You made some excellent points! It’s refreshing to see a fellow young adult passionate about the Bible and Christ. You should totally write a book highlighting all these points. 😀
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! My identity is in Christ so why would He not be first in every aspect of my life? Haha I’m going to say no to writing right now, but I won’t say never 😜
Yes, I agree too. I’ve started seeing that in a lot of Christian fiction and I just started feeling very much disappointed. I’m so glad that there are still authors that focus on what really heals though and that is God’s word. :)
So the problem with Christian fiction is that they don’t refer to scripture enough. My first book on biblical fiction centered around a time before the Bible was created but to me it seemed that the scriptures were “hidden” within the way the characters of the book lived and the lessons they learned. The Bible kind of existed in fragments before Constantine and those fragments were raw like a diamond just pulled out of the ground. The diamond we have now is just as good but it’s different… Constantine added a little GMO and diluted it a little. I’m wondering if Christians ever thirst for the luster of that raw diamond. To see the scriptures that were found in the Dead Sea scrolls maybe. To see God as being bigger than religion. Is that possible ? Is God a Christian ? How big is Christ consciousness and is that the true goal of Christianity. There’s just this hard hearted ness when our focus is on religion instead of spirituality. It’s like we don’t recognize God unless he is wearing a certain outfit.
I rarely read Christian fiction either… because for awhile most of what I saw was romance novels. And until recently many Christian fiction just wasn’t as well written as non- Christian fiction.I personally read “clean” books that are probably written by Christian but aren’t marketed as Christian fiction.
Thanks for the video I'm a guy why are there so few male centered books in Christian fiction? Also how can they call it Christian fiction if there is very little scripture reference ? It is clean fiction instead thanks 😁
You make some really good points here. I've read some Christian fiction where the characters attend church, but I think they've all been historical fiction where it feels like more people attended church on Sunday. But at the same time, they don't usually discuss much about what was said in church or what the sermon was about. I feel like so much of Christian fiction calls itself that to reach Christian readers, but shies away from doing more than having the characters mention God a few times and maybe pray once or twice because they don't want to scare off non-Christian readers who happen to pick up their books. It seems like if you're going to write Christian fiction, you should be all in with it or not call it Christian fiction in the first place.
It is so refreshing to see a younger Christian woman realize the issues with books listed as Christian fiction. Thank you for sharing your experience and realization. The publishers are getting worse with the books they're releasing under their name, but shouldn't even be labled Christian. I see the same issue with books about murder and magic. I also understand that everyone is at a different level of growth in their walk with Jesus. There is a misunderstanding that so many unbelievers have that is so restricting, not realizing there's freedom in Christ. Sadly, a lot of the churches don't have good theology, which probably explains the books. Excellent video.
What you said about churches is so true! Christianity is so watered down, of course authors are going to write from that perspective. I’d love to read some more books from a biblical counseling perspective!
I think you make some helpful points and I sympathise. I personally find myself spending a long time looking at blurbs and other promo of books in Christian and secular markets, just to try and get a sense of whether investing in this book is likely to be worth my time - what's the worldview being presented? What are the characters like? One thing that came to mind as I listened is that storytelling generally involves characters being faced with some kind of adversity or problem, and their journey as they tackle it. Stories are not essays or sermons, but tell an account of some kind of problem. There are many Christian writers who feel they need to have flawed characters and/or unhelpful ways to approach their problem, in order to create the drama and adversity that makes stories interesting. In real life, indeed, Christians should be growing in holiness and being discipled in the context of a local church with elders, they should be regularly gathering with the church, being around good models and have people in their life who can give good counsel. But are characters like that interesting to read about? Is there enough suspense or drama in their lives that would sustain a whole novel? I think many Christian writers would say no. I don't think it's impossible, but I think it's more challenging, without simply writing what reads like a long sermon illustration. One more thing that comes to mind is that not everybody that identifies as a Christian writer and publishes for the Christian market is genuinely Christian (assuming for the sake of argument the Bible shows what a Christian looks like). And among those who are genuine Christians, not all of these are mature Christians, having been exposed to exegetical/expositional/expository preaching, biblically sound theology, mature Christian role models, personal reading of the Bible in context, life experience etc. Hence, what you have is a massive variety of content under the "Christian fiction" umbrella, not because the worldview of the story meets a certain Biblical standard, but because of a certain commercial market being targeted.
Yes! Absolutely! And I think a lot of it too comes down to the general degradation of the quality of writing these days. There’s not as high of a standard as there was pre-internet. People just want a quick story with a romantic plot. I was recently reading a friend’s goodreads review of a Francine Rivers book. She said something along the lines of “this author wants Christian’s to be able to experience lust and get as close to it as possible without feeling that towards real people. “ I think that’s so true in most Christian books. And then of course, there are almost no biblical solutions which, to your point, is a direct result of a lack of biblical teaching in modern America. A lot of people say that go to “church” but it’s just a concert with some self help facts thrown in. Thanks for commenting! I enjoyed reading it!
Wow, that goodreads review sounds quite damning. I'm not really a romance reader, so I haven't read anything by Rivers, although of course her name is familiar. It's with anything though, just because something is marketed to Christians, it does not mean I would ever recommend it to Christians. Discernment is required, even in the Christian section of your local library. I wonder what you mean by the degradation in the quality of writing? Do you mean simplistic language/slang? Or do you mean bad grammar/typos? Or lack of originality, or simplistic subject matter? Or something else? I do find books that are published in modern times from major publishers often have simpler language than classics. But I don't know if that's what you mean. And indeed, it cannot be overstated that the kind of Christian teaching people receive impacts the kind of art they produce. @@haleyannabelle20
I have just started reading Christian fiction. It’s been a mixed bag for me. I am Catholic and a lot of authors I read are Protestant. So if there’s a lot of Faith content I get distracted by things I think aren’t Biblical or heretical. I also think with Christian romance some authors write lustful things even if it is “clean.” Francine rivers writes lust filled books. Becky Wade is borderline lustful. There’s a way to show romance and chemistry between characters without making lustful.
I think you make some good points about how Scripture should always be consulted when dealing with life’s struggles. However, you are young. I hope that as you grow older, you will keep your heart and your eyes open to those who you say are not victims. They may have made their choices, but these are the very people who need God the most.
I just started reading a book called Competent to Counsel by Jay Adams that was one of the first books written on man's responsibility in the counseling context. I have great empathy for those suffering the consequences of their actions, but that does not negate their responsibility. Praise the Lord for His redemption of even the worst choices!
Thank you for this video. Christian Fiction should contain all that you listed. It should show how God loves us and has made a way for us to be whole through his son Jesus. The story should be compelling for Christians, for seekers, and for those that are completely lost. Because that is the heart of God. Blessings, keep up the good work.
While you bring good valid points, everybody is at a different place in their walk with God. Books can be a great help in steering people through these different places in their lives by giving examples of how to get through the difficulties. Also a lot of times when a person is in trauma, they don't always act rationally. And while it's quintessential to say "just pick up your Bible", when you're in a trauma situation their mind isn't even thinking straight a lot of the times and that is when a fellow Christian gives them the support that they need.
I really enjoyed this video and appreciate your review. And I agree that many of the CF books seem to be written in a “seeker friendly” style. Too much emphasis on writing a feel good story with a happy ending sprinkled with some references to scripture. There’s nothing “feel good” about sin so it’s not addressed. But….even bad writing, lack of theology and tip toeing around sin and repentance can be used as a opportunity to talk about what the story didn’t cover in a discussion. This is why I believe this video is so relevant. I pray it will spur many discussions🙂
I totally agree! Sometimes they can be fun to read but if it does deal with a hard topic, then I expect to see more use of biblical principles. Making this video has already caused me to think how I’m going to review the books I’m currently reading! It definitely makes me more grateful for the many blessings I have.
I totally agree. This is one of the reasons I stopped reading Christian fiction years ago. They never went to church, didn't speak with their pastor, no theology even brought in, etc.
Ms Haley, Excellent video, but the only thing I would change that you said that first it must start with returning to the church. But, I would say they need to start with the Lord, then back into the church. I feel , as you said , to acknowledge THE SIN, and we are all in need of a Savior. This is so we don’t make the CHURCH the savior, but making Jesus Christ Our Lord God…the true Savior! Great video, much needed..at least for myself. God bless 🙏❤️
Yes, that's a good point! What I was trying to get at is along the lines of Psalm 73. Often as Christians we get distracted by sin and the first sign is that we forsake the assembling together. But if we were faithful in our church attendance, then we would not be able to hide our sin and we would be under constant conviction through the biblical preaching. I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
You may be interested in "Christ Rescued Me from the Church of Christ" by Lee Anne Ferguson, for it includes chapters that deal with counseling issues from a biblical perspective.
👏👏👏👏👏 Great video!! I've not read Christian fiction other than the Left Behind series years ago but I do want to read more. You made some great points for me to look for when I decide to read some Christian fiction.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! There is definitely some good Christian fiction out there, and i still enjoy quite a few that don’t have those explicit biblical themes. I actually have a video talking about all my favorite ones :)
