There is a phrase that “90% of everything is crap”. It was coined by Theodore Sturgeon, a science fiction writer, and it has been applied to fiction in general. Personally, I think it’s an exaggeration. I may be a cynic (an ideology incompatible with Christianity, but I’m working on getting rid of the cynicism) but even I maintain that creative and artistic talent dwells in many people, waiting to be tapped into and realized. Reformed theologians call this, “common grace”, and while I may be unsure of their theological leanings at times, I am more than happy to appropriate this concept.
Stories–whether they be in actual books or in a more modern medium such as video games–are how we convey and pass down morality and truth. Some creators may not see their works in this way, and don’t think of themselves as peddling ideas. But I believe that any work of fiction given to the public is not simply self-expression if it is meaningful enough to have something to say. It consists of the thoughts and beliefs of a person or group of people, and most of the time, the person or people behind the work have a consistent set of beliefs. When these beliefs are consistent, they are often conveyed into a work of fiction. Inevitably, and sometimes even unintentionally, people’s works portray their own worldview, or a worldview that they wish to deconstruct by depicting negatively. Not all works of fiction convey the ideas of their creator, but many do.
The purpose of the “Cloud Breakers” type of posts will be to analyze one work of fiction that conveys a worldview with significant similarities to the Christian worldview (by which I mean aspects of what orthodox Christians have traditionally believed for at least several centuries, if not since the time of Jesus.) The name comes from the idea that one work of fiction can “rise above” the cloud level to break past other works of fiction that don’t rise as high–a “layer of clouds” that either prevents or hides ideas that are above it. Suffice to say, if a work of fiction falls into any of the following categories:
I hope you will enjoy what I hope to be a unique approach to various works of fiction that may not have had this treatment before.
See the original blog post here: “Cloud Breakers” posts: An Introduction
Stories–whether they be in actual books or in a more modern medium such as video games–are how we convey and pass down morality and truth. Some creators may not see their works in this way, and don’t think of themselves as peddling ideas. But I believe that any work of fiction given to the public is not simply self-expression if it is meaningful enough to have something to say. It consists of the thoughts and beliefs of a person or group of people, and most of the time, the person or people behind the work have a consistent set of beliefs. When these beliefs are consistent, they are often conveyed into a work of fiction. Inevitably, and sometimes even unintentionally, people’s works portray their own worldview, or a worldview that they wish to deconstruct by depicting negatively. Not all works of fiction convey the ideas of their creator, but many do.
The purpose of the “Cloud Breakers” type of posts will be to analyze one work of fiction that conveys a worldview with significant similarities to the Christian worldview (by which I mean aspects of what orthodox Christians have traditionally believed for at least several centuries, if not since the time of Jesus.) The name comes from the idea that one work of fiction can “rise above” the cloud level to break past other works of fiction that don’t rise as high–a “layer of clouds” that either prevents or hides ideas that are above it. Suffice to say, if a work of fiction falls into any of the following categories:
- Something I like
- Promotes values I agree with
- Articulates its worldview clearly (regardless if I agree with it or not)
- Shaped my own beliefs
I hope you will enjoy what I hope to be a unique approach to various works of fiction that may not have had this treatment before.
See the original blog post here: “Cloud Breakers” posts: An Introduction
