Christian novels are a genre of novels in the tradition of Christian literature,[1] written as a work of fiction focusing on religious events and worldviews.
In the last few centuries the existence of a conservative Christian subculture, particularly in North America, has given rise to a specific genre of Christian novel. Books such as Love Comes Softly by Janette Oke (1979) and This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti (1985), combining a specific brand of conservative Christian theology with a popular romance or thriller form, have gained approval in the subculture, just as in earlier times Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ helped make the novel acceptable to conservative religious people of the day. Publication of such Christian novels has increased greatly from this beginning, and excellence in the genre is now recognised by the Christy Awards, although an article in Christianity Today recently argued that such use of popular forms risks "foisting on the world impoverished - even laughable - expressions of those genres."[3]
In North America, the Christian novel has evolved into a specific genre of its own, written explicitly by and for Christians of a particular type. Such a Christian novel does not have to involve an actual event or character in Bible history. A novel can be Christian in this sense merely because one of its characters either comes to a Christian understanding of God and of man's need for salvation from sin, or faces a crisis of his or her faith. Nor does the plot need to turn on whether any given character is a Christian or not - although many Christian novels do have plots that explicitly reference persecution (in the past, the present, or the future), Bible history, or unfulfilled prophecy (as in the immensely popular Left Behind series). Popular authors of Christian novels include Francine Rivers in the romance subgenre, and Ted Dekker and Robert Liparulo in the thriller/suspense subgenre.
Deborah Bryan of the Kansas Library Association suggests that this genre of books typically promotes values, teaches a lesson, always has a happy ending (good prevails over evil in all books), adheres to a decency code (certain boundaries such as sexuality, strong language, and topics of such cannot be crossed), and that Christian fiction is created for defined boundaries within a particular community. She also notes that a Christian fiction writer must comply with certain restraints such as:[7]
Accept the truthful authority of the Bible
Address dilemmas through faith in Jesus
Believe that Jesus died and rose for sins of all people
It is a genre in which conflicting stories of emotion and vividness mixes God, the urban church, and faith. The stories usually portray African-American or Latino characters who have God at the center of their lives. Violence and sex is not normally included, but may appear whenever necessary for the story line.[11] The Urban Christian publishing company also publishes other subdivisions including urban renaissance and urban soul.[12] Novels such as In the Shadows of Myrmidons by B. Lloyd Reese and Nicholas J. Rzepczynsk fall into the Young Adult/ Superhero genre.
Some best-selling authors in this genre for 2012 were Kimberla Lawson Roby, Victoria Christopher Murray, Tony Dungy, Lutishia Lovely, Neta Jackson, Keyon C. Polite, Serita Jakes (wife of Bishop T.D. Jakes), and ReShonda Tate Billingsley.[13][14]
Urban Christian fiction is classified as part of the African-American Christian Market (AACM), where the best-selling topics include fiction, books for dating, dramatic testimony, and single parenting.[16] Prominent pastors of megachurches and leaders of powerful ministries contributes largely to AACM.[16] The
Baker Publishing Group also publish African-American authors of Christian fiction and religious materials.[16]
^It's Not Your Grandmothers' Christian Fiction Anymore, by Deborah Bryan, presented at the Tri-Conference 2007, April 11–13, 2007 (Topeka, Kansas), "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-10-11. Retrieved 2008-01-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^L'Engle's title is drawn from the line "And all the wickedness in this world that man might work or think is no more to the mercy of God than a live coal in the sea."
