Happy Saturday, everyone! Lately with all the chatter about race and diversity in the news, it reminds me of the continued importance of not only having diverse characters in Christian fiction but also in responding to racism and other contemporary issues through a Christian lens.
Our question for today is: What are the pros and cons of touching on contemporary issues through diverse Christian fiction? Where have you seen it done well (please name books/authors)? What contemporary issues would you like to see covered in Christian fiction?
We very much appreciate hearing from you! Please comment below!
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Michelle Lindo-Rice and Deborah Raney have books on interracial relationships and the prejudice they come across because of it.
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Sounds cool!
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I feel like there’s so much denial in the American church about how bad a lot of things are that people get upset with you for bringing things up or, almost worse, just ignore it or dismiss it as pure fiction.
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Yup! I have definitely come across this many times. Or they are so connected to America, they forget that we are Christians first and Americans second.
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Well, I think the challenge with any issue-driven fiction is to create a story that doesn’t feel contrived, as if the plot and the characters are only props for the author to talk about what’s been in the recent news headlines. You still want a natural and believable plot with well-developed characters in a story that feels like *their* story. The upside to doing this well is you get a novel that’s relevant to current readers and also has the substance to continue speaking to readers in the future.
As far as diverse Christian Fiction that touches on contemporary issues well… (Trying to think of some pretty recent reads I may not have singled out on this blog before. 😀 Pardon if I’m repeating myself.) No Pit So Deep by James Nathaniel Miller II is a good thriller that deals with themes ranging from human trafficking, racism, and military veterans suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. True to You by Liwen Y. Ho is another book that deals with an interracial romance, Caucasian and Chinese American. Unconditional by Eva Marie Everson is excellent contemporary fiction that deals with crime, interracial friendship, and community acceptance.
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Angie Thomas (author of The Hate U Give) said “Write a good book about issues not an issue book.” My books deal with immigration, which is a hot button topic right now. My editor helped me even it out so it wasn’t too “issue-driven” (I hope!) I love books about issues so I shall check out the ones people have mentioned
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