Searching for God in a Godless Culture

Searching for God in a Godless World

Our Godless Culture and Godless World

“Godless culture?” you ask. “But religion is everywhere!” Yes, and even religion often leaves out God—just so much feel good drivel. Furthermore, Christianity has become largely isolated from our culture. We have kicked God out of our schools, out of our social dialogue, and for the most part out of our national conscience. Yes, ours has become a godless culture.

Furthermore, ours is a godless culture in the midst of a godless world. Oh, the “god” word is floated around in the context of numerous religions. But even the world at large doesn’t want anything to do with the God of the Bible. The god of individual spirituality is Ok, but not Jesus and the God of the Bible. I know of numerous cases where pastors were asked to pray to open some community meeting but were told not mention Jesus in their prayer. That appears to be the attitude of much of the world.

The Soul’s Search for God

In Mere Christianity C.S. Lewis wrote: “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” Numerous people down through the ages from Augustine, to Pascal, to modern writers have referred to there being a “God-shaped hole” in every man, a place within that only God can fill, the soul’s search for God.

The soul searches for God while it appears that the will resists that search or sends the soul on side trips. But why does the will resist? It resists because we are fallen creatures who want to be the determiners of our own destiny. To put it in simple terms, we want our will not God’s will! We are afraid that if we find God He will ask more of us than we want to give Him. Thus, many choose “spirituality” without accompanying accountability to a God who is sovereign.

If only men would open their eyes and realize that when their soul finds God, their soul has found true meaning, real significance, and fullness of joy. I am not saying God makes life easy. Life can be and will be tough at times. But in the midst of the stuff of life when the soul finds God it will also find peace.

Finding God in Fantasy Fiction

Most fantasy fiction follows the lead of our godless culture and godless world. Either God has no place, or they are anti-God such as Philip Pullman’s books, or they involve a God of their own making. However, there are fantasy writers who incorporate God into their stories in a way that expands our understanding of His nature, perhaps not perfectly, but substantially. If there are Christian writers you are aware of who fall into this category please share them and their books in the comment section.

In my books I attempt to naturally weave various realities about God into the fiber of the stories. One story might highlight one aspect of God’s nature and another story a different facet will permeate the story. In Seed of the Defiled God is at work behind the scenes directing the world according to his will, fulfilling His promises while the various characters act within a real world setting. In Unlikely Heroes the God-brush reveals that those who have an impediment of one sort of another are of equal value to all other people. In my books the presence of God is not contrived or forced on the story, but is a natural thread within the tapestry of the story.