I have some issues with Christian fiction. Most of it is poorly written. It can get preachy sometimes and then I feel guilty for not enjoying the book, which leads me to wonder if Christian fiction is kind of an oxymoron. Do books written by a Christian from a Christian worldview (but not necessarily about Christians) count as "Christian fiction"? Can anyone give examples of what they consider to be quality Christian fiction?
2006-07-11 13:05:01 · 13 answers · asked by AJK 2 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
yeah, check out some of CS Lewis' work--i think you'll enjoy it.
2006-07-11 13:20:47 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋
I'm a romance writer so I monitor the market "rags". There is several Christian genres out there. Inspirational romance is a growing catagory! However, Love Inspired ( a part of Steeple press) has been hurting with their line of Christain based characters with heartwarming tales, and is going more commercial now. Basicially these stories don't have sex in them... a kiss is fine but other than that... not gonna happen at least in the book. And yeah, some Christian fiction is a bit too preachy, sometimes the author takes it a bit too far. But , The Inspirational Romances have more Christian life in their stories. They weave faith, God, hope, trust .... that kind of stuff. IE one book is about how the main character found out about her breast cancer, how she found strength in her faith and found an awesome guy in the process! This is the stuff that sells. No preachy stuff, just a good old fashioned story and ya don't even miss the sex! A good Christian fiction book is simply well writen, a basic moral or lesson maybe, not preachy, but leaves the reader with a good feeling when the book is closed.
2006-07-11 21:01:12 · answer #2 · answered by maryquast 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Most Christian fiction drives me nuts, because the characters rarely tend to be the same brand of Christian I am. If the characters approach situations with "I believe in such-and-such because God says so therefore I'm right" and the plot plays to that, I usually can't stomach the book. If the characters aren't too preachy, though, I can enjoy the stories.
A good Christian fiction series is the O'Malley series by Dee Henderson, starting with "The Negotiator." Very non-preachy and non-judgemental - plus lots of stuff blows up. C.S. Lewis is a good choice for some heavier Christian fiction - he wrote several "fictional" books that are designed to make you think more about your faith.
2006-07-12 14:50:35 · answer #3 · answered by theycallmewendy 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have this same problem. Except for Janette Oke and Frank Peretti, I can't think of any current Christian fiction which I'd recommend as an example of quality. C.S. Lewis, of course, with his fiction and nonfiction works is a great writer...but he's an exception to the rule...not the standard.
One series of books featuring Miss Julia by Ann B. Ross begins with the book Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind...and I think they're pretty funny.
And I'm always hearing good things about the Mitford series by Jan Karon--my mom & aunt love those books--but I haven't read them myself.
I wish there were hundreds of books to highlight as proof that they can be high quality...but I haven't found that many yet. It's discouraging.
2006-07-11 20:35:25 · answer #4 · answered by laney_po 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Bible....A century ago, mythicist Albert Churchward said, "The
canonical gospels can be shown to be a collection of
sayings from the Egyptian Mythos and Eschatology."8 In
Forgery in Christianity, Joseph Wheless states, "The
gospels are all priestly forgeries over a century after their
pretended dates."9 Those who concocted some of the
hundreds of "alternative" gospels and epistles that were
being kicked about during the first several centuries C.E.
have even admitted that they had forged the documents.10
Forgery during the first centuries of the Church's
existence was admittedly rampant, so common in fact that
a new phrase was coined to describe it: "pious fraud."
2006-07-11 20:08:15 · answer #5 · answered by MC 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have personally never been attracted to Christianity nor the Bible, I feel that the Bible is nothing more than a collection of lies and fables, cleverly gathered together by a throng of elderly men who longed to control and govern masses of shallow individuals. I think Christian fiction is also another aspect of fictionalized dramatic nonsense that pours fiction into the lives of those who have a desire to understand the world and other forms of beliefs on a more personalized level. This is just my opinion!!
2006-07-11 21:01:25 · answer #6 · answered by vampire_12002 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The New Testament must be the most successful christian fiction - it inspired an entire religion. Kind of like Battleground Earth and scientology
2006-07-11 20:41:50 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
The bible itself, and anything by Tim LaFaye. Its all poorly written and hastily distributed, in various attempts to control the masses. The connection between the ruling classes and organized religion is well established for anyone who cares to look. It has been highly effective for centuries.
2006-07-11 20:20:23 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I like to read Janette Oke, shes a Christian Writer. Shes a good author.
2006-07-11 20:26:14 · answer #9 · answered by northgadeb 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you are ever bored, check out a book called, "The Screwtape Letters" by C.S. Lewis.
2006-07-11 20:08:52 · answer #10 · answered by keats27 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Christian fiction? You mean the bible? Has some good stories here and there but otherwise dreary and fanciful. I predict it won't sell many copies.
2006-07-12 01:28:25 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋