Writing Christian Fantasy: Magic/Superpowers
One of the questions I get so often when it comes to writing Christian fantasy is always this one… Is it safe for Christians to write about magic?
My honest answer is … It depends.
This can be a tricky topic because most people asking this question have a secular understanding of magic and superpowers, so they approach the topic from a secular point of view. This is dangerous because a secular POV never includes God.
The Rebel Christian Publishing specializes in producing Christian fantasy/science fiction, so I made it my goal to understand magical elements in fantasy before venturing into the industry. I wanted to produce fantasy/sci-fi books that would be safe and entertaining for Christians. Books that would be adventurous, action-packed, and still glorify Christ Jesus as the King of Kings.
No small feat, yeah?
To understand magic and its place in Christian fantasy, you have to get rid of any sort of thinking that isn’t Christ-centered. According to secular fiction, magic is what the author makes it. There can be ‘good magic’ and ‘bad magic,’ or all forms of magic can be shunned. The problem with this sort of thinking is that it does not include God as the ultimate Authority.
As a Christian, our most basic belief is that God is the Creator of all things. Our world—and the world within our fantasy novel—does not exist without God. This would also include all the elements and supernatural abilities of this world.
And that is the big difference between secular fantasy and Christian fantasy.
In secular fantasy, the ultimate authority is the author. What defines magic as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ is left in the hands of the writer who is merely human, bound by man-made laws, and a man-made understanding of ‘good’ and ‘bad.’ Whereas for Christians, our understanding of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ comes from God and what He sees as good and what He sees as bad.
This POV—seeing the world as God sees it—is how we should approach the worldbuilding element of our fantasy novel.
This means, in Christian fiction, there is no such thing as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ magic. In fact, most Christian authors don’t even use the term ‘magic’ when writing their fantasy novels—yet, they produce books which contain supernatural elements, abilities, and powers. So … what do we call that?
Well, the truth is that you can call it whatever you want! You are the author, and just as secular authors can make ‘good’ or ‘bad’ magic, you—a Christian author—can make up an entirely different power system which includes no magic whatsoever. This means keeping the supernatural abilities but changing the source of these abilities as well as their title.
And what is the source of a Christian power system?
God is our source!
In secular fantasy, magic, superpowers, and supernatural abilities often come from a man-made source, a natural disaster/freak accident, or the magic is unexplained/simply always existed.
Think of how Iron Man made his suit: Man-made power.
Or how the Hulk and the Flash both gained their powers through science experiments gone wrong: Freak accident/natural disaster.
Also remember the magic system of Game of Thrones—no one really knows how the Red Witch got her power, and no one really knows where the dragons came from. They’ve just kind of always been there: Unexplained or ‘natural’ magic (magic which has always existed).
In a Christian fantasy, the source of these abilities would simply be the power of God. Your characters can fly because God granted them that ability. Your characters can turn invisible because they were born with an anointing which gives them that power. Your characters can utter a prayer and use the power of God to heal their allies.
There are no spells or grimoires or incantations involved. The source and the center of your Christian fantasy is Christ Jesus. Your powers/abilities come from God and are fueled by faith.
Let’s look at an example…
I briefly went over magical elements and otherworld creatures in my article, Aliens/Lifeforms in Christian Fantasy, if you haven’t read that please check it out. For now, I’ll keep this example brief.
There are characters with supernatural powers in my epic Christian fantasy, Cross Academy. Some characters are called Shifters and can transform into animals. Some characters can use the power of teleportation. The main character has the ability to manipulate fire—she calls this Sundancing.
These abilities are not called magic at all, they’re referred to as ‘Blessings’ and are considered gifts from God meant to empower His children as they fight the darkness of their world. The Four Regions of Cross Academy are filled with hundreds of blessings, but they are also brimming with as many curses—which brings us to the concept of ‘bad’ magic or ‘dark’ magic.
In Cross Academy, the Great Demon War has been raging for 700 years. Blessings from powerful Believers are living prayers—physical manifestations of their faith in God. But curses are the exact same thing (by the rules of this fantasy world). This means the antagonists have a dark form of power I call curses, in which their abilities are not fueled by faith in God but are created by channeling the darkness of humanity—sin—or even channeling demonic entities themselves (demons/dark spirits).
This series was inspired by the concept of spiritual warfare, built on the Biblical scripture, Ephesians 6:12 NIV, for our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
I’ve noticed that this topic is brought up a lot with many questions attached to it. As complicated as it may seem, my friends, I believe the answer is quite simple.
As Christian authors, it is our duty to put Christ first in everything we do. Strive to produce stories that are told from a Biblical perspective. When you make it a goal to include Jesus and glorify God in every part of your book, it becomes natural to display the power of God in the supernatural abilities of your characters. After all, where else would their powers come from if not God? What better place to showcase God’s power than through your characters and their great abilities?
I hope this article helped answer questions. If you’re still wondering how to approach magic in Christian fantasy, check out my other articles on writing Christian fantasy and don’t forget, you’re a child of God! Take your questions and concerns to Jesus Christ and seek guidance in your writing from the Holy Spirit.
Want to see an example of a Christian power system? Start reading my Christian epic fantasy series now! Cross Academy is available on Amazon and on sale for just 0.99! Click here to grab your copy now!