See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, and Part 8. Secondary Considerations: Romans 14:16 I began this series with the intention of sticking to Scripture for my main defense. That’s because Scripture is sufficient for every area of life (2 Peter 1:3)—I truly believe that. If something is just my opinion, I could be wrong. But God is never wrong. So what He says must be our foundation—our absolute—for all behavior. Though I’ve listed various Scriptures during our discussion, I recently realized I had left out a few key verses, and I would be remiss not to mention the important principles they teach in the context of our discussion. Let’s take a look at the first one. “So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil” (Rom. 14:16 ESV). As a theologian friend recently reminded me, “Context is king.” So let’s look at…
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See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, and Part 8. Secondary Considerations: What about the Weaker Brother? My allegory in Part 6 illustrates the current debate among some Christian authors. Some, like the “edgy chef” in my story, feel they have the Christian liberty to use a crass word or a profanity or two in a Christian novel. But others reject the premise that this is even a Christian liberty issue. They believe, based on biblical absolutes, that using unclean speech is unacceptable for any author who calls herself or himself Christian. In Part 3, we looked at the main verses that support their position. A Christian Liberty Issue? For the sake of the debate, let’s pretend the debate is a Christian liberty issue. What does the Bible teach about Christian liberty? If I use this rationale, can I use whatever words I want in my novel, regardless of what my…
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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…
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