There is something in human nature that causes people to love to hear true-life stories. Hence, the popularity of reality television shows, celebrity magazines, and exposes. Every Christian has a “story” to tell about how they came to faith in Jesus Christ and subsequently how it changed their lives.

Personal testimonies make the objective truths of our faith subjectively real. Sharing how Jesus healed our emotional wounds, delivered us from bondage to addictions, healed our marriages, brought us closer to our children, restored family relationships, improved our standing among coworkers, delivered us from pornography and other sexual sins—all such personal encounters with the living Christ demonstrate the reality of Christianity and its power in all areas of our lives.

Something similar can be said about fiction stories, in particular novels. During recent years, numerous Christian authors have begun to write novels that are subtle in their presentation of the Christian worldview. Many of these novelists, such as Ted Dekker, Randy Singer, Craig Parshall, and Robert Whitlow, are every bit as skillful as popular secular authors in creating exciting, suspenseful plots built around interesting, real-life characters (but without the language and sex that pervades secular novels). Most secular bookstores carry a selection of popular Christian novels.

Unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to get non-Christians to read Christian books, especially those that openly promote Christian values and beliefs. But they don’t necessarily need to.

Christian apologist, the late Gretchen Passantino, wrote an essay, on “Discovering God through Stories,” which was published in Answers in Action. I was given permission to quote it in one of my books, and it’s worth requoting here:

Some of the most profound personal and spiritual insights I’ve ever experienced have grabbed me from the pages of a story. In exquisite story telling I see the creational image of God reflected in authors who created worlds of ideas never pondered before. As a spiritual novice and moral ingénue I encountered and came to understand faithfulness, integrity, courage, humility, and self-discipline through good characters; and betrayal, deceit, cowardice, pride, and self-indulgence through evil ones. I can’t count how often God has sneaked up on me in a powerful story, and taught me lessons I wouldn’t have willingly learned had he been so obvious as to challenge my stubbornness directly through a Bible study. My actual conversion to Christ came through a fairly ordinary encounter with the straightforward gospel, but the Holy Spirit softened me beforehand through literature, and nurtured me long after through the same manner.

I’ve used outstanding stories to share some of my most important beliefs with non-Christians who would never listen to overt preaching of the gospel, but who can be enticed by a good story into thinking for the first time about life after death, justice, morality, and redemption. Mainstream, popular contemporary fiction—if it’s good—is a valuable tool of pre-evangelism, seed planting, “soft” apologetics.

If your non-Christian friends or relatives won’t read Christian authors, encourage them to read quality fiction novels you have read. Afterward, discuss the characters and plot, and you may find opportunities to share the Christian perspective.©

Next Week:  A new blog series begins.