Comments on: Can fiction help us better understand the Bible?

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:01:07 +0000

@Scott thanks for sharing! I can't imagine that that Ennis would have ever thought his stories would lead people to faith.

By: Scott

Scott — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:54:02 +0000

The graphic novel ‘Preacher’put me on the road to my faith. The story would not be considered Christian by any stretch of the imagination, most would label it downright blasphemous but it made me consider God himself more and more and how the story depicted him was simply ridiculous. When Jesus found me i saw that he posessed perfectly all the qualities that the most compelling fictional heroes, even ones as cynical as Preacher’s protagonist Jesse Custer, has only that his will and motives were not coming from himself. Jesus didn’t decide to carry out his own will he drew his strength and purpose from God the father.

Fictional heroes can provide access to understanding the different trials that a person doing right must overcome,uncertainty, difficulty, struggle, loss and betrayal. They can also help to highlight the requirements determination, hard work, self-sacrifice and love. But we must remember that all fictional heroes act according to the morality they believe in, the further away from God that is the less like Jesus they become and the less heroic they should be considered.

By: Andy

Andy — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:53:34 +0000

Thanks for your thoughts, everybody. I’ll have to check some of these out. Caitlin, I’m not familiar with “Squanto” but it sounds interesting!

By: Cheryl

Cheryl — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:43:15 +0000

The Author you speak of I believe is Francine Rivers. She has several “novellas” published on various Biblical figures, as well as several other fictional novels. I have read each one and can say from personal experience, each one helped me to understand the Bible at a much deeper spiritual level. I highly reccommend any of her titles.

By: Caitlin C.

Caitlin C. — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 04:27:58 +0000

The movie “Squanto:A Warriors Tale” made me realize the truth that God loves all people and all races, no matter how different a person looks.
I love that truth . It gives me and people around the globe hope.

Another obvious fact made so vivid in the movie was that we need to help others, befriend them, and do what a true friend does, lay down your life for them.

By: vada

vada — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 23:46:04 +0000

i read a story fiction story once that really help me so a clear picture of of how the walls of jericho fell down and how the rehab the prositure felt and came to belive how faith after losing faith for decades can change things and break down walls i forget the author but she puts out short stories of women in the bible that are fiction but awsome

By: JamesonLewis3rd

JamesonLewis3rd — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 11:19:28 +0000

The 1984 novel by Robert A. Heinlein, Job: A Comedy of Justice, gave me the idea that I should, maybe, read the Bible.