Topical Tuesday: Redeeming Grey

Full disclosure: I am a Christian and a writer of romance, and I have not read 50 Shades of Grey, nor do I intend to view the film. There is currently quite a lot of debate within Christian circles about how to engage with the 50 Shades phenomenon, or whether to at all. It is a good debate, because while there is, unsurprisingly, much in the series of books as well as the film that is objectionable to the Christian, the unequivocal fact remains that this story has appealed to millions and millions of readers. As a Christian, I think it is important to ask why.

The rather glib answer to the question, I think, is that we live in a wicked and depraved generation and the 50 Shades of Grey phenomenon is grim evidence of that. I have no doubt that this is true. But I think there is more going on here than people’s delight in evil and promiscuity. 50 Shades of Grey is one of the top-selling fiction books of all time; on a far more encouraging note, so is The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. Why have these books appealed to so many people?

I think books that sell on such a massive, global level do so because readers connect emotionally with them. The stories address a need or a desire that people long to have met. In the case of 50 Shades, that need might be, for example, to be consumed by a passion greater than yourself; to heal someone, as the heroine Ana does Christian, through love and [admittedly a perverted, X-rated] understanding; and to find meaning, acceptance, and value in the eyes of another person.

So how as Christians are we to respond? We can condemn 50 Shades of Grey for its terribly skewed depiction of what a romantic and sexual relationship, by God’s grace, is meant to be. But we can also engage with the series’ many readers and fans who are, like the characters in the book, searching for love, acceptance, and meaning.

I write romance because I want to tell stories that point to the redemptive love Christ has for us; the relationship between a man and a woman is meant to be a shadowy reflection of it. We are broken, hurting people, as the characters in 50 Shades are. They, and the readers of the books, need to be redeemed — not through dysfunctional sexual practices, but through the healing and transforming work of Christ on the cross. By engaging with readers and fans of the books, by asking why these books appeal without glorifying them, we can help people to meet the desires and needs they have through the only way possible—Jesus Christ himself.