There is another sub-genre in Christian Fiction that has gained significant popularity in recent decades that also gets its basis from what is evil in the world.
Oxford Languages defines Dystopia as:
“an imagined state or society in which there is great suffering or injustice,
typically one that is totalitarian or post-apocalyptic.
Dystopian stories flow from the precipice of a breakdown in the world as we know it. A catastrophic event has shattered the fabric of society, or some totalitarian government has oppressed the majority past the point of recognition. Often in these stories a character will rise up to take down the evil that is in power and restore freedom to the people, seeking redemption for themselves and the world as a whole.
One could argue that this is already what Christians believe has happened in the world. It seems to me that the definition of “dystopia” is just another way of expressing the Christian worldview. Christians, by definition, believe that sin and Satan have broken our world to pieces, and it needs fixing, a mess far too serious for our own hands to mend. So, we go looking for someone or something to fix it, and in comes all sorts of devouring one another, idolizing, and more. Could it be that many people are fascinated with the dystopian genre as a whole because it has become a pretty accurate megaphone for our most intimate experience with real life, one that we can’t completely verbalize, but feel burning within us every day? Don’t we long for something to be done? Don’t we hunger and thirst for wrongs to be made right? Aren’t we just waiting for a hero to take down the suffering, systematic oppression, and brokenness?
Writing Christian dystopias where the reader longs for someone to come and redeem the broken shards of society that lay before them is fertile ground for wanting to know more about Jesus of Nazareth. Isn’t that what great literature is meant to do? Shouldn’t it stir in us a picture so beautiful we long for it, and ultimately point us to the Creator of Beauty Himself?
Suzanne Leonhard’s trilogy, The Goliath Code: A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Thriller, hits all the defining features of Christian Dystopian and has been credited with cleverly weaving deep biblical truths throughout well-developed characters’ devastating experiences in a post-apocalyptic world. From natural disasters to political upheaval and religious craze, this book is a fantastic example of how the human experience naturally points to the need for a savior, of how things are not as they should be, and that we need someone stronger than us to set things right. The story is riveting and, even amidst the chaos and brokenness, there is a light shining.
This might be the defining line between the Christian horror genre and Christian dystopian writing. The former seems to be entertainment only, and does in fact draw some readers into a distorted understanding of the power of Satan and what demons might be up to, such that we walk away more likely to check our closet before we go to bed. The latter, when well written, does give readers just a tiny glimpse into what knowing Jesus as a savior might do in their own personal dystopia.
Is it possible to weave key elements of the Christian worldview through strands of eloquent, provocative, and thought-provoking writing in the Christian horror genre? Would that audience read it? What do you think? Is it possible to read a Christian dystopian novel and walk away hopeful that the broken things you see in the world are one day going to be righted and, in the meantime, you can be a part of that mending? Absolutely.
So whether you find yourself reading or writing Christian Horror or Dystopian books, may you do so with much wisdom, freedom, enjoyment, and your eyes wide open. Literature is such a powerful gift, but also a tool, one that Christians have a unique opportunity to sharpen into a beautiful catalyst to show who God is to a broken world, to show them that indeed the light does shine into the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Read on, friends.
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