Intentional Themeing

So, yesterday I did mention that there was an intentional sub-theme that I wanted to work into Starfire.

The basic elements needed to weave this theme into the story were already present when it struck me. The events and characters naturally lended themselves toward this. And in fact this is a theme I intend to look at throughout the entire trilogy.

You see, I wanted to explore the relationships between Christians and Non-Christians as well as the dynamics of sharing faith and how the way we live our lives impacts our witness and how others view Christianity.

Much of this idea was sparked by my reading of Permission Evangelism by Michael Simpson.

This book discusses much of how the world already has a pre-made mindset of just what it means to be a Christian, and what people will immediately assume when they hear that term.

I wanted to explore that through the relationships between three of my main characters (Rathe, Struth, and Goshren) in Starfire. To look at how our typical "Christianese" and comman language can affect someone coming from a totally different worldview.

We're living in a culture that no longer accepts that there is an Absolute Truth out there. And that views Christians most often as angry, close minded, bigots. Or just simple minded fools.

Yet, even when I was in college, we were taught ways of evangelising that didn't take this into account.

Now you won't find Earthling/American Christianese in Starfire, but a reader familiar with the common platitudes and sayings within the Church will probably be able to pick out some of the Saurian equivalents.

I guess this would be my "preaching to the choir" theme. Where I try and show that we as Christians need to remember that we need to be sensitive to not only the message that we speak, but the message that we live.