Some Thoughts on Christian Enjoyment of
Fantasy
Written for the Consideration of Families
in the Community of Spring Mountain Christian Academy
KC Stewart
E
veryone loves a good story! To be human is to be a creature who loves stories, tells
stories, thinks and talks and learns in terms of story. Every person and every
human community is laden with stories. It is my conviction that this is true of us
because we are created in God’s image. Our God is a God of story. He has given us His word
in a collection of literary works which take the form of story more than any other type of
writing. The Lord Jesus’ favorite way of teaching was to use stories. And the very gospel
itself is a story. Our Lord made us for the enjoyment of good stories.
The Bible never discourages us from enjoying or even learning from other stories,
ones that are not included in its pages. Rather, we are instructed in Scripture to “examine
everything and hold fast to that which is good.”1 The apostle Paul writes, “whatever is true,
1
I Thessalonians 5:21
1
whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is
of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these
things.”2 This applies to a great many things that we encounter in life, not the least of
which would be great stories—even stories of the rather fantastic sort!
Consider the following imagery:
Is this a fairy tale?
No, it is the book of Revelation.
Fantasy Literature in the Bible?!... Almost…
Revelation and parts of Daniel, Ezekiel and Zechariah are written as part of a literary
genre called apocalyptic. It is a special kind of prophetic writing that is highly symbolic and
picturesque, often describing bizarre creatures and strange happenings. Visions of
fantastic beings and supernatural phenomena are not something God forbids, then, but
rather something He Himself uses. But why? What can it mean that God communicates
part of His word to us through this literary genre? It must mean that He created us as
2
Philippians 4:8
2
beings who receive such art. In other words, God intends to reach us through our
imaginations.
The truth is, even the parts of the Bible that are not written in apocalyptic style are
trying to reach us through the imagination of faith. The Bible is a book from another world
which boldly claims to tell us the real truth about ourselves and the universe in which we
live. It is a great story in which God is reaching out to free us from the domain of darkness
and to captivate our hearts for Himself. Our God beckons us to join Him on an adventure,
appealing to us through the imagination of faith.
Is Fantasy Literature Dangerous?
So is the Bible the only adventure story that Christians should read? The fact is, the
Lord can and does use many different works of art to bring our hearts to Himself.
Furthermore, it is my experience that many works of literature and cinema in the fantasy
genre, being things that are excellent and worthy of praise, have been used by the Lord as
beacons to His kingdom. And the fantasy works of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkein stand out
among all of these as the very best.
Both Lewis and Tolkein were themselves Christians who wrote for the glory of God.
Far from being enemies of the Christian faith, they expressly intended their works to point
people beyond themselves to Christ and His gospel. So it is that many Christians, including
me, have found in the pages of The Chronicles of Narnia and The Hobbit and The Lord of the
Rings beautiful “true” stories that have emboldened and emblazoned their faith in the Hero
of heroes and the Story of stories.
However, aware that some people objected to the fantasy genre, both of these men
wrote to defend its good and true use. In an essay titled “On Fairy Stories,” Tolkein wrote,
Fantasy can, of course, be carried to excess. It can be ill done. It can be put to evil
uses. It may even delude the minds out of which it came. But of what human thing in
this fallen world is that not true? Men have conceived not only of elves, but they have
imagined gods, and worshipped them, even worshipped those most deformed by their
authors’ own evil. But they have made false gods out of other materials: their notions,
their banners, their monies; even their sciences and their social and economic
theories have demanded human sacrifice. Abusus non tollit usum.3 Fantasy remains a
human right: we make in our measure and in our derivative mode, because we are
made: and not only made, but made in the image of a Maker.
Still, fantasy is so weird! Bizarre creatures, magic, wizards, places and people that
have never existed in the real world… How can any of that be good to put into our minds?
3
Latin: “Abuse does not cancel use.”
3
Well, it is certainly true that fantasy literature involves things that are unreal, at
least in terms of what we encounter in this world. The definition of fantasy given by
Wikipedia is helpful:
“Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural
phenomena as a primary plot element, theme, or setting. Many works within the
genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic and magical creatures are
common.” ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantasy )
It is worth pointing out, though, that all fiction involves the invention and
imagination of the unreal. Think of Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities. While London and Paris
may be actual towns in the “real” world, they are not what makes the novel good art and
gives it its power. Rather, it is the made-up characters of Charles Darnay, Sydney Carton
and others, together with the things they do and that happen to them that really matter. In
other words, while setting is important, it is the characters and plot that really “bring the
story to life,” as we might say. Yet Darnay and Carton are as unreal as Bilbo Baggins the
hobbit and Gandalf the wizard. And Carton’s great self-sacrifice did not actually happen in
time, space and history any more than that of Aslan the lion. Regardless, in Dickens and in
Lewis and in Tolkein, great themes such as Christ-like self-sacrifice for one’s friends (and
even for the less-deserving!) are presented for the contemplation and enrichment of any
reflective reader.4
So the question arises as to whether there is something inherently wrong or
dangerous in the writing and reading of fiction which employs magic, magical creatures, or
imaginary worlds. One could search the Scriptures in vain for anything like clear
instruction against either the creation or the enjoyment of such kinds of art. Quite to the
contrary, as we have already pointed out, we see something closely akin to it displayed in
the pages of Scripture.
At the same time, we find all over the Scriptures the warning against a materialist
mindset which focuses only on the so-called “real” world. It is not God, but His enemy who
wants to keep people’s eyes only on this world. At the heart of Christian faith is a belief in
realities which are greater and more fundamentally true than anything in this concrete
world in which we currently reside.5 We are constantly fed the lie that power and prestige
and position are what really matters, because “that’s the way the real world works.” But
4
Actually, the chief difference between Dickens, on the one hand, and Lewis and Tolkein, on the other, is that he
was only “a Christian of the broadest kind” (see http://dickens.ucsc.edu/resources/faq/religion.html ), while they
were men of profound Christian faith. Still, even Dickens manages to weave into his fiction themes which properly
belong to Christ and His gospel. How much more can we appreciate this from the pens of men who consciously
did it to the glory of God!
5
Hebrews 11:1, et al
4
the Scripture says that this world, in its present form, is passing away6 and that the things
that are seen are temporary while the things that are unseen are eternal.7
Gwen and Craig
Imagine, then, for a moment two other made-up characters. First there is Gwen, a
girl at a Christian high school who loves the Lord Jesus with all her heart. She also loves
reading fantasy literature and is such a big fan of the writings of J.R.R. Tolkein that she has
a copy of an elvish dictionary and has learned to speak a bit of the language that Tolkein
invented for his fictional elves. Just for fun, she actually learned to recite the Lord’s prayer
in elvish!8 She has found her love for well-written fantasy stories to enhance her
enjoyment of the Bible; it has helped her to see what an adventure the true life of faith in
Christ really is. She is deeply committed to her church and plans to attend a Bible college
after high school. Her goal is to serve the Lord in missions overseas. And this desire was
sparked, in part, by the realization that the world really is a place of wonder and mystery
where living for Jesus is an adventure not totally dissimilar from the ones she has enjoy end
in her fantasy novels.
Craig is different. He goes to the same church and the same high school as Gwen,
but he has no use whatsoever for fantasy books or movies. He thinks people like Gwen are
silly at best and messing around with bad or evil stuff at worst. Mostly, he thinks of fantasy
stories as wrong because they get people wrapped up in unreality. Craig is focused on the
real world. He sees his involvement in church as something necessary (at least for the
moment) and probably good for him. But what he really has his eye on is a vision of the
good life American-style. He sees himself doing well enough in high school to go to a
decent college where he’ll get a business degree, land a high-paying job, marry a beautiful
girl, have two kids, a big house, several sweet cars, and regular vacations to Maui. When he
shows up to church, everyone will look at him and say “Wow! That Craig really has done
well, hasn’t he?”
One day in a class at Craig and Gwen’s school, the opportunity arose for them to
secure a good score on an important test by cheating. Both were tempted to take
advantage of the opportunity, but only Craig did so. He knew that what really mattered
was keeping a solid high school transcript, and he had been struggling a bit in this class
already. Gwen too had been having difficulty in this class, as well as some others. She
knew her grades were not very good. But she had already been forming a strong
imagination toward God. She believed in His power to do anything and knew that, even if
6
I Corinthians 7:31
II Corinthians 4:18
8
This is no joke! I actually have friends who can do this! 
7
5
she did poorly on this test, she could trust Him with her future. In the end, the decision to
cheat or not to cheat, for these two, came down to whether or not they had a faith that
could see beyond the immediate realities of this world.
Through her teen years, Gwen’s parents were worried about her fascination with
fantasy. They and the leaders of their church thought it best to discourage her from
exposing herself to that “unreal” stuff. Craig’s ambitions, however, were more or less
endorsed by both his parents and the church leadership. Here and there, they noticed that
his heart was a bit too worldly and tried to help him see that he needed to tone down some
of his exuberance about material possession. But they basically approved of his direction.
When he graduated from high school and was accepted to a well-known college with a
successful business school, everyone was very proud of him.
Gwen or Craig at SMCA?
Obviously, there are many different kinds of people. Not everyone who really enjoys
fantasy will be as devoted to Christ as Gwen. And not everyone who lacks a taste for
fantasy will become a self-worshiping materialist like Craig. But in my years of teaching at
Christian high schools, I have known quite a few Gwens and Craigs. And here is where I
must say something unpleasant but true. As I got to know the students at Slavic Christian
Academy last year, I found many who were like Craig—except that, in many cases, they
were not actually very good at achieving material success.9 They are loath to consider
reading The Hobbit, but with their every thought, the bow at the altars of money and
possession and pride of position in this world. Little do they understand that it might do
their spirits real good to follow a simple, humble hobbit from the country-side as he
encounters greedy and materialistic characters such as Smaug the dragon. While enjoying
such a fantasy story, a reader may hear the Lord’s Spirit calling him to repent of his
materialism and join the wild reality of a kingdom not of this world.
To my great surprise, I did not find anyone like Gwen SCA. Not one! At least, not
one who was actually able to blossom like Gwen. As I began to probe to find out why pretty
much no one was the fantasy-reading type, I learned that there is a general air of
discouragement of—perhaps in some cases, even a prohibition against—fantasy art among
the families and churches of the school community. I was even more surprised to learn
that the main reason for this, as my students explained it to me, was not so much the
inclusion of things like magic but the fact that fantasy deals with unreality in general.
9
I thank God for this. By His grace, He is not giving many of these young people the material idols for which their
hearts clamor. It may, therefore, be easier for them to hear the true message of God’s kingdom, where it is not
the rich and successful but the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind who are blessed to have a seat at His
table. (See Luke 14 and 16 for a small sampling of this great truth.)
6
Almost immediately, it became clear that this was somehow connected to the way
my students saw Scripture and the Christian life. They could all say the right Christian and
churchy phrases, they could all play Christian songs on their phones, they could all pray in
class and sound right. But the where was the spark of life? Where was the Spirit of God?
Where was any real depth of love for Jesus? I spent last year trying to help my students to
enjoy the adventure story of God’s word. But I found that their imaginations were so
impoverished that they rarely were able to appreciate it. They seemed to see the Bible as
religious history and Christianity as religious society. And so they were always trying to
stay afloat between the crashing of two waves: rule-keeping (their idea of God’s law) and
rule-bending/breaking (their idea of God’s grace). It was very sad.
It is with the utmost conviction that I tell you: I believe that the greatest lack among
the students of our school is that of imagination. Visions of material prosperity are a poor
(and actually devilish) substitute for a vibrant and active imagination toward God. What is
desperately needed in the hearts of our students is an openness to the adventure of
walking with the Lord Jesus Christ in this fallen, shadow world. And that comes with the
enlightenment of the eyes of the heart to see realities in the heavenly realms.10 If it is
feared that the reading and enjoyment of fantasy literature could lead the young people of
the school astray, I must tell you that many of them are already going astray.11 That is,
their hearts are already walking away from the Lord and His people and answering the call
of the world. And I honestly believe their straying is connected to a deep lack of
imagination.
Fantasy and the Christian Imagination
What makes fantasy fiction of the sort written by C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkein so
great is not that it is real, but that it so beautifully and creatively echoes that which is
ultimately real. As readers reach out with their God-given imaginations to enter into the
worlds of Middle-Earth or Narnia, they often find that this imaginative enjoyment awakens
a certain part of their spirit. (It is almost as if a certain area of their brain began to function
so that, for the first time, their sense of smell began to work.) And rather than being led
astray by a newfound appetite for fantasy, they find that God is able to reach them like
never before through this new spiritual sense. Suddenly, the Bible is no longer a dusty old
religious book. It is an adventure story! In fact, as they begin to understand, it is THE
10
11
See the book of Ephesians for the importance of this truth.
I do not mean to cause any offense. I do not write this blithely or with any disdain. I found this article last spring:
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/09/mariya_calls_her_childrens_sch.html
I found that it described something of the spirit I was encountering among my students, though not generally as
flagrant as the stuff in this article. As I read, my heart ached for my students and their families.
7
adventure story! The stories of writers like Lewis and Tolkein turn out to be a warm up for
the really REAL thing!
Now it is true that there are many people in this world who greatly enjoy fantasy
art, including that of Lewis and Tolkein, but who do not have any Christian faith at all. But
such people probably did not learn to enjoy fantasy in the context of a Christian school and
a Christian family where there is the constant re-focusing on the treasures of wisdom and
knowledge that are ultimately found only in Christ. And in any case, the truth is that
unbelievers’ appreciation for fantasy brings them closer to—not further from—truly
hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ.12
In conclusion, let me point out, once again, that the telling of stories which call on
the imagination to picture things outside the normal stuff of this world is not forbidden by
the Bible. Rather, it is something that the Bible models. God did not give human beings
such imagination only to forbid its use. Instead, like all His good gifts,13 He gave it to us so
that we might consecrate it to Him and enjoy it to His glory!
12
One of my daughter’s friends is an avowed atheist. She wants to deny the very existence of God. But she finds
the faith and love of our family very compelling. And because we share with her a love for fantasy and sci-fi art,
we have much ground on which to call her to awaken from the dead. Our prayer is to be used of the Lord to
awaken her spirit to realities beyond the material world—to find true and eternal life in Him. We continue to love
her and pray for her.
13
Human sexuality would be a great example. Human beings have twisted and perverted it throughout the history
of the world. But would we not say of that: “Abusus non tollit usum”?
8