Perhaps you have seen this Christian dreamer. If so, you can surely spot his sluggish disposition. Unlike the aroused laborer-in-Christ who feeds on God’s word for the spiritual nourishment to serve, the Christian dreamer will prefer mythopoetic treats to stimulate his intellectual assent of God. He will often feast on the cotton-candy visions of fantasy fiction and movies that best serve his Christian romanticism. 

“Therefore let us not sleep, as others do; but let us watch and be sober.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:6

The Christian dreamer is a rising phenomenon in American Christianity, and a sad blight upon the visible Church. Outwardly, the Christian dreamer seems wide awake to God, but his (or her) mind is elsewhere. He will claim Jesus Christ as his Savior, yet be found with his head in the clouds of fantasy, or asleep at the wheel of his idling discipleship. Often he yawns at the tedium of godly study and service, yet becomes absolutely giddy over the creative handiwork of the human imagination.

Perhaps you have seen this Christian dreamer. If so, you can surely spot his sluggish disposition. Unlike the aroused laborer-in-Christ who feeds on God’s word for the spiritual nourishment to serve, the Christian dreamer will prefer mythopoetic treats to stimulate his intellectual assent of God. He will often feast on the cotton-candy visions of fantasy fiction and movies that best serve his Christian romanticism. With a belly filled with the stuff of dreams, the Christian dreamer is intoxicated by the euphoria of his religious “feelings” and will soon nod off “at ease in Zion” (Amos 6:1).

For now, perhaps, the Christian dreamer’s slumber is undisturbed, but a rude awakening will one day happen when the alarm of God sounds off. According to Scripture, sudden destruction will come upon those in the middle of their peace and security and they shall not escape it (1 Thessalonians 5:3). Likewise for the Christian dreamer, the harsh reality of day will knock him off his fluffy pillow and toss him to his knees in judgment. Startled by his sudden predicament, this wide-eyed sluggard may then be heard to say, “Lord, Lord, do you not know me?” (Matthew 7:20-23).

Considering the deadly fright of the coronavirus pandemic, the violent political turmoil around us, and the increasing persecution of Christians throughout the world, perhaps this rude awakening will come sooner than expected. Then, and only then, will some professing Christians open their eyes and see the unmitigated worthlessness of their so-called “redeemed imagination” to help them escape from the sudden chaos of the real world. Running back to their precious fairy tales and Christian fantasies for a fleeting moment of solace will only delay the reckoning. Eventually, the Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter will utterly fail them. To be sure, reality will sting even more when it smacks them in the face while they look the other way.

Sadly, this may be the only way for the Christian dreamer to finally “get it.” Apollo, Superman, Aslan, or any number of dream-gods cannot save you; but Jesus Christ, the living Savior, can and does. The true disciple of Christ isn’t a dreamer, but a doer. He has denied self, taken up his cross, and followed his Lord and Savior into action. The faithful martyr-to-be, the watchman at full attention, and the compassionate evangelist have no time or inclination for fantasy when they have lost everything in the world because of their bold and unyielding faith in Jesus. In the midst of the fallen world’s spiritual adversities, the supreme importance of active service to Christ makes the pursuit of dreams vain and obsolete, proving it to be fruitless and a thing of sin and idolatry that will burn up like straw in the fiery furnace of trials and persecution.

America, The Inklings, And The Fantasy-Driven Life

To be sure, the horrifying scenario of a sudden judgment against the Christian dreamer is difficult to contemplate, but one which must be addressed in the less-than-hallowed halls of today’s postmodern Christianity. Let us face this dreadful fact: the rising spectacle of the professing Christian obsessed with his “inner life” is not a new one in history, but it is most certainly a spiritual malady that is most suited for our time. These days, fantasy holds sway in America, coddled by the luxury of an affluent, free society and the reigning philosophy of self-actualization. Indeed, the Christian dreamer has found a soft bed here.

Such an abiding affection for this spiritual dream-state is not surprising, considering the generations of Americans who have been raised on the amusements of fantasy, science fiction, and comic books over the past fifty years. What is surprising, however, is how the visible Church has become an eager accomplice to this worldly vice. By all appearances, the prevailing religious discipline of many American Christians in the 21st century seems to be too-often fixated on the products of vain imagination, not just from the usual suspects of Marvel or Disney, but within our very own ranks.

Many unsuspecting believers, weaned as children on the fanciful milk of Narnia and Middle-earth, have been slowly indoctrinated with what can rightly be dubbed the “theology of the Inklings.” It is a flawed, unbiblical belief system first touted by C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien which promotes the speculations of pagan mythology and esoteric philosophy in opposition to the sure word of God. Today, in fact, you can barely get through a religious bestseller without seeing the dominating influence of the Inklings. Many Christian authors gladly litter their writings with quotes or literary allusions from the celebrated works of Lewis and Tolkien, who are perhaps two of the most prominent Christian dreamers of our time.

In response to this, some Christians might sincerely ask, What’s the big deal? Is it really off-base for believers to use myth and fantasy for theological use? Just as Lewis and Tolkien argued, aren’t we made in the image of God to be “sub-Creators” in order to create a unique, personalized impression of God’s truth? What is so wrong with using the human imagination to engage our minds, energize our emotions, and inspire us to a greater devotion to Jesus Christ?

Idol-Making And The Discipline Of Delusion

In theory it sounds commendable, at least in a cautious and minimal dose, but the Bible has denounced the underlying spiritual disorder that causes someone to seek truth in the corners of the mind or in the shadows of the past. To do so is an idolatrous shell game that refuses to acknowledge the heavenly realities which have been revealed and fulfilled in Christ alone (Colossians 2:17). So why go back to the shadows? Scripture reminds us that the Israelites fell into the same error while camped at the foot of Mount Sinai. They desired a creative, handcrafted image similar to the familiar idols of Egypt to look upon as a compelling representation of Jehovah God, and were soundly condemned by Him for their presumption (Exodus 32).

Such artistic idol-making was later blasted by the prophet Jeremiah as a “discipline of delusion” practiced by “skilled men.” Pronouncing God’s wrath against these foolish craftsmen and their works, the prophet boldly proclaimed: “Every man is stupid, devoid of knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols; for his molten images are deceitful, and there is no breath in them. They are vanity, and a work of delusion.” (Jeremiah 10:8-15). Would this biblical condemnation not also apply to the skilled wordsmiths of today’s popular myth-making? Is it not possible, then, that the Christian dreamer has in some way fashioned the living Savior into an idol of his unchecked imagination? Alas, perhaps these questions are too controversial to answer in the confines of this small article; a deeper, more detailed Biblical examination will be required for another time.

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