Stories have been told for as long as people have walked the earth — from ancient myths and literary classics (such as the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Iliad of Homer) to the fairy tales of Andersen and picture books about adventurous animals. Some are true stories, but many also contain fictional elements or are entirely the product of the storyteller’s imagination.
Stories are powerful. They touch us emotionally and stimulate our imagination. Well-written and well-illustrated stories not only entertain us, but also offer a compelling interpretation of great truths. They often linger in our memory and make a greater impression than factual, descriptive texts. This is true for adult audiences, but even more so for children. No wonder, then, that children are told stories from an early age.
The Lord Jesus often used stories to convey His message. He told parables about the Kingdom of God (as in Matthew 13). He held up a mirror to His audiences with stories about disobedient sons and unreliable vineyard workers (see Matthew 21:28-32 and 21:33-46). In fact, the Bible contains many stories that show us who God is and how He guides history. They open our eyes to timeless truths, even if these stories are set in a different time, place, or dimension.
The world of fantasy and fiction
If we want to explore this topic further, it is important to distinguish between different forms of stories.
- True stories are accounts of events that actually happened. Consider, for example, the history of the people of Israel as described in Bible books such as Exodus, Samuel, and Kings. These stories may be artfully crafted, but they are reliable accounts based on historical facts.
- Fictional stories are devised by the narrator. William Golding wrote the famous book “Lord of the Flies” to show the clash between a peaceful democracy and a violent dictatorship. This is a fictional story about a group of schoolboys that got stranded on a tropical island, but written in such a way that it gave people a penetrating and realistic insight into the reality that Golding wanted to draw to your attention. The boys Ralph and Jack never really existed, but there are many leaders that resemble them up to the present day.
- Even fiction without explicit political or moral undertones can take place in an imagined but realistic setting. This helps you empathize with the characters where you could easily have ended up in a similar situation and had similar adventures. Or it gives you a glimpse into another time or culture, which you get to know in a narrative manner.
- The genre of ‘fantasy stories’ or ‘fairytales’ goes one step further. These stories are about imaginary creatures and/or worlds that exist outside our sober reality. Animals can talk, frogs turn into princes and brave heroes defeat mythical monsters. These stories often contain magical elements. Main characters have supernatural powers and witches use spells or mysterious rituals. This adds an element of excitement; an opening to unknown worlds that stimulate our curiosity.
Choose carefully what you read and watch
Precisely because stories are so compelling and make such a deep impression, it is important to choose carefully what we want to read and watch — and what we allow our children to read and watch. Stories about cruel wars can open our eyes to the harsh reality in which the characters live or lived, and which may well have parallels to our own world. But if violence is glorified in a story, it can actually dull our senses and cloud our vision. A good story gives us insight into the thoughts and lives of the characters. We can learn from their experiences. But what effect does it have on us when the main characters constantly swear, go against God’s commandments and make objectionable moral choices? Do stories encourage us to seek the right path through life, or do they normalize a life without God?
Thoughts on phantasy and magic
Fairy tales and myths have been seen in all ages. The term ‘phantasy’ is used nowadays for the genre of imaginative fiction using strange settings and grotesque characters. In recent decades, the number of (children’s) books about wizards, witches, fairies and other magical creatures has increased significantly. You also encounter them outside bookshops and libraries: Harry Potter pyjamas, Lego’s ‘Witch House’, card games such as ‘Smooth Spirits’, and numerous video games featuring wizards and secret societies. Phantasy and magic have become an integral part of everyday life. This calls for careful consideration: how do we deal with this as Christians?
- Fictional stories can be seen as elaborate metaphors. Phantasy stories write about things that are not real. For example, in C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia there is the Lion that can speak and think like humans, has supernatural powers, and sacrifices his life to break the spell and save Narnia from the evil forces. Nobody would think this lion really exists. However, the story is a powerful illustration of a very real reality, namely of Jesus Christ becoming human, living among us while at the same time having supernatural power, and sacrificing Himself to break the power of Satan.
If we watch the Narnia film series and see the lion suffer and die, we may “sense” the depth of Jesus’ love even more powerfully than when we just read the gospels: “Wow, THIS is what Jesus did for me!” Seeing the evil beings at work may help us understand Peter’s warning that “the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) Of course, no phantasy story can ever take the place of the Bible, but stories can illuminate its truths in fresh, imaginative ways.
I think that’s what Jesus did in His parables as well. Why did He say “I am the good Shepherd?” Well, not because He was a shepherd. People are not sheep. And yet, comparing people to sheep and Himself to a shepherd brings His message across more powerfully than just saying “I care for people.” Some truths go beyond plain words—they need images that engage our imagination and emotions. That’s what stories do best. - Fictional stories can counterbalance an overly simplistic and materialistic worldview. But what we see with our eyes is not the whole reality. Poetry and stories can make us aware of this. The Bible also uses imagery that does not fit into our down-to-earth, everyday reality. Isaiah 55:12, for example, says, “The mountains and hills will break forth into singing before you, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands”. Another example is the Book of Revelation, which is full of angels, mythical creatures and dragons. Zechariah describes visions in which a flying scroll represents the curse that God has pronounced, and woman ‘Wickedness’ is carried away in a basket by two women with the wind in their wings (see Zechariah 5). Here, a spiritual reality is expressed in words and images that we do not encounter literally in everyday life.
- At the same time, we must be aware that magic is not just fantasy. Spiritual powers are real and exert influence on us. They are supernatural, but by no means fictional or harmless. We must therefore treat them carefully! If books or films present occult matters as amusing entertainment or lower the threshold for getting involved in it, we would do well to keep our distance. After all, the Bible warns us strongly against divination, fortune telling, sorcery or spiritism (see for example Deuteronomy 18:10-12, Galatians 5:19-20, Revelation 21:8). If we normalize these things in games, books, and films, we are playing with fire.
Do stories bring us closer to God?
As with all things in life, stories also matter in terms of how they influence our character, our relationships with others, and especially our relationship with God. John Piper expresses this in an interview:
“Does a fictional world of fantastic happenings tend to lead people away from or toward a real world where water turns into wine, and a real man walks on water, and lame people really walk, and blind people see, and five loaves feed five thousand people, and there’s a real resurrection of the dead and a real ascending of the King into heaven, a real God-man? Does fiction send people there or distract people from there? That’s the key question, I think. Does fiction help or hurt in seeking to awaken people to reality — to the reality of God in Christ with all the strange and wonderful otherworldly realities that truly exist: creation out of nothing, pervasive providence, great bodies of water dividing in half, the sun stopping in the sky, axe heads floating, the incarnation of God into humanity by a virgin birth, crucifixion, resurrection, second coming of a sovereign King? Does the use of language to create an alternative world to tell a story help awaken people to the supernatural realities that really exist? Or do they distract and replace that reality? Do they help or do they hurt?”
We will have to weigh questions like these each time we read, listen to, or watch such stories. If we do so prayerfully, we can trust the guidance of the Holy Spirit, who gives us the discernment to know what is good and pure and fits with a life in God’s light. We should always heed our conscience!
You can listen to this interview on the website of Desiring God.