Apostolic Identity Under the Microscope

As we continue to provide a forum for readers and writers in hopes of birthing quality Apostolic fiction, we must think long-term. Given that a work and its characters come under the microscope for critique by the reader, we need to understand that when we write, we are staging a representation of Apostolicdom—a specimen on a slide, as it were.

The Mormon Experiment
For instance, in our reading group, we just read “Missionaries,” a short story by a young writer named Bradford Tice. We can’t determine if the writer is Mormon or not, but the story is most definitely about Mormon characters. It’s the only Mormon fiction I’m aware of, so two things happen:

1. The fact that this story was picked up by The Atlantic gives fresh hope that editors and publishers are interested in non-mainstream religious fiction, which is great news for us.

2. I realized that our group’s process of reading and analyzing this story is the same process non-Apostolic readers will use to read and ingest our Apostolic fiction.

So What?
Here’s what happened. As a reader, I had a hard time drawing the line between what parts of the characters were just their human attributes and what parts were due to their Mormon faith. My instinct was to read everything as, “Oh, so that’s what all Mormons are like.” Not a very responsible read on my part, but that's our tendency as mortal readers.

Here’s how that applies to us as Apostolic writers. If we write a story with a character who wears a blue ball cap at all times, our readers could make a generalization that all Apostolics wear blue ball caps. Now obviously I’m exaggerating for effect, but the point remains: readers who have no familiarity with our faith have every right to view what we create as representative of Apostolic identity.

Putting It into Practice
I’m convinced that readers are open to Apostolic fiction, and based on the recently published Mormon story, publishers will give us a chance. But we as Apostolics must be sensitive to how we portray Apostolic identity. Remember the old adage “You’re the only Bible some people will ever read?” Well, that’s the case here quite literally. If we write a quality story that gets national or even regional attention, those characters are going to be the face of Apostolics for many readers. That’s why it’s important we keep having these discussions. It’s why we need to understand our Apostolic identity and work diligently on the best techniques to effectively portray it.

Currently Reading - Literature: A Portable Anthology by Bedford/St. Martin's