“Literature – particularly fictional narratives and drama – tends to encourage its readers to acknowledge and attend to the humanity of other human beings. Consequently, its seems a particularly appropriate medium for thinking through the claims of Christian theology, since Christianity has, from its beginnings, stressed the importance of such acknowledgment and attention.  Most of us, as we work our way through life, tend to focus on ourselves. This is certainly understandable to a point, since we all participate in the biological ‘drive to survive’; but Jesus lived his life focused on the significance of other people, and he taught us to try to do the same. Reading fictional narratives helps to reinforce that lesson, for if we are to enter into the world of the novel…, we have to step out of the limelight ourselves.  If I am to enter this fictional world, I will have to accept that I am no longer the main character…  At least in their form,…narratives and drama encourage us to become more other-directed.” [1]

Finally! I now have a theological justification for all of the literary fiction I read!

In all seriousness, this book is a gem and I highly recommend it for anyone who is trying to creatively teach the creeds.  David Cunningham takes each phrase from the Nicene creed, gives a short treatise over its theological significance, and compares it to a great work of fiction.

[1] David S. Cunningham, Reading is Believing: The Christian Faith Through Literature and Film, 10.