With an interest in writing, I enjoy creating fictional and non-fictional pieces. My part-time job (when my son sleeps) is to write news and feature stories. You can sometimes be creative with those but not too often. So, here’s my attempt to join a weekly fiction writing group online. The short story below is fiction (names are made up) and is based on a prompt from Anonymom. We’ll see how it goes…
I can’t believe Jack asked me what ’sinning’ meant, within earshot of our pastor! What if Pastor Bill thinks we haven’t been teaching our 5 year old about those ungodly behaviors that we all strive to stay away from. You know, the BIG and UGLY sins. Divorce, adultery, murder, stealing, the list could go on. Oh, and wait, there are smaller sins that are kept deep inside that no one knows about. Or at least we don’t think anyone knows about. How do I explain this to a child? And in front of our pastor? That’s it – why don’t I ask Pastor Bill to explain it for me? He is in charge of the church, therefore, he is responsible for the spiritual upbringing of the church members! What a perfect idea! If he says something wrong or confusing, at least I can’t be blamed. Besides, this is the reason we go to church, right? So I can spend less time explaining hard topics and more time teaching Jack how to draw. “Well, Jack,” I said. “I think Pastor Bill can tell you what it means much better than I can. Let’s go talk to him instead.”
Disclaimer: This fictional story is based on an epidemic I have seen in some churches – the idea that church leaders and pastors are fully responsible to train and teach spiritual matters and disciplines to children and teenagers. The responsibility belongs to the parents, who are a child’s first teachers.
