Wednesday WWW's - Book talk

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cl_stacey0527
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Wednesday WWW's - Book talk
4
 Wed, 01-21-2004 - 12:01pm

What makes a book "Christian Fiction" for you?


Who is your favorite "Christian" author? Who is your favorite "secular" author?


What motivates you to read Christian fiction and non-fiction.


I ask because it's just been on my mind. What defines a book as "christian fiction" for me.

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japanino
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
In reply to: cl_stacey0527
Wednesday WWW's - Book talk
 Wed, 01-21-2004 - 4:22pm
That's a good question Stacey. I think Christian Fiction to me is what the ultimate theme of the book is. Does it point people to Christ and does it do it in a Christ-like way? I don't like it when books are called "Christian" but dispute the bible, have scenes that are too explicit or has swearing in it. By disputing I don't mean working through doubts or the meaning of a scripture, I mean out and out going against what the Bible says on some pretty basic points.

When I have time, I look up books on christianbook.com to see if I'll like it or not. Fortunately I get most of my books from the library so if I don't like it I return it. For Christian non-fiction I have favorite authors but will branch out if something really hits me.

My favorite authors seem to change but right now I'm reading Jefferson Scott, Mindy Starns Clark and Dee Henderson. I'm reading a new book by Karen Hancock but I'm not sure if I like it yet! I'll do a book review when I finish and let you know.

By the way, a big thank you to Jen for turning me on to Hannah Alexander! I love those books.

~Ruth

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cl_zions_daughter
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
In reply to: cl_stacey0527
Wednesday WWW's - Book talk
 Wed, 01-21-2004 - 9:48pm

What makes a book "Christian Fiction" for you?


Tough to answer, so it may take me a few sentences to organise my thoughts. ;) First off, if I've heard an author is a Christian, I expect the story to be "God-influenced"; however, it doesn't have to be obviously done. How much mention God gets is between that writer and the Maker; I just want to notice some difference between the secular and the Christian! (If it's all the same, why should I wait longer or pay more to have access to the Christian author?)


Who is your favorite "Christian" author? Who is your favorite "secular" author?


C.S. Lewis still holds top spot, for both fiction and non-fiction. I like Janette Oke and Dee Henderson, but sometimes the writing level isn't as high as I expect - certain phrases aren't original enough or the style doesn't pull me in as much as I want. And yet I keep going back to them and others. See next question for my reasons!


At the moment, I still really enjoy Jayne Ann Krentz, who writes under a few pseudonyms. I like her Regency-era romances 'cause they combine mystery or suspense with a good love story. (I'm a sucker for love stories!) Eventually, however, I'll run out of books by the author - or I'll find she has no more original plots...


What motivates you to read Christian fiction and non-fiction?


I enjoy

 





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cl_zions_daughter
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
In reply to: cl_stacey0527
Wednesday WWW's - Book talk
 Thu, 01-22-2004 - 11:08am
I didn't use the same words, but I think our definitions of Christian fiction are pretty close, Ruth. And if I were reading a secular book that bashed Christianity, there's a good chance I won't finish it; I want something that's compatible with my beliefs.

Becca :)

~~I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13 NKJV~~

 





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cwamber123
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-02-2003
In reply to: cl_stacey0527
Wednesday WWW's - Book talk
 Sun, 01-25-2004 - 8:33pm
That's a GREAT question- I'm sorry to say that I'm not quite sure what makes a book "christian" to me. I think I might say it's Christian if the author is a Christian. I'm not sure it has to necessarily do God/Church/Christian characters. The thing is- novels are supposed to make you feel like the characters are real and it's real life, and when you think about it, life as a Christian is always all that different than non-believers lives in the sense that we still have the drama and the chaos and the crisis etc. We have relationships, we mess up, we fail, we succeed. The only things that really could make a novel more "christian" is if a character prays or goes to church or talks about God.
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