Ok, I admit it. I read fantasy books. I also read other book
genres, too, though. I enjoy stories in different formats as well: movies,
musicals, and opera to name a few. I was recently asked by a young man in our
church how I select books to read and books to not read. In other words, what’s
my philosophy on narratives?
To begin with, we need to take a step back. There is only
one real story—His Story (sometimes we call it history). If you know history,
then you know that there are five key parts that can be represented by the five
following words: God, Man, Jesus, Cross, Resurrection.[1]
History starts as every story starts, with a beginning and a problem. God
existed timelessly and chose to create the universe, which included us. Our
many-great grandparents messed everything up. This crisis needed to be fixed.
God sent Himself (God the Son, specifically) to be victorious over our problem,
sin. He did this on the cross. In doing so, He secured for us an ultimate happy
ending with Him, enjoying Him forever.
It is my contention that all fictional stories beg, borrow,
and steal from the real story. (Ok, nearly all stories, but I’ll explain that
in a bit.) Think of the common story lines of love, self-sacrifice, heroic
victory, powers used for good, good over coming evil, cleverly defeating your
enemy, and on and on. All of these themes are rooted in our common shared
story—history. It’s no wonder that all of the best selling stories revolve
around one of these themes. When stories go against this grain, we often don’t
enjoy them. Sure, they are sometimes lauded with “artistic acclaim”, but they
leave the common man feeling empty inside (think Matrix sequels or some nihilist
Oscar winning film). Even our “dark” stories are rooted in the story—just highlighting the other side of the tale. I believe
that we love stories that align with reality, follow the pattern of the story, and present as virtuous God’s
attributes.
