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Christian Fiction

Page history last edited by Tamara Simons 7 years, 10 months ago

     The genre Christian Fiction (CF) is defined as works of fiction that come from a Christian background.  Many types of people read CF but the demographic that is most closely associated with CF is white middle-aged mothers, females from an evangelical faith background, and people who homeschool. At one point this may have been true, but in the past five years or so CF has expanded its audience to include all ages, races, and genders. Another major stereotype is that CF lacks excitement and is only about women in bonnets. This is no longer the case; today CF features vampires, angels, romance, fairytales, adventure, war, and much more. Today's Christian Fiction is anything but boring. One of the characteristics that draws readers to this genre is the absence of profanity and sexually explicit material. [6] Christian fiction novels promote strong values, teach a lesson, have a happy ending, and good always prevails over evil. [3]

     CF is also sometimes called Evangelical Fiction.  Books of this genre are often said to not be able to compete with mainstream novels such as The Things They Carried and The Hunger Games because they lack complex plot and character development. [1] But Christian fiction novels have changed drastically over time.  Previously they were seen as simplistic storytelling. Today, the market has expanded to target teens as well as adult readers.  [4]  Christian fiction has become more sophisticated and demographically diverse. [4]

     CF includes many genres such as Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi Fantasy, Historical, Mystery, Romance, Suspense, Western, and much more. It is not much different from regular Fiction. Just as in regular fiction, there are many amazing books. Some good books include: The Fairy Tales Collection by Melanie Dickerson, A Corpse at St. Andrew’s Chapel by Melvin R. Starr, Isle of Swords  by Wayne T. Batson, Dragonfire by Donita K. Paul [5], Not This Time by Vicki Hinze, The 13th Tribe (An Immortal Flies Novel) by Robert Liparulo, and Cooking the Books by Bonnie S. Calhoun. [2] The Left Behind Series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins is also a popular Christian Fiction series. 

     The future of Christian fiction will span many different genres. People will no longer have to go straight to the Christian Fiction section of the bookstore. Some people purchase books online, at yard sales, check out books from the library, or maybe borrow a book from a friend, so publishers want to try different ways to reach more people.  CF authors are trying to get other people interested in their books by writing in a different genre. It is not diluting the message and the Bible’s word; it is making it more interesting and more realistic. [7] Authors and publishers are also trying to draw in more readers to read their books by creating interesting titles and stories so that readers are hooked as soon as they pick up the book. They are even using social media to gain ideas for stories to write. [8] 

 

 

Christian Fiction Authors


 

[1] Duncan, Melanie C. "A Born-Again Genre." Library Journal. 15 May 2012: 26-30. NCWiseOwl. Web. 16 May 2012.

[2] Brown, Erin K. "Home." Home. Bonnie Calhoun, 2008. Web. 16 May 2012.

 

[3] Bryan, Deborah. "It's Not Your Grandmothers Christian Fiction Anymore." Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library. Web. 13 May 2013.

[4] Duncan, Melanie C. "A Born-Again Genre." Library Journal 15 Feb. 2012: 26-30. NCWiseOwl. Web. 13 May 2013.

 

[5] "Christian Books- Genres." Christian Book Previews. Stacy Oliver, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2015. 

[6] Duncan, Melanie C. "A Born-Again Genre." Library Journal 137.3 (2012): 26-30. Literary Reference Center. Web. 30 Apr. 2015. 

 [7] Byle, Ann. "The Future of Christian Fiction." Publishers Weekly 18 May 2015: 31-33. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.

[8] Reffner, Julia M. "Crossing Over - Christian Fiction Genre Spotlight." Library Journal 24 Nov. 2014: n. pag. Library Journal. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.

 

Comments (3)

Victorya Randolph said

at 2:11 pm on Nov 19, 2014

I really enjoy Christian Fiction books because I'm always eager to learn more about Jesus Christ. I really enjoy The Left Behind series as well as the movies. Also, I wish there were more information on Christian Fiction books on this particular page.

Jacqueline Hilts said

at 10:55 am on Apr 28, 2015

I have just recently started reading Christian Fiction and I love it! An author I strongly recommend is Melanie Dickerson. She writes romance novels. She takes everyday fairytales and gives them a Christian twist. After she is done with the twist it is almost nothing like the original story, it is a whole new fantastic adventure romance story. I strongly recommend this author for Christian Teen girls!

Sarah Mask said

at 2:35 pm on Apr 20, 2016

I enjoy Christian fiction because it gives you a different view of how people see things. My favorite book so far is Small Town Sinners by Melissa Walker. I wish she wrote another book, maybe turn Small Town Sinners into a series!

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