When I first read “Black” by Ted Dekker, I had no idea what to expect. Nothing could prepare me for the sheer force of Dekker’s imagination. A wild fusion of ‘The Matrix’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’. Dekker spends four volumes telling the story of Thomas Hunter and how he experiences life in another dimension, which fans have unceremoniously dubbed, ‘Other Earth’. (And that’s why Dekker is the one doing the writing) But it wasn’t just the thrilling fight scenes or the fairly complex plot that really drew me in. It was the way that Dekker told the gospel.
Diving Deep
One of the themes that stuck with me the most was the personal way that Dekker wrote about God. When Thomas enters Other Earth, inhabitants are afflicted with a terrible skin disease that affects both mind and body. In order to cleanse themselves of this terrible malady, characters must dive into healing waters. It isn’t enough to just sprinkle yourself, if you’ve been infected with the disease, then you must literally dive. The water must completely envelop you, inside and out.
In one poignant scene, Thomas Hunter personally encounters God. Diving deep within the waters, Thomas experiences the love, joy and awe of God’s presence. The first time this happens takes place close to the end of the first book. When I read it for the first time it was impactful. For someone who has grown up with the belief in God, sometimes I can lose sight of what God is really like. I often forget that God is not simply ‘up there’, I forget that God is a Person. God displays emotions ranging from love, joy, anger, and sadness. Perhaps it was the Church’s longtime obsession with monasticism that has clouded the fact that we were created in the image of God and that is why we experience emotion.
Impossible Redemption
In this landscape, Dekker re-tells the story of man’s fall from grace. Thomas Hunter witnesses for himself the joy and peace of a perfect world and then experiences the desolation that comes when sin destroys paradise. The inhabitants who have given into sin experience a painful skin disease that covers every inch of their bodies, and also clouds their minds. They eventually band together to form ‘The Horde’. The Horde are vicious, ruthless and amoral. All they would have to do is to dive deep into the healing waters. They would be cleansed in body and mind. Free of the pain, free to experience love and joy. Yet this is the nature of their disease, it corrupts the mind so much that none of the infected can even understand what such a life would be like. In their mind, they are living in freedom.
Yet forgiveness is open to all. The most poignant story of redemption is with the character of Chelise, a Horde princess. In a clear allusion to the story of Hosea, Thomas falls in love with Chelise. It ends up being a beautiful picture of how God loves us and pursues us, even though in our sins we are disgusting and filthy.
The Great Romance
The entire crux of ‘The Circle’ series revolves around a concept called ‘the Great Romance’. Thomas encounters this when he sees the perfect, Eden-like world. He is taught that the Creator loves and cherishes His creation, and that everything good in this world is a reflection of His love. Just like the depth of passion a couple feel for each other. Everything from music, to poetry, to romance is all viewed as more than just a pastime, but an expression of the soul itself. Honestly, it’s hard to explain if you haven’t read the books. Despite all of the theology and church history I knew, the idea of the Great Romance absolutely blew my mind. The very idea of the Christian life being so much more than following a list of rules but instead being in a loving relationship with the Creator. A relationship that makes the greatest songs written, the most beautiful poetry, the most passionate of relationships pale in comparison. For me, this is a freeing concept.
Imagination and Faith
I haven’t even gotten into the monstrous Shatakai, the angelic Roush, or the wild thrill ride as Thomas Hunter tries to save the world from a mysterious virus called the Raison Strain. Dekker masterfully creates a world where actions in one dimension directly affect the other, often in unexpected ways. Or how Dekker brilliantly creates his own multiverse extending to other novels like “Immanuel’s Veins” and “The Paradise Trilogy”. There’s a lot I’ve skipped over. What Dekker created in “The Circle” is a masterpiece every bit as good as “Lord of the Rings” or “Narnia”.
I must admit that often I’m turned off by ‘Christian fiction’. I hate to say it, but sometimes there are authors who try entirely too hard to sanitize their stories. Either that or the author is afraid to unleash their creativity. It’s like we have this idea that if we use too much imagination we aren’t writing a ‘Christian’ story.
Dekker managed to accomplish something quite rare. He is unapologetically Christian, his faith is very clear through his writing. Yet I never felt like I was reading a ‘Christian’ story. ‘The Circle’ is genuinely thrilling and compelling. A masterpiece of both faith and imagination. Dekker wrote the best kind of novels, the sort that will change your thinking, and maybe even your life.
