Incorporating Faith and Fiction

Tell the best story you can, not the best sermon.

Psst. Hey you. Christian writer. Want to know what makes your reader throw your book against the wall? A heavy-handed religious lecture guised in the thin covering of a novel.

Heres a newsflash for you: just because you’re writing Christian fiction doesn’t mean you’re suddenly a preacher. In fact, there’s no quicker way to alienate a reader than to beat the poor soul over the head with Bible verses. If the reader had wanted to read scripture, he’d have picked up a Bible to begin with.

It’s your job as a storyteller to sit on the couch and tell the world a great tale. It is not your job—ever—to jump up from that couch and sprint behind a pulpit. When you use excessive amounts of Biblical passages, either overtly or shrouded in what the characters are saying, then you’re not telling a story anymore. You’re giving a sermon.

Now I understand that as a Christian, you have a message that’s of eternal importance, one that the world needs to hear. But don’t alienate the reader by shoving a finger in his face and calling him a sinner. Woo your reader by showing him contrasts of right and wrong through the actions and subsequent consequences that happen to your characters.

As a Christian, the faith you want to express will appear in the pages naturally if you just write the best story you can write, not the best message you can write. Readers are looking for a great story, not a great lecture, so hone your storytelling skills. I guarantee the faith part will flow naturally out of your heart and onto the page.