Why Would a Christian Write Dark Stories?

The answer is simple. Dark things happen to good people, and God isn’t as concerned about our earthly happiness as he is about the state of our soul. 

We can’t ignore suffering. We can try to avoid pain and discomfort, but those closest to God know suffering is part of our faith journey. 

 

While I am not in the same league as God’s great spiritual warriors, I have been in pits of fire and on spiritual mountaintops. I have taken these personal experiences and spun them with a little fiction with the hope of to illustrating that God never leaves us alone or without hope, as long as we cling to our faith.

One reader recently told me this: “Your characters’ faith strengthened mine and helped me face my own challenges.” 

Those words are what every writer lives to hear. 

And so, this is how a happy, non-violent Christian can bear to write dark novels. It’s really about sharing miracles, faith, and hope in the midst of the most supreme trials. Having done this in the first three books of the Lions and Lamb series, I am branching out. My soon to be released novel, Without Strings, is much lighter in tone, with faith still being its core value. 

There will be a fourth book in the Lions and Lambs series titled, Of Lions, Beasts, and Lambs, and possibly a sequel to Without Strings. After that? I don’t have a clue, but God has always guided my writing. I am sure he has more plans for my writing, and if my previous experiences are any indication, he will let me know without any uncertainty. This next time, I intend to respond quickly, and avoid his not so gentle persuasions... (See: Lions, Why I Write )

Divine Persuasion

Skeptics have asked, "If we have free will, then how do you explain Divine omniscience?" The answer of course lies in the difference between knowing an event will happen and controlling the circumstances that cause the event.

After becoming a parent, I related this to my youngest child climbing the so-called-no-climb-fence. The design merely slowed her down until I could race out the backdoor and nab her before she got to the top, usually.

It didn't take Divine omniscience to know what would happen should I fail, and my knowledge of the outcome, did not alter her freedom to choose. Same with God and us, except on a much higher scale.

This thought leads me to the idea of praying for someone's conversion, or change in behavior. What happens to free will in that instance? Do we, or God, force the person to act against their will? Of course not. This is where the power of Divine persuasion comes into play.