Well, I closed out my summer by reading a very long, very popular book.
Yes, I’m talking about Fourth Wing.
Fourth Wing is a BookTok sensation. I only know this secondhand because I deleted TikTok after having it on my phone for a couple of weeks. #forgotitwasthere
Fourth Wing gained popularity among fantasy enthusiasts, especially dragon lovers. It’s a mashup of Harry Potter, Divergent, and The Hunger Games but written for an adult audience. (Check out my review if you want to see how Fourth Wing overlaps with these mega-bestsellers.)
Fourth Wing is entertaining in many respects—very readable, well-paced, likable characters—and Rebecca Soler’s spunky audio narration is spot-on.
But the book is explicit. Foul language, violence, and detailed sex scenes. These, I’ll admit, aren’t my thing. I live in cuss-free homeschool mommyland. When I’m not hanging out at the playground with other mountain mamas, I’m at church. I couldn’t watch The Terminal List or The Man in the High Castle because they were too graphic for me. I blush easily and have been known to clutch my pearls. I say this to give you some perspective on where I’m coming from. You may have a much higher tolerance for this kind of content than I do.
Fourth Wing is the sort of book that I normally quit.
But the hype.
I was too curious not to finish, and, as I mentioned, the book is incredibly easy to read. What with the super-simple writing and entertaining action, it’s a “zero-resistance” book, meaning it goes down smooth and easy with very little required of the reader.
I get why it’s so popular!
But when I was done, I was GLAD.
So, what do we do with books like Fourth Wing?
What do we do with books that contain an overabundance of explicit content?
Do we avoid them? Self-censor the R-rated parts? Read them cover to cover, because what’s the big deal?
Here is my somewhat messy answer to the question is it okay to read explicit books?
Reading in the gutter
Should we avoid books that contain R-rated content?
If we did, then we’d have to avoid scripture. And Shakespeare. And a huge number of worthy classics and edifying memoirs.
But books like Fourth Wing are completely different.
How?
First of all, no book can equal the word of God. It’s in a class by itself, so I’m removing it from this discussion. But what about all the great books that people have read and loved that DO contain what you could term “garbage”?
Well, by and large, these great books don’t revel in the R-rated stuff. It’s there to serve a specific purpose. It’s not there to achieve the R rating that signals “this book is for an adult audience.” They don’t draw out sex scenes so they fill whole chapters. They don’t overuse foul language at the expense of solid words that mean something real.
Most of all—please don’t skip this part—the “garbage” is there to show us how bad evil is. The sharp contrast between the evil and the good has a purifying effect on the reader. It doesn’t lead the reader to a gray place of confusion. Instead, it shows the reader a complex picture of true things, a mix of good and bad, coexisting in a fallen world that wasn’t created to be this way. It’s not an easy picture that we can understand at a glance. It’s hard to grasp, but when we reach out and try, our fingers brush against something clear and pure.
Alright, let’s bring this conversation back to earth.
Using the Escapist Test to decide if it’s okay to read explicit books
We want to read books that are worth our time. For the most part, we steer clear of escapist books that don’t offer anything good in return for the time we invest in them. Hyped-up books like Fourth Wing have a reputation for being escapist time-sucks. Is this always true of BookTok titles and celeb book club picks?
How do we know if a book is escapist? We apply the Escapist Test.
Professor Leland Ryken coined the test in his book Realms of Gold, and here it is:
“Does reading such literature unfit a reader for dealing with everyday reality, or does it send a reader back to life with renewed understanding and zest?”
I’d say that Fourth Wing (mostly) does NOT pass the escapist test.
Yes, there are wonderful themes of resilience, persistence, loyalty, and independent thinking.
But, the overabundance of explicit material was 1.) a huge component of the book and 2.) more sensational than meaningful. So, all the cussing, sex, and violence could’ve been completely omitted or toned down without affecting the book’s meaning, which isn’t exactly deep. It provides shock-‘n’-awe at best and fans the flame of lust at worst.
Downloading foul language, unrealistic sex scenes, and scary images into my mind doesn’t outfit me with the tools I need for life. Again, I highlight the cussing, the sex, and the violence because these are on every page, not just little sprinkles here and there.
We’re all adults here—what’s the big whoop?
Recently, I read a little blurb—for the life of me, I can’t find the exact quote—but it went something like this: “We are adults, so it’s okay to read adult content. This is so obvious. How could anyone question it?”
Hm.
Is it FINE to read explicit material? Am I being a PRUDE?
Maybe. But I like to employ another simple, one-question test here. It’s called The Golden Rule Test. (Not coined by me.) Goes like this:
“Would I be happy if my spouse read similar material? Would I encourage it?”
Explicit books don’t pass The Golden Rule Test.
And they most certainly don’t pass the Philippians 4:8 test.
Using scripture to decide if it’s okay to read explicit books
Let’s use God’s word to shed light on this dilemma, shall we?
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
–Philippians 4:8
Is this scripture saying that we should be like 🙈 🙉 🙊 and live in a bubble?
No. We don’t want to sanitize our reading material of all truth. In order to portray the virtues listed in this scripture, it’s impactful to show the opposite so we can more clearly see the contrast.
We want to read books where goodness shines like a light in the darkness.
Let’s keep going…
“Guard your heart with all vigilance, for from it are the sources of life.
Remove perverse speech from your mouth; keep devious talk far from your lips.
Let your eyes look directly in front of you and let your gaze look straight before you.
Make the path for your feet level, so that all your ways may be established.
Do not turn to the right or to the left; turn yourself away from evil.”
–Proverbs 4:22-27
Jesus wants us to be women who turn our hearts, lips, eyes, and feet away from evil. If a book helps us to do this by showing us the face of evil, then fine. But if a book offers up evil for us to consume it, then…well, we’ve been warned.
So, does that mean it’s okay to read explicit books as long as they’re condemning evil and upholding good?
Let’s look at a few more bits of advice.
“…give no opportunity to the devil…And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God…”
Ephesians 4:27, 30
I don’t want to read books that open the door for the devil to step inside my heart. I don’t want to give the Holy Ghost grief. That’s a recipe for inner turmoil, not rest and growth.
This is good counsel from scripture, and I want to follow it when I’m deciding what to read next.
Why am I sharing my long-winded opinion with you?
Because when it comes to reading, we make mistakes from time to time. We choose a book that exposes our mind to trash. The book may have some redeeming qualities, but overall, we know that it wasn’t the best choice.
And I’m saying: Making mistakes is part of being human.
These mistakes give us information about the kind of books that work and those that don’t.
We can’t be so afraid of reading the wrong sort of thing that we don’t read anything outside our bubble.
But when we realize we’re reading something unworthy of our time, let’s be quick to follow God’s prompting, aiming for sanctification, not sanitization.
So, now tell me.
What did I say that rubbed you the wrong way?
What have I not considered?
Have I been too harsh?
Not harsh enough?
Let me know your thoughts.
Appreciate this!! And totally agree. 💯 Using the living Word of God to come to a decision about something we’re unsure about is wise. Proverbs 4:23: “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”
Appreciate you tackling this topic!
Thank you, Jessica!
This is something I’ve thought a lot about in all forms of media and I agree with you. I also think that people don’t realize how much this stuff actually affects them.
I agree with you Caitlyn that it applies to all media. I was just talking to my husband about how we become more and more desensitized as time goes on.
Michelle, thanks for such a thoughtful treatment of a real problem that I wrestle with continually!
One conclusion I’ve come to is that the beliefs of the author matter.
Another thing I look for is how immorality is treated in the book. Certainly there are immoral people in the world who use bad language. To scrub them totally from our novels would be an unrealistic picture of human nature. (Not to say that creating a fantasy world without them is all bad, either. Sometimes we read to take a needed break from reality.) But, in the midst of characters like that, are there redemptive elements? Does the book include righteous people, good role models or heroes who are out to fight evil and redeem victims? Or is the immorality celebrated and normalized?
These are the questions I ask. I find it’s no easy feat and certainly not black and white.
A book that comes to mind is John Grisham’s A Time for Mercy. The novel outlines quite a bit of human depravity. However, the main character, Jake Brigance, is a family man with a strong moral compass. He’s a lawyer who fights for underdogs. Not all of John Grisham’s books follow this formula and it was nice to find a recently published book that did.
My experience has been that it’s easier to find novels portraying traditional values if the book was published more than 50 years ago.
When I find a well-written novel like that I add it to my list of Commendable Lit.
Since reading a book is an investment of time, I’m so grateful for the book reviews on this blog that can steer me to books that I won’t regret reading!
I was going to say this too! When in doubt, pick an old book. 😂
Thank you for your well-thought-out response Beth!! I love your idea of commendable lit. I agree that I’m more likely to enjoy books written in the past. I also connect with your idea that it’s MORE about what the book is praising or lifting up? What is it condemning or putting down? That is often where I find the sticking points that help me discern.
This is great. Thank you Michelle. I tend to think (and be guilt of) not taking sin very seriously. I wonder if we are generally not harsh enough against sin in our lives. There is freedom in Christ (praise God!) but we need to throw off the sin that so easily entangles us, not accept it into our lives. Honestly, I return to the WWJD mantra. As cheesy as it can be made to seem, it’s a good measuring stick! Would I be confortable if I were sitting next to Jesus who knew what I was reading? Would He read this?
Thanks for this article!
Sara, I can’t agree more. God doesn’t look upon sin with the least degree of allowance, and neither should I. When a book offers me sin like it’s something good to consume, I should give it a firm “No thanks.” But thankfully there’s grace and forgiveness when I don’t make a great choice. Thanks so much for sharing!!!
I came across this article after googling “Christian authors”. I’m an avid reader, always have been, but I was baptized on May 21, 2023 along with my husband and noticed shortly afterwards that some authors or books that I had been fine reading before, I no longer was. The first book was Too Late by Colleen Hoover. I just didn’t like the sexual immorality and set up of the main relationship. The second one was Fourth Wing! I got about 40 pages in and I couldn’t go on, the amount of swearing and sexuality in it was irritating me. I really feel that it was the Holy Spirit telling me no don’t continue reading this garbage. I’m not a prude by any means! But I’ve been trying to apply Philippians 4:8 to everything in my life, including TV and news. I used to watch Real Housewives all the time and I had to pray to God many times for him to take this feeling away from me that I want to keep watching it and he finally did! I don’t even care anymore to watch it. It’s very interesting to me this new life, and how we have to really consider everything we consume and do, and think, and hold it up to Jesus. Thank you for this website Michelle! I’m looking forward to clicking around and reading the other posts in the coming months.
Natalie, I rejoice with you in your baptism and your husband’s baptism! You are experiencing the sanctification of the Holy Spirit! It’s changing how you think and feel and consequently how you act. It is bringing more peace and contentment into your life. It is setting you apart from who you were before and making you new. That is a beautiful, amazing thing. Reading your comment drives home the true miracle of the Holy Spirit working in these seemingly small, ordinary ways—sadly, I sometimes lose sight of how all-important this is! Where would we be without it? I love all the examples that you gave of how God is reshaping your taste and desires so that you want what HE wants. Thank you for sharing!
So my wife has all the books of this series and others like Outlander, etc. I had no idea these books were so explicitly sexual. The sex scenes are every bit pornographic as visual pornography. I committed my life to Christ 7 years ago and at that time started attending a Jesus centered Bible church. My wife did not. But last July she started reading AND studying scripture with me. A couple of months ago she started attending church with me. I’m excited about the path she is on. But these books. The fantasy genre has always been part of her collection—replacing crime novels lately. I asked her what this series was about and she said dragons and good versus evil. All of her books are audiobooks—we share the same audible account. I decided to give it a try. Oh my! The violence and language I can overlook. The explicit sex though. If you consider all the chapters the sex accounts for maybe 5% of the chapters—but wow! I know men and women are wired differently. As a man, I confess I wanted to go get my wife and take her to bed at that moment. Since she was unavailable, the urge to go to the bathroom or bedroom alone to relieve myself was real. I fought that off and did not. But I wonder if women have a similar reaction. I don’t think my wife does because she will have the book playing while at work (remotely from home office) and I’ve been near the office when the sex scenes are playing and she continues clicking away on her keyboard—working. It’s almost like Weather Channel background noise for her. But I worry that the overexposure of explicit sex numbs people to the real thing. We have a wonderful marriage with a fantastic sex life. But the thought crosses my mind that I may not measure up to Xaden—things in the bedroom don’t explode when we make love—going on 25 years together.
Hi Michelle, thank you for this post. I have been struggling spiritually with the Fourth Wing Series as a Christian. I’ve read all three books of the series and really enjoyed them, but I felt convicted reading them after I read the second book— Iron flame. The series indeed has a lot of cussing and sex scenes that have me feeling convicted as a believer in Christ, but I still found myself reading it and enjoying it. I find myself in the position of this verse— “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” After I read the second book, Iron Flame, I was convicted and decided I did not want to read the book that came out after called Onyx Storm, but unfortunately, as soon as it came out I caved and read it. I know as a Christian I shouldn’t be reading this series, but I find it hard to actually do it. Now I’m scared when the fourth book of the series will come out I will cave in again and read it, but I know I shouldn’t. Please pray for me.