A novel approach to apologetics & evangelism?

I like novels that deal with deep life issues. They seem more, well, real, than novels that are just action or romance, and are too obviously formulaic.

Also, novels can be apologetic or evangelistic. They can have Biblical-Christian elements as part of the drama, which invite people to think about life from a Christian perspective, without being "preachy" - it's just part of the fun of the story. Like the philosophical musings that I noted in the past six posts were seamlessly woven into the story. Kind of an anti-Da Vinci Code.

Might this be how Jesus' parables worked for the original hearers?

There's gotta be lots of ways to do this - the gospel's so basic to human existence. Lots of stories have the main character seek "redemption" from some "sin" (eg: the recent movie Seven Pounds. Thought-provoking.). Thriller novels have "good guys" and "bad guys", and the hero saves the world - or the heroine - or whatever. Romances deal with love, loss, relationships, betrayal. So many dramatic devices resonate with the gospel: hope, disappointment, guilt, lies, forgiveness, master-pupil relationships...

The famous examples of this are of course C. S. Lewis' Narnia Chronicles, and his less well-known Space Trilogy. Though I'm not actually sure whether Lewis meant to have evangelistic-apologetic elements in the books, or just wrote for fun, consciously using Christian elements. Anyone know? Australia's own Kel Richards was much more deliberately evangelistic. Anyone know anyone else who's tried something like this?

Or - more interestingly - anyone wanna have a go at trying something like this...?

Comments

Will Riddle said…

My closest friend Got saved 10 years ago reading the "Christ Clone trilogy" by James BeauSeigneur.
Forgetting about the theology per se, it's a great read with very strong apologetics in it.

5 January 2010 at 07:21

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