As part of CS Lewis’ conversion story, it is often cited that he told fellow author JRR Tolkien that while he loved stories, they were beginning to ring hollow to him as “lies breathed through silver.” In response, Tolkien wrote the poem “Mythopoeia,” which contained the line “man, sub-creator, the refracted light/through whom is splintered from a single White/to many hues.” In other words, Tolkien felt that stories—myths—reflected the one True myth—God’s creation of the world.
Our culture is saturated with manmade things that try to vie for our attention. This includes television and film, which often becomes escapism for viewers who neglect the duties in their lives to give all their time and attention to fiction; I know I have. I have since given my life to Christ and found what an idol I had made entertainment.
One thing God has revealed to me, however, is that He can be found in all things. My goal with Truth in Art is to temper my obsessive tendencies when viewing entertainment and turn my mind from self-centered to God-centered, as well as reveal to others what He is showing me through the splinters of Truth in these stories.