Welcome to Tuesday Book Chat. This is where we encourage book lovers to answer our bookish question of the week.
Today’s question is:
Do you like Christian fiction with a strong Christian message?
We look forward to hearing your thoughts. Please join in the conversation by commenting on this post or on the blog post shared in our Australasian Christian Writers Facebook Group.
Let’s chat!
It really depends on the book. I want some faith element in the story and Christian values. But it depends on the story. Some don’t need a strong message while others it works better for. I just don’t want sermons for the sake of sermons. They need to have a reason and add to the storyline.
Your turn.
I look forward to reading your comments here or at the FB group. Remember all comments go into the monthly drawer for a gift voucher.
I love it when its integral to the story and challenges me. Not so much if its forced. And I don’t particularly enjoy reading sermons. I normally skip those. Sometimes I skip the Bible verse if I’m familiar with it, but I like it in there just in case I want to read it. Stopping to look up a verse or wondering where on earth the author got that idea from is annoying. So it needs to be written well, and when it is, that usually becomes a favourite book.
I agree an older writer use to put pages of sermons in her books and I would skip or skim them. The more books she wrote the more this became common. Often took away from the actual book. I don’t mine a few points where it spoke to the character but not when its just there for the sake of being there. It needs to be part of the story.
Mostly yes, but it depends on the storyline. I love books that encourage or challenge my faith when I’m reading them. If the faith element is forced, it takes away from the book. i also like the sermons in the book if it’s relevant to the story – if they add in a sermon for the sake of it, it ruin it. But I love reading the sermons that align to the situation the character is going through and see how they bring the scriptures into it.
I fully agree thanks for stopping by
Depends on the story 🙂 I think the most powerful messages are the ones that are so entwined with the story that you don’t even feel like it’s there until it hits you in the heart. I hate being preached at (yup, I generally skip those too) or when it seems like the message is more important to the author than the story. Show, don’t tell 🙂
Again I fully agree. I think sometimes the sermons are put to make the book Christian. Or its an Author who’s main reason for writing is reach people and using every opportunity to preach to the reader. It can either turn readers off or if its a good story they will do as we do skim or skip the sermon. If it keeps happening in books we will often read someone else.
I prefer any author’s message (Christian or whatever) to be subtle and to grow out of the story itself.
I agree thanks Donna