GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. \u2014 It\u2019s hard to imagine \u201cRomeo and Juliet\u201d with a happy ending.<\/p>\n\n
But what if William Shakespeare had been preparing his manuscript for sale in stores linked to what used to be called the Christian Booksellers Association? What changes would he have been pressured to make?<\/p>\n\n
\u201cThe lovers would meet, just as before, and the parents would still disapprove. Probably one set would not be Christians at all, providing a convenient subplot of salvation,\u201d said novelist Reed Arvin, in a rollicking lecture at the 2002 Calvin College Festival of Faith & Writing.<\/p>\n\n
As newlyweds, Romeo and Juliet would strive to evangelize those lost parents. Shakespeare would manfully struggle to build tension, but \u201cthe fix would be in,\u201d with a happy ending assured, said Arvin. In the final scene, Romeo\u2019s parents would be converted and, as Juliet\u2019s father leads them in prayer, the sun would break through the clouds over Verona. Amen.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cI thank my God that William Shakespeare did not write for a CBA publisher, because that version of \u2018Romeo and Juliet\u2019 would have been forgotten 15 minutes after the marketing plan ran out of money,\u201d said Arvin.<\/p>\n\n
But Shakespeare, rather than \u201cmaking his story end like an episode of the \u2018Love Boat,\u2019 taught us about power and young love. \u2026 Above all \u2014 in messages profoundly Christian \u2014 be taught us the importance of forgiveness and showed us how the sins of the fathers are visited on the next generation. The people were real, the situation was real and the stakes were real.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
Arvin\u2019s lecture on \u201cWhy I Left the CBA\u201d was a curve ball at a conference that drew a wide array of Christian publishers, editors, writers and entrepreneurs. People listened, because he was a force in the CBA before he chose to exit. In addition to his books, Arvin is a skilled pianist and producer \u2014 known for years of work with singers Amy Grant and the late Rich Mullins.<\/p>\n\n
But a not-so-funny thing happened when Arvin sought a Christian publisher for a legal thriller called \u201cThe Will.\u201d He said his friends liked the book, but were sure that it would offend a key CBA audience. Everyone warned him not to anger the \u201clittle old ladies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
What Arvin learned is that writers can address issues of sin and salvation, but that certain sins are more offensive than others. In Christian bestsellers \u2014 such as the omnipresent \u201cLeft Behind\u201d series by writer Jerry Jenkins and preacher Tim LaHaye \u2014 characters commit a variety of unspeakable acts of evil. No one claims that the authors have endorsed these actions. But authors go to \u201cliterary purgatory\u201d if they violate CBA standards on sex and bad language.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cThe Will\u201d was a perfect test case, said Arvin.<\/p>\n\n
The key, he explained, is that he is writing about characters that are quite normal, from a secular point of view, which means that they are messed up, from a Christian point of view. Thus, when writing about a high-strung, morally confused lawyer from a Chicago mega-firm, Arvin faced the question of what this character would do \u2014 in real life \u2014 if he fell in love with yet another hot female. The logical question: \u201cWould he have sex with her?\u201d<\/p>\n\n
\u201cBecause I am writing a work of fiction and not propaganda, I don\u2019t ask questions such as, \u2018What should I have this character say next in order to lead people to Christ?\u2019 Or, \u2018What should I have this character do in order not to offend someone?\u2019 \u2026 Only this: \u2018What would he say next? What would he do next?\u2019 \u201c<\/p>\n\n
There is a happy ending to this story. Arvin took his manuscript to Scribner and the powers that be at Simon & Schuster. They were not worried about its strong Christian sub-plot or that it mentioned Jesus by name \u2014 in the context of salvation, as opposed to cursing. Then Paramount bought the film rights.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cWhat I am finding out is that there are major, major companies in places like Hollywood that are actively searching for stuff that will speak honestly about spiritual issues and even appeal to Christian audiences,\u201d said Arvin. \u201cBut it has to be real. It can\u2019t be fake. We have to write real stories that speak to real people.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. \u2014 It\u2019s hard to imagine \u201cRomeo and Juliet\u201d with a happy ending. But what if William Shakespeare had been preparing his manuscript for sale in stores linked to what used to be called the Christian Booksellers Association? What changes would he have been pressured to make? \u201cThe lovers would meet, just as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":610,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[171,195,1541,1542],"class_list":["post-1175","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-ccm","tag-christian-marketplace","tag-mass-media","tag-movies"],"yoast_head":"\n