Vol. 2 January 2011
www.literaryapologetics.com
Anthony’s Corner
Why Literary Apologetics? by Anthony Horvath p. 21 p.17
Cover Story
by Derek Elkins
p. 1
1 424 S Main St Ste 101 Holmen, WI 54636
Cover Story
What Mattered Most
by Derek Elkins
7 by KathleenMoulton January 2011
contents 9
Guides through the Shadow George Herbert’s by Dr. Ho lly Ordway
13 17 21
‘Tis but the Ecstasy of Death;
Faith of the Magi
Modern Literature and the Question of Belief by Therese Eby by Byron Anderson
Anthony’s Corner
W hy Literary Apologetics? by Anthony Horvath
Anthony Horvath
Editor-in-chief
Debbie Thompson
Managing Editor
Julius Broqueza
Design Director
Advertising & Marketing
Whitney Jenkins Era Iway
Literary Apologetics is the promotion of the Christian world view through fiction. The hope is that people will be primed to receive the Gospel more easily when it or its components are presented through story and narrative. Additionally, Christian literature adds to the cultural climate which in turn can help prime an entire society for understanding, if not accepting, Jesus as Lord and Savior. Notable examples include G. K. Chesterton, C. S. Lewis, Dorothy Sayers and perhaps J.R.R Tolkien. To interact with a ministry devoted to developing an evangelism strategy centering on ‘literary apologetics’ please visit the home page of Athanatos Christian Ministries at
www.athanatosministries.org or
www.literaryapologetics.com
Literary Apologetics.Mag is happy to accept submissions. Poetry, short stories, one act plays, drawings and other original artwork, and other material that fits our vision and our format are welcome. For more details and the form for sending us your material, please visit the website.
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Cover Story
What Mattered Most Derek Elkins
H
e wasn’t her regular sort of customer. Typically, they glanced around every few minutes like deer expecting a trap to thrust shut. And they always, without exception, had their mouths set in that wide leer while their corpse eyes scoured her body in anticipation. But he wasn’t like them at all. He was friendly, maybe a little too friendly: probably a cop.
These were the worst. She could handle the ones that got in and out, like they were ordering a hamburger from the drive through lane. But the ones that needed to make themselves feel all better were a different story. They took so long and kept her from scoring a lot in one night. But, she knew how to handle these too.
“So,” he asked her, “did you grow up around here?”
He glanced up at the sign and promptly returned to her face. The warm smile never fell from his lips. “Maybe we could just walk for a little while longer.”
Her feet stopped as she turned to face the neon But she could play that too. She wouldn’t get glare of the Greentrack Inn. caught again. She knew her rights. And, anyway, if something happened, Diamond would get her out. She gave him a little smile as she turned her head He always did. He might hit her a little, but he’d get slightly. She had never lost the ability to feign coyness. “Well,” she prodded. her out first.
Oh great, he was making small talk. Sometimes they did that: thought that made it all better or something, like now she was his girlfriend. Her coyness slipped and was immediately replaced with anger. “Did you just waste my time? What’s a “Sure,” she answered, with a joke in her voice, “why matter? Aren’t you man enough?” not?”
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For some unknown reason, the smile never left. It should have. It would have on any other man.
Mama was frowning, but Grandpa just kept on going, regardless.
“Waste your time?” He asked, almost to himself. “No, I didn’t waste your time. Why would you think that?”
And she didn’t care about anything. She was just enjoying the moment, enjoying being at the center of his attention, enjoying…
She allowed uncertainty to wash over her for a moment before regaining a shred of purpose. She just had to picture sweet Anthony’s face in her mind. He was with her mama and she had to make money tonight. He was counting on her. So, she turned away and began to walk.
And the memory was gone as soon as it had arrived, leaving her standing on the evening sidewalk, her mouth agape.
And that’s when he reached out his hand and gently touched her shoulder.
“What happened,” she managed after a moment. He allowed her a few additional moments to readjust to reality before speaking. “What did you see?” He asked gently.
She was six years old, dressed in a thin, cloth shift “I…” But the memory was difficult to recall. Even and perched on her grandpa’s knee. She could smell now, reality was forcing its hold over her. “I don’t know. I was little. And Papa was there. I don’t…” his aftershave as he bounced her up and down.
She turned to his smiling face, demanding. “What did you do?”
“Faster, faster!” She cried with delight. And the smile in his eyes matched, wrinkle for wrinkle, the laugh lines surrounding her eyes. They laughed together as she raced on her pretend horse, crowing with pure joy at the ability to play in freedom.
“Why?” He asked simply. “Because I…” But she caught herself. She couldn’t allow herself to go down that path. She had to think of Anthony. He needed her. “Never mind. It must have been…I don’t know. I’ve got to go.”
Grandpa didn’t always have time to play with her, but today he was especially happy. He had just re- And she turned for a second time as he reached out once more. ceived news from work and he was celebrating.
He cast her up and down on his knee with wild She was four years old and running through the tall abandon and giggled when she flew too high. grass behind her apartment complex. The sun was
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shining on her face, but she didn’t mind in the least “Your innocence.” He said and she believed him. because the winter had been long and she had been shut up in that house forever. She looked up at him, the tears causing her masAs she parted the grass to peek through, her dog, Ralph, jumped up behind her and knocked her flat on her stomach. For a moment, she was frightened, surprised, but only for a moment. Then his tongue was all over her face and she laughed, pushing him away. But he came back again and again because he loved her and he loved being with her.
cara to run dirty streams down her cheeks. And he seemed taller then, like he had grown during the night somehow.
“Why?” She asked. “Why would you do that for me? And how…”
He interrupted her. “The why is enough. Haven’t you been brought low enough? Don’t you need a And, as she got back to her feet, she leaned over rest? Wouldn’t you like to go back to a time when and gripped his neck fully, wishing that he would life was simpler, where there was no guilt, nothing never leave her, wishing that this day would never to frighten you, no shame?”
end, wishing, wishing…
“No shame.” She repeated. “No shame. Yes, I…But And she returned again to the night, to her adult- my Anthony…” hood, and this time she could barely stand. But the man held onto her tightly and guided her to a near- “…will be fine.” He answered. “He’ll be even better by bench, assisting her gently to sit. when you’re better.” This time, the memory was a too much. She held Another thought darkened her face. “But what her face in her hands for a moment and let a few about Diamond? When he finds out…” tears come as he patted her back gently. He smiled again. “You let me worry about Dia“I don’t understand what you’re doing to me.” she mond.” said through the haze,” Why is this happening? Did you slip me something?” Like a little girl, she bit her lip, tossing the thoughts around in her head until another doubt bobbed to He laughed then at her suggestion. “No,” he said, the surface. “Will it cost much?” “this has nothing to do with drugs. This has nothing to do with now at all. I’m helping you get it back.” He smiled again at her kindly, and she saw the smile of her grandpa and her mama in there. “It will cost you everything.” “Get what back?”
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“Everything,” she gasped. “But what’ll I do without everything?” “You’ll have so much more.” He promised, and she believed him.
only thing in the world to her mama just then. And the world was right because there was love and nothing else mattered, nothing at all.
After a few moments had passed, she opened her eyes again to the night. And she knew, without “I want that. I want so much more.” She said, beg- looking, that he was no longer next to her. But that ging him to be true, to make good on what he of- was all right. He would keep his promise, she knew fered. “I want so much to believe. What do I do?” it. If he could do such wonderful things, bring back such memories and offer such promises, she knew “You just live,” he said. “And you never look back.” that he would never leave her. “Why would I want to?” She asked.
In a little while, she would rise to her feet and return to get her Anthony. Maybe her mama would He smiled again and brought his face down a little understand and maybe she wouldn’t. But it didn’t closer to hers. His eyes shone even brighter now, matter now. The only thing that mattered was that brighter than the street lights that surrounded she had been given another chance. She was able them, brighter than the cars that flowed by, not no- to start over and, this time, she wasn’t going to lose ticing them. what mattered most. “Just look into my eyes,” he said, “and just keep This story by Derek Elkins won second place at looking.” ACM’s 2010 Online Apologetics Conference short story contest. Mr. Elkins also took the Fyodor DosAnd his eyes were so huge, they were everything. toyevsky Award at ACM’s 2010 Christian Writing They promised everything and she knew they Contest. e-mail: derekwendi@yahoo.com would deliver everything. And he reached out with one tender hand and brushed her cheek.
She was a baby, just a few months old. And her mother looked down on her with so much love and hope in her eyes that it was hard to draw her eyes away, even for a moment. Her mama rubbed her little cheeks and tickled her nose and she knew, she just knew, that she was the
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Kathleen Moulton
www.cupakathy.livejournal.com All rights reserved Š 2008 January 2011
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Guides through the Shadow
George Herbert’s
by
Dr. Holly Ordway
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G
eorge Herbert, an Anglican priest and a gifted poet, left a promising career in politics and high society to be the pastor for a small English parish – yet obedience to Our Lord’s call did not guarantee him a smooth, easy life of faith. To the contrary, Herbert’s poetry often voices his pain, anxiety, and struggle. In “Affliction (4)” he speaks directly to Our Lord about his interior pain, not trying to sweep it under the rug or put a smiling face on it.
Broken in pieces all asunder, Lord, hunt me not, A thing forgot, Once a poor creature, now a wonder, A wonder tortured in the space Betwixt this world and that of grace. My thoughts are all a case of knives, Wounding my heart With scattered smart ; As wat’ring-pots give flowers their lives. Nothing their fury can control, While they do wound and prick my soul. All my attendants are at strife Quitting their place Unto my face : Nothing performs the task of life : The elements are let loose to fight, And while I live, try out their right. Oh help, my God ! let not their plot Kill them and me, And also Thee, Who art my life : dissolve the knot, As the sun scatters by his light All the rebellions of the night. Then shall those powers which work for grief, Enter Thy pay, And day by day Labour Thy praise and my relief : With care and courage building me, Till I reach heav’n, and much more, Thee.
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One thing that’s important to note here is that Herbert doesn’t mention any external event at the root of his affliction – his entire focus is on the experience of suffering on the mental and emotional level. Anxiety and fear is its own particular kind of affliction, separate from the feared events themselves. If we recognize that, we can deal with our anxiety more effectively: future events remain future, uncertainty remains uncertainty, but we can pray about what we are experiencing in the present moment, and ask for strength to deal with the present burden. As C.S. Lewis points out so brilliantly in The Screwtape Letters, the cross we are called to bear, for which we need to ask strength for, daily, as our daily bread, is often precisely the cross of strain or anxiety in the present moment. And what a difficult moment it is! Herbert cries that he is “Broken in pieces all asunder” – so much so that he begs God to not pursue him any more, to let him alone: “Lord, hunt me not.” His next image is a compelling one: Herbert describes himself as being “tortured in the space / Betwixt this world and that of grace.” He feels like he’s neither in the world, nor in the Kingdom; caught in the space between, where all is uncertain, even his sense of God’s presence. He is “a thing forgot” – yet is it that he fears God has forgotten him, or that he wants God to forget about him? His sense of being tortured may indeed come from that tension, his inability (or is it unwillingness?) to fully enter into God’s grace.
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His intellect is not helping him resolve the issue. “My thoughts are all a case of knives / Wounding my heart / With scattered smart.” Herbert recognizes that he is not in total control of his thoughts, and not all thoughts are good, true, or helpful. Some thoughts are the work of the Enemy; some are the product of our own anxieties and fears; like “knives” they can stab into our hearts and mutilate our peace. In this situation, he feels helpless: “Nothing their fury can control, / While they do wound and prick my soul.” In such a situation, we may have emotions that are contradictory: “All my attendants are at strife / Quitting their place / Unto my face.” In the face of this turmoil, Herbert centers his poem around the poet’s outcry to God: “Oh help, my God !” Faced with his own unruly heart, he asks God to “dissolve the knot” of his fears and emotions, those “attendants” who “are at strife / Quitting their place / Unto my face.” Into the unruly conflict of his own emotions, he invites God’s presence, because God’s light will “scatter” all the “rebellions of the night.” Here we see Herbert’s deep insight into the nature of anxiety: trying to set things right by our own strength is bound to fail – and yield further anxiety and fear.
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Yet as we make our way through this agonizing poem, we start to see what Herbert wants us to see: that we do not need to fear our own emotions, even negative ones like anger, sorrow, and anxiety. These feelings are not bad in themselves: Herbert says that if we call on God, then “those powers which work for grief,” that is, those dark emotions and thoughts, will “enter [His] pay.” Herbert’s concluding stanza is crucial to the whole poem. First, we can note that Herbert reminds us that the relief he speaks of is a journey, “day by day,” not an instant accomplishment, and further that its goal is not happiness in and of itself, but rather God Himself – the source of all Good. Herbert does not end the poem on a note of comfort: he does not suggest that this process will be easy. It is those very “powers that work for grief” that actually do the work of building him up – now employed by God, these painful experiences “Labour Thy praise and my relief : / With care and courage building me, / Till I reach heav’n, and much more, Thee. ” Infused with God’s grace, the
difficult experiences, the pain and loss and struggle of the Christian life, become part of the “care” by which he is transformed and brought evercloser to God. Yet note his line: “With care and courage.” Courage is only needed when the way is difficult, not when it is easy and fun. Here is a clear-eyed look at the way of the Cross, that is the way of pain and the way of life:
Then shall those powers which work for grief, Enter Thy pay, And day by day Labour Thy praise and my relief : With care and courage building me, Till I reach heav’n, and much more, Thee. Dr. Holly Ordway www.hieropraxis.com
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‘Tis but the Ecstasy of Death; Modern Literature and the Question of Belief by
Therese Eby
A Thing with Feathers needs its neck wrung.1 Where Poet, Bard and Story Teller2 see with Nietzsche a Casualty,3 there is a faith and despair sung. Evil and Christ are historic events, and God is a character actor. Through time and space are cosmic rents, wrenching and stretching both directions beyond sight, and The tightly knit circle of family, tradition, and faith was broken by the sudden length of wisdom and age hitherto forgotten in a hitherto unrecognized puddle of this, this new mortality. Where the deductable line extends beyond human sight, and the unknown past is shadowed by the forgotten future where faith is lost, man hides in a padded room, Taking refuge in insecurity and for some strange reason not finding it there. Where the end is beyond faith and even hope, love and hope contradict, the tale is made tall, the Teller rends hearts, and the cloudy soul begins to loom. In the full sun he has only his own shadow, and nothing to stand between. A man balks at torturous practices yet cannot condemn what he sees as evil, obscuring himself beyond the ability to know what he sees, only because he rejects his very eyes as an optical illusion. To step beyond that contented prison4 and make faith more than an end apart, to make suffering more than endurable, a virtue. And to that aim, where do the neat lines of order and succession appear on the map?
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“Hope is a Thing with Feathers” Emily Dickinson. Emily Dickinson, Czeslaw Milosz, Fydor Dostoesky “God is dead” Nietzsche. “A prison gets to be a friend . . . . a geometric joy.” Dickinson. Literary Apologetics.Mag
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Where are the old memories and old houses and old ways that confined and graced the dry, slow, old days? The same stars watch both men and devils and have nothing to say. In the dark, up the stairs, mothers fight the shadows, forlorn.5 And still that ghostly Thing takes hold and commands a voice beyond the mind of a mere secretary.6 Man is sick of being “identical to himself”,7 yet for the most part he cannot keep hold the key to his doors.8 Taking the man and seeing a comet, watching the distance draw back on itself. If poetry plugs your ears - cope with it, damn it! It is by far safer to burn your heart. Love scorches with a worse fear, with a desire to rush home It is the undisciplined offspring throwing a fit of passion in a public place, where nothing you can do will hush him. Fair trade for a fair people. The quality of “goodness” abounds among those who do not want to be free. Both, both, and all, long to sink their teeth into something more than the Bread offered.9 They hold close a living image of foreshadowing. A Julia among the ashes.10 There is a magpiety that swoops through the heart of a dark wood, despite the denial of it’s existence.11 To reach but Not to grasp That Heavenly apple on a Tree - 12 It Burns if Touched. Ash and Twigs breathe - oh glee. Men do not want miracles, cannot see miracles because they need faith for them. They do not want what they cannot have because they can.
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“Mother . . climbs up to the shadow . . and so she struggles alone.” The Stairs. Milosz. “I am no more than a secretary.” Secretaries. Milosz. “Melancholy with remaining identical to himself.” What Does It Mean. Milosz. “There are no keys . . and invisible ghosts come in and out.” Ars Poetica? Milosz. “And for those of whom have not the strength to forgo the earthly bread for the heavenly?” The Grand Inquisitor. Dostoevsky. 10 Julia. Brideshead Revsited. Evelyn Waugh. 11 “Magpiety.” Magpiety. Milosz. 12 “Heaven is an apple . . . just out of reach.” Dickinson. January 2011
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They cannot seize because their fingers are too limp. Maybe on a divine graph, the “trajectory of God’s decline” is more than a line.13 Guiltless, flawed, blameless, wicked, accessible, natural, innocent, man is permissible.14 The trouble is being known despite the desire to tell, grasping at self as at straws, hollow, crownless.15 Men have no kings. The Poet ran, the Bard watched, and the Teller cried . . . . Man fell, but maybe he is happy there in the dirt, perhaps the infant does not want to stand. They might have a life-preserver, but no land or ship. Children, childish, who will not walk. Wordless, mute, who wish to talk. There is a Splinter under a Fingernail, Exacted from a rough hewn Dream. It hurts that Strength is still so Frail. Sensible to Feeling, not to Sight. Trapped in a minute Fray where The Sunlight is - that Niggling bite. All these are prunes to keep secularity regular. The ideas, sold as fresh, are wrinkled and sticky. The Teller should sing the Poet a drunken lullaby, the Poet must slap the Teller, while the Bard locks eyes with his lusting lute. Tradition is diseased and life has leprosy. The Wager is too iffy16 . . . . . the geometry is pretty. All in all, that damned Thing needs to fly and then to inhabit an aged, wild, wine cellar, where the dark has rich, warm, damp, musty air.
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“Tracing the trajectory of God’s decline.” The Art of Believing. Roger Lundin. “If God does not exist, everything is permissible.” Brothers Karamazov. Dostoevsky. “Men to anticipate – instead of Kings.” A Child’s Faith is New. Dickinson. Pascal’s Wager Literary Apologetics.Mag
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What flings the Wind across the Sky? And why can’t I Catch a Ride? What draws the Stream across the Land? And can I Follow stride for Stride? Why does the moon Wax and Wane? Why do I Need love to Grow? Why do clouds Cover the stars? And why does that hurt Me so? At the end, balance is not man’s. He can only delay the defeat, unless he dares to capitulate in reality.17 To fight the thugs, and after being stripped, torn, and your lambs taken away, requires the hands of another to lift that wine, that Blood.18 Where, in the time to come and pass - oh curse the predestined fires and shiver in the chaos of the terrible fury - where, in that time, we may not stand alone?19 He does not dare to stand on feet that are nailed to a log, or rest in bloody arms, to admit the strength of men, the glory, the power, the bloody charms. She would have been a good woman if someone had been there to kill her every minute of her life. 20 To Hell with goodness. Suffering as a hope is all that remains to those that want to be still more, than a puddle. To terrify is to purify. To purgation, and Purgatory, and growing things.
17 . . can only delay the enemy’s success. ” Father Ch. Many Years Later. Milosz. 18 “They had to hold up his hands . . . as he raised the host and wine . . he was beaten by the thugs of the Empire. Father Ch. Many Years Later. Milosz. 19 “The whole abyss shivered, as if it felt love.” Inferno, Canto 12.40-44. Dante. 20 A Good Man is Hard to Find. Flannery O’Conner. January 2011
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Faith
Magi of the
Byron Anderson
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O
ften overlooked in its importance, God’s revelation of Christ’s birth to the Magi is a significant theological event that provides us with a powerful Christian witness. Mentioned only briefly in scripture, few details are provided about the identities of the wise men and their travel to Jerusalem (MT 2:1-2:17, ASV1901). We can only speculate as to the number and nationality of these spiritual adventurers but we know that they were religious leaders who worshipped a foreign god. Just as He revealed the good news of Christ’s birth to the lowly shepherds, outcasts of Jewish society, God chose the Magi to be among the first to learn of the Messiah’s arrival. In choosing the shepherds and the Magi, God announced to the world that Christ had come for all people, regardless of their beliefs, nationality, or status in society.
changed by travelers along this great road extending from China to Rome. Because religious authorities in the region held differing views about religion, they likely held different views about the star’s meaning. Followers of Confucius held to his prophecy of a great teacher who would come in the west, while Zoroaster, the founder of the Magi’s religion, also spoke of a prophet who would come from the heavens. The Magi were familiar with these religious perspectives, as well as the Messianic prophecies contained in the Hebrew Scriptures, particularly since many of the Jews taken to Babylon as captives five hundred years earlier remained in Persia and continued to worship their God. In addition, Greek translations of the Hebrew Scriptures were widely distributed along the Silk Road, so the appearance of the brilliant star over Jerusalem must have caused many to postulate it to be a sign of the Hebrew Messiah. One Messianic prophecy in HeWhile Scripture provides us with few details about brew Scripture that surely would have drawn their the Magi, much is known about their beliefs and attention was the account of God causing the dicustoms. Many experts believe that the Magi were viner Balaam to proclaim, Medes, a sect of Persians with reputations as fierce warriors and as breeders of exceptional horses. The “There shall come forth a star out of Jacob, Magi were known throughout Persia and beyond as And a sceptre shall rise out of Israel” priests and scholars possessing special knowledge. As they also had a reputation as astrologers, it is NUM 24:17 not surprising that God used His star to draw the (ASV1901) Magi to Christ. The star that God placed over Jerusalem must have been unlike any other; Its brilliant Many interpreted this reference to the star and the light appeared suddenly and would have captivated scepter as identifying the same entity: the Hebrew all who saw it, particularly those who studied the Messiah. night sky. It was common for scholars to interpret such extraordinary celestial events as signs fore- It was not their curiosity of nature alone that led telling an earthquake, famine, or other calamity, so the Magi to Jerusalem. God’s star certainly caught the location of this star in the western sky above Is- their attention, but it was their understanding rael would have certainly given it special meaning. of God through the Hebrew Scriptures that gave the star its meaning. In witnessing this incredible God’s star appeared during a fascinating time in event, God’s call to the Magi must have been a powMiddle Eastern history, when The Silk Road was erful spiritual experience. already well established and had since become the “information super-highway” of its day. News Just as we struggle in coming to know God, there of world events, medicine, and religion, were ex- were many obstacles in the path of the Magi. An
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obvious dilemma facing the Magi was their role as priests who led their people according to the teachings of Zoroaster. The Magi worshipped Ahura Mazda and believed him to be god. But the one, true God, the God of the Bible, was intervening into the lives by appealing to their intellect through the Scriptures and to their interest in astronomy through His star. At some point in their great journey in search of another people’s messiah, the Magi must have experienced doubt about Ahura Mazda. We do not know if the Magi were merely curious adventurers when they left their homeland or if they had already undergone a religious conversion. Scripture suggests that the Magi’s long walk with God must have provided them with an intensely strong faith in the Hebrew God.
lehem that the star reappeared. Scripture also tells us that when the star reappeared, it went ahead of the Magi, lighting their path to Bethlehem (MT 2:10, ASV1901). The star hanging over Jerusalem moved from its position in the sky over Jerusalem in order to lead them south towards Bethlehem until it finally came to rest over the house occupied by Christ’s family. When considering the special properties of the star, we are reminded that there is precedence in Scripture for God using His light to lead His followers. During the exodus from Egypt,
“the LORD went before His people in the form of a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and as a pillar of fire by night to When they reached Jerusalem, the Magi told give them light, that they might travel by day and by night” King Herod that they “had come to worship He who had been born King of the Jews” EX 13:21-22
MT 2:9
(ASV1901)
(ASV1901)
The Hebrews gave the pillar and cloud the name “Shekinah,” derived from the Hebrew words “shaIf the Magi were not yet believers in the Hebrew God, kan,” meaning to dwell or settle down, and “anan,” they would not have announced their intention to meaning cloud. Shekinah was God’s “Glory Cloud” worship the King of the Jews. Considering that the that had come to be among His people. Magi were the spiritual leaders of their people, this passage conveys a particularly significant meaning. Over the centuries, many have attempted to explain the “Christmas Star” as a natural occurrence. The unique properties of the star must have caused Some suggest that it was a comet, a configuration the Magi to marvel at this foreign God’s intervenof planets, or another natural celestial occurrence, tion into their lives. While the star’s appearance but to define the star in such a manner disregards was distinct enough for the Magi to recognize it as Scripture. The star was supernatural, just as the a sign of Christ’s arrival, amazingly not everyone shepherd’s experience with the angels was supereven saw the star. Scripture records that no one the natural. And what could have been more supernatMagi encountered in Jerusalem, including Herod, ural than Mary’s Immaculate Conception? God prowas aware of the star, even though its spectacuvided us with these spectacular events to fulfill the lar light was responsible for drawing the Magi from promise of Scripture and to announce to the world their distant homeland. Once more, as the Magi enthat He had come to live among us. The Apostle tered Jerusalem, the star disappeared from view. It Matthew makes it quite clear when he tells us, wasn’t until the Magi departed Jerusalem for Beth-
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“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, And they shall call his name Immanuel. which is, being interpreted, God with us”
and if they initially resisted the personal commitment and sacrifice necessary to fully accept and trust Him.
Like us, the Magi had choices to make. In seeking Christ, the Magi were separated from their friends (ASV1901) and families, endured much hardship, and risked their lives on the journey to Jerusalem. We do not While the Magi’s experience was extraordinary, in have God’s star to guide us, but we have so much many ways it must have been similar to what we more. We have knowledge of Christ’s life, sacrifice, experience in coming to know God, as their accept- death, and resurrection. Yet many of us delay in ance of Christ may have been immediate or God responding to God’s call or ignore Him completely. may have transformed them over a period of time. The next time you or someone you love is struggling Similarly, some of us are quite certain about our with their faith, be reminded of the journey of the faith once we receive God’s call, while others have Magi and their faith that led them to Christ. doubts about God that may linger long after they have claimed Christ as their Savior. Given that the The author, Byron Anderson, is a lawyer residing Magi were Zoroastrian priests, we may also won- in Chevy Chase, Maryland and author of Quest for der if they doubted the existence of the Hebrew God Light - Adventure of the Magi, an adventure novel.
MT 1:23
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Anthony’s Corner
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W hy Literary Apologetics? T
by Anthony Horvath
he term explains itself. Literary Apologetics is carrying out apologetics through literature. However, as the term is employed in this magazine and the ministries of Athanatos Christian Ministries, there are some important distinctions. In the first place, literature by its very nature calls forth an apologetic- that is, a defense of the Christian faith- that is different than other apologetics. Apologists are known for producing facts, evidences, and arguments. An apologetic provided through fiction will have difficulty marshalling such information while remaining good literature. If there isn’t good writing and a good story, the apologetic will likely fail, simply because it won’t be read, or if read, not shared. In the second place, the moment you begin asking yourself how one defends the faith through literature one recognizes that the defense being mounted will address intangibles of substance. Aspects of the human condition that we know through experience more than simple observation and categorization are communicated through story and participating in the story by reading it compels people to grasp with things that they would resist if it were presented in non-fiction terms. Or, even, the thing to be grasped cannot properly be grasped as propositions at all. Once one has gone that far, the realization sets in that
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‘literary apologetics’ cannot be confined to the written word, for there are a great many art forms which force us to grapple with real things that cannot easily be reduced to propositions or tested in a science lab. Film, movies, music, plays, paintings, sculpture… are all places where literary apologetics can be employed. The question near at hand is the issue of beauty. How is it to be explained on atheistic, reductionist, terms? The evolutionary advantage to seeing a gorgeous woman as beautiful is clear- but a sunset? A painting? A scenic vista? “Beauty will save the world,” said Dostoevsky. Beauty is the thumb in the eye of philosophical materialism. It is one of those intangibles than any earnest seeker of truth knows will need to be explained- but only if they’ve encountered that intangible... hence, one job of ‘literary apologetics’ is to make sure that they do. Thus, by ‘literary apologetics’ we may wish to generally restrict ourselves to the telling of Stories in whatever medium is available at the time, but by the nature of such narrative we see that there are a wide range of ‘intangibles’ that can be expressed through other artistic endeavors, as well. It isn’t a clean fit, but we will include these other forms, too. Looking through history, great examples of literary apologetics emerge: C. S. Lewis and his Chronicles of Narnia and the Space Trilogy. Dorothy Sayers, G. K. Chesterton, and J.R.R. Tolkien being three more prominent exam-
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ples. Dr. Tolkien would probably chafe at the notion that his books were ‘literary apologetics,’ however. It is true, the ‘apologetic’ nature of the fictional works of these authors was often unintentional. They were focusing on telling a bang up good story. We certainly need many more Christians doing exactly that. However, when we reference ‘literary apologetics’ I believe we should be thinking of something that is generally more intentional. Intentionality changes how we look at things a great deal. It won’t be enough simply to write (paint, draw, sing) great stuff. In our endeavor, we would be asking certain questions: “What values does this promote- if any?” “What beliefs are disparaged or undermined?” “What anti- or non-Christian notions are challenged?” “What beliefs are being reinforced?” There is nothing wrong in spinning a good yarn and such a yarn might serve to promote or defend some aspect of the Christian world view, even if that wasn’t the intent (indeed, even if the author isn’t Christian!) But if it is to be ‘literary apologetics’ I would submit that intent is important and it will color the work itself. This intentionality opens up a whole new series of issues that are part and parcel of ‘literary apologetics.’ Several things must be recognized right away. First of all, one must actually be adequately informed about 23
the Christian worldview! Many Christian authors think that the purpose is to create ‘warm and fuzzy’ feelingswhich many Christian publishers deem ‘spiritual.’ However, ‘warm and fuzzy’ feelings can be generated by anyone, precisely because we are all created in the image of God and can’t escape our intrinsic need to encounter beauty and such. One must know their theology, and well, if they want their writings to actually direct people to Christianity and the Gospel that is at the center of it. Second of all, one must be adequately informed about the anti-apologetic that is being carried out against Christianity. From the normalizing of sinful, rebellious, self-destructive behaviors to the subtle trend to provide materialistic explanations for things that which even grade-schoolers understand have no good materialistic explanations (ie, ‘love’ being reduced to electrical firings in the brain), the culture is rife with assaults on every aspect of Christianity. Unless you know what those assaults are, what they look like, and what their evidential and philosophic basis is, you can’t intelligently respond, can you? You can’t throw up ‘warm and fuzzy’ feelings against a world view that explains the entire human being as an arrangement of molecules and chemical reactions. Obviously, the ‘warm and fuzzy’ feelings themselves would be easily seen as firings in the brain, and thus easily explained on a materialistic framework.
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A third implication rises out of the preceding: a literary apologetic need not be constant (though hopefully creative) Gospel proclamations in story form. Rather, it can be seen that at the level of the individual story, it may not be considered a work of deliberate apologetics, but with thousands of individual stories and works of arts reflecting and reinforcing different parts of the Christian world view and the Gospel itself, a literary apologetic at the level of the culture emerges. Indeed, this is the level whereby many Christians are having their faith undermined and many non-Christians are having their lack of Christian faith reinforced. This is not because there is a master plot to defeat faith, but because when you have enough non-Christians out there producing the content that the population is absorbing, it is obvious that the population will also absorb the values of those nonChristians. Therefore, any author or artist interested in carrying out actual ‘literary apologetics’ will also have to have an eye on how the culture itself can be influenced in positive ways. Currently, the critical mass is quite against us. If it turned in our favor, it would not follow that John 3:16 would be embedded in every sitcom or song. Rather, the culture itself would become an ally in our attempt to communicate the Gospel and Christian values by helping ensure that people know what we’re talking about and where we’re coming from. Athanatos Christian Ministries is attempting to promote literary apologetics at both the tactical and strategic
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levels, encouraging Christians to contribute works that thoughtfully and intentionally tackle some aspect of reality under contention in our society and at the same time encouraging Christians and the larger Church to consider what can be done to transform the culture itself so that it is no longer toxic to faith. You can check out our writing contest here: www.christianwritingcontest. com and our online apologetics conference has a similar goal and aim: www.onlineapologeticsconference.com. This e-zine, Literary Apologetics.Mag, is yet another avenue we are pursing these goals. Our goal is to give an outlet for quality Christian authors and artists and to goad them into being intentional in their efforts or highlight ones who are effectively carrying out ‘literary apologetics.’ In conclusion, there is a great battle being waged for the hearts of minds of our entire population, including those in the churches. This battle is being waged on a number of fronts. The culture is one of them. Many people in the Church recognize this. The great problem is this: there is a shortage of soldiers on our side. Well, we are not ignorant on how to get soldiers, are we? Anthony Horvath is the Executive Director of Athanatos Christian Ministries, an apologetics ministry focusing on defending the faith through literature and the arts that also publishes this literary magazine.
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ONLINE APOLOGETICS CONFERENCE 2011 REGISTER NOW!
Defending Christianity and God’s Plan for Marriage, Family, and Life through Creative Arts such as Film and Literature For details, please visit www.onlineapologeticsconference.com Join us on FaceBook
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2011 CHRISTIAN WRITI NG CO NTEST
Promoting Christianity Through Literature JOIN NOW!!!
$2,500 in cash awards plus publication in the anthology!
2009 2010 Christian Writing Contest Anthologies
Athanatos Christian Ministries wants to inspire young Christians to take up the pen and promote the Christian world view through fiction. ACM believes that the the secular world is constantly promoting itself through the arts and that Christians should be prepared to fight back. Thus, the Gospel of Christ should be communicated through music, movies, plays, art ‌ and literature. The purpose of this writing contest is to create a culture of quality writing reflecting a Christian world view.
For details, please visit our website www.christianwritingcontest.com or
ACM CHRISTIAN WRITING CONTEST on FaceBook January 2011
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