Faith and Fiction: Can They Benefit One Another?
For as long as I can remember, I have loved a good story. Personally, I am somewhat of a sucker for the fantasy genre, and since childhood, I have found much enjoyment in these fictional tales. Not only have I enjoyed these stories but have engaged with them in the various different forms in which they manifest: books, short stories, movies, video games, etc. In fact, looking back on it, spending time consuming fiction takes up a rather large chunk of my life. The question is, was it time well spent or a waste of time altogether?
We live in an era where the consumption of stories is probably at an all-time high. With the explosion of streaming services via the internet, many households in our current time would probably share that there is a significant portion of life that takes place watching stories play out on screen. Since, this is something that people spend so much time in, it is important to think about whether or not this is a practice that can yield anything beneficial outside of bringing us relaxation.
As far as I am concerned, I do not like to view fiction from the lens as it being a source of pure entertainment, but to really look at the various different themes that are conveyed throughout the story. Most writers, who take the time to put together these stories we consume, probably had some themes they wanted to convey within the story, so I think it is appropriate to look at the stories we take in, with the intent to observe those things. Stories highlight a lot of talking points when it comes to the human condition and discussing the stories in which we are familiar with can be a could lead into discussion on life.
Not too long ago, I had the opportunity to preach from Philippians 4, and in my studies of verse 8, I began to see how this verse can help us to find some benefit in our faith from all that fiction we consume. As you read the passage you will see that Paul is writing all of the positive thing that we should set our mind on. According to the various different commentators I studied, the general consensus was that these things we ought to set are minds on are referred to in the general sense, and not strictly religious or faith based things. For example: the recently released Incredibles 2 is a movie that portrays many positive thoughts on family, whether you are a Christian or not, there are valuable lessons here, and that would be an element of that story that we should see as a positive and have discussions on.
In short, I think that it is very important for believers to understand that over consumption of entertainment media can be dangerous, but that there are a lot of positive elements to yield, and they can be things that help to illustrate and highlight components of our faith. So, there is definitely a benefit that fiction can play within our own faith.