Is Christian fiction relevant?
Is there such a thing as well-written Christian fiction?
Does it have value?
I’ve been reading comments on a Christian writers’ forum wrestling with such questions. In response, here are my thoughts on some advantages and disadvantages of Christian fiction.
(FYI: I am planning an upcoming post discussing what makes a novel “Christian.” Stay tuned.)
Advantages of Christian fiction
- No profanity, graphic sex or gratuitous violence
- The author writes from a Christian worldview. This does not mean all characters share that view, but it still the underlying paradigm.
- The reader can expect that Christian values will be upheld rather than attacked.
- The author is free to discuss Christian concepts overtly and unapologetically. This can result in scenes that truly challenge or inspire a reader’s faith.
- Stories involve characters who model living out their faith in the world.
Disadvantages of Christian fiction
- Some topics are too edgy for the Christian market. An author must either tone down their story or publish it elsewhere.
- Books have limited reach to buyers outside the Christian market, ie non-Christians have little interest in products labeled Christian.
- Christian fiction is accused of being too predictable, sanitized, unrealistic or shallow. The perception is that Christian publishers only want to publish the squeaky-clean, escapist pabulum their readers like to buy.
- Too many books seem to be merely the “Christian version” of popular secular authors. (Of course, the secular book market is full of J. K. Rowling and Stephenie Meyer wannabes too.)
- Like it or not, the mainstream Christian publishers aim at women. Few titles appeal to men.
Advantages of mainstream fiction
- Authors are not confined by the restrictions of Christian publishers.
- A wider base of potential customers.
- A much larger pool of authors, genres and subject matter, which results in a larger variety and more books that attain excellence.
- There is more opportunity to find a publisher for a ground-breaking book.
- The market is not aimed primarily at women (although even in the secular market women purchase more books than men.)
Disadvantages of mainstream fiction
- May contain profanity, or graphic sex, or excessive violence.
- May contain philosophies that are subtly or blatantly anti-Christian.
- An author with overtly Christian subject matter will have a difficult time getting published.
- Main characters may not model any Christian virtues, and may make pivotal decisions that go against Christian teachings in order to achieve their goals.
- Evil may triumph over good.
- A good, clean story with a happy ending doesn’t have much market share.
The bottom line
In a world filled with depression, violence and callous abuse, readers need books that speak truth. Sometimes our life is depressing enough and we need an uplifting book that will encourage our faith. Sometimes we need a book that grapples with the same faith struggles we are going through. But we also need well-written stories that take a realistic look at modern life in all its messiness, and sometimes those seem difficult to find in the Christian market.
Granted, the mainstream market offers plenty of shallow, cliched and formulaic books, too. But there are also many fine books worth reading, both because of their literary merit, and because of the issues they explore. Whether we agree with the author’s philosophy or not. Whether we approve with all the main character’s choices or not. Sure, we may discover that a book has more objectionable content than we can handle, but we may also find a real gem. And you can’t find gems without getting your hands dirty, can you?
Do you agree with my assessment?
What other advantages or disadvantages can you think of?
What Christian authors write with excellence and grapple with relevant issues?
Please leave a comment with your feedback. And share this post with other readers who could add to the discussion on this topic.
For more thoughts on the pros and cons of Christian fiction, read the following:
A Christian-Shaped Hole in Literary Fiction
Tawn O'Connor says
Christian fiction can absolutely be done with excellence! Marilynne Robinson won the Pulitzer Prize in 2005 with GILEAD, a purely Christian novel. Leif Enger’s PEACE LIKE A RIVER is unique and beautifully written (and was a bestseller). Daniel DeFoe’s ROBINSON CRUSOE has the most authentic conversion scene I’ve ever read. Robinson’s and Enger’s books weren’t mentioned in the “Christian-Shaped Hole in Literary Fiction” post, so I highly recommend reading them!
Lisa says
Thanks for the great input. I enjoyed Peace Like a River. I’ll have to check out Gilead. Besides that, I don’t think writing has to be “literary” to be worthy of praise. Most of us read to escape, at least sometimes, so we need truth-filled stories written to entertain as well.
Tawn O'Connor says
Agreed! Jan Karon comes to mind. Also, I love mysteries (bibliomysteries in particular). Contemporary Christian mystery/suspense authors include T. Davis Bunn, Joel C. Rosenberg, & James Scott Bell. Let’s encourage more Christian authors to write mysteries.
Lisa says
I’m all for that! I don’t care for Romance, which eliminates a large chunk of the Christian market.
Alison McLennan says
I love this topic! Thanks for addressing it. As someone who read only Christian fiction until a few years ago, and has recently broadened my horizons, I have to confess I’m often shocked at the disparity in quality, in regard to both story and craftsmanship. In general, the mainstream novels I’ve read are far superior. However, I’m realizing this is largely due to my selectivity. Whereas I used to read anything and everything in the Christian market, I only read mainstream books that come highly recommended by highly selective friends.
I do believe convention is to blame for many of Christian fiction’s shortcomings. Most authors are confined to strict guidelines that can get in the way of the characters and story. And I do think the genre has gotten away with inferior writing quality simply because readers are often shopping more for “Christian” than “fiction.”
However, there are exceptions. Jeanette Windle, Tracy Higley, Lisa Sampson…these are a few of the authors I have found to consistently craft a powerful story with artistic prose, and sometimes even manage to push the boundaries of those staunch Christian publishing guidelines.
Lisa says
Excellent thoughts! A very good point, that sometimes readers select books because they are “safe” rather than for any merit of the particular book. (This is true in all markets. And not just for books.) There will always be a market for people that want more of the same, no matter how predictable. So, hooray for those artists who seek to push beyond the formulas. Unfortunately, many Christian authors who want to push beyond the guidelines opt for independent publishing, and we may be missing their great books because we don’t know they exist.
James says
Those are some interesting questions. Of course I just recently read the Godspeak Chronicles trilogy. It was an end times novel. I find myself not speaking to my non-Christian friends about it as much as I would like too, because it is hard to read in parts. It does deal with the concept of sentient machines and whether they can be saved. Obviously, I would only recommend it with a grain of salt. I don’t necessarily fall inline with his take on the subject, but that is just me!
Lisa says
We should always be willing to read books where the author’s take on life is different than ours. That makes us think, something a “safe” book may not force us to do.