In this post, we’ll be addressing the topic of Christian writing. There are many questions that people might have about this subject, so I’ll do my best to answer them.

(Note: This post is an introduction to the next one, where we will study what the Bible’s example can teach us.)

Before we get into anything else, we need to answer the question, “Should Christians include their faith in their works?” Of course, most authors who call themselves Christians will immediately say yes to this. However, the evidence says otherwise.

Generally, there are two types of Christian authors. The first type writes a poor-quality story with perhaps good potential, then they stick their faith in wherever it’ll stay. This type of author is the reason why some people dislike the Christian genre.

The second type of Christian author is the one who sees the poor quality of the first author’s works, shudders at it, and runs as far away from it as he can. The result is that he writes a book that may be good quality, but includes either no mention of God, or an incredibly vague and nebulous message that you will find only if you read carefully between the lines.

Now, I will say that not all Christian authors are like this… there are definitely some gems out there. But the large majority of Christian authors I’ve read fall into one of these two categories. So, without further ado, let’s address the problems both types of authors present.

To those who hide their faith (or at least water down), I would say that our purpose in life is to glorify God. Not just in church, not just during personal devotions, but all the time. This includes our writing time. We as writers hold a position of influence that we must use wisely. And as Christians, what better message could we share than the gospel of Jesus Christ?

Inevitably, writing from a Christian viewpoint means that you will most likely never be on the New York Times bestsellers list, nor will you earn huge wads of cash from our books. But who knows? Perhaps God will use your book to change someone’s heart. And even if that’s all it ever does, I believe it will be worth it.

If you believe God has called you to be an author—either full- or part-time—there should be no question as to whether or not you will include your faith in your writing. Rather, it should be a natural thing that flows directly from your heart. Our worldview extends beyond those things that people deem “spiritual.” It should affect our entire life, and that includes our writing.

Then there is the Christian author who throws their faith in wherever it will fit and thinks that’s good enough. This is the poor quality often pointed out by critics of the Christian fiction genre. And, to be honest, these critics have some valid concerns. Just because we have the right viewpoint doesn’t excuse us from not doing our best.

So here are several mistakes that many Christian authors make:

1. Sticking God in as an afterthought.

So many authors will throw in a scripture verse, sermon, or Christian character into their story somewhere to “spiritualize” it. While it’s better than not including their faith at all, it’s still a far cry from good quality Christian fiction.

When Christ is the foundation of your life, shouldn’t He also be the foundation of your books? So, instead sprinkling some Jesus over the top of your story, I suggest starting with Him. This will enable you to weave God’s truths into your stories in an effective and natural way. (More on this technique next time.)

2. Everything turns out alright as long as you trust God

While this is ultimately true, some things will not be made right until Heaven. Don’t get me wrong… my books have happy endings, but you can be sure that my MC won’t get them until they’ve gone through plenty of trials. And, even then, the Resolution may still have a bittersweet tinge to it.

For this point, we have two examples:

One is the movie, “Facing the Giants.” While there are definitely some memorable moments in this movie, there’s one thing it got wrong. Basically, when the characters decided to trust God, things magically seemed to get better. That’s just not how it is with God. Now, He does bless us, but sometimes He chooses not to. We have to be careful as writers not to portray an unrealistic view of God in our happy endings.

A movie that got this right is “Woodlawn.” While I wouldn’t agree with all of the doctrine in this movie, the plot-line is an awesome example of how God’s plans sometimes differ from ours. (And keep an eye out for one of the key moments in “Woodlawn” that would have made “Facing the Giants” a whole lot better.)

3. Unsaved people are always the bad guys, and the Christians are always goody-two-shoe Flat Arcs

Okay, yes, Christians have the power of the Holy Spirit in them, and they should look different from the world. But the truth is, we all sin. And to have every single Christian character be a Flat Arc (more about this in our Writing Tips series) is pretty unrealistic. Also, even though God sees it as filthy rags, unsaved people do sometimes do “good” things. The world is not black and white… no one is perfect aside from God.

While you should make sure there’s a distinction between the unsaved and the Christians, remember that an unsaved character can do an act of kindness, and a Christian character can struggle with sin. Just make sure to properly distinguish between right and wrong. The point is not to make everything vague—rather, it’s showing the audience a clear example of real-world problems so that you can point them to Christ.

4. Ultimately, a great idea (or even a not-so-great idea) is sacrificed for the sake of an easy way out

This is pure laziness. If you’re an unskilled writer… do research! Read good books, and, above all, keep practicing. If you really want to learn, you will learn.

And if you are a skilled writer, you should seek to do your best in your work. I’m not saying at all that our writing has to be perfect—indeed, mine is far from it. What I’m saying is that if we truly believe writing is our calling—if we truly want to glorify God—if we truly want to do our best… our writing would constantly be improving.

You might look at this a bit like the sanctification process. Strive for excellence. No, you haven’t obtained yet, and probably none of us are anywhere near that point. But keep learning, researching and writing, and you will find that you’re steadily growing.

A couple of things to note before the end of this post. First, I want to say that I have read and watched some pretty awesome Christian books and movies. (I’ve got plenty of recommendations if you’re interested.) While the broad representation of the Christian genre is lacking in either quality or message, there are definitely some jewels.

Secondly, I realize that we didn’t really get to the Bible analysis part of this topic, but I really wanted to make sure that the problem was understood before we move on to the solution. So next time, Lord willing, we’ll be looking at how to write good-quality Christian fiction, using examples from the Bible.

Comment below what your favorite Christian books or movies are!