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@irishcelticredflowercrown I have a few opinions on this!

So, I think I should start this off by saying that in general, people often seem to use the term “morally gray character” to refer to a likeable character with bad morals.  You could have two characters – say, an assassin or master thief – and depending on the way they are written, they could either seem like a villain or a roguish anti-hero.  People will say that the villain is a villain, but the anti-hero is morally grey.  However, both characters are doing something wrong, and their personality doesn’t change the fact that they’re sinning.  I think that one of the major pitfalls of this character type is that people (even Christians) are willing to overlook a lot of sin from a character they really like and feel attached too, and so in my opinion it’s extra important to make sure that your portrayal of them is crystal clear on the fact that what they’re doing is wrong.

That being said, I think it’s great that Christian writers are open to exploring this character type!  I think that there’s so much thematic potential here tbh – being able to recognize both the good and the bad in people, the recognition of really, really difficult situations that would cause people to compromise their morals, the acknowledgement that sometimes bad people can be incredibly likeable and charming, etc. etc.

I think that one of the best ways that we can avoid glorifying sin in our writing is to clearly portray the consequences of their actions.  This applies to any character, but I think it’s especially important with morally gray characters, since they tend to be seen as “cool.”  I think it’s also important to let this be a natural consequence instead of just punishment from the author XD

For example, a lot of characters’ sins and mistakes culminated in Kit being ostracized, and even after this event, these sins continued to have an effect.  Cecil never would have shared such a personal secret if he weren’t drunk, and Kit’s petty motives and cockiness while interacting with Alastor certainly caused some resentment, which very well might have been a factor in Alastor’s decision to out Kit and socially isolate him.  I wouldn’t be surprised if Cecil was later tempted to drown his guilt and shame over betraying Kit’s trust in even more booze, and even Alastor himself was plagued by guilt and fear after seeing how cruelly Kit was treated, because he realized that the exact same thing could one day happen to him if someone shared a “shameful” secret of his own (I say “shameful” because Kit knows that his shame has been taken away by his Savior, while Alastor is probably an unbeliever and has not experienced that redemption.)  I think Alastor also knows that because he gained social power through gossip and drama, he’s opened up opportunities for other people to use these same tactics against him – he’s essentially afraid of being pitted against someone like himself.

One thing that is kind of concerning to me about this trend, though, is that I think that some moral issues have become kind of…sanitized?  I think it shouldn’t come as a surprise when the world supports praises worldly characters, but I’m kind of concerned by the lack of concern even some Christians have with this specific character type.  Like IDK about you, but whenever someone says “morally gray character” I automatically think of a “cool” assassin, thief, or smuggler.  And this character archetype, in my mind, is automatically “cool” because morally gray characters tend to be portrayed as cool and charismatic?  And from what I’ve seen, this specific character tends to pop up a lot even in Christian fantasy.  But when you really think about it, it makes absolutely no sense.  How come it’s ok to write a cool assassin, but not a cool drug dealer?  We understand that the drug dealer is in sin, and we don’t want to glorify that, but for some reason I just feel like there’s kind of this mental disconnect from the reality of what this cool assassin/rogue character type truly is, and I honestly feel like people are using it a little bit too flippantly (this is stuff I’ve done too, btw.)  Also, none of this is meant to be any kind of dig at Lorcan  – it’s just something that I’ve noticed in Christian writing circles that I wish people would stop and consider.  I think that portraying any sinful lifestyle as “cool” is just a really bad idea in general, and has the potential to be a massive stumbling block for a lot of readers.  Most people might not be tempted to become assassins, but portraying the lifestyle associated with it as cool or glamorous (without properly portraying the absolute emptiness and darkness associated with it) is disrespectful to the inherent value of their victim’s lives, and could cause the reader to start valuing their lives less.  It’s a slippery slope imo.

I also think that convictions play a really important role here.  For example, right now I have no issue writing about a character like Kit – a believer who happens to struggle with same-sex attraction.  However, right now I know I’m not spiritually mature enough to write about a character who’s actively pursuing same-sex relationships, and tbh I don’t know if I ever will be.  Likewise, I personally would not write about a character who is engaging in witchcraft, (although I think that’s starting to become an important area to explore through a Christian lens because the occult is really starting to become a lot more popular.)  God might have plans for other Christian to do so, but as of now I feel very certain that these are not areas I need to be exploring.

One area in which my convictions really differ from a lot of Christian writers is that I don’t really write about violence.  I can maybe think of three potential instances of violence, and those were all instigated by an antagonist.  Personally, I’ve found that thinking about and plotting scenes involving violence and fighting made me feel farther away from God – even something as “minor” as a fistfight felt unhealthy to dwell on.  I feel like for some reason, God doesn’t want me writing about these things, so I’m obeying that conviction and avoiding those scenes.  Back when I was really lukewarm, I had a lot of violent/fighting scenes in my writing, but as I started growing closer to God and making an effort to intentionally pursue Him and involve Him in my writing, the amount of violence significantly decreased.  Obviously, I’m far from perfect, but I do see the changes in my writing as evidence of my spiritual growth and sanctification.  This isn’t to say that it’s wrong for Christians to write about violence!  This is just a personal conviction that God has put on my heart, but I do think it’s a good reminder to check your heart and your motives.  What is the purpose of the morally gray/touchy things you’re including?  Honestly, as I look back on my heart and maturity throughout my time as a writer (even just this year,) there’s been so many times when my motives were immature or flat out bad, and I’m so thankful to God for correcting me and even using the writing that came out of those impure motives for far better purposes.  Throughout this year, I’ve made a really intentional choice of asking God to shape and change my writing as He sees fit, and to show me how I can use it to better glorify Him.  It’s something that I believe has led to really, really rapid growth and maturing both in my writing and in my personal walk with Christ, and I would encourage you to do it as well!

And at the end of the day, I think it really all boils down to this question: who and what does this character glorify?  Is God glorified by this character and by their arc, or does their story just magnify darkness?  Because I think you can have a dark or morally gray character who ultimately glorifies God – either by their redemption through grace, or through justice and the portrayal of good conquering evil.  I’d steer away from depicting anything that only serves to magnify the darkness (one reason why I’m wary of Christian horror.)  And absolutely ask Him how you can glorify Him with your characters and story!

This is a really interesting topic, and I’m curious to hear your thoughts!