Should Christians Write Dystopians?

Disclaimer: All I have to say is NOT because of any specific book in particular. I have been thinking of this for a long time and meaning to say it. This is in no way pointing out a specific book or author. It’s my own musings and convictions and NOT meant as an insult, holier-than-thou, or any such thing to anyone.

For a while now, as I say, I’ve been meditating on the popularity of dystopian. When I was in my teens, the big thing was historical fiction. Now, I’ve noticed that dark fantasy, post-apocalyptic, and dystopian are on the rise. By which I mean books which focus on fighting oppressive government, evil culture, and rampant injustice. Not that these genres haven’t been around before—but they tend to be a lot of the popular topics right now… even in Christian circles. This disturbs me.

Again, PLEASE NOTE: I am not saying all such books are bad. Or that all fantasy or dystopian books have these issues. Or that people who write dystopians are terrible. I know there are good, sincere Christians who write dystopians—many of my friends do, in fact! And I fully admit I do myself read some dystopian. I don’t think the whole genre is bad; I completely see why people write dystopian; and I believe there are definitely good dystopians. I do not think anyone a bad christian for writing dystopian, or anything like that, okay? This blog is to record my own personal thoughts and I am simply sharing my personal issue/conviction with problems I’ve discovered in Christian dystopians—for three main reasons.

1. They tend to focus on not having a comfortable life.

So far, many Christian dystopians I’ve read haven’t focused on Christians not being allowed to share the Gospel, or live for Christ. They’re about Christians being arrested/harassed/fined for refusing to do certain things, and how that affects the comfort of their day-to-day lives. Which is a very 21st century perspective but an incorrect one.

The Bible is very specific on how Christians will not and should not expect to have comfortable lives. Jesus said so multiple times.

“If the world hate you, ye know that it hated Me before it hated you. 

If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. 

Remember the word that I said unto you, ‘The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept My saying, they will keep yours also.’

But all these things will they do unto you for My name’s sake, because they know not Him that sent Me.”

John 15:18-21

He repeats this concept several times throughout the Gospels. A list of other warnings include: Matthew 10:22, Matthew 24:9, John 17:14, John 7:7, Mark 13:13, John 16:33, John 14:1, and Luke 23:31. Furthermore, Paul and other apostles repeated it through the epistles—1 John 3:1, Philippians 1:29, 1 John 3:13, and 1 Peter 4:12-14 among others. We are even told to rejoice in this persecution (e.g., Luke 6:22 and John 13:15-17) and warned of loving the world or becoming comfortable therein (Romans 12:2, Matthew 6:24, James 4:4, 1 John 2:15-17, etc).

Throughout the ages, this has been constant. In Roman times, becoming a Christian was a matter of eternal life vs. earthly life—a glorious death or an eternal judgment in hell. In the Middle Ages, Bible believers were horribly mistreated by everyone, truly oppressed and treated with the greatest injustice. There were years of little or even no persecution—but the overall experience was one of earthly tribulation, exactly as Jesus foretold.

Nowadays, we of more ‘Christianized’ nations are accustomed to very little persecution, and most of that verbal. But we have been warned that is only a lull in the storm—a lull we ought to be using, but I digress. The point is, persecution was always a part of being a follower of Jesus.

Unfortunately, most Christian dystopians focus on the injustice or inconvenient part of persecution and leave out the part about it spurring us to share the Gospel… which is actually what it’s all about.

Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

2 Timothy 3:12

2. They tend to focus on the darkness.

Dystopians can be frightening because they’re hopeless and dire. They are a gloomy warning that ‘the world is gonna be like this soon.’ We already know that. The Bible told us that 2,000 years ago. However, the Bible does not focus on the darkness. Check out 2 Thessalonians 2, 2 Peter 3, 2 Timothy 3, and 1 Thessalonians 5. They all warn of the latter days. Yet what is something they all have in common?

“But thou, O man of God, flee [pride, strifes of words, and the love of money] and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life.”

1 Timothy 6:11-12

Instead of focussing on the horror and evilness of the last days, they focus on how we ought to live now—and then.

Again, I find that most Christian dystopians focus on the scary, thrilling part of the end days. Hiding, fighting, worrying, trying not to give anything away. Yet as they stir fear about the future, they fail to remind us how we ought to live those days.

The New Testament was written to persecuted churches—and God told them exactly how they ought to live. What He said to them holds true for us today. His word is how we know what to do, it is what tells us how to live. Our focus ought not to be upon how the world is acting, but on serving Him and bringing Him glory by winning souls to Him. We were created to carry out the good works He has prepared for us, not to do what we think is good.

Do all things without murmurings and disputings: that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; holding forth the word of life.

Philippians 2:14-16

3. They do not foster the testimony God wants of us.

This point is twofold. First, dystopians and dark fantasy raised a spirit of fear and gloom. They do not often have light and life and laughter; instead, they tend to have blood, tears, and death. And this is what this world is made of. How obsessed has our culture gotten with ghosts, vampires, and Satanism? The Devil stands for everything God is against, and this world is awash with darkness. It always have, and it always will, for it is under the power of the Prince of Darkness.

But we Christians should not be preyed upon by the fear and uncertainty rampant around us. We have been commanded to be joyful and full of confident faith in He Who is in us, who is greater than he that is in the world.

“And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”

Matthew 24:6 & Luke 20:21

We should not live in defeat and fear of the end. For us, the end is victory and amazing joy. We should foster peace, not anxiety. This is the testimony the world should see in us—not panic!

Recently in a sermon, my father was preaching about Noah and how he was commissioned by God to build an ark for the salvation of his family from the flood God was sending because of the evilness of the world. As he built, Noah preached. He didn’t sit around wailing because he was worried maybe the ark would sink, or he would be swamped by terrified people, or he’d run out of food, or the animals would revolt. He built in faith, and he preached repentance and salvation, and he built a testimony. He was known as a just man, a man of God, and his actions condemned those of his neighbours.

We’re not in the same boat (pun not intended). We already have an Ark—it’s Jesus. Don’t spend your life building an ‘ark.’ Build a testimony. Live a life that shows the light so brightly, your neighbours can’t help but see their darkness and wonder what you have. We are children of the Light—so walk in the Light, not in the darkness where you don’t belong—the darkness you’ve been rescued and bought from!

Which leads to my second point. We’re here to share the Good News. Not battle the earthly powers that be. Ours is a spiritual battle which is already won. Nor are we supposed to utterly avoid and condemn those around us. I find it worrisome that Christian dystopian tends to present everyone non-Christian as a monster. They’re broken souls that need Jesus. We’re supposed to love them and minister to them, not argue and belittle them.

“And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.”

2 Timothy 2:24-26

These points have made me reevaluate what I write.

It is a fact that in certain times, people tend to focus more on happy things and in other times, they focus more on heavy things. During WWI, Pollyanna was popular due to its optimism and charm. In WWII, people found escape in writing books like the Melendy Family series. After WWI was over, books like Rilla of Ingleside were published as people grappled with the grief and trauma the war left behind. Memoirs of veterans and survivors came to life after 1945.

Right now, we’ve globally came through a difficult period. Wherever you fall on the spectrum, 2020 was a year that left scars and triggers. And many people cope with that by writing it out, which is understandable and not evil.

So, yes, there’s a time and place for heavier, somber books. That is a whole other topic. I believe in hearing the truth even if it hurts. I read dark, heavy books. I write dark, painful stuff. But I don’t want to write and read only dark stuff.

I believe there’s also a great gaping hole for happy books. Books that exude peace, joy, hope, and light. And there’s a way to write books that are heavy, but still peaceful. Tackling topics that spark fear, but which are reassured by the words of the Father of consolation and comfort.

I don’t think Christians who write dark fantasy or dystopian are wicked and unGodly—at all. I’m not saying all such books are evil and dangerous. But I do think that dystopians and dark fantasies can be missing their potential—particularly as Christian books. They are a prime place to remind others of

How Should We Live Right Now?

and

God is Not Defeated

And I wish there were more books that did. Because we all need to hear it, and God gave us stories for a reason.