tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791261486111154318.post7620799661138521596..comments2024-03-22T10:51:23.567-05:00Comments on Faith, Fiction, Friends: Does It Always Have to Be an Amish Romance?Glynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10802111972232088511noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791261486111154318.post-29519998310626869292012-11-12T17:12:02.896-06:002012-11-12T17:12:02.896-06:00Love this essay, Glynn. Thank you for it. "Ed...Love this essay, Glynn. Thank you for it. "Edifying?" This is closely akin to church-shopping, in my book, when such shopping is done because a particular church is 'no longer meeting my needs.' Give me a break. Now if you discover that you are no longer in agreement with a church's stated theology or with their governance structure, then by all means, find another community. But to offer the other, far more self-centered and consumeristic reason? As I said, give me a break. Same for literature. Good writing is good writing, period. And it doesn't have to be outspokenly Christian to be a good read. It also does not have to be specifically Christian to be deeply spiritual and to connect at a deep emotional level. However, some of our best books do all of the above, don't they? "Gilead," "Peace Like a River," "The Dancing Priest..." Yeah, some of them cover all the bases.Dianahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11778701909628887403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791261486111154318.post-43087797773679891622012-11-12T16:43:48.305-06:002012-11-12T16:43:48.305-06:00I think another thing to consider is the erroneous...I think another thing to consider is the erroneous assumption that Christians need one kind of literature, and non-Christians need another. Christians are not perfected beings (yet) and are capable of walking away from God with the same resolution as non-Christians. Some Christians, too, have been blinded by cultural norms to God's truth just as equally as non-Christians.<br /><br />And I think one story, recognizing these truths, can reach both people, without being didactic or "Amish Romance."Daniel Dydekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04399918301512480077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791261486111154318.post-27947383465105770992012-11-12T08:40:50.738-06:002012-11-12T08:40:50.738-06:00Christian publishing is a business. Christian fict...Christian publishing is a business. Christian fiction fills a market need for people who want stories without sexuality or cursing in which good and evil are clearly defined, with good always coming out on top.<br /><br />It is a particular formula built for people who like that formula.<br /><br />I try to be careful not to confuse the depth of my spiritual formation in Jesus Christ with this marketing segment, just because my faith and this marketing segment happen to share a common word.Marcus Goodyearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07255781957722144278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791261486111154318.post-70464154885431699692012-11-12T07:58:57.775-06:002012-11-12T07:58:57.775-06:00Excellent thoughts Glynn. I have had difficulty wi...Excellent thoughts Glynn. I have had difficulty with the "Christian" literature and music market for a long time. The problem is that it doesn't offer faith in a full-orbed life, just a sanitized, compartmentalized version.Chris Yokelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05698615428447846772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5791261486111154318.post-53437066213509098492012-11-12T07:11:05.701-06:002012-11-12T07:11:05.701-06:00I totally agree Glyn. I read "Christian fict...I totally agree Glyn. I read "Christian fiction" as escapist reading. It is "otherworldly" so to speak. I write sermons. I read books that challenge me, "edify me," even teach me. But I also want something to read that is different from the normal fare. I like to read fantasy at times- Brian Litfin is a case in point or Steve Lawhead. What I don't want is to preached at. You make a good point...AND...practice what you preach. I did not feel you preached at me with Dancing Priest. :) Bill (cycleguy)https://www.blogger.com/profile/09082407231475058958noreply@blogger.com