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| Melinda Viergever Inman |
Fifty
Shades of Grey makes it plain that many people who write
erotica are becoming rich. As Christian authors, we write for a higher purpose;
consequently, there are significant reasons not to aim our keyboards toward
erotica.
Prepare to be shocked. I’m going to be transparent.
I read erotica in my teens and twenties. This genre works
like pornography in my mind, but in a more powerful way. This could be because
I was exposed to porn at a young age, because I have a writer’s brain and am
drawn into stories, or because I'm a woman. I don't know. I’m still impacted by
what I read decades ago.
The mental images of the sexual acts portrayed in erotica
are one reason I now avoid it. By reading erotica I vividly implanted these
images in my mind. As a sinner, it's difficult enough to keep pure thoughts. By
adding these, I have made it more so.
Do I want to read Fifty
Shades of Grey? Yes, I'll admit I do, not only because I love the "bad
boy turned good” theme, but also because I’m a writer. I’m curious to see what
this author did that made the story so appealing. Is it only the sex?
But, if I’m truly honest, the main reason I’m interested is
my aforementioned polluted mind. I’m a sinner, and it is tempting. However, if
I read this book or see the movie, new illicit sexual images will join the old,
thus adding more temptation.
“God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all
sexual sin. Then each of you will control his own body and live in holiness and
honor—not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God and his ways”
(1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 NLT).
As a follower of Christ, I desire to grow in purity, so
reading erotica would be counter-productive. By the grace of God, I resist. I
am transparent, because I know what the Bible says. Many people reading my
words today face the same struggle.
“If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to
fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others
experience” (1 Corinthians 10:12-13a NLT).
We are all closer to falling than we think. That means if
erotica has this effect on me, it affects my readers in a similar fashion.
Therefore, I decided long ago not to write it. I don’t want to be culpable for
tempting others to sin. Even though I could get rich, I won't do it. I know how
powerful the mind is for dragging us into sexual sin in thought or deed. This
is where the battle is fought.
In all my fiction, I have tried to keep the intimate scenes
safely away from that line. My early readers include several people who proofread
my love scenes specifically for that purpose. I want to write realistically to
show human failings, temptations, and intimacy, but in a way that is
God-honoring.
If this has also been a struggle for you, trust this
promise: “God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you
can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out” (1 Corinthians
10:13b NLT).
Please, place this before the Lord. What does the Holy
Spirit say to you as a writer and as a reader?
Nudged
toward evil by Satan, Cain 's hard-hearted hubris results in Abel's murder and
Lilith's broken heart when he is banished, splitting the family and propelling
mankind toward ever-increasing violence as their siblings seek revenge. Crushed
by what he's done, Cain runs, certain he's destroyed Lilith, his parents, and
the entire family. With Satan hounding his every move and no idea of the forces
arrayed against him, can Cain ever find God after he's committed a sin of such
magnitude? Can he ever be forgiven?
Melinda Viergever Inman was
raised in the tornado capital of the U.S.—Wakita, Oklahoma, of
"Twister" fame. There her parents met. There her roots were sunk in a
storytelling family. During years of relocation, tragedy struck. Wounded and
heartbroken, Melinda forsook her roots and ran from herself and from God. A
journey of trial and heartache brought her home again. A prodigal now returned
to her secure foundation, she writes with passion, illustrating God's love for
wounded people as he makes beauty from ashes. Refuge is her first novel. Melinda shepherds women in church and
in prison ministry. She writes inspirational material and Bible studies. Her
six precocious offspring, all grown, teach and inspire her. With her husband
and family, she is involved in a church-planting ministry in India: Reaching
Indians Ministries International.
You can learn more and connect with Melinda here:
