Protestant Evangelical Literary Culture and Contemporary Society:

by Jan Blodgett

While studies have been done on the politics, personalities, and television empires of Protestant evangelicals, little has been said about the power of evangelical publishing and the recent upsurge in evangelical fiction. In the last 20 years, evangelical publishing has grown into a multimillion dollar business, and evangelical fiction offers valuable information about the Protestant evangelical experience. This book argues that the authors and publishers of evangelical fiction are purposeful gatekeepers who create specific images of an evangelical universe. Characters and plots of evangelical literature not only embody a religious perspective but also advocate appropriate behaviors and solutions to problems. This study brings together research in the history of Protestant evangelicalism, the sociology of religion, and literary studies to explore how evangelical novels can serve as cultural artifacts of the evangelical community in contemporary American society.

The volume consists of two distinct but interrelated parts. The first part of the book overviews the history of evangelical religion and the publishing of fiction. The chapters in this section trace the ways in which religious publishing has influenced the publishing industry in general and the importance of publishing to evangelicalism. The second part in based on the review and analysis of 60 inspirational novels published between 1972 and 1994 by 13 evangelical publishers. Two chapters examine the development of specific genre and plot adaptations. To identify the range of attitudes and images expressed in this fiction, each of the 60 novels is examined for its handling of theology, practical religion, and social issues. Appendices list the novels within particular genres and trace the chronological development of evangelical publishing, and a bibliography concludes the volume.

192 pages, Hardcover

First published June 30, 1997

Reviews

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 3 out of 5]

Protestant Evangelical Literary Culture and Contemporary Society, published twenty-five years ago, considers fiction put out by evangelical publishing houses. It provides a solid overview of many evangelical magnates, though it overlooks a few key players. Blodgett, an archivist, delivers a more nuanced look at the history of evangelical fiction than some other books I’ve read on the topic, because she plumbs history beyond Love Comes Softly, which is where similar studies often begin. She chose to deeply consider 40 novels rather than lightly consider more, which I found a helpful method for exploring a field that grows bigger every week.

With the wisdom of hindsight, we know that Blodgett’s book was released in what would be a watershed year for evangelical publishing. In 1997, The Shunning by Beverly Lewis entered the world, and evangelical fiction has not been the same since. Amish fiction is a hefty subset of Christian romance novels, and nary a Christianbook catalog has been devoid of prayer caps since. I don’t think anyone could have foreseen the impact Amish romance novels would have on the industry, and the chronological absence of these books from Blodgett’s study make it seem quaint. Also in 1997, Francine Rivers’ sanitized version of Redeeming Love was issued by evangelical Multnomah, after its 1991 publication by secular Bantam. Blodgett mentions that most evangelical novels are distributed through evangelical channels, not mainstream ones. In 2022, all the secular bookstores I patronize have a Christian fiction section, and my local library system carries all the bonnet-rippers. Honestly, after having read a few books on evangelical romance novels, it was refreshing to see what the world was like before these two books changed the industry so dramatically.

Much has changed in evangelical publishing since 1997, not just regarding pensive prayer-capped heroines, and much has stayed the same. I still feel unseen by evangelical publishers. I adore a good religious novel, but they don’t publish Catherine Adel West, Marilynne Robinson, Wendell Berry, Bo Caldwell, Gail Godwin, Elizabeth Strout, Geraldine Brooks, or Mary Sharratt. Since I am not an avid reader of romance novels, and I prefer a good challenge in fiction to something that “confirms” or “reinforces” my beliefs (63, 153), evangelical publishers don’t see me as their market.

I have sampled a wide range of evangelical authors: Janette Oke, Francine Rivers, Frank Peretti, Shawn Smucker, Lisa Tawn Bergren, Beverly Lewis, Jerry B. Jenkins, Katherine Reay, and more. Maybe I’ll never give up hope on evangelical fiction. Yet, I have never found a home there, even among the books I didn’t actively dislike. It’s discouraging to keep being disappointed, even when I approach these books with my very best readerly efforts.

After glancing at my shelves, I can confirm that I have more academic books from evangelical publishers than novels--easily, even counting children’s books. (That’s due to seven years at evangelical universities!) Goodness, I have more books about books (personal and academic) from evangelical publishers than novels. Most of the novels in those texts would never have been published by evangelical publishers. Evangelical publishers race to publish criticism and bibliomemoir--just not the types of books that inspire literary criticism and bibliomemoirs.

I want to see places like Rabbit Room Press promising a new space for readers like me in the evangelical publishing world. Yet, I find such places are often too deeply entrenched in a particular theological tradition, or too tied to Inklings worship to take chances on authors who haven’t already passed their litmus tests. Maybe things will change; maybe I need to quit complaining and do something about it. But the problem is, trade publishers are keeping me in reading material quite easily. Until evangelical publishers give them a run for their money, they’ve lost readers like me. I’m not unique, either. My church friends and college/grad school friends have similar literary inclinations. We buy books and we read books. Why won’t evangelical publishers try to reach us?

A better copy editor would have been a great boon to this book. While “Og Guinness” and “Pentacostal” did make me chuckle, their presence calls into question the quality of attention to detail elsewhere in the book, as all such errors do. Overall, I found Protestant Evangelical Literary Culture and Contemporary Society enjoyable and informative to read, and highly recommend it to anyone interested in the history of evangelical publishing, or in evangelical fiction before Rivers and Lewis (Beverly, not C. S.) made it big.

[Rachel Brand · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read several sections of this book as research for my Honours Project and found the sections on the development of the Christian publishing industry in the 20th century tremendously helpful and insightful. I especially appreciated the chapter where the author took ten key books from each genre in the Christian Fiction market and used them to come to conclusions about the development and evolution of the market, and the individual genres. Blodgett has obviously put a lot of effort into this book, and I'm only sorry I didn't have time to read more of it!