Can a Christian Author Write for the Secular Market?
As an avid reader and book reviewer with a Christian worldview, I often face dissenting opinions. I expect this, to some extent, because I try to be honest and apply critical thinking which can be sadly lacking. (Here are ten reasons for writing honest reviews.) The interesting factor in all this, is that it is often Christians who are uncomfortable with my views and sometimes they seem to be arguing from a secular perspective on behalf of the world…..
One of the biggest areas of debate is definitely what I would describe as “content issues.” Is it okay for authors to include bad language, graphic violence, explicit or detailed sexual activity, drug taking and its effects? How about a Christian author? And what about Christian authors who write for the secular market? Is there any difference in acceptable standards?
Let’s start with authors who are not Christians, those who are in the world and very much of it, who haven’t yet had their eyes opened to the saving hope that Jesus offers. What about them?
Obviously, we cannot expect people not claiming to be Christians to behave like believers. They will live as they choose and don’t see themselves as accountable to God. The fact that they will ultimately face God on Judgement Day and give an account of their lives is not really the issue. As Christians, we cannot seek to inflict Christian standards on non-believers. It is when someone becomes a Christian that their lifestyle will change as they seek to please God rather than themselves or other people.
Can a Christian reviewer express faith-based opinions about a secular book? Yes, of course we can and should be doing this. We don’t remove our Christian hat (or head) when picking up a book, and our faith is at the centre of what we do and who we are. How can we write an honest review without including faith principles or seeking to make some kind of spiritual application?
However, when reading such books and writing such reviews, I try to keep in mind that the author is not a professing believer, and that I have chosen to select their book knowing this. My review will still detail things that may be of concern to a believer, but I would render a less harsh judgement for graphic content.
Turning to the other end of the spectrum—Christian authors writing for the Christian market. This should be an easy one. Christian authors should expect to be held to certain content standards by their readers. We are all part of the body of Christ and are therefore responsible to hold each other accountable—to offer correction, advice and a loving rebuke for the benefit of His Kingdom. I have written extensively about this elsewhere with a particular emphasis on swearing in Christian books.
For some reason, things seem to get complicated when dealing with the third category of authors. People like John Grisham who profess to be Christians, but who are writing for the secular market. Should Christians even attempt to do this? Is it a grey area? Can this content be held to different standards?
Most definitely, we need talented Christian authors writing for a wider secular audience and entering the spiritual battle-field in the process. Why should writing be any different to any other profession? We need Christians in every work-place and every corner of this world. Light needs to be shone in areas of spiritual darkness. Christians are reflecting the light of the world, or at least we should be.
Christians who have chosen to make their living as writers have massive potential influence especially with the rise of the internet. I would suggest, that those writing for the secular market have an even greater responsibility. They have access to thousands, maybe millions of people who might never set foot in a church or pick up a Christian book. These authors are effectively representing Christ to the world. Well, again, they should be.
It has been argued that it is okay for a Christian author to breach generally accepted standards of content when they are writing for the secular market. I cannot understand this on any level. Christians are Christians all of the time.
We don’t become non-believers for a day, a month or a year when we are in the secular workplace—why should writing a book be any different? What is the point of having Christians in secular work places if they are going to conform to worldly standards. We might even ask the question—is someone really a Christian if they are going to behave like the world and there is no visible difference between them and Joe public?
The content of secular books by secular authors is deteriorating, but that is to be expected. People are becoming desensitised and are demanding more and more of what their fallen nature desires. Christians need to buck the trend and swim in the other direction whether they are writing for the secular market or not. It shouldn’t be a grey area.
Sure, Christians will differ on what is and isn’t acceptable content wise, but let’s develop our critical thinking skills. We should at least be considering whether what we are writing and reading is acceptable to God. We can take responsibility for warning others or at least making them aware of the things we observe so they can make informed decisions.
Can a Christian author really justify causing someone to lust or form graphic violent images in their mind or find themselves repeating bad language they read in a book? What about teenagers experimenting with drugs having read how to do it in a book written by a “Christian”? Maybe you think this is an exaggeration, but we all know how easily our minds can be corrupted, how quickly we fall into temptation and let’s not forget that our hearts and minds are attracted to evil in the first place.
Some full-time Christian authors may feel pressurised to increase the graphic nature of their books or to include bad language to attract a wider audience. There may be financial pressures or the need to make a name in the various genre markets. But, if someone is a true Christian, this will prove to be a false economy. God promises that He will honour those who honour Him. Conforming to worldly standards of entertainment comes back to a lack of trust that God will provide.
We must make sure we keep our priorities in check and remember that we are accountable to Him. Why don’t we use our talent for His glory and to reach out to those still in darkness with the saving message of hope. Let’s not waste the opportunities we have been given for evangelism and to represent Jesus, by instead writing rubbish, or even offensive content that might push people away from Christ.
True Christians are serving one Master all of the time. Let’s remember Who we are living for, wherever we are and whatever we are doing!
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men
Colossians 3 vs 23
One of the biggest areas of debate is definitely what I would describe as “content issues.” Is it okay for authors to include bad language, graphic violence, explicit or detailed sexual activity, drug taking and its effects? How about a Christian author? And what about Christian authors who write for the secular market? Is there any difference in acceptable standards?
Let’s start with authors who are not Christians, those who are in the world and very much of it, who haven’t yet had their eyes opened to the saving hope that Jesus offers. What about them?
Obviously, we cannot expect people not claiming to be Christians to behave like believers. They will live as they choose and don’t see themselves as accountable to God. The fact that they will ultimately face God on Judgement Day and give an account of their lives is not really the issue. As Christians, we cannot seek to inflict Christian standards on non-believers. It is when someone becomes a Christian that their lifestyle will change as they seek to please God rather than themselves or other people.
Can a Christian reviewer express faith-based opinions about a secular book? Yes, of course we can and should be doing this. We don’t remove our Christian hat (or head) when picking up a book, and our faith is at the centre of what we do and who we are. How can we write an honest review without including faith principles or seeking to make some kind of spiritual application?
However, when reading such books and writing such reviews, I try to keep in mind that the author is not a professing believer, and that I have chosen to select their book knowing this. My review will still detail things that may be of concern to a believer, but I would render a less harsh judgement for graphic content.
Turning to the other end of the spectrum—Christian authors writing for the Christian market. This should be an easy one. Christian authors should expect to be held to certain content standards by their readers. We are all part of the body of Christ and are therefore responsible to hold each other accountable—to offer correction, advice and a loving rebuke for the benefit of His Kingdom. I have written extensively about this elsewhere with a particular emphasis on swearing in Christian books.
For some reason, things seem to get complicated when dealing with the third category of authors. People like John Grisham who profess to be Christians, but who are writing for the secular market. Should Christians even attempt to do this? Is it a grey area? Can this content be held to different standards?
Most definitely, we need talented Christian authors writing for a wider secular audience and entering the spiritual battle-field in the process. Why should writing be any different to any other profession? We need Christians in every work-place and every corner of this world. Light needs to be shone in areas of spiritual darkness. Christians are reflecting the light of the world, or at least we should be.
Christians who have chosen to make their living as writers have massive potential influence especially with the rise of the internet. I would suggest, that those writing for the secular market have an even greater responsibility. They have access to thousands, maybe millions of people who might never set foot in a church or pick up a Christian book. These authors are effectively representing Christ to the world. Well, again, they should be.
It has been argued that it is okay for a Christian author to breach generally accepted standards of content when they are writing for the secular market. I cannot understand this on any level. Christians are Christians all of the time.
We don’t become non-believers for a day, a month or a year when we are in the secular workplace—why should writing a book be any different? What is the point of having Christians in secular work places if they are going to conform to worldly standards. We might even ask the question—is someone really a Christian if they are going to behave like the world and there is no visible difference between them and Joe public?
The content of secular books by secular authors is deteriorating, but that is to be expected. People are becoming desensitised and are demanding more and more of what their fallen nature desires. Christians need to buck the trend and swim in the other direction whether they are writing for the secular market or not. It shouldn’t be a grey area.
Sure, Christians will differ on what is and isn’t acceptable content wise, but let’s develop our critical thinking skills. We should at least be considering whether what we are writing and reading is acceptable to God. We can take responsibility for warning others or at least making them aware of the things we observe so they can make informed decisions.
Can a Christian author really justify causing someone to lust or form graphic violent images in their mind or find themselves repeating bad language they read in a book? What about teenagers experimenting with drugs having read how to do it in a book written by a “Christian”? Maybe you think this is an exaggeration, but we all know how easily our minds can be corrupted, how quickly we fall into temptation and let’s not forget that our hearts and minds are attracted to evil in the first place.
Some full-time Christian authors may feel pressurised to increase the graphic nature of their books or to include bad language to attract a wider audience. There may be financial pressures or the need to make a name in the various genre markets. But, if someone is a true Christian, this will prove to be a false economy. God promises that He will honour those who honour Him. Conforming to worldly standards of entertainment comes back to a lack of trust that God will provide.
We must make sure we keep our priorities in check and remember that we are accountable to Him. Why don’t we use our talent for His glory and to reach out to those still in darkness with the saving message of hope. Let’s not waste the opportunities we have been given for evangelism and to represent Jesus, by instead writing rubbish, or even offensive content that might push people away from Christ.
True Christians are serving one Master all of the time. Let’s remember Who we are living for, wherever we are and whatever we are doing!
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men
Colossians 3 vs 23
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First, full disclosure: I am an indie author without wide distribution, five novels published, one non-fiction.My Falcon series and my Outlander Chronicles series are intended for a secular audience, though both are written from a biblical worldview and both contain explicitly Christian perspectives.
I don't write with profanity and my work does not include sex scenes because I cannot do so and glorify God. My books do contain violence, but not gratuitous or graphic.
I agree with Vellacott's position, as she has expressed it above. I don't think art gets a free pass from biblical morality simply because it is art.
On the other hand, I know Christian writers who feel differently, and I refuse to judge them. It's not too hard to expose inconsistency in anyone's position in this particular area of ethics ("why do you allow this, but not that?"). For instance, why will I portray one of my characters committing a murder, but not allow that same character to use profanity? I have preliminary answers for that (I don't think I can entice someone with my writing to commit a murder, but it is possible that I can entice them to use corrupt, foul speech); but I admit the inconsistency is more than potential--it's actual. And yet I sense liberty to write as I do, in the midst of my pursuit of Christ.
My son loves Christ and writes screenplays. We've gone round and round about this very issue, without coming to a definitive conclusion.
Natalie, your comments certainly got me thinking freshly about this topic and I have to wonder if I could have written the depths the character in the story has to go through to finally reach Christ without the detail. At this point, I don't think so, but I'm only beginning to think. Interestingly enough, people's feedback was positive in that respect. But that of course could be further proof of the deterioration of the world in general...
Natalie, yes there are (very few) sex scenes and there is violence as well. But it's not in the focus, it's just what happens and people have to deal with it. The main character has been abused, is not a Christian and is desperate to get her life back under control. She meets Christians and begins to change under the influence. But the bad things that happened to her keep her from finally accepting Jesus as her savior. I'm not gonna give away more because of spoilers, but you have to know what happened to her to understand what's keeping her back. That's why I wrote the details. Being a big fan of Diana Gabaldon and her Outlander series I was impressed by responses from rape victims to the rape scenes in the books. They were positive, stating that by reliving the experience through the fictional characters it actually helped them deal with their own experience. I'm glad you don't take your opinion as absolute (as I've often heard Christians do), which helps me a lot to really work on this topic. If I had felt judged, I would have shrugged and turned away.
So thanks for the post!
Thanks for writing this!! So happy to know I'm not alone in this line of thought!! :D
Powerful article! Deep truth actually. I am also a Christian fiction writer. After being whacked on the face by such realities I completely stopped writing secular Mystery novels and now stick to Christian Mystery/Suspense. I have seen that even a purely Christian novel or movie can impact even those in the world if it's well written. For example Mel Gibson's Passions of the Christ had people around the world in tears. Both believers and non. I believe our writing gift should be clothed with the coat every spiritual gift should be clothed with. Wisdom. I have grown to realize that mentioning something in passing is enough in some instances - just dont explore the section deeply. And not make readers feel it. Eg: probably someone was heavily beaten by drug dealers. Instead of going deep, describing events, it's better to be shallow on that part and go deep on what the story is about. And as you say, hopefully win some people to Christ through our writing.
Great post, Natalie. Thanks! The Body of Christ has to look out for one another...
I have thought and prayed seriously about this topic and have come to the following conclusions. Being an avid reader of the Word of God one thing stood out for me right away: God has never been afraid to name things for what they are. The Bible is full of descriptions – yes, even detailed, graphic descriptions – of all sorts of violent and sexual behavior. There is nothing you will not find in the Bible: murder, rape, incest, beatings, drunkenness, fraud… the list could go on and on. What you will also find is friendship, love and sexual longing for a lover, life-long marriage full of devotion and all the wonderful things that are born under God’s loving care to those who trust in Him.
“There’s sexual longing in the Bible?” I hear you wonder. Let me quote:
“Your lips cover me with kisses; your love is better than wine. There is a fragrance about you; the sound of your name recalls it. No woman could keep from loving you. Take me with you, and we’ll run away; be my king and take me to your room. We will be happy together, drink deep, and lose ourselves in love.” No, I’ve never heard a sermon preached about that passage, either. But it is written in the Bible, Song of Songs, chapter 1, verses 2-4.
So, what I deduct from that is that sexual longing or fantasies are not a sin as such. God created sex, he placed the longing for it in our hearts and minds and that’s perfectly fine – if we abide by the rules. You might also say that drinking is not a sin as such. There are passages in the Bible where God explicitly encourages us to celebrate with strong drink. Does that mean we have to get drunk all the time? No. Of course not. We abide by the rules.
I believe the same goes for creative writing.
If I write a love story about two young people and their yearning and struggle to remain chaste until marriage, why shouldn’t I describe the wedding night when all this yearning is finally fulfilled with love and tenderness? I see nothing wrong in that.
But if I were to write about a married woman willfully deceiving her husband to be with another man and this new couple would then live happily ever after – that would be wrong, because God abhors adultery. It is my responsibility as a Christian author to make that clear.
The same goes for violence. I would never write about violence to glorify it, but I’m not afraid to describe it. And I wonder: if I wrote about a gangster or a street kid and they would only use the cleanest language, how believable would my characters be?
A storyteller must tell the story to the best of his or her abilities. If God has made me a storyteller, I will not do anything less. And to me, a story must have believable characters or the reader cannot relate to them. The people in my story must have real feelings and thoughts; they must go through real situations and then I can show the reader how they deal with these situations following biblical principles. I will achieve nothing if the story feels fake just because I cannot describe everyday occurrences for fear of making other people sin.
Let’s look at it from the reader’s point of view. I read a romance novel and the described sex scenes inspire me to grab my husband and drag him off into the bedroom. Is that a sin? My husband doesn’t think so! (Watch him run to the next book store to supply me with fresh inspiration.) If, however, I feel inspired to run off with the postman, it’s definitely a sin. But I cannot possibly hold the author responsible for that! It is my decision. And I honestly ask: what kind of a person would start taking drugs or committing acts of violence after reading about it in a novel?
For many years I have watched Christians place any number of restrictions on themselves. Some of them make sense while others seem to do more harm than good. I don’t know about your church, but in mine nobody ever talks about sex. Or about problems inside a marriage. It is almost as if sex and marital difficulties cannot possibly exist. And if it is addressed – wonder, oh wonder – it is usually with the tag “Well, we all know how it should be, don’t we?” On the other hand the Christian book market is overflowing with marital guidebooks. Why? Because people don’t know who to turn to!
Christians are afraid of sin. No matter whether it is our own sin or the thought that we might lead someone to sin – the fear of sinning immobilizes us. We are afraid of displeasing God and doing some irrevocable harm.
Well, I’m not. I have written an honest story that includes sex and abuse, violence and heartache, love and friendship, joy and redemption and I deeply trust my Lord and Savior to use it at His will. He is able to point thoughts in the right direction. He is able to meet people in the unlikeliest places.
I should know. I met him in the cinema. And it was a secular movie.
Fascinating discussion. Both Natalie and Annette make strong arguments for their viewpoints.
The title of the blog post: "Can a Christian Author Write for the Secular Market?"...opens up a host of ancillary questions that are central to Christian beliefs and practices.
Certainly Christians writing fiction and non-fiction books is not the same as a Christian auto mechanic doing honest and expert repairs on people's cars...or a world-class heart surgeon who is a Christian saving people's lives every day...both of which are silent witnesses of their faith in action yet do not in themselves contain the context for direct evangelism.
Does the Bible contain a sweet-spot of literary revelation that presents a paradigm of boundaries for brutally honest depiections of human nature and experiences...warts and all...yet expressed in such unoffensive details that a 10-year old can read about the crucifixion of Jesus in all four gospels and not be traumatized?
This is the genius of Holy Spirit inspired writing.
As often occurs for me...some of the issues raised here in Goodreads takes awhile to unravel and unpack...at least for this very slow thinker.
Brilliant...ladies...thanks.
The title of the blog post: "Can a Christian Author Write for the Secular Market?"...opens up a host of ancillary questions that are central to Christian beliefs and practices.
Certainly Christians writing fiction and non-fiction books is not the same as a Christian auto mechanic doing honest and expert repairs on people's cars...or a world-class heart surgeon who is a Christian saving people's lives every day...both of which are silent witnesses of their faith in action yet do not in themselves contain the context for direct evangelism.
Does the Bible contain a sweet-spot of literary revelation that presents a paradigm of boundaries for brutally honest depiections of human nature and experiences...warts and all...yet expressed in such unoffensive details that a 10-year old can read about the crucifixion of Jesus in all four gospels and not be traumatized?
This is the genius of Holy Spirit inspired writing.
As often occurs for me...some of the issues raised here in Goodreads takes awhile to unravel and unpack...at least for this very slow thinker.
Brilliant...ladies...thanks.
Natalie, I read the blog post and agree completely, generally speaking. What is probably hard to understand is the relationship I have with God. God is my absolute. He is absolutely holy. He is absolutely sovereign. I absolutely obey him. I absolutely trust him. I am incapable of walking a single step or taking a single breath without him. That doesn't mean I cannot err at some point. But I'm simply not afraid of it because I know he will correct me. And I listen. I might have to chew a bit sometimes before I swallow what he hands me, but I will never turn my back on him. I owe him too much. I do not question his decisions, even if I have to pray a lot to be able to handle them. But I know that almost every Christian I know perceives himself as separate from God, struggling to walk in his path.
God has drawn me to himself by addressing me directly, without the help of other people. So what I learned in the beginning I learned directly from him and his word.
And in his word he states in the Book of John that he lives inside me. I am like a glove with the hand of God stuck inside. So please forgive me if I don't take my spiritual pulse all the time and wonder if I'm still on the right path. I'll know it immediately if I'm not. That's why I have no fear of sin, based on this absolute trust in my Lord.
Barton wrote: "Fascinating discussion. Both Natalie and Annette make strong arguments for their viewpoints.The title of the blog post: "Can a Christian Author Write for the Secular Market?"...opens up a host of..."
Can a ten year-old read about the crucifixion without being traumatized? A colleague of mine told me about her granddaughter who was in tears about the story of Abraham preparing to sacrifice Isaac. They had talked about the story in school... There are some really disturbing images presented in the Bible, and the crucifixion is right among them. I personally tend not to visualize these things while I read them. But I did have a vision of Jesus on the cross during a communion service and believe me, when it was my turn to eat that bread I gagged. But I knew I had to eat it or die. I will never forget that.
I want people to visualize so that they will be touched by what they read.
I think in Natalie's blog post there are at least two main issues.
I noticed on my Home Page that Natalie had been reading some of John Grisham's books...and I read her book reviews. I have read many of his books, along with Clancy, Follett, Forsythe, Ludlum, DeMille, Sabatini, and W.E.B. Griffiin to name a few in this genre...for pleasure.
I started writing my first Christian book in 2006, and made a decision then to limit myself to Christian books on theology and apologetics only.
A few of my favorites by Grisham are Bleachers, Playing for Pizza, and Skipping Christmas.
John Grisham claims to be a Christian...have only heard this second-hand...but he depicted a Christian medical missionary in the Amazon rainforest near perfectly in The Testament...so I do not doubt this.
Going by the title of the blog...the main question is can a Christian author like John Grisham, for example, write books for a secular audience...and if so...what should be the boundaries of propriety in terms of foul language, sexual content, and violence.
This is a very profound question...I gave it some thought for a couple of days and will continue to think about it.
I think you and Natalie are both right...the question from the Christian viewpoint is how much deviation from the centerline is advisable to tell the story yet still not offend our responsibility to attempt to be holy and Christ-like.
I agree with Annette that there are many topics in the Bible that are raw and brutally honest...but I think not offensive or traumatizing as written. If elaborated in a sermon with explicate details then this goes beyond the written words.
Just my theory...but a young person can read about Stephen being stoned, Paul being stoned, Paul and Silas being beaten, Paul nearly pulled in pieces by the mob in Jerusalem...and yes even the crucifixion of Jesus...and yet not be disturbed by the carefully balanced wording having an economy of descriptive details.
But I can certainly be wrong here.
But the big question for me as I think about these questions is: does the brilliantly concise writing in the Bible...that conveys so much information with so few words...also give us a template for Christian fiction writing in terms of how far to go with language, violence, sex, etc.
I do not have the answer...but I appreciate the question being presented...that is why I wrote brilliant as to both your comments.
I noticed on my Home Page that Natalie had been reading some of John Grisham's books...and I read her book reviews. I have read many of his books, along with Clancy, Follett, Forsythe, Ludlum, DeMille, Sabatini, and W.E.B. Griffiin to name a few in this genre...for pleasure.
I started writing my first Christian book in 2006, and made a decision then to limit myself to Christian books on theology and apologetics only.
A few of my favorites by Grisham are Bleachers, Playing for Pizza, and Skipping Christmas.
John Grisham claims to be a Christian...have only heard this second-hand...but he depicted a Christian medical missionary in the Amazon rainforest near perfectly in The Testament...so I do not doubt this.
Going by the title of the blog...the main question is can a Christian author like John Grisham, for example, write books for a secular audience...and if so...what should be the boundaries of propriety in terms of foul language, sexual content, and violence.
This is a very profound question...I gave it some thought for a couple of days and will continue to think about it.
I think you and Natalie are both right...the question from the Christian viewpoint is how much deviation from the centerline is advisable to tell the story yet still not offend our responsibility to attempt to be holy and Christ-like.
I agree with Annette that there are many topics in the Bible that are raw and brutally honest...but I think not offensive or traumatizing as written. If elaborated in a sermon with explicate details then this goes beyond the written words.
Just my theory...but a young person can read about Stephen being stoned, Paul being stoned, Paul and Silas being beaten, Paul nearly pulled in pieces by the mob in Jerusalem...and yes even the crucifixion of Jesus...and yet not be disturbed by the carefully balanced wording having an economy of descriptive details.
But I can certainly be wrong here.
But the big question for me as I think about these questions is: does the brilliantly concise writing in the Bible...that conveys so much information with so few words...also give us a template for Christian fiction writing in terms of how far to go with language, violence, sex, etc.
I do not have the answer...but I appreciate the question being presented...that is why I wrote brilliant as to both your comments.
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I wanted to write an honest story. The world is as it is - deteriorating and people just take it for granted. In this story, a person from the deteriorating world is confronted with all the Christian principles that you describe above. She has to deal with them and so the reader also has to deal with them. If I had left out all the disturbing things the person is struggling with, the reader could not relate to it. Because it's the harsh truth that people are facing without the loving hand of Jesus guiding them.
In my opinion, I'm not producing images that will disturb people and push them away from Christ. I am using the the images people carry with them all the time anyway to show them the way to Christ.