, is that I have been about the world long enough to know that God's plans for us, however infallibly good, may not take the form that we expect and demand. And I find an immense potential for rebellion in this old heart, if God, for no matter what perfect end, chooses to take Hugh Beringar out of this world and leave Adam Courcelle in it" (Ellis Peters, One Corpse Too Many).

"Of all kicking against the pricks none is so hard as this kick of a professing Christian against the whole instinct of human man" (Owen Wister, The Virginian).

While some secular authors confirm our beliefs, others push us to explore our Christian heritage and ponder deep mysteries of the faith.

"The Antichrist can be born from piety itself, from excessive love of God or of the truth, as the heretic is born from the saint and the possessed from the seer. Fear prophets, Adso, and those prepared to die for the truth, for as a rule they make many others die with them, often before them, at times instead of them" (Umberto Eco, The Name of the Rose).

Profound Truths

While weighing sacred fiction against its more worldly counterpart, we should also consider this basic principle: a secular tale can teach a profound spiritual truth. Consider Christ's stories and parables. During his earthly ministry he used storytelling as his primary teaching tool. He talked about sheep, coins, weddings, oil lamps and seeds. The plots sound anything but spiritual. What's so sacred about a man building a house on sandy ground, or a woman badgering a judge to hear her case? The sacredness comes not so much from the tale itself as from the application. The sacredness comes when the story is lifted onto a spiritual plane, when all its facets are studied through regenerated eyes. And that's the way a Christian should read everything -- penned by a fellow believer or not.

Artistic Gifts

Another worthy aspect of secular fiction is its artistic value. Some novels are creative masterpieces. A talent for writing is one of the gifts God has given to men -- and some authors display near genius in their craft. Who wouldn't sacrifice a few hours of sleep to see justice prevail in The Sign of Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle? And long after we've placed J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings back onto the shelf, the epic tale of good against evil stays etched in our minds. God can touch us through written works of art in the same way that he reveals himself through the rich harmonies of a symphony or the intricate brush strokes of a master artist. Whether he is openly acknowledged by the artist or not, artistic gifts bring him honor.

Exercising Discernment

But despite the many positive aspects of the secular novel, defending it has its limits. When we stand with Christ, we stand against sin and evil in all realms, whether physical or mental. We dare not give free rein to the glut of lewd, explicit material so readily available today. But guarding our thoughts doesn't mean eliminating secular fiction from our mental diets. Just as a balanced assortment of good food nourishes the body, so a balanced variety of good books feeds the mind and soul.

Just as we're called to moderation in what we eat and drink, so we should exercise discernment in what we read. As individuals we must judge, based on our own spiritual maturity, whether a particular book is a help or a hindrance in our relationship to God. If it's harmful, we should discard it as quickly as we would a rotten apple. But we need not toss the entire harvest just because some of the fruit has worms in it.

Secular words, when read thoughtfully and with a sensitivity to the living Word, can communicate much to us. They reflect man's weaknesses and hopes, his thoughts, his search for God. And while the authors focus primarily on man, their well-written, creative stories can spur us to evangelism, stimulate spiritual reflection and point us to God. We may just find that many secular novels shed a surprisingly sacred light.

"'Lord have mercy on us! pardon us! aid us!' he repeated the words that for some reason came suddenly to his lips. And he, an unbeliever, repeated these words not with his lips only. At that instant he knew that all his doubts, even the impossibility of believing with his reason, of which he was aware in himself, did not in the least hinder his turning to God. All of that now floated out of his soul like dust. To whom was he to turn if not to him in whose hands he felt himself, his soul, his love?" (Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina). 

As a freelance writer living in California, Deborah Rau has had numerous articles published, including a historical novel, Dearest Anna, published by Zondervan.

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