Radiant Writers Introduction: Our Mission

Radiant Writers: Resist, Reveal, Reflect

Introduction

Welcome to Radiant Writers, and thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to read this blog! My name is Alaina White, and my co-writer, Jillian (Billie) Thompson, and I have a mission to help equip writers, specifically young adults and teens. In a competitive world full of literature, it can become easy to lose sight of our mission as Christians: to shine God’s light through our writing. Whether you write fantasy, Christian living, mystery, biography, or anything in between, we want to help you use your writing for the kingdom (whether that is through explicitly Christian themes or simply wholesome literature).

To start, I want to introduce our mission statement: Resisting culture, revealing truth, and reflecting Christ. Here is what we mean by each of these statements:

Resist, Reveal, Reflect

Resisting Culture

We live in a world with access to billions of books, ebooks, audiobooks, and other media forms, making this one of the most competitive times for authors in every genre. Because of this, many Christians are getting turned away for more “relevant” authors, ones who are willing to compromise. However, despite this, we need to stand strong on the things that matter. 

This blog is geared toward those writers who are committed to not compromising and who have a mission to honor God through their writing. Here is our statement on this first R:

I will write only words that are pure and acceptable in my Savior’s sight. I will refrain from cursing, sexual content, gory violence, and positive portrayals of sin in my writing. I will instead seek to write words that edify, tasteful action, handle sexual temptation and romance with care, and combat lies and sin in my writing.

“For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: 9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) 10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.”

Ephesians 5:8-11

In a nutshell, we as Christians are called to be different, to be in the world and not of it, and we believe our writing should be the same! We should speak and write the truth in love to our fellow man..

Revealing Truth

Similar to the above claim, we as Christians are to speak the truth in love to everyone. Because of that, I believe that one mission of our writing should be to teach our readers truth lovingly. This will look different with diverse genres, and each writer has a unique calling for their writing, but particularly for fiction writers, it becomes a challenge to do that. Whether it’s through the confession of a character in a contemporary, uncontested facts in a scientific article, or simply wholesome morals in a story for those whose mission is to reach a larger audience with clean fiction, we should always hold to the truth.

Holding to that in this statement, here is our pact for this second R:

I will use only my own words as my own and give proper credit where credit is due. I will mislead no one through the written or spoken word, particularly in regards to writing. I will check my facts thoroughly and strive for excellence in everything that I do and will write only what is acceptable to my Savior as true.

6 Hear; for I will speak of excellent things;

And the opening of my lips shall be right things.

7 For my mouth shall speak truth;

And wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

8 All the words of my mouth are in righteousness;

There is nothing froward or perverse in them.

Psalm 8:6-8

We should speak the truth in love because we are to be imitators of Christ!

Reflecting Christ

Finally, we are to reflect Christ to a lost and dying world. As Christians, we are called to proclaim the gospel to the ends of the earth. While not everyone will proclaim the gospel through what they write, it should be apparent to culture that we are different. In the workplace, in your writing, with your family, with your friends, with everyone—we are called to shine. No matter what genre, strive to imitate Christ and glorify Him in all you do.

In holding to this, we have this statement for our third and final R:

I will always strive to glorify God in all my actions. Whoever I am with, wherever I am at, and no matter what I’m thinking or feeling, I strive to behave in a way that is different and proclaims Christ. I will make it my mission to preach the gospel to the ends of the earth through my words and actions. I will strive to remember that my writing is for God, and will write as such.

15 …ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; 16 Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

Philippians 2:15-16 

Closing

In closing, I want to clarify that no one can uphold these perfectly, but we want to encourage you to strive after these things in your writing. We will be here to equip you as you write for God’s glory, and hope to walk aside you as friends and teachers alike. We don’t know nearly as much as we wish we did, and we are simply two girls sharing what we’ve learned by trial and error as we have written.

With that, go out and live as the children of God you are. Be radiant!

Writing for His Glory,

~Alaina

“Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.”

Psalm 34:5 ESV