Christian novels are a type of book that is part of Christian literature's long history. These books are fictional stories that focus on religious events and beliefs about life and the world.
The tradition of Christian fiction
Christian novels are stories and books that use ideas from Christianity, such as beliefs, teachings, and traditions. The tradition of Christian writing in Europe has existed for many centuries and includes works like Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy and John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress and The Holy War. In the 20th century, authors who wrote Christian novels in English include J.R.R. Tolkien, G. K. Chesterton, Robert Hugh Benson, C.S. Lewis, and Madeleine L'Engle. For example, Aslan in C.S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe symbolizes Christ, while Madeleine L'Engle's A Live Coal in the Sea directly mentions the medieval poem Piers Plowman.
Many Christian-themed books are also part of other types of fiction. For instance, J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is considered fantasy fiction, even though it includes ideas from the writings of Jesuit priest Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. Similarly, G. K. Chesterton's stories about Father Brown are detective fiction, even though the main character is a Catholic priest.
Modern American Christian novels
Over the past few centuries, a conservative Christian group in North America has developed a special type of novel. Books like Love Comes Softly by Janette Oke (1979) and This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti (1985) mix conservative Christian beliefs with popular genres like romance or thriller. These books have been widely accepted by the conservative Christian community, similar to how Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ helped make novels acceptable to religious readers in earlier times. The number of Christian novels has grown significantly since then, and excellence in this genre is now recognized by the Christy Awards. However, a recent article in Christianity Today suggested that using popular forms might risk presenting poor or unimpressive versions of those genres.
In North America, Christian novels have become their own distinct genre, written by and for a specific type of Christian. These novels do not always involve events or characters from the Bible. A book can be considered Christian if a character learns about God or faces a challenge in their faith. The plot does not need to focus on whether a character is Christian, though many stories do include themes like persecution, Bible history, or unfulfilled prophecy (as seen in the popular Left Behind series). Popular authors in this genre include Francine Rivers in the romance category and Ted Dekker and Robert Liparulo in the thriller/suspense category.
Other authors of Christian novels include Karen Kingsbury, Judith McCoy Miller, Kristena Mears, Tracie Peterson, Bethany Kennedy Scanlon, Tosca Lee, and Robert Whitlow. Some authors have received mixed reactions from conservative Christians. For example, William P. Young’s best-selling book The Shack was strongly criticized by some reviewers. Sue Monk Kidd explored Christian themes through feminist theology in her book The Book of Longings (2020), offering a new interpretation of Jesus’ life.
Deborah Bryan of the Kansas Library Association explains that Christian fiction typically promotes values, teaches lessons, ends with good triumphing over evil, follows a decency code (avoiding topics like strong language or explicit content), and is written within clear boundaries for a specific community. She also notes that Christian fiction writers must follow these rules:
1. Accept the Bible as the true authority.
2. Solve problems through faith in Jesus.
3. Believe that Jesus died and rose to save people from sin.
4. Avoid writing about certain “taboos.”
Publishers of Christian novels include B&H Publishing Group, Baker Publishing Group (which includes imprints like Baker Academic, Baker Books, Bethany House, Brazos Press, Chosen, and Revell), Bridge-Logos Foundation, David C. Cook, HarperCollins Christian (Thomas Nelson), and Zondervan. Other publishers are Harvest House, Howard Publishing (a division of Simon & Schuster), Kregel Publications, Tyndale House, and Waterbrook Press (a division of Random House). These books are now sold worldwide through Christian bookstores and online retailers like ChristianBook.com and Amazon.com.
Urban Christian fiction
Urban Christian fiction is a part of the Kensington Publishing Corp. It is a type of writing that combines emotional and vivid stories with themes of God, city churches, and faith. These stories often show African-American or Latino characters who place God at the center of their lives. Violence and sex are not usually included, but they may appear if needed for the story. The Urban Christian publishing company also releases other categories, such as urban renaissance and urban soul. Books like In the Shadows of Myrmidons by B. Lloyd Reese and Nicholas J. Rzepczynsk belong to the Young Adult/ Superhero genre.
Some popular authors in this genre in 2012 were Kimberla Lawson Roby, Victoria Christopher Murray, Tony Dungy, Lutishia Lovely, Neta Jackson, Keyon C. Polite, Serita Jakes (wife of Bishop T.D. Jakes), and ReShonda Tate Billingsley.
Some popular authors in this genre in 2015 were Jonathan Cahn, Karen Kingsbury, William Paul Young, Sarah Price, and Francine Rivers.
Urban Christian fiction is part of the African-American Christian Market (AACM). This market includes books about fiction, dating, personal stories, and single parenting. Important leaders from large churches and strong ministries often contribute to this market. The Baker Publishing Group also publishes Christian fiction and religious books written by African-American authors.