Adam Blumer

See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, and Part 8. Flawed Arguments Most Christian novelists would agree that God prohibits His children from using unclean speech in everyday dialogue. But some apparently think their novels fall into a different category. One that is beyond biblical critique. “He’s a bad cop,” they say, “and for him and my story to be realistic, I wouldn’t be doing him or the story justice if I sanitized the language. I wouldn’t be intellectually honest.” They are, after all, seeking to depict reality. They are creating art. And art is honest, they say. Though plausibility is important in good fiction, this logic is flawed. Let’s take a closer look at their arguments for using unclean speech. 1. I want my novel to be realistic. This is fiction. No readers seriously want stark reality in the form of foul language—that’s depressing. They want the impression of reality (the…