How to find good Christian fiction

Someone asked me recently how to find good Christian fiction. I thought I’d expand on that conversation here.

I wince when people say there is no good Christian fiction. I’ve been reading Christian fiction for around 45 years. Yes, there’s good and bad, just as there is in any genre. But for the most part, my life has been enriched and edified by my Christian fiction reading.

I wrote a very long post here about reasons to read Christian fiction. On top of all the other reasons to read generally–to learn, grow, expand our horizons, gain empathy by seeing other people’s situations and viewpoints, and so much more–Christian fiction contains the missing element: learning to look to God for help, to conform our lives to His will.

The best way to find good Christian fiction is to ask recommendations from someone you trust. I think my early forays into Christian fiction were from books loaned to me by friends. I remember one older lady in the church we attended when we were first married who was a big fan of Christian fiction and loaned out her books.

Another helpful source is Christian book bloggers. This isn’t foolproof: I’ve been burned a few times by such recommendations. But by trial and error, you can find some whose tastes are similar to yours.

Book reviews on Amazon, GoodReads, or Christian blogs are helpful. Reviews can be somewhat confusing, because I’ve seen rave reviews for books I hated and scathing reviews of books I’ve loved. But if you look at what people praise and criticize about the book, that can give you clues.

If I am looking into a new author, I look at the one- and two-star reviews of their books. If there’s some kind of problem, it’s usually mentioned there.

Another good source is the library. Our library happens to have a good section of Christian fiction. They don’t always have the latest releases, but they have more than enough to keep me busy. You can take a few books to a table and leaf through them, or check them out to try at home. Then you haven’t invested money that you’ll regret if the books aren’t to your liking.

Kindle sales are also a good way to try a new author. I don’t mind taking a chance for a dollar or two. I haven’t returned enough Kindle books to know what Amazon’s policy for returning books is for sure, but I think they have a window of time where you can return an ebook if you don’t like it.

If by “good Christian fiction” you mean something totally in line with all your beliefs and preferences, that’s going to be a little harder. You’re going to run into different preferences among Christians, among your friends, in your church, anywhere where you interact with other people. The key is to know what you believe and why and then exercise discernment.

For instance, say you don’t believe in Christians drinking alcohol, but the characters in your book do. There are probably people in your church who do as well. You would likely still interact with them and be friends with them, unless they really pushed the issue and tried to get you to drink.

I’ve handled different preferences in Christian books the same way. I can overlook the difference–unless the author seems to be making a point of emphasizing whatever the difference is.

One of the highlights of my college experience was a lecture by Dr. Ron Horton in Literary Criticism class on Objectionable Elements in Literature. One point he brought out was to look at how the element was handled.

For instance, most would agree that adultery is wrong. Some would not read a book in which a character committed adultery. But we see people who committed adultery in the Bible.

What’s essential is how the author handles adultery. Is it presented as acceptable or written in a way that promotes lust? Or, like the story of David and Bathsheba, are we spared sordid details and shown clear consequences.

Or take the whole issue of violence. War stories, murder mysteries, police dramas, and such are all going to contain violence. The Bible has a lot of violent, even gory scenes, too. But the Bible never presents violence as gratuitous. It’s not written to promote or feed into someone’s lust for violence.

Some of us are going to be sensitive to various areas, and we shouldn’t violate our conscience. For instance, I don’t want anything to do with horror or the occult, even if the “good guys” win in the end. I read a Christian fiction book once that contained extensive detail of an occult ritual. The author was not promoting the occult: he was warning against it. But that scene bothered me immensely. I didn’t need to know the details involved in those rituals. When the Bible mentions these things, it doesn’t go into enough detail to pique curiosity.

Likewise, I pretty much don’t want to know anything about a character’s sexual life. Yes, God created sex and it’s a wonderful part of life. But it’s not a spectator sport. I don’t want to know the details of a character’s intimate life any more than my friends’ or neighbors’. Most Christian fiction authors are not going to be explicit in this area, but there are a few I don’t read because I felt they crossed the line.

I hope this has been of some help. You can search in the box at the upper right hand corner above for particular books and authors I might have reviewed. Or you can email me if you have a question about one, and I’ll be glad to help if I can.

Do you have any other tips for finding good Christian fiction?
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Other posts here about Christian fiction:

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