Discussion: What is "Christian Fiction"?

I recently listened to this episode of the Christian Publishing Show, “What makes a book a Christian book?” I found the discussion quite interesting and entertaining. There are tons of factors to consider when answering this question for non-fiction, but in the episode, they didn’t touch very much on fiction.

I have a question for all of my fiction writers/readers: What makes a book “Christian Fiction?”

My opinion is this. Jesus said, “I am the vine.” Now, he wasn’t an actual vine (or door, or bread, or light), but in some sense what he said was more true than if it were taken literally. To me, this was Christian fiction. I think with true Christian fiction, we tell stories that hold a deeper truth than whatever is on the surface. It still rings in the air when we close the book.

To expand this conversation, I would also be interested in your opinions on “Christian Fantasy”. Does the actual Christian religion need to be present in the story for it to be accepted as Christian? Will that make the faith seem just as absurd and mystical as the world we include it in? Will allegory suffice? What about general themes of sacrifice and love? Is Lord of the Rings Christian? What about Narnia? What about something a bit more recent, like The Wingfeather Saga?

I’m interested in hearing and discussing your thoughts!

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Madeleine L’Engle has an amazing book on Faith & Art called “Walking on Water” that explores this idea very heavily. I would highly recommend any Christian writer to buy and read that book.