Christian Fiction - the ones that stick

 As I thought about which book to review for today’s blog, I began to reflect on the all Christian fiction I’ve read over the course of my life. The very first Christian Fiction I read was published in 1980 – A Truckload of Trouble by Patricia Kershaw. It’s a story about kids on a ranch and well . . . how they deal with a heap o’ trouble. I did not know the book was written from a Christian perspective, so when I encountered my worldview in the story, it swept me up. It was almost like discovering Oreo’s for the first time. A true wow! experience. I was ten years old.

Later in life, I discovered Madeleine L’Engle, one of my all time favorite authors. She writes from a distinctly Christian perspective, but it was also distinctly different from me. Very artsy. Very thought provoking. The book, Certain Women struck me in a very powerful way. First of all, she parallels a contemporary character with King David. They both had many wives and made serious parenting errors, but the juxtaposition was a wonderful thing, causing me to grapple with many modern issues from a Christian standpoint. Excellent, thought provoking, and entertaining to boot!

The Pawn by Steven James again, completely challenged me as a reader of Christian fiction. By the time I read this story, I’d read lots of Christian fiction, but nothing like this. The villain is truly pure evil, and I’d never really seen a Christian author dig into that side of things before. It’s a fabulous read, but shocking in parts – especially one scene at the beginning. And dark. Steven James can spin a yarn . . . he actually has a master’s degree in storytelling. He’s brilliant. The story is the first in a series about an FBI agent who reminds me of a modern day Sherlock Holmes, but less sure of himself. Highly suspenseful. This was the first Christian book that rivaled the secular suspense novels I was addicted to.

Lastly, I land on books written by Charles Martin. My favorite is Water from my Heart.  Martin started his publishing career with Thomas Nelson and is now with a general market publisher, but his novels still communicate his deeply rooted faith. In Water from my Heart, Martin’s main character is a drug runner in and around Florida. I never in my wildest dreams expected to read and enjoy a story about a drug runner, but Charles Martin writes highly flawed characters who are worth rooting for. He writes about honor and screwing up and redemption. I can highly recommend anything written by him.

So there you have it, sign posts on the path of my Christian fiction experience. I’ve read loads of Christian fiction. I still read loads of secular fiction. But looking back on the growth of this industry, it was fun to see which Christian authors/books really stuck with me.

Which Christian authors have had the greatest impact on you over the years? Are there any Christian novels that changed the way you view the world? Which ones have stuck with you?