Writing edgy . . . for all the wrong reasons

by C.J. Darlington

Am I ashamed of the gospel?

A Conversation with Randy Elrod’s: Why Christians Are Creating More “Edgy” Art, and Jeff Goin’s, Are Christians Writing “Edgy” for the Wrong Reasons?

In the last couple of years I’ve noticed a trend in Christian fiction. More and more aspiring authors desire to write edgy fiction. And by edgy I mean pushing the envelope of what has generally been considered acceptable in novels regarding violence, sex, language, etc.
Now I’m all for writing real. I want my characters and situations to be true to life. I don’t want to write about saints. But somewhere there’s a line, and I admit, it’s a gray one. Personally, I think it comes down to motives. Why do we want to write edgy? Is it to shock? To do it because we can?
Don’t get me wrong. I know full well there are different books to reach different people. Someone who might not be inclined to pick up Beverly Lewis might love Ted Dekker. That’s the beauty of this ever increasing market. There’s so much great material! Twenty years ago this wasn’t the case. I’m very thankful to be writing Christian fiction in today’s world.

But in some Christian novels I’ve read recently I’m hard pressed to find anything (besides a lack of swearing) that sets them apart from their secular counterparts. And again, that may be exactly what the author and publisher want—to write clean fiction. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I sometimes wonder if the author shied away from the Christian aspects because he/she didn’t want to offend.

A couple years ago I noticed this in my own writing. I kept hearing I wasn’t supposed to preach in my fiction. The message needed to come organically from the story. Sounded great in principle, but I found myself (and this is just me) actually shying away ever so slightly from what I most wanted to include in my novels—good news. The gospel. Hope. God’s love.

I started evaluating my motives and realized I was indeed acting, in so many words, ashamed of the gospel. Something I never ever wanted to be ashamed of. I looked up the Scripture in Romans 1:16 ”I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.”

As I pondered it, something stuck out to me: the gospel is the power of God. And what is the gospel? The good news of Jesus! If I want to write a powerful novel, then I need to include the good news. If I want to reach people for the Lord, I need to share the good news.

Of course, the gospel comes in various forms, and I still don’t want to write preachy, but I also don’t want to be ashamed.

In my debut novel Thicker than Blood (January 2010, Tyndale House) there’s a strong evangelical message. In all my fiction my goal is to show that no one is ever too far gone for God to love. I’m now proud of that.
I’d like to encourage you today not to be ashamed of the gospel. It holds the power of God to transform lives.

Now let me just add here that I’m not saying clean, moral fiction (like one of my favorite authors James Scott Bell’s Ty Buchanan series) are not valuable. They are very much needed, and I love reading them too. Mainly I’m talking about motives here. You may be called to write moral fiction. We write different books to reach different people. I totally support that. Some won’t be ready for my novels, but they may receive from someone else.

 

Cool Edgy Hairstyles and Haircuts

Edgy hairstyles work beautifully on women with powerful personalities simply because the edgy look needs to be worn with confidence in order to look great. Find out how you can choose a cool edgy hairstyle for your hair length so you can look incredibly stylish.  

When it comes to hairstyles, people have different tastes and preferences, thing which doesn't come as a surprise since people differentiate themselves through a number of things like style, face shape, hair type, hair length, etc. Some people prefer to wear their hair regular without any impact, while others prefer to emphasize their unique style with cool edgy looking hairstyles.

Cool edgy hairstyles can be styled on different hair types and hair lengths. It is the cut which gives the hairstyle a cool edgy look, a look which suits perfectly with powerful personalities. Confidence is needed in order to be able to wear this type of hairstyles because they are meant to attract attention. These magnet like hairstyles have a certain attraction attached and it's no surprise why. The facial features are usually emphasized by the cool edgy hairstyles, so having the right face shape is necessary. You don't want to emphasize your flaws only your qualities, so choose the best cool edgy look for your facial features.

Because the edgy look is given by the cut, cool edgy hairstyles can be created on short, medium as well as long hairstyles. The sharper the cuts, the edgier the look, so choose the right edginess for your personality.

Short cool edgy hairstyles look amazing and suit perfectly women with oval face shapes and well defined jaws. When choosing a short hairstyle it is crucial to make sure your face shape can pull it off. The edginess of the style will emphasize your facial features and if the length does not suit you, you will not look good.

Women with very feminine facial features can use short edgy hairstyles to emphasize their gorgeousness. Short cuts with longer side swept bangs look great and are very popular among women.

Medium cool edgy hairstyles are a great option for women with facial features that don't match with shorter cuts. Round face shapes usually work great with mid-length hairstyles that fall under chin length, so medium cool edgy hairstyles can work beautifully. There are a variety of ways you can add an edgy look to your medium length hairstyle by cutting it asymmetrically or using sharp or blunt cuts. Bangs can be a great option for medium hairstyles and can offer versatility as well.

Long cool edgy hairstyles suit almost every face shape depending on the chosen cut. There are so many cutting techniques available to create different results. You can choose blunt cuts, asymmetrical cuts, even sharp cuts depending on the desired result. You can go for different levels of edginess, from edgy mullet hairstyles to more feminine and toned down blunt cut hairstyles.

Choose the right cool edgy hairstyle that matches your personality and style and you will look fabulous. Consult with your hairstylist if you cannot make a decision as there are so many hairstyle types available to choose from.