Fairy Tales And Fables

From The Christian Reader:

Fairy Tales and Fables


by Eric Rauch



One of the most severely lacking areas in Christian publishing today is in books for children. Publishers don’t seem to realize that children are quite capable of thinking and understanding. The books that line the shelves of the children’s section are nearly always trite and condescending and do little more than make well-known stories from the Bible look ridiculous. This “dumbing-down” of the Bible often tends to have a negative effect on young eyes and ears as they grow older and more sophisticated. The “stories” that they heard and read as children remain just that: stories. As they come to understand the world around them better, children begin to realize that trains and cars and animals don’t really talk. It is only natural then that they should also begin to think that David, Noah, Adam, and Abraham are really nothing more than fables and cartoon characters. When we teach the Bible in a silly and unreal way to our children, we shouldn’t be surprised when they begin to think of the Bible as a silly book of fairy tales and myths.





Get "The Prince's Poison Cup" from the bookstore

This isn’t to say that fairy tales and myths are wrong for children though. Quite the opposite actually. As human beings we are constantly interpreting life as a story—a grand narrative that is continually unfolding. Stories are necessary for making sense of this world. If life was really nothing more than random chance happenings, as materialism would have us believe, stories would be impossible. Randomness has no cohesive plot; things just happen. The fact that we are always groping for reasons, looking for answers, and trying to make sense of this world points to the fact that we are created in the image of God. God is the Master Storyteller, the Chief Scriptwriter. All truth is His truth and all events, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, are necessary components of His story. If we teach God’s story to our children as nothing more than a fun fable with a moralistic lesson, we are crippling them for life. As discussed in yesterday’s article, we are taking divine revelation—”true truth” as Francis Schaeffer called it—about how the world really is, and spoon-feeding it to our children as candy. The very thing that they most need to know about the world is presented to them on the same level and in the same way as Curious George and Bob the Builder.



But I am happy to report that not all children’s books are created equal. Dr. R.C. Sproul, veteran author and master teacher of the Bible, has also noticed this lack of quality books for children. Rather than bemoan the problem, Sproul decided to do something about it: he wrote. Two of his books, The Lightlings and The Prince’s Poison Cup, are great examples of how Christians should be communicating the truths of God’s world and the Gospel of Jesus Christ to children. Sproul rightly understands that bringing the high truth of the Bible down to the level of children is most effectively done through allegory. Rather than simplifying the Bible, Sproul tells a simple story to illustrate the biblical truth. Both books tell a similar story—one of creation, fall, and redemption—without ever once naming a Biblical figure. The Bible’s story is assumed to be the “ultimate” truth and Sproul’s tales are merely retelling the reality of God’s truth in an allegorical way. Sproul doesn’t dress up a fairy tale as a Bible story, he dresses up a Bible story as a fairy tale; and the approach makes all the difference when the costumes are removed.





Get "The Lightlings" from the bookstore

Sproul begins both of his books with a family, a functioning one at that, complete with parents and grandparents. Grandpa is the storyteller in both books, perhaps revealing a bit of bias toward Sproul’s own role as Grandpa and Great-Grandpa in real life. Both stories resemble the approach taken by William Goldman in the screenplay for the film, The Princess Bride. Grandpa comes to his grandchild’s home and tells them a story to answer a question that they have. This method not only reinforces the primary role of the family in the development of the child in the story, it also helps to elevate and esteem the grandfather as a needed and integral part of the family. In both stories, the parents defer to Grandpa as a trusted source of wisdom, encouraging the child to “ask Grandpa when he comes.” This clever “story within a story” reinforces the real world to the reader, one that exists both inside and outside of the pages of the book.



A helpful appendix is included in each book as a “For Parents” section. This appendix includes questions that can be used to help parents further discuss the story with their child. Several Bible verses are listed after each question that connect the “world of the story” with the real world of the Bible. The artwork by Justin Gerard that adorns nearly every page of both books is a perfect complement to the beautiful simplicity of Sproul’s storyline. These books are exceptional in every sense of the word. These are not merely children’s books; parents (and grandparents) will enjoy reading them as well. My hope is that these two books are only the beginning of Sproul’s books for children and that his books are only the beginning of a positive trend in quality Christian books—for children and adults.