Fairy Tales and Fables
by Eric Rauch
One of the most severely lacking areas in Christian publishing today is in books for children. Publishers don’t seem to realize that children are quite capable of thinking and understanding. The books that line the shelves of the children’s section are nearly always trite and condescending and do little more than make well-known stories from the Bible look ridiculous. This “dumbing-down” of the Bible often tends to have a negative effect on young eyes and ears as they grow older and more sophisticated. The “stories” that they heard and read as children remain just that: stories. As they come to understand the world around them better, children begin to realize that trains and cars and animals don’t really talk. It is only natural then that they should also begin to think that David, Noah, Adam, and Abraham are really nothing more than fables and cartoon characters. When we teach the Bible in a silly and unreal way to our children, we shouldn’t be surprised when they begin to think of the Bible as a silly book of fairy tales and myths.
Get "The Prince's Poison Cup" from the bookstore
This isn’t to say that fairy tales and myths are wrong for children though. Quite the opposite actually. As human beings we are constantly interpreting life as a story—a grand narrative that is continually unfolding. Stories are necessary for making sense of this world. If life was really nothing more than random chance happenings, as materialism would have us believe, stories would be impossible. Randomness has no cohesive plot; things just happen. The fact that we are always groping for reasons, looking for answers, and trying to make sense of this world points to the fact that we are created in the image of God. God is the Master Storyteller, the Chief Scriptwriter. All truth is His truth and all events, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, are necessary components of His story. If we teach God’s story to our children as nothing more than a fun fable with a moralistic lesson, we are crippling them for life. As discussed in yesterday’s article, we are taking divine revelation—”true truth” as Francis Schaeffer called it—about how the world really is, and spoon-feeding it to our children as candy. The very thing that they most need to know about the world is presented to them on the same level and in the same way as Curious George and Bob the Builder.
But I am happy to report that not all children’s books are created equal. Dr. R.C. Sproul, veteran author and master teacher of the Bible, has also noticed this lack of quality books for children. Rather than bemoan the problem, Sproul decided to do something about it: he wrote. Two of his books, The Lightlings and The Prince’s Poison Cup, are great examples of how Christians should be communicating the truths of God’s world and the Gospel of Jesus Christ to children. Sproul rightly understands that bringing the high truth of the Bible down to the level of children is most effectively done through allegory. Rather than simplifying the Bible, Sproul tells a simple story to illustrate the biblical truth. Both books tell a similar story—one of creation, fall, and redemption—without ever once naming a Biblical figure. The Bible’s story is assumed to be the “ultimate” truth and Sproul’s tales are merely retelling the reality of God’s truth in an allegorical way. Sproul doesn’t dress up a fairy tale as a Bible story, he dresses up a Bible story as a fairy tale; and the approach makes all the difference when the costumes are removed.
Get "The Lightlings" from the bookstore
Sproul begins both of his books with a family, a functioning one at that, complete with parents and grandparents. Grandpa is the storyteller in both books, perhaps revealing a bit of bias toward Sproul’s own role as Grandpa and Great-Grandpa in real life. Both stories resemble the approach taken by William Goldman in the screenplay for the film, The Princess Bride. Grandpa comes to his grandchild’s home and tells them a story to answer a question that they have. This method not only reinforces the primary role of the family in the development of the child in the story, it also helps to elevate and esteem the grandfather as a needed and integral part of the family. In both stories, the parents defer to Grandpa as a trusted source of wisdom, encouraging the child to “ask Grandpa when he comes.” This clever “story within a story” reinforces the real world to the reader, one that exists both inside and outside of the pages of the book.
A helpful appendix is included in each book as a “For Parents” section. This appendix includes questions that can be used to help parents further discuss the story with their child. Several Bible verses are listed after each question that connect the “world of the story” with the real world of the Bible. The artwork by Justin Gerard that adorns nearly every page of both books is a perfect complement to the beautiful simplicity of Sproul’s storyline. These books are exceptional in every sense of the word. These are not merely children’s books; parents (and grandparents) will enjoy reading them as well. My hope is that these two books are only the beginning of Sproul’s books for children and that his books are only the beginning of a positive trend in quality Christian books—for children and adults.
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I have purchased The Poison Cup, The Lightlings, and Sammy and the Shepherd, for my grandchildren, they are wonderful books.
Communicating the gospel of Jesus Christ to children and explaining the narrative of the Bible to them has always been a challenge. It would hinge on the maturity of the child in some cases, yet the experts so often underestimate the ability of even young children to learn Biblical truths and gleam Christian values without resorting to a story structure that resembles fairy tales and fables. Growing Christian children often ask adults insightful questions and wait for honest answers while being introduced to the Bible. The author rightly points out that we should resist the impulse of "dumbing down" the Bible. It may well be that R.C. Sproul, a faithful and learned Bible teacher in our day, has the right approach. Perhaps, it is time for parents to discard those fun fables and silly narratives without Biblical substance and bring their children up on these wonderful introductory books as a supplement to actual Bible readings. Lest we forget, the early church did not have many of these books around, and children were taught by parents word of mouth reading to them from the scriptures. In my view, the catechism is also an important tool we should always promote for the education of Christian children, and it is clearly based on Biblical verses.
I am a Christian and a writer. While my children's stories are not laced with scripture, they do reflect the Lord's word and in our stories no bad deed goes unnoticed or unpunished. I have long been an advocate for taking care of God's creation and creatures so our stories are humorous, aimed at the 7 and up crowd and told through the mouths of rescued dogs. Mandy The Alpha Dog, the first in the series The Chronicles of the K-9 Boys and Girls on Locus Street is a story of redemption. Mandy is the product of a puppy mill who goes though trials, some of her own making, until she finds her forever home. The story covers fears, mistreatment, overeating, obesity, biting, forgiveness, and overcoming.
R.C. Sproul is following in the steps of C. S. Lewis with God's inspiration. I, too have purchased Sproul's books for my grandchildren and his books stand with Lewis' Narnia series.
I can fully understand the concern regarding fantasy and God's word. While teaching Sunday School, I had to assure, more than one, that Jesus was truly real and not like Spiderman or Superman. Our children and now, grand childen have the word read and discussed with them and we encourage 'secular' reading also with discussion. Children, unless they are isolated [ which does not equip them to deal with the fallen], are bombarded ceaselessly by their peers and their schools. Christian schools are not immune; not all the children in them are following the Lord.