God of the Fairy Tale: Finding Truth in the Land of Make-Believe

by Jim Ware

What Treasures Are Hidden in the Enchanted Woods?

More than just bedtime traditions, more than simple children’s literature, the most enduring stories are echoes of the greatest of all stories, the Gospel. God of the Fairy Tale is a collection of spiritual reflections on the truths found in classic fairy tales, truths that point us to the ultimate Truth about God, redemption, and ourselves.

Delving into twenty classic folk and fairy tales, God of the Fairy Tale leads us into the mystical landscape of elves, goblins, and talking animals to reveal the jewels of truth that hide inside these most simple of stories. Through the fables of Snow White, Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, and many others, we discover a perspective not unlike that of the Bible–a world of people trying to be something more, questing to do good in a realm fraught with evil, where a turn of the tables leaves the strong defeated and the weak victorious.

Each tale is presented along with a meditation on the spiritual and theological themes present. God of the Fairy Tale will warm your heart with a world of characters, creatures, and circumstances that spin an entertaining yarn and affirm the most essential Christian worldviews.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Fairy Tales

192 pages, Hardcover

First published October 21, 2003

About the author

Jim Ware is a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary and is now a writer living in Colorado Springs. He is the author of several books, including the best-selling Finding God in the Lord of the Rings (with Kurt Bruner), as well as numerous books for children.

Reviews

[Abby Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this as much as The Stories We Tell due to a couple chapters being theologically off point, and a few moments when he seems to almost equate Fairy Tales and the gospel, but other than that, I found this to be a wonderful read. I can see how it is helping me look at the world a bit differently, seeing the most hidden of things as the echo inside humanity of all that we lost, of being created in the image of God. It's been helpful in my writing as well to be reminded of old Fairytales. I enjoyed the structure of the book, how each chapter opens with a description of one of the scenes from a familiar story. The chapters are short and direct. and how can I not love something which discusses Eucatasrophe so well.

[Douglas Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes, I think that, as Christians, our theology gets in the way of understanding our world, and even God Himself.

We tend to think that the Bible gives us exhaustive knowledge of all there is to know, or at least all that we should know. But the world, and even God Himself, is mysterious and often manifests confusing and unexpected things. God is infinitely complex and incomprehensible, and has built into the world such wonderful inexplicability that we should expect to find it difficult understand or describe it.

Good fiction can help us understand more about the mysteries of our God and the world He for us to live in.

There are good and proper genres of literature too many Christians neglect or spurn altogether, including: fantasy, sci-fi, fairytales and anything having to do with magic. My contention is that if we can appreciate good fiction, we are more likely to understand more about God and our world. Fictional stories often have the ability to show us things that we often miss in everyday living, and help us to think deeper about things. They don’t have to be moralistic to help us to see morality in a new light. They don’t have to be in our world, or be “realistic,” or necessarily operate under the same rules of living that we expect every day to help us to see our world better and how to live in it.

Jim Ware has given us a good look at how many beloved stories are reflections of God’s truth, without being explicitly Christian. In fact, because they are not Christian per se we are forced to think about them more and relate them to the Christian worldview.

For those that love fiction (as I do), and for those who need to learn to love it, and for those who are suspicious about fiction (especially the typically questionable kinds in the minds of so many Christians) – I recommend this as a tutorial for how to read as a Christian. Your life will be richer for it!

[Courtney Kleefeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book goes through several well-known and not so well-known fairy tales, classic books, and folklore, chapter by chapter. I enjoyed reading the author's thoughts on them and his ties in to different things in the stories that reminded him of scriptures in the Bible. There were messages that he dug out of the stories. Even Peter Pan was mentioned in this book! This is a book for Christians who love folklore stories and are looking for a defense for them. Some Christians are against fairy tales after all. But they are inventions of truth. Tolkien and Lewis fans would enjoy this book also, for it mentions them a few times and talks about them in the prologue.

[T.E. Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

My take is this: No, you will not find a sort of allegorical tie to Christianity in Fantasy and Fairy Tales; however, you will find deep truths that make you realize the parallel between them and the truth of Scripture.

Some of the themes that you see repeated over and over in these kinds of stories are acts of great sacrifice, courage, and heroism, quests for a goal or something greater than oneself. Fairy tales, Folklore, and Fantasy are humankind’s attempt, whether conscious or not, to explain our deepest longings, fears, and origins. They mirror the themes of the Bible and reveal the truth of the gospel at a sort of gut level. Ultimately, you won’t find anything extremely earth shattering in this book, but it will make you think. It is a quick, fun read for Christians who love Fantasy, Folklore, and Fairy Tales.

[Mar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book examines individual classic fairy tales and devotes a short chapter to each story. The author uses the characters, plot and theme to show how people all over the world look for and enjoy the same types of stories--which can find true fulfillment in the Christian story of Redemption. I enjoyed the book, but am not sure everyone will buy into the author's Christian worldview. Also, readers need to be familiar with the original (ala Grimm's Fairytales) to catch the true darkness and despair of some tales. Having said that, the opening paragraphs summarise each story, so even if you're not familiar with all the tales Ware has chosen (I didn't know them all, but knew most), you can still appreciate his points. You could read the book in its entirety or just focus on the chapters/stories that interest you.

[Renée Parks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really appreciated this book! As a written work, it is beautifully written and invoked great food for thought. As a message it is a powerful! Some Christians believe that fairy tales, fantasy, and fiction are a waste of time. The author, Jim Ware, does an excellent job taking one tale at a time and dissecting it (in short concise chapters) for the biblical and moral truths that we can glean and teach our children. Jesus himself used parables (which was basically fictional stories) to teach a lesson. Why should we and our children not benefit from such an approach in learning? I am thankful for books like this that defend the fairy tale (and the like) and help others understand how it is indeed not a waste of time but can be a powerful tool of edification and inspiration!

[Kenneth Roman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed his thoughts and connections. He gave me ideas on how to encourage people to read fairy tales who feel they are bad. I did have a problem with Jim Ware skewing the fairy tales, like Snow White, to better fit his arguments. For that reason I have to give this book 3 stars and implore you to read the actual fairy tales before or after you read his conclusions and not just relay on his brief retelling.

[Emilyhp · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but I didn’t understand and/or agree with some of the portrayals of how the fairy tale related to God. But some were very good.

[Adriane Devries · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jim Ware’s God of the Fairy Tale is none other than a God who turns the world upside-down and inside-out through a looking glass of faith. The universal allure of fairy tales across all cultures and millennia speaks to a yearning for a hidden, but sure, realm of reality. Do we dare to believe that there is more than the human eye can see, that there truly is a hidden world of the spirit? Dive into these retellings of familiar stories and open your eyes to the goodness and promise we have all suspected and eagerly sought to recreate in our myths, legends and fantasy literature. Perhaps the stories are all true.

[Karen Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating little book that puts a Biblical view on Traditional Tales. This quote at the end of the book sums it up. "A world turned upside-down and inside-out--that is what so many of the fairy tales reveal in one way or another. And that is what Jesus offers to those who have eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to receive the vision."

[Adam Ross · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ware tries hard and makes some good points, but on the whole the book is just shy of good.

[Sarah]

This was interesting, but read more like a grad school thesis to me. I guess I was looking for more of a spiritual connection to this book than I got.