Have you ever written something that you want to use to reach the people around you, but you fear that if you mention the word "God" or "Jesus", their ears and minds will suddenly close? Do you have to take "God" out of your writing to make it reach the general public?
Unfortunately for many in this nation, and others, there is a sad fact. One can speak of morals, politics, vulgarity, sex, drugs, violence, gossip, or anything else, and people will hang on their seats to see what is said. However, the minute God is mentioned in any fashion or form, people walk out of the room, close their ears, roll their eyes, or protest vocally. In the situation of looking at items online, they click the back button or close the window. Not everyone, of course, but many.
I think that knowing the reason for this might help us reach some more of these people.
People have been "turned off" by religion in the past
Whether there was a preacher who they simply didn't like, or whether their parents forced them to go to church when they did not want to, or whether it is simply a rebellion against something that makes them uncomfortable - they have had some sort of experience that makes them despise any sort of religion, and sometimes even the people who try to speak to them of it. Rather than seeing the Word for what it is, they see it as a label. The label often takes the form of a certain sect (Roman Catholic, Baptist, Protestant, Lutheran, Seventh Day Adventist, etc). Now, this isn't true, but it is how they perceive it. They do not think you are trying to show them truth or help them, they see you as a recruiter for your religion - much as they might see recruiters for the military.
"This person claims to be a Christian, and they ----."
This is what many people describe with the word "witness" - the public persona that you put on for other people to see. This sentence could be finished in a million different ways. They drink, cheat, cuss - you name it. While most people like to be seen as individuals, they tend to group others into stereotypes. If one person does things wrong, well - so does everyone of that same stereotype! Fortunately, in this case, they're right. We are all human, we all sin. Somehow, however, to those who are not Believers, Christian is synonymous with Perfect. We are not perfect.
The majority of people do not like to be preached at.
Let's just face it - people don't like to be told that they're wrong. They don't like to be told that something they do on a regular basis is a sin. They don't like to feel talked down to - and no matter how gentle one is, when the person they are speaking to feels guilty, they will be talked down to. The possibility that someone was perfect seems impossible to them, but even the vague possibility makes them uncomfortable - like a student being publicly tested by their teacher, who knows much more.
To reach the general populace, issues must be approached without being jabbed at with a stick. Satan is a deceiver, and he will use any way to blind those that we try to reach - even to the point of anger, frustration, guilt, and redistribution of blame by those who we hope are listening. He uses their past, their present, and even their future to keep them from opening their minds and hearts to understand and know the Truth. However, is it possible to reach people in writing without turning them off with any mention of God?
Believe it or not, it is.
There are some amazing authors that could span the line from "Christian" audience to "Secular" audience. They just, to be honest, have to be that good. They have to approach the position of morality without preaching it. They have to introduce the concept of a Savior, and make it believable. They have to make the story interesting enough to catch the attention of more than just those who already know and understand the word - reaching for those who do not.
If you wish to see examples of this, I suggest reading the books from some of the following published Christian Authors:
Ted Dekker (Mystery/Horror/Suspense)
Frank Peretti (Mystery/Horror/Suspense)
Janette Oke (Love/Romance)
So, to answer a question I posed at the beginning - Do you need to take God out of your writing to reach the general public? Absolutely not! No compromise is necessary. Keep God in your writing. Keep the faith in what you have to say. Keep the morals, the love, the message. Keep the stereotypes in mind, and be... gentle, I suppose. Remember that you are addressing a subject that people are scared of - guide them gently toward what you wish to reveal to them. |