Am I a hypocrite?

No, I don't think that's being hypocritical at all. I take it your characters are teens? Any teen, Christian or not, could end up falling off the wagon. I actually think your idea is a good one; it shows that Christians are normal people just like everyone else, and not perfect goody-two-shoes, if you know what I mean. And if your characters get back on the right track thanks to those retreats, it also shows the ability to change, repent, etcetera. But, I might be inferring too much. Anyway, I wouldn't consider it hypocritical at all.

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Inspired by Poe
Driven by Christ

In my opinion you are not being a hypocrite. You are dealing with real life situations. My kids go to public school, and by God's grace are holding tight to Jesus and avoiding the bad stuff, but I have heard that attending a CHristian school does not mean that kids avoid drugs and sex before marriage.
The idea of non christians calling christians hypocrites (although sadly true in cases) does not mean that we shouldn't be honest and seek more of Him and also seek to reveal the hidden things that go on in CHristian lives. I think you are taking a hard topic and trying to deal with it honestly. Go for it! Try to deal with it carefully, honestly and since it is based on your life, pray lots during the writing. God bless you!
Amy

Sounds like reality to me. I know lots of kids from Christian schools -- both Catholic and the born-again evangelical types -- they are surprisingly like other kids in all the ways that their parents hoped they wouldn't be!

Good luck!

Yeah, the friends I hang around with are the ones that see EVERYTHING in Black&White, no exceptions(it's the most annoying thing EVER because the world is NOT B&W). Kinda like we're SUPPOSED to be if we weren't humans :) .

But then I have other friends that are a little more human, they occasionally drink, but that's it. But THEY have friends that have sex. People in my grade, which is hard to think about since I've pretty much known them all since I was five o.O . And apparently a lot of kids drink, too. Again, don't know who they are b/c she won't tell me, but that's okay.

There were some people... 3(WOW, three years, already?) ago in my freshman year that got expelled for smoking pot in the bathrooms, which I just thought was the DUMBEST thing EVER b/c they were in a Christian school, ON CAMPUS and knew that they would get expelled, no questions asked, but they did it anyway. STUPID.

I'm just really freaked out that people would think we're hypocrites because "we" "always" take the "moral highground" on stuff, but "we" drink, do drugs, and have sex. But I guess if you guys think I'm okay, I am.

NaNo #: 1
Nervous level: 50k

It is definitely reality. You may want to think of adding in how the church reacts or how they would react to hearing info about "sins". Will they react positively or negatively? How does that affect the characters?

A couple of years ago a youth turned up pregnant and I was extremely relieved to see our church take her in even more and help her through her pregnancy. No judgment. Just guidance.

KellyJene
Food for Jackals 2007 - Winner!
Soon available in paperback
foodforjackals.blogspot.com

There's very little that is a better definition of hypocrites than the one Jesus used in Matthew 23, where he details all the features of the hypocrisies of the Pharisees.

The gist of it to me is
1. I'm better than I was, not better than someone else.
2. I'm better than I was, but I'm not perfect. I'm not perfect, I'm just forgiven.
3. I am learning, so I still make mistakes, but I am trying my best.
4. While I don't expose my sinfulness ... no one likes being exposed ... I show my humanness so that people can sense that I share their concerns, have experienced hurts like they have, and am still like them rather than "holier than thou." I am honest about my imperfections and honest about how I hope God will help me with them.

Glad to respond to nanomail regarding specific issues of what is blasphemous or not.

Dave Z

Wild Gold

Even Jesus showed the sinful side of life in his stories - remember the prodigal son who wasted his substance and was welcomed home with forgiveness and joy. It's important to show how in real life some people fall into evil ways. Also to show how they can recover their lives.

Yay guys! Thanks! Well, it's a town of about 2,000. It's slightly modeled after Fairplay, CO, but I'm finding myself having to take creative liberties with it b/c it's SUCH a small town. So, basically, EVERYONE knows about what they do on the weekends... and school nights... and generally any time they want... but no one(authority figures) really try to stop it.

I mean, it's a TINY town and anyone could bust in the parties if they really wanted to, but they don't. Not even the police, although I'm planning on having a few cops that let them get by with speeding tickets and not stopping ALL the way at signs.

Two of my MCs parents' own a bar in Fairplay, the ONLY bar, so the kids get a lot of their alcohol from there. And lax gas station-ID-checker people. lol

Basically, it's the environment that I've never had/have because I go to a "small" Christian Private school. And I honestly wouldn't WANT to have this kind of life b/c I really don't care for alcohol and whatever very much, but it's fun to write about.

NaNo #: 1
Nervous level: 50k

I think your novel will be far better if you try and capture the world as it is, rather than the world as you think it should be. Don't worry about what other people will think or the image that you'll give of Christians - worry about telling a good story, and capturing something of the reality of life, with all of life's glory and misery, humanity in all its splendour and brokenness.

I don't think it would be, because none of us are perfect and we all have our own problems that we just don't realize or we realize but are unsure about how to go about them and so we mess up sometimes and know were messing up and need help, but don't know how to go about getting the help or aren't ready yet to to fallow through with God. I think it's fine with me.

If you think I'm crazy, well then, maybe your right!!

I attend a Christian school and have all my life, but what I have gathered from many classmates who have transferred into my school is that the people we go to school with can actually be worse than those they have encountered in the past at their old public schools. In fact, it makes me kind of mad when people think of students who go to private or religious schools as better, more well-behaved kids when in fact they we are just as capable of being rebellious or troublemaking as those who go to public schools, or sometimes even more. So I think it would be hypocritical if you ommitted such behavior or problems that Christian teens face from your novels. :)

Neka_Lopez
NaNo 07: Won
Script Frenzy 08: I hope I do! Haha

Oops... double post

Neka_Lopez
NaNo 07: Won
Script Frenzy 08: I hope I do! Haha

Oooh, thanks Neka! Yeah, I hate that, too. Whenever I mention the UNHOLY(and I mean that as A LOT, not unholy, although it IS technically) amount of things that get stolen everyday, people are like, but it's a Christian school!? And it's like "UGH! I KNOW!" I hate it, but eh, what can I do. We're all still human.

NaNo #: 1
Nervous level: 50k

Keep in mind there are two kinds of hypocrites:

1) The kind of person who does not practice what he preaches. To an extent, that is every living human in the world. We all fall short of our expectations from time to time. It is natural. It is the getting back up that makes you a Christian. There is a reason why Christ said we should obey such hypocrites but not do as they do. Simply put, such people at least believe in a moral code.

2) The kind of person who does not believe what he preaches. These people are more rare and definitely despicable. They exist in the dredges of humanity. Think L Ron Hubbard and Joseph Smith. These people are not only wrong, they are extremely dangerous!

I think an exploration of these two types would prove beneficial.

It is the definition of a story that it ... begins in one place and ends in another. From Buddha ... to Aken Aten ... from Pythagoras ... to Confucious ..., there is not one of them that does not in some way sin against the soul of the story. GKC

Oh, I've been meaning to say this for a while, but I keep forgetting. When thinking in terms of my novel, think Friday Night Lights meets Gossip Girl. A.K.A. : The sickeningly rich, overly-sexual, under-age drinkers and drug-users live in a microscopic town where everyone pretty much knows everything and everyone.

NaNo #: 1
Nervous level: 50k

"That's the biggest danger I think Christians face, is that secular people tend to say that we're hypocritical, and I would hate to think that people will read this and think I'm(or all Christians) are hypocritical through this novel."

Being on the borderline between a Christian and one of those "secular people" (I can't figure out what I believe for my life, haha), I would say you aren't being hypocritical, but your characters are. Just because you're writing about these kids straying from the path doesn't mean that it's a reflection on yourself, per se.

The fact is, this situation really happens. Christians (and humans in general) will from time to time say one thing and do another. Your book would be true to life in this regard.

Also, it should be noted that anyone who takes a work of fiction to form judgements on a real group of people is kind of ignorant, and it's not the author's responsibility to try to prevent moronic behavior.

Humans do not get any more intelligent as time goes on. They always seem to find a new way to be completely idiotic.

I agree with everyone else, I don't think it's hypocritical. With any luck stories like what you describe might help Christians to take their faith more seriously - making the point that it's not just about belonging to a church group or believing / accepting salvation, but that if we take it seriously, faith changes every part of our lives. They might also help non-Christians to see the difference between Christianity (the ideal to which we aspire) and the acts of real Christians (who inevitably fall short of that ideal). And if if you also illustrate the fact that the core of Christianity is forgiveness, not obedience, then you're probably painting Christianity itself in a better light rather than a worse.

I have to take issue with one of the comments, though:

"Also, it should be noted that anyone who takes a work of fiction to form judgements on a real group of people is kind of ignorant, and it's not the author's responsibility to try to prevent moronic behavior."

I actually think one of the main reasons for writing is precisely to challenge people's understanding of real people, and maybe to encourage them to form different judgements about people. Up to a point this is the author's responsibility, and also his / her power. This is exactly how good (or bad) writing can change the world. And that's why I think this sounds like a really good premise.

Mind you, if the reason for writing about people like that were so that you could enjoy writing about sex, drunkenness, drugs etc. and basically live out those things vicariously through your writing, then that would be hypocritical. But that doesn't sound like what you're doing.

Tom

I think therefore I am pretentious.

I'm coming into this conversation a bit late, but I thought I'd add my two cents worth.

I tend to avoid using the term "Christian Fiction" when referring to my stories, primarily because it seems the moment we tag the word "Christian" on the genre, we need to eradicate any trace of sin and unpleasantness. I prefer to describe what I write as fiction with Christian themes and undertones.

There is a niche for fiction that does portray an ideal world where the Christian characters do the right thing, where the immoral people are clearly "bad" characters, etc.

I believe there is also a niche for fiction that portrays Christianity in the world as we have seen it, with all the human failings and the realities we live with. I believe we owe it to ourselves to be honest about our own weaknesses and shortcomings, and to not pretend they don't exist or that we're second only to Jesus in holy living. We have the same kinds of temptations, urges, and inclinations the world does.

Just because we have a very good reason to resist them doesn't mean they go away, or that we will always want to resist them.

"We do not quit playing because we grow old; we grow old because we quit playing."
2006 - The Daedalus Child - Winner.
2007 - Lana's Pack - Winner.

Yeah, I'm definitely NOT tagging it as a "Christian Fiction" novel. It's more like Christian themes or whatever like you said.

NaNo #: 1
Nervous level: 50k

There is a niche for fiction that does portray an ideal world where the Christian characters do the right thing, where the immoral people are clearly "bad" characters, etc.

I'm not sure whether morally I could write fiction like that - it would feel dishonest, as if I were bearing false witness to life itself. Maybe I'm being a bit OTT there - what you describe is the Christian equivalent of the kind of escapist romantic novels that sell millions, and maybe it's just harmless fluff. But I'd argue that as Christians we have a duty to be honest in our writing.

Which was pretty much the point you were making too :)

Tom

I think therefore I am pretentious.

One of the folks over on the Faithwriters Forums posted these guidelines taken from Christian publishers. The first was considerably longer, so I'm going to extract the part that fits what we're talking about here. The first is from Steeple Hill:

This new brand in the Steeple Hill imprint is a series of edge-of-your-seat, contemporary romantic suspense tales of intrigue and romance featuring Christian characters facing challenges to their faith…and to their lives.

Because Steeple Hill sells to both CBA and ABA bookstores, we must adhere to CBA conventions. The stories may not include alcohol consumption, dancing, card playing, gambling or games of chance (including raffles), explicit scatological terms, hero and heroine remaining overnight together alone, Halloween celebrations or magic, or the mention of intimate body parts. Lying is also problematical in the CBA market and characters who are Christian should not lie or deceive others. Possibly there could be exceptional circumstances (matters of life and death), but this has to be OK'd by an editor.

This next one I'm copying from the post in its entirety.

INSPIRE
(60,000—90,000 words)
Inspire is a new line of inspirational romances from Avon Books. These stories and their characters are primarily Christian, and promote traditional values and beliefs. They also are first and foremost stories of the heart, romantic novels about learning to trust; to open ourselves to love, not only to the men in our lives, but ultimately to God. Set in America, both contemporary and historical settings will be considered, as will romantic suspense and romantic comedy. There should be no alcohol, drug use, or premarital sex for the main characters. For non-Christian characters, these subjects can be explored but primarily to show their destructive nature and how a virtuous life is the better path. Foul language should be avoided at all costs.

This is the most recent comment I made on the subject in that same topic:

Many of my main characters remain a bit spiritually ambiguous, because I want the reader to project themselves into the character and the story.

We should be able to include real-world parameters in our stories without publishers "sanitizing" the narrative so as to not offend a select few.

"We do not quit playing because we grow old; we grow old because we quit playing."
2006 - The Daedalus Child - Winner.
2007 - Lana's Pack - Winner.

That article kind of confused me, no offense or whatever. Does that mean that my novels can't have Christian charcters? Or just that the Christian Book Association won't carry them(I'm assuming that's what CBA stands for) and frankly, I wouldn't want them to. But yeah... confused...

NaNo #: 1
Nervous level: 50k

Actually, what the publisher standards I quoted above state is that your characters have to be almost "Super Christians". The last few paragraphs are my response, not the publisher guidelines.

In a nutshell, what most Christian publishers say is:

No sex.
No nudity.
No profanity.
No alcoholic beverage consumption.
No gambling.
No dancing.
No paranormal magic, witchcraft, etc.

The one states that main characters must be Christians by the end of the book (kind of takes out any suspense, doesn't it, when the reader knows the formula for the book requires even a roguish MC to become a Christian by the final chapter).

Yet, they also want dynamic, intriguing stories.

How? They've sanitized about 90% of the sources of human drama from their books. The readers are indulging in as much a fantasy world as they would reading Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter.

"We do not quit playing because we grow old; we grow old because we quit playing."
2006 - The Daedalus Child - Winner.
2007 - Lana's Pack - Winner.

Hoomi: I couldn't agree with you more. (sorry if that didn't come across in my post, but I was pretty confident that was where you were coming from).

I read those same guidelines a while ago and was equally shocked, and for exactly the same reasons. I can only hope the CBA don't apply those standards universally, otherwise they'd have to refuse to stock Bibles and to reject Jesus because he drank wine.

Ok, I shouldn't be too mean, I'm sure they mean well ... but then, if they are trying to portray Christianity in such an idealistic way, either to Christians or others, then that really is hypocritical.

Tom

I think therefore I am pretentious.

One of my biggest problems with the strict guidelines is that writers are expected to infuse Biblical truth into fiction stories, yet, we're not allowed to set those truths in real-world scenarios.

Christian couples face the same kinds of temptations secular couples do. Believing in a Biblical Moral Standard doesn't make the physical urges go away, or any easier to resist. Some couples succeed in doing so, and some don't. Just because they do doesn't mean their marriage is going to be better than that of a couple that gives in to temptation. Some Christians believe any consumption of alcohol is wrong, and some don't. I don't drink, but I don't believe drinking is wrong. My brother, who is a strong Christian, enjoys a beer or glass of wine from time to time. What's wrong with portraying a Christian couple having champagne at their wedding, or a glass of wine with dinner? We can show that Christian liberty - as described by Paul - has applications in real life.

Sadly, though, the publishers are too afraid of offending potential readers, so they expect us to write characters that are even too perfect to be realistic, staunch Mormons. Too bad; I know darned few people who really fit that model of humanity.

"We do not quit playing because we grow old; we grow old because we quit playing."
2006 - The Daedalus Child - Winner.
2007 - Lana's Pack - Winner.

Amen. We are not the first to struggle with this concept.

Rom 14:1 As for the man who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not for disputes over opinions.
Rom 14:2 One believes he may eat anything, while the weak man eats only vegetables.
Rom 14:3 Let not him who eats despise him who abstains, and let not him who abstains pass judgment on him who eats; for God has welcomed him.
Rom 14:4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Master is able to make him stand.
Rom 14:5 One man esteems one day as better than another, while another man esteems all days alike. Let every one be fully convinced in his own mind.
Rom 14:6 He who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. He also who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God; while he who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.
Rom 14:10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God;

As for me, I'd rather sit with the interesting people who screw up. (That's also where I belong.) The guidelines almost seem to me to be guidelines for children's fiction ... because some things do not belong in what we set before children to read.

Wild Gold

Even bigger than drugs, alcohol, sex, or even hypocrisy itself in the Christian life is the issue of Doubt. As a Catholic (not like my religion matters, but oh well), I often ask myself, "Is it ok to doubt, even a little, that no matter how much I beg God, some of the things I want won't be apportioned to me? Is it ok to tuck my cross charm inside of my shirt sometimes? Is it ok to interpret the Bible differently than tradition dictates? Is it ok to skip mass in order to spend time with those loved ones who aren't Christian? Is it ok to wonder how often God listens to us?" And the questions eat at the mind of every Christian, even the poor Evangelicals whose preachers don't leave room for doubt in their sermons. If you plan on carrying this novel out, Doubt has to be a player on the Sin Team (This being a kind of sports game, if you will), if not the catalyst, or Team Captain.

NaNo 2008, what will you bring?
More WKRC? The Triumphant return of Siegfred's Giant? The Misadventures of Hans and Greta? Or the newly discovered From one Architect to Another?