How should the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ be presented in comic books by Christian creators? Should it be openly evangelistic or more subtle it its delivery of the message?
First of all, I don’t believe the item here is—an either or proposition. First, some people who will do comics from a straight evangelistic perspective (complete with a receive Christ as Savior prayer at the end). They see a comic as a tract. Second, some people will develop comics that have a Biblical world view with Christian characters and strong morality that will not necessarily preach salvation.Third, are those Christian comics writers who will produce different comics that will fit into both of the above categories.
The first group may be motivated by the urgency of the times. Christians of a pre-millennial orientation believe in the soon second coming of Christ which is a real motivator toward seeing primary life goals in terms of evangelism and discipleship. The desire is to see as many souls won for the kingdom before Christ comes back as possible. (Please note those of you who hold post-millennial or a-millennial viewpoints I am not trying to promote a controversial doctrine). While I do not want to downplay this motivation we should realize that another valid motivation for evangelism is the fact that people are dying around us all the time and going into a Christless eternity whether Christ is returning tomorrow or 100 years from now. This, of course, could lead into a discussion of spiritual gifting(are we all mouths, etc. Are we all equality gifted in evangelism?).
The second group may have the same urgency to see souls won into Christ’s Kingdom, but see their job as a watering the soil or seed planting endeavor(pre-evangelism). A Christian or Biblical world view that underlays a story would involve things like moral absolutes, actions do have consequences, God as creator and sustainer, the ideas of evil and righteousness and salvation. These ideas are evident in books like C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia. Christian philosophers like Franky Schaeffer would say that stories of this nature should be the natural overflow of the heart and imagination of the Christian writer. They should not be an uninspired, calculated, mechanical combining of thematic elements that sets forth a message. A variation of this concept is propounded by the late Christian Art historian Hans Rookmaaker,
“To fit into the patterns of evangelism, artists have often compromised, and so prostituted their art. But Handel with his Messiah, Bach with his St. Matthew’s Passion, Rembrandt with his Denial of St. Peter, and the architects of those Cistercian churches were not evangelizing nor making tools for evangelism; they worked to the glory of God. They did not compromise their art. They were not devising tools for religious propaganda or holy advertisement. Precisely because of that their works were deep and important. They were not the means to an end, the winning of souls, but they were meaningful and an end in themselves. They were to God’s glory.
Art has too often become insincere and second rate in its very effort to speak to all people and to communicate a message that art was not meant to communicate. In short, art has its own validity and meaning, certainly in the Christian framework.
The Christian’s art must be Christian in a deep sense, showing the fruits of the Spirit in a positive mentality and with excitement for the greatness of the life we were given.
We are Christians whether we sleep, eat or work hard; whatever we do, we do it as God’s children. Our Christianity is not only for the pious moments, our religious acts. Nor is the aim of life evangelism; it is seeking the Kingdom of God.
(Hans Rookmaaker, Art Needs No Justification, Intervaristy Press, 1978, pp. 30-31)
From Alpha-Omega #56, 1994
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