I was recently asked by an acquaintance if The Resurrection is “Christian Fiction.” I’ve been gearing up for that question and, as the book nears release, 
expect to get it more. My answer went thus:
“It depends on what you mean by Christian fiction.”
Some authors and readers may cheer that response. Others may question my hesitancy to just own up to the label. Still others might flat-out charge me with denying the Lord. Nevertheless, I believe that nuance is important.
By “Christian fiction” if someone means, “Are there faith elements in your story?” the answer is a resounding “Yes.” But if by “Christian fiction” they mean, “Is this cheesy, preachy, predictable, sanitized stuff aimed exclusively at Christians and narrow-minded cultural conservatives?,” then the answer is a resounding “No.” Sadly, however, that is the caricature that our culture conceives when most anything is touted as “Christian.”
Whether right or wrong, “Christian fiction” has become a polarizing term.
Which is why I think I should ditch it. Or dance around it.
- I want people who avoid the “Christian fiction” label to read the book.
- I want people who enjoy the “Christian fiction” label to read the book.
And I think both can. Is this unrealistic? Am I walking too fine a line here? Am I trying to have my cake and eat it too? Is this just a refusal to recognize my market, or a legitimate attempt to cross over? Or am I half-baked?
What do you think? Should I embrace the “Christian fiction” label and everything — good and bad — it potentially conjures, or should I try to “play the middle”?
My stance has been that the label is important. And also mostly misguided.
I prefer ‘Fiction with a Christian worldview’ which is different than ‘Fiction for Christians.’ Also, I am an author who is Christian, not a Christian author.
Luke Skywalker, embrace your destiny.
Ha! I’ll never give in to the dark side… father.
I think it’s wise to dance around the direct question. If you know who’s asking and what they might expect from the term, it’s an easy answer. If you suspect someone is looking for a Dean Koontz type of novel, you can also answer that. But if you’re not sure what the person expects when they use the term, it’s best to ask them exactly what they mean by it and answer accordingly with caveats and/or disclaimers.
For me, The Resurrection abides comfortably within Christian Fiction under supernatural suspense, but I give the overall term a lot of freedom. Some readers don’t.
I’ve about decided dancing just tires me out.
The owner of our local Used Books Store recently found out I am a writer. Since I’ve been shopping there for years, she knows my buying habits (mainly books on poisons, crime novels, Koontz, biographies) and I’ve offered advice on Christian fiction she might consider stocking) she probably already had me labeled as some kind of schysophrenic kook). My answer, “I am a freelance copywriter and I also write suspense/thrillers.”
The owner’s reply was, “Great, when you get published we would love to feature your book among the few new novels we sell here.” I could have gone into some long explanation of the world-view from which I write but chose not to. Persoanlly, I think those who are going to run from you because you have a Christian world-view or the same people you see on Amazon who rail about false advertising when any novel has even a hint of spirituality in it. It’s a no-win situation when we try to dance around it.
Personally, I think Dean Koontz writes faith-based novels. Do I wish he would avoid his affinity for a couple of words that I associate with my own wayward past? Sure. But his lastest is about as faith-based as one can get. Even so, many Christians will not read Koontz and that’s just the way it is.
This is more of ramble to illustrate there is no good answer to the question. For me, I am comfortable with whatever anyone wants to call me since God is in control of where my novel gets published, whenever that happens.
Tim, I agree with you that Koontz writes “faith based” stories and, frankly, it bothers me that Christians refuse to read his stuff simply because of the profanity. I have nothing against G-rated books. Readers should have those choices. But to make absence of language a defining characteristic of Christian fiction, in my opinion, really misses the mark and is one reason why the caricatures I mentioned above have traction.
That seems to be a question many Christian authors are asking right now. Even people in my church avoid reading “Christian fiction” because of the stereotype. No author wants the label, yet the Christian reader is probably your foundation so a delicate dance is probably the best strategy.
Eventually, as long as writers continue to challenge the status quo, I do believe the stereotype will be shattered.
The funny thing is, some of the very same people in our church who said that about Christian fiction gushed excessively about the movie Fireproof. No wonder our friend Eric Wilson is getting a day job again.
“I just tried to write a really good story. Any interpretations are left up to the reader. But I am a Christian, so I’m sure that fact influences my writing.”
Does that work? Is that too wishy-washy?
Mark – that sums up my attitude too.
“I’m a Christian who writes fiction.”
Mike, I write books that have appealed to both Christians and non-Christians. I think you’ll find a lot of non-Christians are at leas “religious” and don’t mind a bit of faith-based content in their novels. And many of them appreciate the absence of vulgarities and sex. When asked what I write I usually say “supernatural suspense/horror . . . Stephen King without all the cursing and with a faith message.” Long-winded, yes, but it sums it up quite well. The very few times I’ve been asked point-blank if I write Christian fiction I’ve answered yes. I’m not ashamed of the fact but because of obvious stereotypes and misunderstanding I don’t bullhorn the fact that I write Christian fiction.
Now, because I’m feeling bold today I want to make a few other points (I can have my say and speak my opinion, right?). One, I’m a Christian author, not an author who is a Christian. I’m first a Christian in all I do. Christian husband. Christian daddy. Christian citizen. That’s my identity. And two, not to sound snarky (my goodness, please don’t interpret it that way), but many of us authors have day jobs. I’m not sure it has anything to do with the market or who’s buying books or what kind of books they’re buying. It’s just a fact of life and we accept it. I don’t like it (not being able to write full-time, that is) but I won’t complain about it either.
Since both Mike’s know I am a friend and fan I should point out I was being a bit-tongue-in-cheek about getting a day job.
Mike, I appreciate what you have to say, and have a lot of respect for you, but this really reminds me of the old arguments of “Christian musician” and “Christian actor” and “Christian politician” and the other things I used to hear back in the eighties and nineties. Some would say it as “I’m a Christian that happens to be a (fill in the blank)” while others would say “I’m a (fill in the blank) that just happens to be a Christian” and both were intending the same thing. The point is that the person is a Christian AND whatever they see as their profession.
Personally, I think it’s as redundant as saying one is a “born again Christian” (after all, if one is a Christian, hasn’t that one been born again?) and in either case is still dancing around the issue. Saying one is a Christian to me is like saying one is a Human. Obviously, not everyone can grasp that right away (even those that should), but going around saying “I’m a Christian first” is almost pointless. Imagine if I have said that I’m a Human first. Isn’t that more correct? We’re Human before we accept salvation, so therefore we are Human before we can be Christian (at least among the viewpoints that work in linear fashion), so therefore are we not Human first? So what if I were to say:
One, I’m a Human author, not an author who is a Human. I’m first a Human in all I do. Human husband. Human daddy. Human citizen. That’s my identity.
On the surface that might sound a bit “humanistic”, now doesn’t it? Yet, hopefully it would also be something that is obvious.
Of course I’m a Human. And if I am also an author or a husband or a daddy or a citizen, then of course I am a Human author, husband, daddy, or citizen.
And if I am a Christian, then so should that be obvious without me having to make a big stink over it. Doesn’t mean I avoid it, doesn’t mean I should ever be afraid to bring it up, but it should be so much a part of me that there is never a question as to whether I am a Christian or not, and the fiction that I write as an author – whether it blatantly reflects my being a Christian or whether it does not – should be good fiction that engages the reader and does not insult them by my feeling I HAVE to make it “Christian” just because of my faith in God. If I force it, then I am not writing good engaging fiction.
I hope what I have said makes sense and adds to the overall discussion as I make my way through these comments here. 😉
Oh, and BTW, Mr. Dellosso, I’m still on that novel. I’ll contact you again once I have finished reading it. 😉
For most of my life I didn’t know there was such a thing as “Christian fiction” even though I myself AM a Christian. I simply assumed the books in Christian bookstores were all non-fiction (Bible studies, devotionals, etc.) and never even thought to look there for fiction. I assumed that fiction books were in the fiction section. Period. I’d read lots of books that had faith stuff in them–either a positive reflection on Christianity or negative–and assumed it was all out there together. It wasn’t until I started writing that I realized there were fiction books in the Christian bookstores and Christian sections of the regular book stores. Shows how much time I spent there, eh?
When I started writing, my intention was to create a fantasy novel. Not a “Christian” fantasy novel. It’s got a lot of Christian symbolism, sure–some intentional, some maybe not. It’s written from my world view and I know has things that atheists and other non-Christians may not agree with–not explicit, not in your face, but definitely there. What IRKS me is that I’m expected to label my book because of those things. But Philip Pullman can put his Dark Materials books out there without needing an “Anti-Christian, God-Hater” label. Do authors like Pullman sit around wondering what to “label” their work? Do they feel any kind of need to warn people beforehand that their books might be offensive to those of us with faith in God? (I could go into full-on rant here, Mike, but I’ll hold back ;).
On the other hand, I want Christians to understand that my book is NOT like Pullman’s, and that they are written by a Christian. I don’t want to come across as being ashamed of my faith, or feeling the need for the cloak-and-dagger act regarding my world view.
It is a fine line we tread, eh? The void between the squarely “Christian” market and the squarely “secular.”
So since Kat brought it up (hey, Kat!), let’s pick the other scab associated with this topic – simple quality. Philip Pullman may not have labeled his work, but he did do one thing that many ‘Christian authors’ struggle with – he wrote a helluva story (bonus spiritual pun). I’m far more interested in a quality story than I am whether it’s geared toward the flock or toward the rest of the secular world. When everyone interested (or not interested, as the case may be) in writing some nexus of ‘Christian’ and ‘fiction’ can pen tales as entertaining and technically proficient as Philip Pullman, much of this debate may become moot.
If you write a great story, many will read it across a variety of genre preferences. If you write a somewhat less than great story, only diehard fans of the genre will give it time.
I think Johne brings up the point here even more than how I was responding a moment ago. The point is, are you doing your job, or are you focusing on what you are? If you are a Christian, then fine, be the best Christian that you can be, and if you are also an author, then write a damn good yarn or don’t expect to be able to get people to read you. If people like the tale, then they will tell others about it and then some that might not read the genre you write in will read you just because of your success.
Hi, Johne! 😀
I completely agree with you. I was highly impressed with Pullman’s writing skills, as much as I hate his subject matter and personal belief system. I will say that those things about him DID make me stop reading the story because it was SO obviously anti-Christian. (I made it through the first two, but book three crossed the line too far for me.)
But we can write Christian stories that aren’t “anti” other things. If we’re not preachy and finger-pointing we don’t need to be labelled and shoved into the back corner of the book store.
And YES, you are right–the quality level needs to be competitive but it quite often is not. And you make a valid point about only diehards of the genre giving many Christian books time.
Heh, funny you should say that – that’s as far as I made it, and for the same reasons.
Agreed about not being anti- other things. I believe we can craft compelling stories that represent the virtues of a worldview we believe in without being preachy.
I think you might be better served by describing it by a different misnomer:
“Satanic Fiction”
Much like Satanology or Demonology, two perfectly acceptable subsets of Christian Theology, speculative fiction like Dekker’s, Liparulo, Hines, et. al. concern themselves chiefly with sin, evil, the corruption of men and their godly resistance.
Just as a Satanologist at Dallas Seminary is no more a satanist than Billy Graham, Satanic Fiction is fiction that chiefly concerns itself with the dramatic storytelling of an important aspect of human nature: the problem of evil.
What could possibly go wrong?
xdpaul, I’m assuming your tongue is firmly planted in your cheek. Thanks for the laugh.
Either that, or I am the Ed Wood of marketing.
I’d bet on the latter.
Ouch, Johne! At the risk of sounding snarky again, let me defend “Christian fiction,” especially suspense and supernatural suspense/horror. The argument that Christian fiction is subpar is old and tired (in my humble opinion, but of course I’m probably biased 🙂 At one time Christian music was considered subpar and maybe it was but it has made great gains and is now equal to its secular counterpart. Christian fiction, at one time, may have been subpar but I think there are plenty of examples of great stories and writers among our ranks (Mike Duran being one of them, also Eric Wilson, Stephen James, Robert Liparulo, Robin Parrish, Wandy Dyson, and more) who could just as easily publish in the general market. Again, in my opinion, I believe publishers have done a lot to improve the quality of Christian fiction in recent years.
That’s all right, you can be biased. I love your books, and obviously others do too! And as for Christian authors publishing in the mainstream market, why not???? Why is it that books with Christian characters and/or characters seeking out faith are automatically relegated to a sub market? What is it that our society is so afraid of? Preaching, maybe, but books that preach ought not make it to the publishing level. It seems that if Christian authors want to publish in the mainstream, they have to be oh-so-subtle about it, so very tricksy.
I think that the Christians that are authors should stop trying to be tricky about getting published or accepted in the mainstream publishing world and just write a story worth reading whether it blatantly involves their Faith in God or not.
My question about the moniker ‘Christian fiction’ is who the audience is supposed to be. If we are writing fiction specifically for Christians (a subset of ‘all readers’), fine, it’s a viable term, if limiting by definition.
I prefer the idea of being an author writing from a Christian worldview to the larger set of all readers. My intended audience varies, but I like the idea of writing to everyone and letting quality be the primary determinant and not the tag that limits me to those who believe what I do.
As a fan of F & SF, some of my favorite authors have shrugged off limiting tags and write what they like. I think specifically of the normal names one invokes in this discussion and add names like Tim Powers, Timothy Zahn, and Steven Lawhead. This is what I mean by writing top-quality fiction that may also contain something of one’s worldview but reaches the wider audience.
Is Tim Zahn a Believer? If so, I was unaware. I like his intricate plotting and red herrings.
It is my understanding he (and Tim Powers) are F&SF authors who are also Catholic. It is not hard to read Zahn’s works and see a Christian worldview (although they would never be mistaken for explicitly ‘Christian fiction’). My favorite example is Dead Man Switch, which includes a very Dune-like hyper-astute human who was valued for his knowledge, wisdom, and abilities.
http://alumnus.caltech.edu/~mcelroy/review/books/tzdead.html
This is the book that convinced me it was possible to write from a Christian worldview without being preachy. (Also, when Frank Peretti broke on the scene, a host of wanna-be authors tried to duplicate his success, but failed. The most spectacular that I remember was ‘Angel Walk’ by Roger Elwood. It was splenderous dreck.)
Good discussion with no easy answers. I’ve got a lot of thoughts on the topic, but don’t know if it all adds up to a definitive end. It’s really difficult to say, but here’s some things I keep in mind (and note, none of this is directed at anything said on this thread–these are just things I’ve had to struggle with in my own heart):
1. Forget anything about “Christian Fiction”–when people discover I’m a Christian, period, they’re going to label me, judge me, form an opinion on that alone. Forget me being a writer or any of that. I tell someone I’m a Christian, they’re going to jump to a conclusion (whether good or bad). So, the way I see it, after that, what’s one more label? I’m a Christian who writes “Christian Fiction”. So what? If you fear a negative stereotype, I think you’re more likely to get one just from being a Christian.
2. The thing I look at is this: I’m published by a Christian Publisher who publishes exclusive “Christian material”. I’m going to be in CBD. I’m going to be in LifeWay. I’m going to be in the Christian section of Barnes and Noble. If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, you know? Whether I’m writing in the “secular” or “Christian” market, I’m still me. I’m still writing from my heart–it just gets the “secular” or “Christian” label depending on who published it. “Christian Fiction” is a marketing label–it shouldn’t be a slur against the quality of the work. Also, I feel like promoting it “Hey, I’m Christian Fiction…but GOOD!”, is a disservice to others in the field. Plus, in a way that only furthers the stereotype. “I’m from the South…but I’m not racist!!” I tried that in the past–putting down the others to make myself look better, but I can’t speak for all of Christian Fiction or what it’s like because I haven’t read all of it. I just know what mine’s like. So I just embrace it. I write Christian Fiction. It’s a horror book. That’s just me, man. Some are gonna like it. Some are gonna hate it. But, love it or hate it, the people who know me–atheists, pagans, and Christians alike–respect that.
3. Lastly, as for telling people it’s Christian Fiction but not “preachy”–I used to do that, but it never works. When it comes down to it, I can’t make that call. Some people have a low tolerance for anything remotely “religious” and they’re gonna think I’m preachy, even if I don’t. A friend of mine is trying to turn me on to a British series that aired shortly a couple years ago called “Apparitions”. It’s about a priest struggling with his faith and church politics (while exorcising some demons, I believe). It was bombarded with complaints that it was nothing but trite pro-Christian propaganda–and it was written by an atheist! If I tell people it’s not preachy or judgmental (as I don’t think it is), but they read it and think it IS, then they think I lied to them :p
I guess my philosophy is, you can spend your time trying to explain away a stereotype or a label, or you can just spend your time telling people who YOU are and what YOU’RE about. Let the stereotype fall away on its own.
Greg, these are great points. Totally agree with you about people labeling us simply because we call ourselves a Christian. The only way to avoid that criticism is to shut up, and I’m not going to do that. Be tactful? Yes. But silent? No.
However, I’m not sure I’m with you on #2. Just because a Christian publisher is publishing my novel does not make it by default “Christian fiction.” Nor does that mean I’m now a cheerleader for the genre. Of course, it wouldn’t be smart to Un-Friend the Christian market just because I don’t like the label. But neither would it be wise exclude other potential readers, which is what I fear could happen if I overplay that hand. Thanks for your comments, Greg!
I hear ya on #2: It’s tough, trying to walk that line of being inclusive without being “wishy washy”. I just know that, when I flip over The Strange Man, on the back cover it says “Christian” and “Suspense”, ha ha. So, to try and sidestep it being Christian is kinda blown outta the water when people turn the book over, ha. I don’t know. Some days I want people to know “Look, this book is gonna talk about Jesus. Prepare yourself and get over it.” Other days it’s like “Man, there’s so much more going on in this book than just a message. There’s characters that I’ve poured my soul into, struggles with growing up and how we live up to the legacies of our parents, and lots and lots of monsters! Can’t you just push your God hang-ups aside and enjoy all the other goodness that’s in there?” But then, the monsters turn off some of the Christian crowd. I was told just yesterday that a good friend of mine–and an EXCELLENT promoter of “Christian product”–wasn’t interested in even mentioning my book on his site. He was afraid his customers would think he’d gone off the deep end promoting something like my book. My book that is published by a Christian publisher, is in LifeWay (I hope, anyway), and plainly says “CHRISTIAN” on the back cover. It’s discouraging. Perpetually stuck in the middle, it seems.
I love Johne’s way of thinking and it’s a kind of writing I do whenever I’m in the “secular” realm–that whole “he who has ears to hear let him hear” stuff. I think that’s absolutely got a place. But, The Strange Man is specifically about struggling with the Christian faith and makes no qualms about that–so I’m just resigned that it’s going to be called “Christian Fiction” until secular publishers don’t mind publishing stuff like that.
I just gotta trust God to help me get it to the right audience, no matter what it’s labeled.
Good comments all. Greg, right on.
Mike Dellosso, my friend, you nailed it with the tired excuse about bad writing in Christian fiction. NO LONGER APPLIES. There’s easily enough pulp and trash and pathetic writing in secular/general market fiction percentage-wise to bury the “poor” Christian fiction.
Nicole,
I’ll agree that Christian fiction has arrived at an acceptable standard of high quality when regular readers can’t help but buy Christian fiction works, and they challenge Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, and Orson Scott Card on the sales charts. Until then, the cream rises to the top and it is no slam to observe that we have our collective work cut out for us.
(Christian fiction may be /improving/ but it’s not yet scintillating. We have some bright lights, some promising up-and-comers, but we do not yet challenge or lead the market as we could.)
Comparing CBA authors to the general market giants is a bit misleading and, frankly, unfair to writers of Christian fiction. Are we talking quality or sales numbers? Because the two don’t always go hand in hand.
Speaking of quality, again, I believe the Christian market has made significant ground in this area and is neck and neck with the general market. Of course, anyone’s free to disagree as judgment of quality is really a subjective matter.
Speaking of sales numbers, it’s unfair to think a CBA book can put up the kind of numbers that King or Rowling can. Dekker and Peretti come close and outsell a great number of general market authors. Give Dekker a few more years and he’ll be competing with the top tier. Remember, King’s been writing since 1974. I can’t think of a single CBA suspense/thriller/horror novelist who’s been around that long. Did they even have Christian suspense back then? And Rowling was/is somewhat of a fluke.
Also, the pool of general market authors is so much larger. It’s like comparing state qualifiers for wrestling from a high school of 400 to those from a high school of 4,000 and asking why the smaller school isn’t putting up the numbers of the larger one. And then there’s the money the publishers have to spend on marketing and who they choose to dump the big bucks into. Also, keep in mind most Christian booksellers don’t participate in the scanning system other retailers use to track book sales.
Now if you want to talk sales numbers of CBA in general, there are big hitters. Karen Kingsbury, Francine Rivers, and Wanda Brunstetter routinely land on the NYT best-seller list. Dekker does too now.
I know none of them are household names like King but, again, it’s just not a fair comparison. Name me ANY other current author who is as well-known as the master. There aren’t any.
Who said anything about CBA? In this very post, Mike is wrestling with the idea of ditching the term ‘Christian fiction,’ and I’m explaining why I think he should. My argument is to set aside CBA and the restrictive term ‘Christian fiction’ and instead just write fiction (which happens to be written from a Christian worldview).
Did Jesus relate Christian parables? Or were they just parables? Who was His audience? Who is our audience? We have to answer that before we go any further.
Who are you writing to? If you’re only writing to the audience of Christian readers, by all means, call yourself a Christian writer and write Christian fiction. But if you mean for your audience to be wider, you need to be cognizant of the limitations of calling yourself a Christian writer and writing what you call Christian fiction.
Here’s the thing – you can be a Christian writer who doesn’t write what people would label as Christian fiction. These are the names I’ve mentioned, and they’re big. Orson Scott Card himself is writing at the peak of the SF game and is a staunch believer in his religion. He’s not limited as an ‘LDS writer.’
My argument is to write to the best of your abilities and aim for the stars. Stephen King launched into the stratosphere right out of the gate – there’s nothing to say one of use might not do the same, as well.
Johne, obviously I misunderstood what you meant by “Christian fiction” (and isn’t that what we’re discussing . . . misunderstanding that label, how ironic). I assumed by Christian fiction you meant the popular CBA brand of it. My bad.
Your response, though, brings up an entirely different subject. What is “Christian”? Protestants and Catholics would differ on that, so would LDS. But that’s a discussion for a different time.
Look, I join in on these discussions for just that, discussion. I’m not here to make enemies and sincerely hope you don’t think anything I’ve said was personal or insulting in any way. I may disagree with some of your points/opinions but I respect what you have to say.
In the end, when it comes to how we define ourselves as writers, I guess we each have to choose based on our own convictions and conscience. For me, as I’ve stated, I’m a Christian writer. That’s what I’m going with. If I never reach Stephen King-dom (which I don’t presume I ever will) that’s just fine.
Johne, I believe you missed Mike’s point. Christian fiction writers who choose to use some spiritual references, plot elements, etc., whatever insinuates Christianity, put themselves at a “disadvantage” as far as your scale of measurement. They’re choosing to potentially limit their audience because they want to include faith elements in the story.
Take Mike’s (Duran) book. It has broad appeal, but even the references he uses as plot points will offend some of the secular audience simply because he’s chosen “Christian” faith elements as opposed to Buddhist or New Age. There’s a built-in rebellion to Christian fiction regardless of the quality (or lack thereof) for some readers.
On the macro scale, all of the big three I mentioned earlier write from some semblance of a Judeo-Christian worldview, Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, Orson Scott Card. But none are writing (or claiming to write) what any of us would consider primarily ‘Christian fiction.’ I’m saying it’s possible to write stories that have a Christian worldview but which are attractive to the mainstream without being trite or preachy. Timothy Zahn has been doing it for years. He’s a straight-up SF rock star. But people don’t consider him someone writing ‘Christian fiction.’ He writes SF from his worldview, and while his spiritual DNA is apparent if you have eyes to see, it is not so blatant that people feel preached at. That makes sense to me.
P.S. First paragraph Mike was Dellosso.
It is possible to write from a Christian worldview and not get “labeled” Christian fiction. Your point however fails to mention that secular writers push their “agendas” in the general market with triteness and preaching but don’t necessarily get labeled according to their religion.
The only part of your opinion that I object to, Johne, is categorizing or suggesting that Christian fiction in general is inferior, trite, or preachy. We’ve all read those novels in both markets. And I do maintain that those with the Christian faith elements (as opposed to other religions) have a built in sensitivity for some who simply won’t tolerate the one true God unless the elements are derogatory.
Where Christian fiction is right now reminds me of where CCM was in the late 70s and early 80s. It clearly wanted to be taken seriously, and there are some select content creators who clearly had the raw talent but hadn’t quite put everything together in the right mixture of concept and execution. I remember thinking Phil Keaggy’s ‘Phlip Side’ and ‘Town To Town’ were ambitious and were harbingers of great things to come, but didn’t really feel he arrived until ‘Revelator’ and ‘Crimson and Blue’ twelve or so years later. That’s how I feel about explicitly Christian fiction right now. A lot of smart, talented people are attacking this last hill, and it’s steep, and it’s unforgiving, but they’re clawing their way toward the top, and it’s a space race to see who can get to the Moon first.
Speaking for myself, I don’t know of any specifically Christian fiction author or title that so thoroughly knocked my socks off that I thought, ‘This is it – this is the beginning of Christian fiction elbowing its way into the mainstream and forcing even their critics to sit up and take notice.’ (I thought Frank Peretti had accomplished that in 1986, but I’m going to say that was an anomaly and I didn’t see the accompanying wave of stellar releases follow that I was hoping and waiting for.) I haven’t seen the wave of Christian fiction authors / titles that is forcing the rest of the reading industry to give props to Christian fiction as I did to Philip Pullman for the scope of his imagination and the craftsmanship of his novels. (I vehemently disagree with his agenda, but I acknowledge his artistry and his craftsmanship.) In that same vein, I’m still waiting for the quality of our stuff to get to that place, where people who disagree with the idea of ‘Christian fiction’ can’t help but acknowledge our artistry and craftsmanship. I’m not seeing it yet, but acknowledge we’re inching closer, and the speed of the closure seems to be picking up a little as well.
I’m actually very optimistic for the future, and the progress I’ve seen at places like Marcher Lord Press is very encouraging. But we’re not there yet, and simple fondness for the idea of Christian fiction or blockbuster authors writing from a Christian worldview doesn’t sway my opinion. When the renaissance hits, we’ll all know it. It’s not here yet. But I am confident it is coming.
When I hear this line of reasoning, the first thing I am learning to ask is simple: how much CBA ficiton have you actually read in the last year? Do you read cross-genre are only sample your genre of preference? I am continually amazed at the number of “Christian” writers, publishers, and editors who have not actually read much CBA fiction. So tell me which work is better writing (CBA, ABA, Whatever): Immanuel’s Veins or Twilight, Steven James’ Bishop of the latest James Patterson work that he didn’t even write himself?
Steven James is knocking someone’s socks off because his Patrick Bower series is already optioned out to CBS and the script is being written by no less than Charles Murray (Criminal Minds, Castle).
Though his numbers will never be high because he write in a literary style, Athol Dickson is constantly mentioned in Library Review and other decidedly non-religious publications.
You are right about one thing, it is an uphill climb. Thankfully some have already blazed a trail for others to follow.
I tend to read the genres I prefer, F&SF, noir, and make exceptions when I come across something word-of-mouth that provokes me to read apart from my preferred genre. My favorite ‘out of left field,’ ‘I never would have picked that myself’ find from this last year was ‘Wind Follower’ from Carole McDonnell. On the surface, we would have nothing in common and I wouldn’t have given her book a second look. However, strong word-of-mouth encouraged me to give the book a shot, and I loved it so much and loved her bold, saucy authorial voice that I interviewed her on another blog. Hit me up privately if anybody’s interested in the link.
Wow! I just got home from work (yes, Tim, I didn’t quit my day job) to discover a cart full of comments. Thank you all for commenting, keeping it civil, and moving the topic forward. It really does help listening to everyone’s opinion. Much of what has been said resonates at some level with me. Perhaps that’s why I’m so conflicted, huh? Anyway, thanks for helping me think this through. Blessings!
I think “It depends on what you mean by ‘Christian Fiction'” is a really good answer, Mike. This is a great discussion going on. Books with the label ‘Christian fiction’ simply run the gamut these days. A person who enjoys a G-rated category romance isn’t going to be a likely candidate for Ted Dekker’s latest vampire novel (I’m not saying it doesn’t happen. I’ve read both.) BUT, Christian fiction continues to evolve, and my hope is that it will continue to evolve based on best-selling authors who are willing to push envelopes and show the world that being a Christian is about embracing EVERYBODY with love, even those who live with a different worldview. Sometimes, even Christian worldviews are different person to person. We should embrace that, not fight it.
To answer your original question, Greg is right. Writing faith-based fiction regardless of its label is polarizing by default. By its very nature, well written fiction that examines the deeper questions of life will always be troubling to many readers.
Dean Koontz writes, with an increasing regularity, stories that ponder the nature of man and the reality of something more than this life. Compare reviews of his earlier works to those for his last few and you will notice a trend. Remarks at Amazon include: “Koontz is full of himself” and “a thinly disguised propaganda piece on creationism. If you have evidence for creationism, then by all means document it and publish it in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, don’t preach it in a novel. But there are no intelligent design articles published in those places precisely because there IS NO evidence for ID.”
One has to do a double take to see these reviewers aren’t speaking of Terri Blackstock or Jerry Jenkins. There is no doubt in my mind, if Koontz had begun his career with the themes he is tackling these days, many an ABA publisher would be rejecting him on a regular basis. Just ask Athold Dickson or Sibella Giorello how open minded the big boys in the New York City publishing houses are.
Putting aside the question of quality writing and whether or not today’s CF is inferior to the general market, is it possible that there IS an industry / cultural bias against all things “Christian”? In other words, even the most well-written, imaginative, Christian fiction will be scrutinized, critiqued, and undermined in ways other fiction won’t. That seems to be an inference lurking around the periphery here. Following this line of reasoning, the problem with Christian fiction is external (anti-Christian bigotry), rather than internal (poorly crafted, culturally irrelevant, philosophically misguided, etc.).
Is that a fair division? And if so, couldn’t it explain why Christians always seem to approach this discussion from two different angles? Some defend Christian fiction on the grounds that it is qualitatively comparable (#2), but is an object of discrimination (#1). On the other hand, some criticize Christian fiction on the grounds that it is NOT qualitatively comparable and thus, not penetrating the general market.
Here’s my take: I don’t think there is an institutional bias against Christian writers. And if there is, it isn’t nearly as pervasive as some suggest. However, I DO think there is an institutional bias (and rightly so!) against what some of us mean by Christian fiction.
I think people are against openly talking about Jesus as a deity period. No, someone might not have any problem with me if I believe in Christ–as long as I keep it to myself. It’s when I start talking about it that I’ve been branded “a zealot” in the past. Same with fiction. Yeah, I can write about spaceships and unicorns all I want and believe in Christ: a writer who is a Christian. But, if my story starts talking about Christ, then I’ve “crossed a line”. I tell people, “Look, I’m writing about demons. I’m writing about the devil. I’m gonna talk about God, the Bible, and Jesus. It’s just par for the course.” It kinda goes back to the tolerance level of an individual. Can we have a discussion about Christ–with me defending His deity–without it automatically being considered “preachy”? I guess then you’ve got the question of whether or not fiction is the place for such discourse. But fiction has been used to communicate love, the effects of abuse, drug addiction, marriage, raising kids, humanity’s quest for peace and understanding–why can’t it also be a place to talk openly about Christianity? Not looking to monopolize the field or nothin’, just looking to have a fair shot at expressing my thoughts on life like everybody else. Which I guess I have that shot–but then again nobody has to like it :p But I figure as long as I write stories like that, for better or worse, it’s gonna be called “Christian Fiction”.
Not to miss the rest of your point here, but when you say “the problem with Christian fiction is external (anti-Christian bigotry), rather than internal (poorly crafted, culturally irrelevant, philosophically misguided, etc.)” then that practically presumes that all Christian fiction must be inheritantly good internally and that if it just wasn’t for that pesky external bigotry, then all Christian fiction would do well regardless of the market. Frankly, there is a lot of Christian fiction that ISN’T good internally, and I don’t say that out of hand but because there are some books I have tried reading but couldn’t finish, or enjoyed for the spiritual uplift but would never recommend to any of my unsaved friends because I know that they would never finish reading it on the internal quality alone even if they could get past the more blatant Christian themes. (And might I add that most “Christian Fiction” is based on the opinion of Christian America and not really a true world wide Christian viewpoint?)
As a reviewer for FictionAddict.com I am sent plenty of general fiction that has pitiful internal qualities so this really a red herring argument. Of course there is a bias within CBA fiction, these are Christian publishing houses aiming for a particular market. The question of whether there is bias among general market publishes is easy to answer. Ask a few authors I’ve mentioned earlier what general market editors wanted removed from their novels before they would offer a contract.
A red herring? Not really. Just stating how I see things on a specific thing that Mike had said.
Although I do wonder if you have put a red herring in your comment with the statement preceded by “Of course” as if you are either agreeing to something you feel I have stated or emphatically stating the opposite of something you feel I have stated. In either case, I never addressed the bias, or lack thereof, within CBA fiction.
And I have no doubt whatsoever about any bias in the general market as there is not a promise that you will be dealing with a Believer when you send something off to them, so therefore their viewpoints come into play and if they aren’t “kind” to the Christian viewpoint then it’s SOL for the one sending in the manuscript.
My comment wasn’t so much a reply about the “external bigotry” as it was to the “internal goodness” of Christian fiction. I’ve read “Christian fiction” that is well written and enjoyable, but I’ve also read a lot of “Christian fiction” that is NOT well written, and that was what I was talking about. I felt that the statement Mike had made was a bit one-sided and didn’t take into account the fact that there is just as much BAD “Christian fiction” as there is BAD fiction in the general market.
Regardless of any bias one way or another.
Also, I began the comment with “Not to miss the rest of your point here” so that it was understood that even though I was taking issue with the one item I was bringing out I had gotten his overall point and was not making an issue with it.