In recent decades, we’ve seen a push towards political
correctness. In some ways, I’m all for it. I don’t want to inadvertently use a
term that is offensive to particular groups of people. However, it can sometimes
be a minefield for writers. We want to be true to what we believe, and write
about the things God has laid on our hearts, but what if those words result in
a backlash from readers? Do we just put it down to spiritual attack and plough
on, or could something else be going on?
There was a case last year where a Christian author won a prestigious award for best inspirational fiction. However, the award was rescinded a couple of days later after an outcry over her handling of a true historical event that was deeply wounding for First Nations people. Most of the criticism seemed to resolve around the fact that the ‘hero’ of the story was a white man who had taken part in atrocities (albeit unwittingly), but later found redemption. (I’ve chosen not to name the book or author here, as I wanted to make a more general point in this post about how we deal with such issues. However, if you want to find out specifics, there's a link to my review later in this post.)
All writers will receive negative feedback at times, whether that’s a rejection letter from a publisher, a sea of red ink from an editor, or a negative review on a public forum. Even some of our best-loved books have one- and two-star reviews on sites like Goodreads and Amazon. You’ll never please everyone, no matter how hard you try. If you’re expressing a Christian viewpoint in your book, there will also be people who will rate the book negatively just because it is a Christian book and they disagree with the content. But what do you do when the criticism goes beyond that and a book and its author are subject to vitriolic attacks from some sections of the community?
Reasons for Criticism
I think it’s important to recognise that such criticism can involve
three different elements, though these are not mutually exclusive.
Spiritual Attack
If our writing contains Christian
content, you can bet that the enemy won’t be happy about it. In Ephesians 6:12,
we’re reminded that ‘our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against
the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and
against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms’. At some level,
criticism aimed at Christian authors is inevitable. However, we have the
assurance that Christ has overcome the powers of darkness (John 16:33;
Colossians 2:15) and that if we’re serving the Lord, no attack against us will
prevail (Isaiah 54:17).
Cancel Culture and Political Correctness
Criticism directed at an author may also be
part of the ‘cancel culture’ phenomenon in which some people are ‘outed’,
ostracised or boycotted due to comments they have made that are deemed
offensive to some groups. At its extreme, this can result in Orwellian calls to
rewrite history (including literature) so that it is more politically correct. At
the least, it can result in authors receiving a barrage of complaints from
those who dislike their views. The very nature of free speech is at issue here,
though I do believe that with free speech comes responsibility, and that leads to
the third point.
Valid Criticism
Spiritual attack may be directed at Christians
who are trying to live out their calling. Naysayers with a ‘cancel culture’
mentality may abuse writers who don’t fit within their worldview. However,
sometimes we get it wrong and the critics have a point. They may not always
express it in a way we would like, especially if they have made personal
attacks on the author. However, they may have identified something that the
author has failed to adequately address.
What Can We Learn from This Case?
In the case I mentioned earlier, I think spiritual attack and some elements of ‘cancel culture’, at least in terms of political correctness, were involved. From the tone of some of the reviews, I suspect some of the critics had not read the book, or had only read the prologue, and were outraged at the very notion of the hero being involved in atrocities against indigenous people. Others had clearly read the book and were offended or hurt by content they regarded as harmful.
Having read the whole book myself, I think some of the critics have valid concerns. For me, it’s not the redemptive aspect that’s the problem. I believe anyone is a candidate for redemption, regardless of what they’ve done. The Apostle Paul called himself the worst of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15-16), yet he repented and became a true champion of the faith. The whole point of grace is that it is undeserved.
The problem with the book is that the author never really addresses the indigenous issues raised in the prologue. The hero regrets what he has done, but there is no engagement or involvement with First Nations people and what those events meant to them. Indeed, the only other mention of First Nations people is that Comanches killed the protagonist's parents. I understand that the focus of the book is the hero’s journey, but to position the hero within an actual historical event that is deeply wounding to indigenous people and then not address those issues is a grave omission in my opinion. Click here to see my full review.
The author did not deserve the vitriol she received from some quarters, and many Christians rallied behind her. Supporting each other is important, but when I look at the books’ ratings on Goodreads and Amazon, I see that my views are in the minority. Ninety-two percent of reviewers on Amazon gave the book 4- or 5-star ratings (mostly 5-star) and 84% of reviewers on Goodreads gave the book 4- and 5-star ratings. A lot of people clearly loved the book, and they are certainly entitled to their opinions. We all have different tastes and reading preferences. However, I suspect some may have given a good rating because they wanted to support the author. Indeed, one Goodreads reviewer said that she hadn’t read the book yet, but she’d given it five stars because she knew she’d love it. Ten points to that reviewer for wanting to be supportive, but zero points for the way she went about it. By all means, send the author a letter, email or private message; comment on her blog posts and social media posts. But don’t give a 5-star review to a book you haven’t even read. To do so, fails to acknowledge that there are lessons to be learned and that the critics may have raised points that we need to consider.
None of us is perfect. We’ll make mistakes, and God is there to forgive us and comfort us when we do. However, if we don’t learn from those mistakes, we do our readers and God’s message a great disservice. If we want to truly be salt and light in this world, we need to be humble and teachable, admit when we’ve got it wrong, then pick ourselves up and try to do better next time, with God’s help.
Are we going to reinforce unwarranted stereotypes or are we going to help break them down? I’d love to hear your views on this hot potato.
Author Bio
Nola Lorraine (aka Nola Passmore) has a passion for faith
and social justice issues, and loves weaving words that inspire others with
courage and hope. Her inspirational historical novel Scattered was
published in 2020, and she has also co-edited the Christian charity anthology Glimpses of Light with Jeanette O’Hagan. She has more than 150 short
publications, including fiction, poetry, devotions, true stories, magazine
articles and academic papers. She and her husband Tim also run a freelance
writing and editing business, The Write
Flourish, from the home they share with their two adorable cavoodles in
southeast Queensland, Australia. She’d love to connect with you through her
website: www.nolalorraine.com.au
