Fanboys and Fangirls

I used to be obsessed with Middle-Earth. As a fantasy writer, I wanted to create an entire world, and when I learned that Tolkien already did that – not just the world you see in The Lord of the Rings, but a whole mythos as well – I was fascinated. I still am fascinated today, but I’m no longer set on learning Sindarin. Don’t know what Sindarin is? I’ll tell you: it’s the mark of someone who knows a LOT about Tolkien. Elen sila lumenn omentielvo. I was a fan.

Did you know that “fan” is short for “fanatic”?

“A fanatic is one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject.” – Winston Churchill

The dictionary on my tablet even has an entry for the word “fanboyism”: “blind, aggressive devotion.” Ouch. Not a label I would want. Why is this even a word? In this ‘enlightened age’ (*snark*) does “blind, aggressive devotion” have a place? The very fact that such a word exists is proof: obsession reigns in American society today. This is evident not only in the fandoms but in the “hatedoms” as well. You gotta love it or you gotta hate it; there’s no such thing as mere indifference. There are some diversions that have a polarized group of people who know about it, like Justin Bieber: there are people who are obsessed with him and people whose existence seems to revolve around bashing him (at least, it seems so if the topic comes up). Same for Twilight and the books that follow.

Why is obsession such a thing?

We’re looking to fill our empty lives.

When you set up Christ as the lord of your life, dying to your sinful desires and pursuing his will, he fulfills the deepest desires of your heart. Everything else in life is put in its proper place as secondary. Education, career, gaming, comics, Tolkien – what relevance do they hold to a follower of Christ? Only as much as they help further the kingdom of God and bring him glory.

After I started following Christ, fantasy stories went into their proper context. I no longer write as mere escapism, but as participation in what Tolkien termed ‘sub-creation’. I am made in the image of God, who is the Creator; activities that reflect his image bring him glory, so I write with that in mind.

You may recall the Lewis quote from my post on balanced faith. “All extremes, except extreme devotion to the Enemy, are to be encouraged,” writes Screwtape in his letter to a junior tempter. We are created to worship God with our whole being, and to dwell on whatever is pure, lovely, and admirable. When we reject his sovereignty in our lives, it leaves a big hole in our hearts that we strive to fill.

Let’s turn away fanboyism with an indifferent hand and devote our whole selves to God.