With a disdainful look at the cover of an overly airbrushed young woman in plain dress and a white kappe, the woman shoves the book back on the bookstore shelf. “I used to like these, but they’re all the same, now.”
“Try something with a little more action—like maybe Dee Henderson or Brandilyn Collins.”
“I like sweet,” the woman protests. “But I want a plot, too. I used to get frustrated because Christian fiction was always trying to convert you. I wanted more meat. Now even if I get some solid Bible in there to encourage me as a Christian, there’s no plot.”
The clerk eyed the shelves, looking for that happy medium that combines plot, depth of spiritual content, and not much “edge.” With a shrug, she suggests the latest devotional. “There’s just nothing out there for that—not now, and my boss says she’s not sure there ever will be again.”
Note: links may be affiliates that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense for you.
Just What Is the Future of Christian Fiction?
I’ve heard variations of that conversation online and in person for the past five years. Predictions come out every year about the future of the industry, and I’m not even going to think about those. Why?
Because I want to look at what’s behind the problem before I give my .02. I’ll allow others to have their .02 without my tacked on tax. 😉
I kind of see a correlation between the future of the church and the future of Christian fiction.
The arguments seem to parallel one another. Some decry the relativism in the church today—and in Christian fiction. Others cry out for realism and authenticity—in both. Some insist we need revival and a return to holiness… now was that in fiction or the church? Yeah. I’m with them on that. Both.
What I can’t help but wonder is if you add tougher spiritual meat to the Christian fiction diet (or to the church at large), will you also find a huge surge in “candy Christian Fiction”? I don’t know about you, but it always seems like one action produces a pendulum effect. “Clean books ROCK!” The minute someone cries it, you’ve got people pushing for “Christian Erotica.”
My friend and fellow author, Cathe Swanson, and I were talking about this over the past year, and we found that we agreed on a lot of what’s going on.
In her words the other day:
“I see a division in Christian fiction of all genres I think that Christian fiction is drifting in two directions. Some Christian authors are writing for a more mainstream Christian or even secular market but with “Christian values” and without sex and bad language. Clean and wholesome, sweet romances, et cetera.
But I think we will continue to see growth in a more robust, openly Christian message, especially in non-romance genres and books about tough topics. Men are getting a bigger share of the market, and they are not as likely to sugarcoat the Gospel. I mean not as likely as some female authors who are just interested in writing a sweet romance.
And that’s really close to what I was going to say. Some define this more realistic, richer fiction as “Edgy” fiction. Others, like me, kind of recoil from that notion. So, I was surprised when Deborah Dunson, who founded Facebook’s group, “Reading on the Edge” suggested that my books were “edgy.”
I almost had a heart attack.
Look, I admit that there have been a few books where I’ve tackled topics that moved closer to “the edge” than I usually would. My preference is to write fiction that anyone of any age could pick up without getting an education they should only receive from their parents. That said, I did attack adultery head-on in Shattering Secrets (formerly Christmas Embers) and sexual temptation in Not a Word and Speak Now. Actually, I’d say I did that a bit in HearthLand, too.
But edgy?
Not how I would have described myself. I don’t know… I see edgy as more mainstream with mainstream themes and a reminder that Jesus is the ultimate solution. I didn’t see how Prairie, my contemporary fantasy novel with a message of contentment could possibly be edgy. But Deborah said this:
“if your writing is redemptive then you are edgy and radical. I’m not talking about preachy writing. I’m talking about writing that causes readers to pause and think about their relationship with Christ or lack of a relationship with Him. I have always said that a book can have all the elements of being edgy (foul language, graphic violence, sex and much more), but lack the call of Christ.
Yeah, Christian fiction with foul language and sex? TOTALLY edgy (and so far out of my comfort zone it’s not even funny. Even “graphic violence” usually is (although sometimes a birth scene is graphic to one person and not to another). Deborah goes on to explain her definition of edgy (which I really like).
Edgy or Edgier does not necessarily mean graphic scenes, violence, sex, crude or foul language… if a book is not redemptive, lacks the call of Christ to me it is really not edgy or radical.
And one of the best compliments I’ve ever gotten…
There is a strong message of faith in your books. They are not preachy, but there is always the gospel message woven through the story. I hope that explains why I chose your book.
Wow. THAT is what I want to write in my fiction. And I believe I see it in some of the fiction I’ve read in the past few years, but unfortunately not enough of it.
I just agree with Cathe Swanson in that we’ll see an even greater divide between “meaty books” that may or may not be edgy and “sweet and clean” books that otherwise could fit in the mainstream market.
Can indie authors take any credit for this?
Someone asked me that recently, and I didn’t know if I should answer. Because, you see, truthfully, I think they can, but admitting that can really rock some huge ships that hold a lot of influence. Still, I have to say I think it’s true.
Until about 2010 or so (based on what I saw as a consumer of Christian fiction), the Christian fiction industry was dominated by expectations decided by resellers associations. Books could mention this but not that. Have this included but must avoid that.
Indie authors said, “Um, some Christians consider wine to be a gift of the Lord. I want to represent them in fiction, too.” Others said, “Single parents aren’t always people who were abandoned by unbelieving spouses or widowed. Sometimes, people make unbiblical choices before or after salvation, and those choices have consequences—ones that you wouldn’t always change.”
Drug and alcohol abuse in the church—they wanted to address it.
Spiritual abuse—that, too.
Tattoos after salvation and friends who live alternative lifestyles—some authors wanted to acknowledge that these things exist. Some authors wanted to support those things.
And sometimes, in a push-back against the idea that God expects purity of His people being portrayed as some badge of honor, indie authors write books that not just acknowledged unbiblical behavior but also embrace them. You can watch a progression from hardly a kiss before engagement to making out at first meeting, to actual sex being played out on the page.
In my post on Smut, Scripture, & Authenticity, I talked about how I feel about that. I said,
If the story has premarital sex, well, it better have a reason, and it better not be whitewashed or glossed-over as if it’s perfectly okay for Christians, even fictional ones in a novel, to ignore God’s explicit commands. In a word, I don’t want to paint my mind with smut.
So, as a writer, I have a similar opinion:
I want to write books that, while authentic and show the frailty of humanity, never glorify when men or women wallow in the muck of sin. I want to show that muck for all it’s worth, but I never want to drag the reader through it.
1
I think that’s what’s happening in Christian Fiction, though.
We’re seeing pushback against the sweet, “unrealistic” world of Amish and middle America lifestyles with harder, edgier settings and conflicts. Instead of which of the Beiler boys sweet Anna should trust with her heart, we have Piper sleeping with her boyfriend while dreaming of the guy she’s convinced won’t touch her now that she’s been with this boyfriend.
Some folks in this world can relate to the latter—and it’s what they want to read. They want to feel like they’re not alone in it all.
Others who have escaped from the lies of the world that says it’s okay to sleep with someone you’re not married to… who’ve escaped from the lies that say you can fantasize about whatever you want as long as you’re physically faithful to the one you’re “with….” They want the fairytale in their fiction—they read to escape the ugliness of this world and their pasts. They get enough of it every day when the alarm clock beckons them into the world like the Pied Piper’s fife.
And if conversations in Facebook groups are any indication, something really weird is about to or beginning to happen.
That divide is showing up. That’s not the weird part. It’s natural that when one group doesn’t like something, they’ll stand firm against it. The other group stands in their preferences. The divide widens.
But what is weird is a new (but age-old) attitude of “I’m okay, you’re okay” in it. In areas of preference, I get it. And I love it. Seriously, I love that I can post that I don’t like Biblical fiction without people blasting me for my lack of spirituality. I love that Janelle Doella can post that she thinks Historical Fiction is Booo-rrriiing… and that’s okay. She’s not going to be blasted by the Historical lovers.
But I also see that trend extending into areas that aren’t preference but Biblical mandate. Sexual purity. Sorry, but if a “Christian Fiction” book glorifies and justifies sex between unmarried persons, someone saying, “Yeah, but it’s all good if you like that stuff” is not a healthy attitude in the church. It’s not good.
And I see it happening.
What do I think it means?
I think we’re looking at an even bigger split in the Christian fiction market because of it. More people will be “crossover” writers. We’ll lose our “clean” fiction writers who make sure to include a prayer and giving God the glory. They’ll just drop the rest and write clean fiction for the masses.
Look, I don’t think that’s wrong, per se. If someone’s goal as an author is to provide blush-free writing for anyone who is looking for it, I don’t think that’s unbiblical. But as push back against the “baptized porn” that I’ve seen out there… That’s sad, in my opinion. And yet, I think it’s going to happen.
Forget that. I think it’s already happening. And push back as a reason for your writing… not good in my opinion.
Here’s what I hope will happen in the next ten years.
I hope Christian authors will evaluate why they write what they write.
As a mystery author, do you hope to share the mystery of the gospel as you examine the motives of the hearts of men in their crimes? Or do you just want a clean murder without a lot of gore and a detective sleeping with every other woman he meets? I don’t think either one is inherently superior. Where one sounds more spiritual, the second author may just be better at sharing the gospel in person rather than writing.
As a fantasy author, do you just love alternative worlds and magical elements but not want demonic powers behind them? Or do you want to use them as symbolic or allegoric means of sharing Jesus as authors like Lewis and Tolkien did?
As a romance author, do you just want a clean environment for your characters to meet and marry, or do you want your romance to dig deep into what it means to be a Christian in the dating world today?
Again, I don’t think one or the other is inherently more spiritual.
Maybe that’s because I make a big point about why I don’t often add an overt gospel message to my books. I’m not writing to the unsaved. I’m not writing “evangelistic” fiction. The unsaved are not my target reader. While I hope my books would point those who don’t know Jesus to His feet to learn from Him, I write them because I write Christian fiction—fiction designed to encourage Christians in their walk with the Lord. Or, as my “elevator pitch” states,
I use story to point readers to the Master Storyteller.
And once authors evaluate why they write, as I just did there (totally unintentional. Woot for me!), I hope they’ll make deliberate decisions about their work. If they want to write clean mainstream, I hope they will. If they want to write edgy Christian, I hope they’ll do that, too.
I just hope the clean mainstream author won’t market her work as Christian, and I hope the edgy person’s work uses the Word as the base of what is acceptable to put before their readers’ eyes rather than what they think readers “want.”
The heart of man wants what isn’t healthy. I hope all Christian authors feed the hearts of their readers with work that will earn the praise of the Lord as He says, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
I hope to see people’s work defined clearly for readers.
But more than that, I hope to see the Lord glorified in all Christian authors’ work because Christian fiction develops a reputation that I’ve never heard in conjunction with it.
“Man, if you want a great fantasy book, you’ve gotta try Christian fiction. They write the best.”
“Oh, there’s no sex, unfortunately, but man if you want a great romance, you’ve got to try Christian fiction—those people know how to tug at your heartstrings.”
“Hey, you like suspense? Check out Christian fiction. They really own the suspense market these days.”
Don’t think it’s possible?
Once upon a time, the church was known for producing the best in music, art, literature. I’d like to see those days return. It’s happening in music, from what I hear.
Look, I’m a bad Christian. I don’t like 99% of Christian music. But I am, one by one, hearing non-Christians talk about the great music put out by groups like “Skillet” and “Demon Hunter.” Non-Christians are listening to this stuff. Because they love the “I love Jesus” lyrics? I don’t think so. It’s because they consider the work good.
It’s time for Christians to take the lead in the world of literature now, don’t you think?
This is what I want for the future of Christian fiction. I just don’t know if we’re quite ready for it. We’re still swinging on the pendulum. We still have bookstores full of shelves of “sweet but no plot” or “predictable.”
We still have bookstore owners who feel like there’s no hope for a better product… yet.
As a reader and writer I appreciate a lot of what you wrote here. I also don’t like so-called Christian fiction that makes sin OK and introduces ugly material in a way that isn’t wholesome and pure.
I am fine with Christians writing clean fiction with a God-fearing bent that will sell. One of my favorite authors for a light, clean, moderately romantic read is Grace S. Richmond. (I’m a fan of vintage fiction.) I think she was a Christian, but wrote to earn income. Jane Austin may have been in a similar situation.
I also appreciate writers like Christmas Carol Kauffman who wrote turly “edgy” Christian fiction. Most of her books are based on true stories, I think. She wrote about tough subjects like what it was like for a Nazi soldier to come to Christ and how an adopted child dealt with his identity crisis. These are real life issues that people still have to deal with. They make us look more closely at ourselves or others who may have had tough journeys in light of God’s truth. I would prefer to write fiction like this, but I have no illusions that I am anywhere near to her level! 🙂 At this point just getting going with fiction writing is a hurdle I struggle with.
I’m not sure if I entirely agree with your conclusion, but I can see your point and there are aspects that I would have to agree with in some areas. 🙂
Thanks for tackling this subject.
That’s what makes people so cool. We’re all very different, and our experiences help us see things differently. And unless we’re talking Biblical truth or historical/scientific fact, I don’t think there CAN be just one way to take some of this stuff. 🙂
[See, I said I’d get back to it]
My first response, the one that was not allowed because of length, started with a statement of those lamenting about the way that “Christian Fiction” had deteriorated to the point that the “chaste heroine” wasn’t so much anymore.
And, of course, me being me, standing in between the fact I am a reader who likes what she likes, and a minister who understands Christian maturity in a way that differs from the lamenting reviewer, my blood began to percatate a bit.
However, the “chaste Christian novel” is a bit like ignoring the elephant in the room. Many of them are “dreamed up Amish or “historical”…. and that’s a whole other kettle of corn…
My favorite kind of Christian fiction falls under the rubrics of authors like you, and Cathe because they don’t ignore the present situation. These characters take life as it is and mostly hit it right on, and right so. And if publishers can’t support that kind of reality, then readers get shortchanged.
So, dealing in reality instead of sweeping it under the rug may be difficult, but being a Christian doesn’t give us a golden ticket to easy; maybe just another approach. The reviewer who skewers religious/Christian fiction has a choice to read it or not, but don’t judge a book by its cover….you might learn something
I love this. Exactly what I keep thinking. That we don’t want to wallow in the ugliness, but hiding it doesn’t make it go away.
As a reader and a writer of Christian fiction, I found your post challenging (in a good way!) and encouraging, so thank you for sharing. I think I’m pretty conservative in my reading tastes but I love a good story. A good story that points me to Christ is even better but really hard to find. It’s good to know authors are thinking about it and letting it inform their books. Have a blessed and fun 2018!
Thank you, Elisabeth! I think we’ll see a bigger divide, as Cathe and I discussed, but what comes from one side should be rich and beautiful. The other side will be a relief from the garbage that is often woven through the offerings of the world.
[I had to divide the comment because of length yet again. This is the paragraph that was third when I first tried to post it….]
I love fiction, always have. I love Christian fiction because, at 61, I really don’t like the “formulaic” contemporary fiction that says that you insert …. ? of the way in and follow….. ? of the way in….it drive me nuts actually, much as violence for its own sake can as well [out of 175 books attempted last year, 5 of them were just violent and exploitive enough that they never made it past chapter 1..]
This is exactly why I come back to your books time and time again! Yes, sin happens but to glorify it in any way is sin in itself. We have to live in the world and see this go on but if we truly treasure Christ, why would we revel in it in our down time. A friend said something that has really made an impact on my life. She said if my savior died to cover those sins, why would I amuse myself watching or reading others do them? Man, was that convicting!
After a lot of prayer and consideration of quitting because of so much frustration I’ve decided to go mainstream this year (clean and mainstream). The stuff I wanted to write for Christians was too edgy (using the same definition used in this article… which I loved) and I got so much push back. “You can’t write about such edgy topics if you want to write Christian YA,” or “Sorry I couldn’t finish your book because you mentioned that someone was abused… even though you didn’t go into any details.” I was so discouraged and didn’t know how to move forward so this is what I’m doing. My stay in the world of Christian fiction was short lived, but I can’t write the fluff a lot of people were demanding for Christian contemporary YA so I’m shifting to mainstream Sci-Fi. I still love a lot of Christian fiction and will remain in that genre as a reader. I love your style, Chautona and I hope you kee setting a great example of edgy Christian fiction for many years to come.
That breaks my heart. Because I thought your book was engaging and clean WITH meat. I wouldn’t want to write just fluff. I couldn’t. Sometimes, yes. Sometimes I want a feel-good book without a lot of depth. But most of the time, give me meat. Woman cannot live on bonbons alone.
Well said, Chautona. Thank you for the encouragement.
Thank you! 😀
Been thinking about this some more.
I believe we are developing this chasm because people have a “negative” view of Christian fiction. They choose to read it because of what it does NOT include: sex, language, descriptive violence, etc. They also say they don’t want to be “preached at.” So authors write books without sex, language and violence, and they don’t “preach.” Guess what??? That’s not Christian fiction. It’s “clean” fiction. Even if the characters go to church and have one or two earnest discussions about God working in their lives.
Christian fiction should glorify God. If it doesn’t, how can it be Christian in nature? Indeed, how can a Christian write anything that doesn’t glorify God? (I mean, they CAN, but we are supposed to glorify God in everything we do. Everything.) The Gospel and scripture should be prominent in the story — so much so that if the Christian bits are left out, the story doesn’t make sense anymore! Maybe it should even preach at us. I don’t mind a little preaching, personally, unless it’s inserted into an otherwise “clean” book with no other real Christian content.
I’m not opposed to “clean” fiction – all three of my books probably fall into that category. I’m just thinking about why we are seeing these two separate groups of “Christian fiction.”
I think you have a GREAT point. I work hard to make Christianity real and authentic in my books without “preaching” them. By that, I mean that I don’t have long monologues about what God wants here or there. I don’t “tell” people how a Christian should act in xyz circumstance. I show them how some Christians do and let them see why it is or isn’t Biblical. But if you’re not careful to keep aware of that, you end up with what you’ve just described. A book so stripped of Christian encouragement that it’s just a “Cultural Christian” thing with no “meat.” Spiritual bubblegum, as it were.
Darn it said my comment was too long, and I can’t remember what I wrote and didn’t save it before it disappeared. Grrrrr
Oh! That is so frustrating! I didn’t know there WAS a limit!
Going to try again….but write it out beforehand and copy paste it
What a great discussion. As a reader, I prefer characters and conflicts I can relate to, who strive to live a Christian life but fail sometimes, who aren’t “so holy” I can’t see myself (or my friends, or the people I go to church with) in them. I recently started to read a story where a couple sat down in a restaurant on a first date and the guy asked the girl if Jesus Christ was her Lord and Savior. I stopped reading…even though Jesus Christ is certainly my Lord and Savior. I wasn’t offended by it, just turned off because it was, to me, unrealistic. More realistically I could see him asking if or where she goes to church…something more “normal.” I do appreciate a good story where characters have the kind of struggles Christians often hide. When it comes to CF being more representative of the life most of us actually live, you said this perfectly: “I hope the edgy person’s work uses the Word as the base of what is acceptable to put before their readers’ eyes rather than what they think readers ‘want.’” Again, great discussion. Hope your 2018 is blessed, blessed!
EXACTLY! I completely agree. I’m cringing at your story because the man who WOULD ask that question would ask it before asking someone on the date in the first place. It’s just how that goes.
I want to show authenticity in Christianity without glorifying sin. Acknowledge that it happens. Show genuine repentance. Show failure. And show HOW the Christian should respond… eventually. Sometimes it takes us a bit to be able to do what we know we ought, either because we deceive ourselves or because we’re in overt rebellion.
And blessings on your 2018, too! Thanks for the conversation!
I think you handled sexuality beautifully in Willow’s story. You kept it cute, romantic and sweet, without TMI. Poor Willow needed to learn about human sexuality in a healthy way, and I’d really like to think that many young women could benefit from the same just by reading Willow’s story. And you don’t candy coat the bad stuff, you call sin sin, which is what we are supposed to do.
I think that just like in many churches, there is a lot of compromise on the gospel and sound doctrine, in order to attract the world, presumably to get them saved, but what it actually does is just feeds troublesome people. Put out sheep food and the sheep will come, even if it’s just preaching the foolishness of the gospel.
For all my author friends who are Christians, I say the same. Provide food for sheep (followers of Christ) in your writing and the Good Shepherd will lead His Sheep to it.
And yes, all Christians no matter what they do, should be doing it to the very best of their abilities. My husband and I are constantly cringing at the mediocrity of Christian movies. There are a few out there that are really well done, but the vast majority is abysmal.
Thanks for many hours of good reading.
Oh, man. I’m with you on the movies. They’re getting better, slowly but surely. I know it’s crazy expensive, but ugh. Ouch. Sigh.
And thanks. I really struggled with those parts of PF!!!!
I LOVE this perspective!
I have been disappointed by books described as “Christian” that include foul language, embarrassing scenes and have no positive message in them. Some of these are coming from “reputable” Christian publishers. We can write about sin, but let’s not sensationalize it!
I have been equally disappointed in books that have a good message and storyline, but very poor writing or are filled with an inexcusable number of errors. If the writers had only taken time to proofread and invite someone come to read their book…..
Sometimes, I choose Christian books because I’m looking for a “clean” read. Sometimes, I just want a sweet story that makes me feel good. I ALWAYS appreciate a book that is engaging and will challenge me and help me grow.
Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (I Cor. 10:31 NASB)
If only I had proofread!!!!! Now, I can’t figure out how to edit my comment to fix my earlier edit……
Living proof! 😉
I don’t want to ignore quality fiction in any genre, but I do want the majority of my fiction to point me to Jesus. And it isn’t just pride that makes me want it all very well done. Pride may be a part of it (I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to admit that Christian Fiction used to be abysmal at times), but mostly, I just want the Lord glorified–His Bride shining bright in a dark world.
Well said, Chautona! Even in my toughest book in dealing w/cults and abuse, I didn’t show a salvation scene; it wasn’t warranted. But bringing her to the point where she realized that God was real and that he did love her was poignant and real to the reader. Thanks for sharing this post.
YES!. One of the most frustrating things I find is when there’s a book with an unsaved person who, after a few pointed discussions with someone else, comes to terms with his or her need for Jesus, while alone, and magically knows all the Christianese to say “the Sinner’s Prayer” (which never occurs in Scripture, mind you) and boom, bam, baby! They’re dancing in the Spirit now!
Sigh.