96. While Celebrity Creators Rise and Fall, How Do We Best Respect Christian Authors?

Even when you’re doing a smaller podcast, you get to meet some famous people. How much more so when you’re blessed to attend conferences and engage Christian creators via the interwebs. This brings many temptations—among them, the temptation of treating famous creators like angels, or like devils, when of course they are very much human. In the world of fandom by Christians and often for Christians, we’ll explore how we delight and discern famous creators. Subscribe to Lorehaven articles • news • library • reviews • podcast • gifts • guild Episode sponsors The Lorehaven Guild T. E. Bradford’s new novel Awakened See all podcast sponsors Concession stand We’re exploring this now because of secular creators. For example, Joss Whedon was last seen self-destructing. We’ve also seen Christian authors speaking in strange ways. We try to focus on ideas, yet we might name a person or two. That’s okay. We have no personal grievance with anyone named. This also means the biblical commands about reconciliation don’t apply. All of the apostles were free in Christ to name false teachings and teachers. Perhaps most seriously, anything we say here can and should apply to us! God forbid that Lorehaven or Fantastical Truth fall into celebrity temptations. Read our Lorehaven Sacred Scrolls Statement of Faith, recently upgraded. To explore this topic, we might make comparisons to non-author figures. 1. ‘The author is an angel! Come let us adore him’? Christians love supporting favorite authors, even to a fault. We’ve probably all seen (or scoffed) at the “Beliebers” or other groupies. But we’ve seen similar groupie behavior for Christian authors at conferences. Often it’s the newer writers who want to catch wind from a pro author’s sails. Many Christian communities mark happy exceptions. Interestingly, at Realm Makers, everyone seems pretty chill and humble. The best, most godly authors must steward their time, yet want to share it. Frank Peretti would mingle. Folks respected space, yet loved meeting him. (Laura McCary recruited him to help us film a fun video for Instagram!) In Nashville, Stephen missed saying hi to Mike Nawrocki, yet knew that I could. Of course, Lorehaven invites famous creators (including next month). We might start making excuses for authors who wander. Unfortunately people’s author adoration can also enable plain false teaching. With secular authors, Christians generally know they may not believe Jesus. But when Christian authors fall into false teaching, we may justify them. This includes (but is not limited to) growing acceptance of Sexualityism. Authors work in creative circles, which can carry unique temptations. Authors want to engage their world, so they may repeat worldly notions. This can include wandering from biblical belief, but also plain heresy. Anyone in leadership, including authors, do bear this responsibility. Authors aren’t pastors or teachers, but they do disciple others. 2. ‘The author is a devil! Send this foul book to the Abyss’? In response to creative or doctrinal differences, we can go too far. In the secular world, we see the problem of leftist legalist “cancellations.” In the evangelical world, we see people boycotting fantasy, magic, games. This week we got wind of the Redeeming Love movie with sex scenes. A bad response: trying to cancel the book’s author, who maybe meant well. We need not call someone “evil” when the biblical label “foolish” may work. Never attribute to malice what can also be explained by plain human failing. For example, Zack wonders if people may “cancel” Lewis or Tolkien. Some “leftvangelicals” have already suggested C. S. Lewis is “overrated.” If Netflix ever makes a Narnia series, critics may chase The Horse and His Boy. Tolkien may be safe, because money, yet Amazon could woke-ify LOTR. People would be insisting that if authors can’t be angels, they must be devils. 3. The author is a human. Let’s respect him or her as God’s image-bearer. If you’re aware of authors who wander from faith, we have thoughts. Even author whose story “teaches” falsely could use some godly sympathy. As Martin Luther reportedly observed, even the Devil is “God’s devil.” If someone is tempted by a story to sin, the real issues go deeper than books. Yes, we take badly behaving/believing authors seriously, but we ain’t skeered. Doesn’t mean I’ll give their books to my kids, but even then, kids can learn! James Hannibal mentioned a YA fantasy with heresy, read by his teenage son. We needn’t call for an author to be run out on a rail, tarred and feathered. Neither are we called to hush up false belief or sin. That’s also unbiblical. Pray for wandering authors, speak openly and honestly about false beliefs. We’re not even famous, yet we feel some “author” pressures. Authors are not angels or devils. They’re our enemies and/or our neighbors. If an author can’t reply to your comment, she may just be very super busy. Moreover, an author spends years in this job. He may feel creatively trapped. Authors also bear fans’ (overblown) expectations, both creative and spiritual. Good authors get that way by learning to say no, and stewarding their gifts. One of our Lorehaven missions is to train our view of creators. Lorehaven focuses on fans (not writers) partly to help ease author-worship. Train yourself for how to think, feel, and pray for authors who do fail. And if you share faith in Jesus, remember, we’re all destined to worship Him! Next on Fantastical Truth As we enter February, we also near the 100th episode of Fantastical Truth, likely releasing Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022. We’re hosting a variety of popular Christian creators, and we look forward to hearing the stories behind their popular stories as we continue to see and find Christ’s fantastical truth.