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Consuming literature other than explicitly Christian provides a useful tool for a multifaceted view of the word and its workings. Although Christian literature prevents our minds from becoming warped as a result of excessive exposure to sin, it separates humanity. It breeds conceit in the minds of Christians – Jesus charges Christians to preach his word to others, not to remain secluded. When we begin to adopt a single author and set standards, we will invariably begin to breed sects and clans of Christianity. In the letters of Saint Paul, Paul speaks about the dangers of creating different sects of Christianity. Authors apply their own interpretations of their content.

Literature and poetry have been described as timeless mirrors into which the reader can look and see a reflection of his or her own life. Literature does not seek to instruct; it seeks to illuminate, like a candle in the dark instead of a map.

Inadvertently, (or sometimes on purpose) Christian authors offer their own interpretations of the Bible and Christian theology. As readers digest the ideas and virtues presented in Christian literature we begin to reason that, “it’s Christian, its right.” So often, Christians become so afraid of the secular world, that they begin to cling to anything Christian as a familiarity, forgetting that flawed views on Christianity.

For example, many Christian authors claim that Jesus had brothers. However, this is a common misconception of the Bible. As Greek Scholar Sir Charles J. Eames states, “The word in the Bible that is commonly translated to brother actually translates directly to cousin.” Similarly, he notes, that the passage which states,’ And she knew not man until she bore her first born son’ is another mistranslation which has stemmed a plethora of incorrect opinions. He notes that the original word in Greek is in a present-future infinitive, a tense which does not exist in the English language. Many authors then apply their own interpretation to the Bible as a fact, “the author meant by this, or Jesus explicitly states this…”

This turns into many Christian authors preaching their opinions as fact. Pop culture degrades the multifaceted views of literature charging people with an obsession to look for a single correct interpretation instead of applying the ideas of literature to their lives to explore their own being.

Many times secular authors write about the natural world and its workings. They often attempt to explicate ideas of different emotions through the offering of explanation instead of preaching self titled dogma. Unlike with God, people are often times more willing to accept the fact that the world is complex for they personally experience it every day. With God, people want to understand him in human terms; they want to know all about him. Often times, people place the views and interpretations of Christian authors higher than their own personal interpretations of God. Consequently, they lose sight of the ability to understand and communicate with God on a personal level – he becomes to them a being of study rather than a friend.

 

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