What is Christian Fiction? There are a variety of answers out there but ultimately it would seem that Christian Fiction can be defined as fiction with some sort of Christian theme either overt or implied, devoid of explicit language and sex, written by a Christian author.
Some describe Christian fiction as fiction that is specifically Christ-oriented in some way, therefore without Jesus the story would collapse. For instance it may be a story about people living in the first centuries A.D. witnessing the birth of the church. It may be a novel about a person going through some trial or tribulation and how through that they come to a faith in Christ. At one time it was common place for Christian fiction to have some sort of conversion experience within the story. Some Christian fiction focuses on fictional retellings of Old Testament stories. Even though these stories do not focus on Jesus, the theology presented within the pages is almost distinctly Christian.
Any more it would seem that Christian fiction is generally described as fiction simply written by Christian authors. The content will be free of profanity and explicit sex. Books on the shelves today may not contain a salvation experience, but will usually in some way make reference to God.
Within the specific genre of Christian fiction there are multiple sub-genres. Historical fiction, romance, adventure, suspense, and science fiction can all be found on the shelves of Christian bookstores. Taking their cues from the likes of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, many Christian authors are penning elaborate fantasies and allegories. Tolkien, a catholic, and Lewis, a protestant, are both widely known as authors who were Christians with Lewis’ work being more overtly Christian than Tolkien’s.
An interesting occurrence in the last decade or so is the rise of what I would term “Christian Horror“ which seems to be a gross contradiction in terms. This genre of fiction is riddled with supernatural tales often involving dark occult elements with some sort of light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. While the bible teaches us not to fear, there is a market amongst Christians for chilling tales that lead to sleepless nights. An even newer sub-genre is Vampire fiction written for the Christian market. Regardless of one’s opinion about the use of such elements, Christian publishing houses are churning out books with cover descriptions that are indistinguishable from secular works.
Years ago, when I first became a Christian, I found that a lot of my favorite reads were no longer compatible with my faith. At the time, the phrase “Christian Fiction” was enough to make me roll my eyes at the thought of wishy-washy books with superficial characters and bad plots. However I would soon discover that there are a host of wonderful authors out there today who write engaging books that tackle real issues.
For the curious reader stepping into the world of Christian Fiction, there is literally something for just about every taste.
Comments
Does Christian fiction always have to have Jesus Christ in its theme? Or, can a science fiction novel simply be clean? You know, without a lot of smut and graphic sex. This is a very thought provoking article. Thanks for sharing it with us.
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While some authors describe Christian Fiction as fiction with Christ being central to the plot, there is alot of Christian fiction that makes little to no reference to Jesus. Sometimes these books simply refer to God or may have the concepts of faith being something the main characters are puzzling over without a distinct resolution by the end. Travis Thrasher's Out of the Devils Mouth is an example in which the protagonist consideres matters of faith but does not come to a firm decision on where he stands by the end of the book. Robin Parrish's Offworld contains distinctly religious elements that are pivotal to the story, however Jesus is not really mentioned. Both of these works are considered Christian Fiction but do not contain any kind of salvation message. In today's market a book by a Christian author is generally regarded as Christian fiction, whether distinct religious elements exist or not.
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