Back of the Envelope

Dave Long has begun to discuss the conversion stories:

During my judging of the stories I read an article about Brian McClaren in Leadership journals’ online presence. It was a slightly muddied article about the worldview of the emergent church, but I was intrigued by one of the tenants supposedly upheld by this “new” conversation.

Conversion is accepted as a journey and not merely a point of decision.

The stories, as a whole, reflected the exact opposite of this statement. The strong majority of stories made the moment of conversion the climactic or concluding scene of story. In many cases, this moment was even captured in the final, resounding words. A powerful concluding sentence to capture this moment of glory.

But that’s what you asked for, you may say.

Well, yes, I suppose I did. Calling it a “conversion story” makes it seem like it needs to be about a “conversion.” But after all this I think that’s what’s at debate here. Or should be up for debate. Just what is a conversion? Is it that single moment when we “believe”? What if there isn’t a moment? What if there’s a moment and then a week of doubt and then a gentle reassurance?

Why, I’m really asking, was conversion always the end of the story?

And what happens when we making it the beginning of the story?

I guess I agree that being born again is often a process rather than an event--my own journey of faith involved more after I said the words than before. As for my own story, I just posted it yesterday, and as you can see, I don't quite follow the conversion-in-the-last-paragraph format he's talking about. Of course, in the confines of a short story, I only had room for six more paragraphs after the conversion, and I used them to describe a troubling miracle, so I didn't get that much of a chance for Ryan to doubt and backslide. In my longer stories, I think I do a better job. In Eyes in the Shadow, to which "Unwanted Grace" is a sequel, you see a bit more of Ryan struggling with ideas he doesn't want to believe, and it doesn't get any easier once he reluctantly accepts those beliefs. But he never converts in that story. If "Unwanted Grace" ever expands into a longer story, though, the events I've described in the story make up the prologue, not the epilogue. When that happens, I'll also acknowledge the events of Eyes, which I didn't before since "Unwanted Grace" is supposed to be a stand-alone story, and play up the similarities, which I think will make the story much stronger for those who've already read Eyes, and will serve to explain previous events for those who haven't.

Dave Long at Faith in Fiction has selected the finalists for his conversion story contest. While he hasn't announced who they are, he's sent e-mails to them, and as I didn't receive one, I'm assuming I didn't make the cut. I'm disappointed, but not surprised. Congratulations to the winners, and I look forward to reading their stories.

I'll be posting my entry on this site some time in the next few weeks.

Codex has an interesting article on witchcraft and magic in the Bible. Tyler Williams points out that the Biblical references to magic are rather sparse:

One of the key passages about witchcraft in the Hebrew Bible — or at least a passage that brings together a series of terms relating to magic is Deut 18:9-14.

9 When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you must not learn to imitate the abhorrent practices of those nations. 10 No one shall be found among you who makes a son or daughter pass through fire, or who practices divination, or is a soothsayer, or an augur, or a sorcerer, 11 or one who casts spells, or who consults ghosts or spirits, or who seeks oracles from the dead. 12 For whoever does these things is abhorrent to the Lord; it is because of such abhorrent practices that the Lord your God is driving them out before you. 13 You must remain completely loyal to the Lord your God. 14 Although these nations that you are about to dispossess do give heed to soothsayers and diviners, as for you, the Lord your God does not permit you to do so (NRSV).

The terms employed include the following:

• "One who practices divination" (קסם קסמים). This term is used primarily for the practices of non-Israelites who tell the future or prophesy by various means. Some take this to be a more general term that describes the whole complex of magical and divinatory practices in ancient Israel.
• "Soothsayer" (מעונן). Someone who can interpret signs or looks for omens.
• "Augur" (מנחשׁ). To seek and give omens, foretell. Could be some sort of divination related to snakes.
• "Sorcerer" (מכשׁף). This term is probably closest to the idea of magic and witchcraft.
• "One who casts spells" (חבר חבר). This would be a charmer or the like.
• "One who consults ghosts or spirits, or who seeks oracles from the dead (שאל אוב֙ וידעני ודרשׁ אל־המתים). These terms appear to be related to the practice of necromancy, i.e., divination by inquiring of the dead.

Most of these terms occur infrequently and are very difficult to unpack in a meaningful way. Even the concept of magic in the Hebrew Bible is had to define. ABD uses "the term 'magic' will be used here to refer to methods associated with the gaining of suprahuman knowledge and power or with influencing suprahuman powers." The majority of places where these terms are used are clearly negative, though there are some more neutral occurrences. It appears that many of these terms are used to characterize illegitimate practices relating to telling (or perhaps changing) the future by those who do not worship Yahweh.

In ancient times, what was called magic was inextricably tied to religion. It was a codified way of appealing to gods and spirits in order to invoke their aid. It is my belief that God forbade magic for two reasons. First, to prevent his people from turning to other deities, relying on them rather than on Him. Second, to tell them that they could not expect Him to deal with them in that manner. There were no special rituals or invocations which would ensure His blessing or curse. He would respond to His people as He decided, not them, according to their hearts and His Will, not some specific combination of words. What rituals they had were the ones He handed down through Moses, and while obedience was required, what mattered more was a clean heart.

In modern fantasy, magic is less of a religion and more of a technology. It's less about appealing to spirits than using tools (where the tool may be the power of the mind) properly to achieve the desired ends. That's the way I use magic in my writings for the most part. Anytime I write about the older meaning of magic, it will end up being a darker sort as well.