Portraying Christian Characters: Faith-filled Fanfic, Pt. 1
I introduced this series last post, and my goal is to illustrate how I’ve approached including my Christian Faith in my fanfiction work over the past decade. If you’re here to find out what fanfiction is and isn’t, I have other posts addressing the subject: 10 Fanfiction FAQs | 5 Reasons to Interact with Fanfiction | 7 Fanfiction Terms Explained, so please feel free to refer to those, message me, or leave a comment on this post if you have any questions about undefined terms.
If you have limited knowledge of Christianity, that is completely fine. I’m glad you’re here.
What I mean when I refer to Christianity throughout this series: A Faith that accepts the Bible as the authority for all things related to Faith and practicing that Faith.
To our first challenge of this Faith-filled fanfic series:
Including Christian characters of varying maturity
Whether you’re coming to this series from within Christianity, or a perspective outside it, know that not all Christians have the same level of maturity. Just like humanity has members of all ages, Christianity includes people at all points of spiritual growth, and it’s important to know that when interacting with them.
It’s equally important to me, as a fanfic creator, to portray this aspect of life and acknowledge that not all people claiming Christianity are the same.
Who’s in my cast?
Over the years, I’ve included characters from the following groups:
Believers in Christianity
Mature Christians: They aren’t perfect, but they love God. Following Him is their life’s central focus, and they use Biblical truth to make daily decisions.
Immature Christians: They hold to Christianity and genuinely love God, but often they fall into self-reliance, which results in difficulty—for them and others. They’re learning to use Biblical truth, but they’re working on consistency.
Stagnant Christians: They claim Christianity, but they have no desire to grow in their faith and often make decisions based on personal feelings and preferences instead of Biblical truth.
Non-believers in Christianity
Sympathetic non-believers: This person may have friends or relatives who are Christians, but this individual does not claim Christianity, although they’re not closed to hearing about it and may even be curious to know more.
Hostile non-believers: This person does not claim Christianity and has no desire to listen to anything regarding it. They may stop conversations, express frustration, or insist differing views are more valid.
Indifferent non-believers: This person knows about Christianity but doesn’t care whether someone claims it. If the topic comes up, they’ll listen politely and may even engage in the dialogue, but they have no overwhelming feelings about it and would be just as happy discussing something else.
Those with no knowledge of Christianity
These individuals exist in a world/location where Christianity does not appear or does not exist in some fashion.
2. How do I write them?
Not every story needs all seven types of people. Some stories I’ve written don’t even contain a Christian character, but when they do, the character’s Faith is part of who they are, not a list of stereotypes.
For example: I wrote a one-shot (short story) late in 2022 that features two main characters. One is a Christian. In the opening scene, she prays to God by name and treats a serving boy with kindness even though she’s imprisoned and he’s technically the enemy. But this isn’t all we learn about her. We also discover she’s sentenced to die, she has a husband and two sons who she loves, and she doesn’t give up easily. We meet a person, not a piece of paper. This story contains a mature Christian.
I’ve written stories that include Christian characters but have few (or no) references to Faith. So how is my Faith included in those? Through my worldview and the tone of the story. I also use this approach when the fandom in question has no means of incorporating Christianity or a fictional version of my Faith.
Example: In 2020, I wrote a one-shot featuring a brother and sister. Both characters are Christians, but nowhere in the piece is God, or anything remotely religious, mentioned. Instead, we see a brother’s love for his sister showcased through words and actions, and that’s something we should see in every relationship between Christians—friends, family, even work-related connections. The tone of the story is notably light, and even though one of the characters is sad throughout the piece, that isn’t the overall takeaway of the story, and she does resolve her problem, even though it’s a difficult choice. This story contains an immature Christian.
There are also many story worlds that either omit Christianity (and comparable fictional religions), don’t contain religious factors, or are more allegorical in nature. Thankfully, there are ways to show forth our Faith, even when there is no literal Christian representation.
Example: In 2021, I wrote a novella set in a fandom that takes place in Southern CA. Throughout six TV seasons and one movie, there is a single reference to angels. That’s it. There is otherwise no religious verbiage. But this fandom lends itself very well to an allegorical portrayal of Christianity, and there are striking parallels in the canon narrative that made writing in it such a joy. Instead of settling for canon’s lackluster ending, I penned something that took the show’s pre-existing metaphor and brought it to it’s logical conclusion, and readers felt that—even if they weren’t religious and had no inkling what I was doing. This story contains characters with no literal knowledge of Christianity.
Next post, we’ll tackle another aspect of showing Faith in and through fanfiction, and don’t worry, we’ll talk about Christians and non-Christians interacting on-page too.
Question or comment? I’d love to hear them. Leave them in the comment section below, send them to me on social media, or let me know through my contact page.