What does the Bible say about reading or writing fiction?

We do not see how you could sit in the presence of God and write fiction. “Speak every man truth with his neighbor” (Eph. 4:25). Fiction is not truth, and hence we judge that a Christian should neither speak it nor write it. True, you might be able to earn money by writing works of fiction and spend that money for the Lord, but does the Lord want money earned by writing what is not true? Are we to do evil that good may come?

As a young Christian it was often a snare, as far as I was concerned, the question of reading. I loved to read and very often my natural heart desired to read something that pleased my natural mind. There would be a pull towards my Bible naturally, as I was a Christian, and so the conflict was often waging, 'Will I spend time with my Bible or will I spend my time with this novel or this book that I like so much?' Well, sadly, I have to say, so very often the book that could provide nothing for me spiritually won. Then I was sowing to the flesh, I was providing the flesh with an opportunity to produce fruit that certainly was not pleasing to God. I was gratifying my own natural desire, and time that could have been better spent was being wasted. Of course, if that book was portraying something highly sensational then it created a desire in my heart to be where those sensational events were taking place or to be occupied with them in some way and this is the kind of crop it produces, you become like the thing you are occupied with. It creates desires. Now then, if on the occasions of which I am thankful to say there were, when I turned away from those books and read my Bible then things were different. The reading of this pure and holy book created other desires contrary to those natural desires. As I read the service, for instance, of devoted men of God then this created desires and when I read about the pure life of Christ, when I read about the life of Paul, when I read about incidents in the Bible that were encouraging it stimulated spiritual desire. Here was a good kind of crop.

Character is formed, to a great extent, by what we read and hear and see. The artificial culture of the day destroys depth and force of character. Today's entertainment and light literature are forming a superficial race of men and women. The present is a rare opportunity for individual character to shine and leave its mark. Indiscriminate reading, listening and viewing to while away free time are ruinous to the mind. Thoughts pour in and run out, at best leaving no lasting impression — what a waste of time and of mind!

As to choice of books, there can be no fixed rule to apply. History is always instructive. Science is dangerous when it is the product of unsanctified minds. Novels and other works of fiction which diminish our appetite for reading the Word of God are harmful and should not be read. Never read valueless books. Shun literature that is frivolous in character. Worse still, avoid that which directly or covertly denies the absolute inspiration and supreme authority of the sacred Scriptures.

It is a mistake of course to suppose that the renewed mind must never occupy itself with any other book than the Bible. Ignorance is not a virtue nor does scripture call it “bliss.” The renewed mind will not be content with idleness, and even reading for instruction will take on a new interest as we look at all subjects against the background of our knowledge of God's word and will. As for reading for recreation, one would only say, “Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.” (Rom. 14:5) But whatever we read, or indeed listen to or look at, let us not forget that the great enemy is on the watch to find an opportunity to break down our loyalty to Christ. Satan will try to educate us along a path that leads to doubt and unbelief; and will turn a means of recreation into one of desecration if he can. “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” (John 5:21)

If all our power comes from a risen Lord, so does also our food. It is not a question of natural food, of course, but spiritual. Hence the inquiry, What shall we read? and very often the storm of the discussion rages around the religious novel. The question would be simply answered if we asked ourselves, Does this food come from our risen, glorious Joseph? Will it make me more heavenly? For our mental pabulum, in its assimilating process, brings with it results like to itself. We know what the cow has been feeding on when the butter is yellow. What comes out of a man is what has gone into him, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” We are characterized by what we feed on. It is not what we mentally acquire, but what we spiritually assimilate, that can be called food. For the latter the Spirit of God must be our Teacher, so that it is not merely the letter of the Word that engages our attention, but the life-giving spirit of the Word becomes food to our souls. Oh! what an abundance of rich food the Christian has. What heavenly pastures in the Scriptures! We can say with the shepherd-psalmist, “He makes me to lie down in green pastures.” We know many often long to be more Christ-like. Let such remember character-building is a slow but sure process. We cannot expect to be like Him unless we are occupied with Him. If we are taken up with business, or frivolity, or light general reading, we shall become like to that we are occupied with. God’s laws are inexorable.

"Walk," moreover, means progress. He who sets out to walk in any given direction terminates his journey at some point in advance of that from which he started. What progress are we making in our souls? Some of us have had the knowledge of God many years, but what advance have we made therein? "I long to make spiritual progress," says one; " how can I do so? "What do you read, dear exercised soul? This is a reading age, everyone does something in the reading line. But with what do we fill our minds? The literature to which we devote ourselves forms us in a considerable degree. What kind of story do our book-cases or magazine-racks tell? The profitless, if not positively pernicious, stuff with which some believers feed their minds is sufficient of itself to explain the lack of progress which so many deplore.

We come, however, to speak more particularly now of that intellectual furnishing, and the beginning of the education of the child. It is sad that too often the minds of children are filled with trifling fairy tales, and other foolish things, instead of that which is simple, and useful, and instructive. Of course the little one must first learn to read, and its lessons may be from carefully selected portions of Scripture. The Gospel of John furnishes a most excellent reading-book for beginners.

You must build your own towers, and you are sure to require a great many. I can only suggest one or two of the points that need to be watched, leaving you to map out a line of defence for yourself according to your circumstances. First of all, as reading is a general practice now-a-days, you will be wise if you keep a sharp look-out at this point. What do you read? The world is full of poisonous literature, some of which corrupts rapidly, some slowly, but all insidiously and inevitably. As you value the health of your soul, beware of them all. If the reading of a certain book weakens your love of reading the Bible, you may be sure it is doing you harm; abandon it, before it is too late.

c. As to religious books, I need hardly say that, though from various reasons, the solemn responsibility of the Christian parent, as to the control of the books read by their children, is equally great, if not greater still, on account of the many fatal heresies spread throughout Christendom. For whilst in the case of novel reading, it is especially the imagination and the mind of the young reader that suffers from its baneful effect, the reading of unsound religious books affects directly the conscience and the heart of the young, that is, the very parts of his inner man, where God works, by His Spirit and Word, in His divine power and grace. Here the danger threatens especially the souls of young believing members of the family, and the parents' watchful care will, therefore, have to be asserted in an especial way on their behalf. I need not say, that grace and wisdom must be combined here with faithfulness.

Timothy then was to charge or to command them that they teach no other doctrine, nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies. Even those who had been taught a good deal of truth could be affected by a show of superior knowledge. Truth is solid and real, not fantastic, not appealing to man's love for sensationalism, but precious, vital, practical. Those things that merely impress the intellect or the imagination are not those which feed the soul. To trace one's genealogy back to some illustrious ancestor may be exciting, but only to the flesh. It is mere hollow vanity, for "all flesh is as grass." Occupation with such things will raise questions of no profit, and serve to destroy rather than to edify or build up. There is no power of faith in it, as there is in godly edifying.