Here’s the deal. I love reading. Fantasy, Romance, Sci-Fi, Mystery–I’m there. But I have a confession to make: Books were my escape from reality. No, actually, they were more than that. Fantasy was more real to me than flesh-and-blood here-and-now. 

I poured more heart into devouring books than I did in loving my sisters. More weight into the advice from fictional characters than that of my parents. I became enamored with men that would never exist outside of these pages. That’s not to say my parents always gave me the best advice or that fictional characters don’t have good morals, but fantasy became my reality on a deeper level than I would recognize. 

I was a voracious reader. Filling my mind with wonderful stories. But I was never full. 

The Bible — Boring? 

Now that I’m saved and I know Jesus, I am hit with a hard truth. The one I should desire above all else is Jesus—and not out of obligation, but genuinely. How can I love Jesus so much when the Bible doesn’t stir my heart the way other books do? When I would rather read or watch videos or play games, than pray? 

God’s helped me now, so I can study his Word and learn more about Him. I can sometimes find that I sat down to read the Bible only to find that an hour has passed. But this wasn’t always the case. 

Books in and of themselves aren’t bad. We can see reflections of ourselves and grow as a result. We can see images of good friendships and a positive outlook on life. But so many of our media is infiltrated with heavy romance. To that end, I had sworn off books for a long time. I was trying to find the balance between loving Jesus and loving stories. There’s nothing wrong with a good story (provided it isn’t full of sin and lust, of course), but we need to be careful what we read. It can be a slippery slope. 

Discernment 

Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

2 Timothy 2:22
Bible Gateway

Sin begins with a thought. And if we consume everything without discernment (i.e. actively evaluating what comes in), it can creep in and slowly darken our vision. To the point where we can end up obsessing about relationships, sex, magic, mystery, and romance to a degree that it dethrones Jesus in our hearts. 

And worse now are the books that claim to be Christian but do the same thing. Like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Consider the emotional, addictive experience of breath-stealing romance. It feeds lust and desire. Consider normal fantasy novels. They may not have glaring romance, but there is always the underlying messages. 

Fantasy can be a tool to present principles that would be difficult to show in realistic fiction. C. S. Lewis used fantasy to show biblical principles and demonstrate what Jesus did for us on the cross through Aslan’s sacrifice for Edmund. It presents the concept in a way that anyone can understand. But if we’re not careful, fantasy can be an escape from the real world. For me, I found myself reading at least a book a day just to be satiated. 

But it was never enough. And it never will be. 

What’s the point? 

The point of this blog is to discuss what we read. And, from the perspective of Christians, why these stories may draw you away (or bring you closer to) a relationship with Jesus. Now, I’m still picking up books and watching movies (within reason), but I’m investigating the lessons and messages they carry. The enemy is a liar, and the most effective lies are served with truth. 

Honestly, I hate spoilers. I’ll try to avoid them, but I will have to share some to expose what may be lying underneath the surface. I’ll give you my opinion. This blog isn’t any kind of authority on good or bad fiction. It’s a forum for discussing the threads of stories that shape our worldview, our future, and ourselves.