Edification vs. Evangelism

Every single storyteller must begin their project with a very specific question: who is their audience?

As previous articles have mentioned, the Christian audience is not a monolith — and neither is the secular audience. Different people, from a variety of demographics, backgrounds, cultural upbringings, and lifestyles all have distinct needs and wants from their fictional narratives. What appeals to one group of people will not appeal to another, nor will the kind of story that is spiritually useful for one group of people be useful for another. All storytellers must determine who their audience is in order to write a compelling and useful story.

While there are thousands of ways to divide up the general population into specific audiences, primary division for the Christian creative are these two, broad categories: the saved and the unsaved. Our brothers and sisters in Christ and those that have not yet accepted Jesus into their hearts and lives. While some stories may appeal to both, these two groups could not be more night and day when it comes to addressing their spiritual needs. The first group has the advantage of the Holy Spirit within them to help guide and explain God’s nature, His law, and the spiritual climate of this fallen world. The second group is part of that fallen world, with no indwelling Guide to help them navigate Christian messages and theology. With this, the first group needs to be edified and the second needs to be evangelized.

A quick definition for these two terms: to edify is to “to instruct and improve especially in moral and religious knowledge” according to Merriam-Webster. To put it in a Scriptural metaphor, it is iron sharpening iron (Proverbs 27:17). It typically comes with a basis of understanding, where both parties are coming from the same perspective, and one is instructing the other on their shared faith. Paul’s letters are excellent examples of this, as they sought to instruct and guide his fellow believers, rather than reach out to the lost.

To evangelize, however, is to "to preach the gospel to”, according to Merriam-Webster. This makes the assumption that one of the participants has no common basis for understanding Scripture and does not have the Holy Spirit to guide them. Evangelism seeks to either break down the mysteries of the Good News in an understandable way, to convict in a nonjudgemental way, or to soften hearts with the story of Love. It tends to be more diplomatic, simpler, or introduce ideas with an accompanying explanation.

So, then, the question is…how do you know if a story is edifying or evangelizing?

Let’s dive directly into a set of examples from C.S. Lewis.

The second novel of his sci-fi trilogy, Perelandra, is focused almost exclusively on the nature of spiritual warfare. From examples of the everyday temptations and roadblocks faced by Christians to literally wrestling with Satan on a paradise planet, this story packs an amazing theological punch. It is also a (in my opinion) an absolutely terrible book for someone who does not have a solid foundation of faith. To use the example of milk and meat found in Hebrews 5:12, this story is one of the richest steaks at the table. Non-Christians and spiritually immature Christians are likely going to find it hard to understand, intimidating, and even terrifying. For more spiritually mature Christians, this kind of story is an edifying balm, expounding on spiritual truths that they have likely recognized in their sanctification process. Lewis doesn’t walk the reader through what he means with the concept of spiritual warfare, he assumes they already have a good understanding of what that is.

On the other side of the spectrum, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, while rich with spiritual truths and symbolism, is a much better story for evangelism. The characters take a journey of faith, by which they are saved from evil due to the sacrifice of Jesus’ representative. This book wholeheartedly points towards a simple truth: God sacrificed Himself to save the wretched, the cold, and the hungry. There is reconciliation, familial love, adoption, and eventually the characters’ take their rightful place as crowned sons and daughters. It may technically be a children’s book, but it is also incredible at breaking down the basics of Jesus’ offer of salvation for us, no matter how much we have sinned and hurt those around us. That is the direction an evangelizing book needs to take.

Now, the caveat to this is that God may use whatever story He wishes for whatever task He wishes it to be used for. Sometimes people are best evangelized when they face a weighty concept like spiritual warfare. Sometimes the spiritually mature Christian needs to be reminded of the very basic truths of their faith. Every person’s faith journey is so incredibly different, it is impossible to firmly state what a story might be used for. However, as storytellers, choosing one audience or the other can help narrow the focus of our message and make the story more cohesive. Instead of trying to market — because, despite the important, spiritual nature of Christian storytelling, it is still a business — to both the mature Christian and the unsaved, the storyteller can direct all of their energy towards one or the other.

This is not the end of finding a story’s audience — as even within the Christian audience, demographics and spiritual needs vary wildly — but for the Christian storyteller, it is an excellent first step. It helps set the tone and approach for the story’s overall message and purpose, whether that message is covert or overt, heavily symbolic or literal.