Light Shines Best amid Darkness
Pauline J. Grabia participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program, and earns from qualifying purchases from links in this post.
Please subscribe to my email newsletter for updates on my website and blog and exclusive access to the Prologue and Chapters Eleven through Twenty-Five of my novel, Filling the Cracks, now complete and available on the Subscriber Content page of this website (see menu bar above). New content will be added regularly. You can sign up in the form found in the footer of this page. Thank you!
A candle burns brightest in the dark.
Recently, I submitted a manuscript to a developmental editor. That novel, FOR MAGGIE, is a project I have been working on in various forms for over half a decade. I was puzzled when my editor returned with the question of what genre I was writing in. I thought it was clear. My story is a Christian romantic suspense. My editor informed me that because my manuscript contained Christian themes, mentioned Christ, and quoted scripture, secular publishers or audiences would not accept it. I was aware of this. What surprised me was when she told me that due to the “dark subject matter,” it wouldn’t be accepted by Christian publishers or audiences, either. I had to decide whether to eliminate the spiritual elements from my book to target a secular audience or to lighten the subject matter and remove certain sections to appeal to the Christian market. I felt frustrated that, as a writer, I couldn’t explore the dark nature of the human condition and still be considered “Christian.”
There is a school of thought suggesting that, as Christians, we should entirely avoid dark topics and themes because we are instructed to focus on what is pure and good. This is true, to some extent. The apostle Paul writes in Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” However, if we, as believers in Christ, close ourselves off to anything not listed here, we cannot truly engage with Scripture since the Bible itself is filled with examples of human nature revealing its more sinful and depraved aspects. Why does the Bible delve into this darkness when it instructs us to contemplate things of the Light?
In my opinion, we cannot truly appreciate the Light without exploring the Darkness. A candle burns brightest in a darkened room, where the Light pierces the darkness and sends it rolling away. If Christian writers and readers avoid delving into the darkness of the human condition—if we gloss over it in an attempt to remain pure and untouched by the world—we risk giving the enemy of our souls a strategic advantage in the battle between true Good and true Evil. If we take the concept of clean fiction to the extreme, we risk becoming unrelatable to those who need to understand that Christ can redeem them from their darkness just as He does for our fictional characters in our stories.
Christian fiction must be relatable and relevant. It cannot shy away from the hard and dark topics and themes that real people confront daily in this fallen world. My novel, FOR MAGGIE, delves into the issues of serial murder, murder for revenge, alcoholism, deconstruction of faith, domestic abuse and divorce, institutional corruption, esoteric beliefs and secret societies, and even homosexuality. Although that’s a lot to weave into one story, it reflects the complexity of characters facing and battling real-world issues. I hope that by the end of the story, I illustrate how God is greater than the evil one who tempts us to dwell in darkness instead of accepting the invitation of redemption from the Author of Light and Goodness.
I believe that’s the true purpose of Christian fiction—to meet the reader where they are in the battle against evil in their lives and show them the solution to what tries to beat them down, namely, Jesus Christ and His amazing grace. I think this can be achieved by presenting the problem of sin and darkness, exploring it, and then offering the solution in Jesus. This can be done overtly or subtly, even without mentioning the name of God (but that’s a topic for another blog post). Just think about the Book of Esther. There is no mention of God in the entire book, yet we know it is all about God’s protection of His people while under oppression. That story is incredibly dark: it explores the possible genocide of the Jews by King Ahasuerus. But it doesn’t dwell in the darkness for long. It also shows the light shining in the darkness as God uses Queen Esther to help rescue His people from the wicked Haman.
We weaken the message of the Gospel by whitewashing sin in our writing. We do this by denying its existence to keep our fiction clean and sweet. The light of God’s grace cannot shine brilliantly in a room filled with artificial light, where the characters and plot are so sanitized that no one needs saving from anything. Trivial battles fought in “clean” Christian fiction don’t speak to the real hell that real people face in daily life. Our message is diluted by our fear of exploring the depravity of the human condition. Sin is real. We all encounter it, are tempted by it, and commit it, whether we have been redeemed by Christ or not. There is no perfect Christian. We are all on the road to sanctification, which is an ongoing process. Along the way, we stumble and fall. Then Jesus picks us up, sets us on our feet again, and helps us continue up the mountain. By exploring what causes us to stumble, we can see the glory of God at work in saving and sanctifying us from our falls.
Unfortunately, current Christian publishers and the market are still lagging behind when it comes to recognizing the importance of shining a candle in the darkness instead of in an artificially lit room. I will continue to write about dark themes and topics, even if that disqualifies me from traditional publishing or acceptance by the current market for books labeled as “Christian.” It may mean I have to self-publish and do all the heavy lifting of marketing my book to a world that wallows in darkness and needs to see the light I present in my work. I hope that’s not the case, but if it is, so be it. I want to reach real people with the real grace and goodness of God. Usually, that means shining the light in the very real darkness around us.
Thank you so much for reading this post and visiting my blog. Please sign up for my newsletter for a monthly update about the website and blog and exclusive access to the material on my Subscriber Content page at www.paulinejgrabia.com. I am honored that you have taken time out of your day to read what I have to offer, and I will endeavor to continue to post blogs that are worthy of your continued attention. May God bless you richly.
Pauline J. Grabia
Related Posts:
As I wrote in a previous post, I attended the Story Embers 2024 Summit and took away many valuable lessons to help me improve as a writer. Still, perhaps the most important lesson was this: My writing belongs to God—I’ve committed it to Him for His use and glory….