Bent Creations
-An exclusive excerpt from Allen’s new book-
As we create with God, our goal isn’t to force a heavy-handed message on others. That’s indoctrination—not creativity.
Indoctrination is agenda-driven propaganda that purposely bends creativity, story, music, entertainment, social media, and “news” to manipulate children and adults alike. These efforts to deconstruct God’s reality have infiltrated our lives in so many ways we hardly notice the manipulation. The goal isn’t to open minds but to control and corrupt them. As my friend Nancy noted, “If we can create our own terms for reality, then we can create our own terms for morality.”
God, however, always creates in freedom. Consider creation. He didn’t make things to teach a lesson but to bring into being order, life, and beauty. He created everything in trueness and pronounced it all good. This is what a mountain means. Here is what an ocean is. That, my friend, is an elephant. There were no Bible verses carved in redwood trees or on the sides of elephants.
Create in a way that reflects God's view of reality rather than warping it with indoctrination or formula. God created in freedom—not formula. We’re invited to do the same with him. When we do, we reflect reality in trueness!
Jesus never forced anyone to follow him. He invited, taught, and told parables. His desire was for all to choose his way. Yet he knew not everyone had eyes to see or ears to hear. His batting average was far from 100 percent. His posture reflects someone focused on setting others free while never coercing anyone to say or do anything against their will.
Your creativity can take a million different forms. But if we follow the Creator’s lead, we will create it true because he is true. There is great freedom in pursuing your creativity in this manner, because it shifts the focus from indoctrination to imagination. You can then offer it to the hungry, knowing it isn’t going to be desired by some.
How do we do this for a diverse population without shying away from who we are or our faith? Good question. We’ll explore that in the next reading.
(From The Creativity Glitch: How to Stop Being Stuck, Find Your Groove, & Create with God.Copyright © 2026 Allen Arnold.)
This reading was crafted to encourage your pursuit of story and creativity with God. Your donation makes this crowd-funded initiative possible. You can support it via PAYPAL (or by check to Allen Arnold at PO Box 62841, Colorado Springs, CO 80962).
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