Between mission and message: just how Christian is this "Christian fiction"?

THE AFOREMENTIONED QUESTION in the title above echoes the debate of ages past concerning the traditions, nuances and messages of the black religious experience. Should the black church be found guilty of serving as an opiate for its loyal congregants--buying time until the "by and by" comes? Or praised for interceding as a liberator for the oppressed in an unjust society? Many would say both. Such is the theological debate of Christian fiction.

On the one side are those who think the genre provides entertainment that is at least harmless and at best helps readers with their individual Christian beliefs. On the other side are some people of faith who believe novels flying under the Christian banner neglect the larger meaning in Christ's ministry that calls for action on social ills.

Denise Stinson, founder of Walk Worthy Press, the leading publisher of Christian fiction by African Americans, says, "I'm just trying to do what I believe God has called me to do." Walk Worthy's Christian-fiction authors include Angela Benson (The Amen Sisters, September 2005), Yolonda Tonnette Sanders (Soul Matters, September 2005), Michelle Stimpson (Boaz Brown, June 2004), Cheri Paris Edwards (Plenty Good Room, April 2005) and others.

Stinson says the only thing she thinks about is that "there are a lot of hurting people out there" who may need the books she publishes. Indeed, suffering and the response to it seems to be a central point of divergence in the simmering debate about this relatively new genre of literature.

"Jesus talked about, more than anything else, taking care of the poor and the vulnerable. That's the bedrock of Christianity, according to the Gospel. Christian fiction, none of it that I've seen, takes any of that seriously. It reduces Christianity to personal Piety," says Obery Hendricks, author of highly regarded, best-selling novel Living Water (HarperSanFrancisco, 2003). Hendricks asserts that Christian fiction is supposed to be more than entertaining. It should challenge readers to "go out and change the world" as Jesus Christ taught.

Hendricks, a professor of biblical studies at New York Theological Seminary and former president of Payne Theological Seminary, shares that he did not write Living Water as Christian fiction. The novel is based on the biblical character of the Samaritan woman Jesus meets at the well. "I was not trying to convert anyone;' he admits. Still, this magazine named the book Best Christian Novel of 2003.

Social consciousness isn't always foremost in some authors' minds. "[People] don't want to be preached to;' stresses Jacquelin Thomas, author of Saved in the City (BET Books/New Spirit, May 2005). "I am trying to reach the people who are not going to a church, who are not going to a Christian bookstore." Thomas, who recently agreed to write two Christian-fiction books geared for young adults for Pocket Books, concedes that her books are considered "more edgy;' and that she, too, is still learning as a Christian. [See THE LOVE SCENE, page 16.]

Definitions in Flux

The number of authors and titles in the African American Christian-fiction genre has been ever expanding for several years, commanding spots on best-seller lists and attracting loyal followings. Building on the success of African American presses and self-publishers in the arena, some major publishers have created imprints for them. Star authors include Victoria Christopher Murray, Grown Folks Business (Touchstone, May 2005), Michele Andrea Bowen, Church Folk (Walk Worthy Press, May 2005) and Kimberla Lawson Roby, The Best-Kept Secret (William Morrow, February 2005) and Changing Faces (William Morrow, February 2006).

The label itself--"Christian fiction"--may prove problematic because of the ways authors, publishers, readers and the media translate or interpret the term. It may be troublesome for clergy, scholars and many readers, and misleading for those readers hoping to use Christian fiction as a threshold to deeper spirituality.

Renita J. Weems, author of What Matters Most: Ten Lessons in Living Passionately From the Song of Solomon (Warner Books/Walk Worthy Press, 2004) and several significant books on women's spirituality, puts it in these terms: "I think we have a pretty clear notion of what we mean by Christian when it's used to refer to our beliefs, traditions and practices. When it comes to fiction, what we mean by Christian fiction may be more fluid.

"It can encompass everything from inspirational fiction that may or may not have anything to do with explicitly Christian ethical principles, to 'rapture' and 'end-times' fiction, which itself can be pretty heavy apocalyptical stuff" Such novels include the Left Behind series by Tim E LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins.

While Christian fiction seeks to advocate Christian teachings and principles, Weems, a renowned biblical scholar and the 2003-2005 Cosby Chair at Spelman College in Atlanta, emphasizes that, personally as a minister, that is not what she is interested in reading. She says she is less "charmed" by the "stuff that gets peddled" as Christian fiction, which is "more moralistic and superficial" Weems prefers biblical fiction instead, like Hendricks's Living Water and Anita Diamant's The Red Tent (Picador, 1998), which is based on the biblical lamb's daughter Dinah.

Perhaps Hendricks and Weems (who has not yet delved into fiction; see BIBR, March-April 2004), and others bristle at the mere mention of "Christian fiction" because they can hear plastic swiping and the steady digital din of cash registers at booksellers and discount stores everywhere, as retailers cash in on sure-fire sales, which contradicts, for some, Jesus' mission.

The Christian Booksellers Association (CBA) reports that according to Book Industry Trends, religion represents 11 percent of trade book sales (1.9 billion of 13.7 billion) and Christian books represent 89 percent of religion sales (1.7 billion). While exact sales figures for fiction are not readily available, African American book-buying power tops $300 million (source: Target Market News). Coupled with the steady increase of gospel music sales, and the essential place faith, Christianity in particular, holds among African Americans, one can conclude that Christian-book sales to African Americans is significant. So much so that Harlequin Books recently purchased BET Books' imprint New Spirit (now called Kimani Press). [See "The Color of Love," page 14.]

Perhaps another reason for the debate is that, intuitively, Christian fiction is an oxymoron. Christianity evokes the life of Jesus Christ. To all believers: Jesus Christ is real. Not fictional.

Linda Gill, general manager of the newly named Kimani Press, says the publishing company does not use the term "Christian fiction" at all.

"We refer to this line as inspirational fiction. Our focus is to take the broadest view possible to reach the widest audience possible with works that are uplifting and encouraging, and often speak to the themes of reconciliation and redemption.

"We hope to provide works of fiction and nonfiction that will appeal to African Americans that cut across a number of faiths, including Christianity, Islam and others;' says Gill.

What Would Jesus Write?

Sharon Ewell Foster became one of the first African American authors in the Christian-fiction genre, when she released the Christy Award-winning novel Passing by Samaria (Multnomah, 1999). Six novels later, Foster, whose latest book is Ain't No Valley (Bethany House Publishers, August 2005), has embraced a greater level of accountability that she says comes with being a Christian-fiction writer. She believes, however, that some authors are "pimping God."

"If you are going to do something and say that you are doing it in the name of the Lord, then it needs to honor God. Some of the things that we are doing we know that they are out of order--and I'm saying 'we' because I'm trying to be kind, to make it a collective--and that we are using the title Christian fiction just because we think we might be able to sell some more books."

Foster, who calls her work "a writing ministry," says some Christian fiction may be causing harm, particularly to women and young people. "If it's pornography, just say it's pornography" Foster adds. "But don't throw God in the middle of it to try to hustle and try to sell a few more books:'

What's up for grabs is the faith, culture, identity and history of a people. Christianity plays an undeniable, defining role in the heritage of African Americans. A lot of black folks take Jesus seriously. So when novels spring forth seemingly filled with characters who engage in premarital sex or an extra-marital affair on one page and get saved on the next page, people take issue with "microwave redemption" especially when that same character just may slip again a few pages later. It's that playing with God that old-school grandmothers warned about. And it isn't all about sex. Critics also denounce the genre as gratuitous buffoonery, mocking the black church--with stereotypical cheating preachers and a cast of other questionable characters. Some detractors also criticize the quality of writing, which they say lacks depth and skill.

A Mirror of Life

Many readers of Christian fiction defend the genre. "Yeah, there are some spicy books, but life is spicy" acknowledges Jeannie Jackson, one of the original members of Glory Girls, an international reading group, started by Stinson, for Christian African American women. The organization has 1,300 members in the United States and Europe. Jackson dismisses the criticism that Christian fiction is composed primarily of romance novels with Scripture thrown in for good measure, or what Hendricks calls "sister-girl" literature.

"The bottom line is what the message is. [The books] are supposed to be entertaining. And entertainment isn't all dry--putting your hat on, going to church and coming home, and not facing anything, and not dealing with real life situations" declares Jackson, an independent Equal Employment Opportunity consultant in Southfield, Michigan. "But as long as the themes come back to: 'If you believe in the word of God and Jesus Christ, your Lord and Savior, here's what can happen. Here's how you can overcome all these things you face.'"

Thomas, a romance author whose novel Prodigal Husband launched BET Books' New Spirit imprint in 2002, says, "I write about the real world. I write about real life. Not everybody can be saved. It wouldn't ring true to me. The message is clear. God doesn't leave us. We leave him."

At Walk Worthy, Stinson says she asks three questions of the work before deciding to publish it: Does the work "bring people closer to God? Keep them exactly where they are? Or push them farther away?" She adds, "That's very much a secular question: 'What's Christian and what isn't?' It's real simple. If it glorifies God, it is. If it doesn't, it isn't."

Christ As Social Reformer

Challenges to the theological authenticity of fiction are not happening in isolation. Hendricks says this debate is symptomatic of a distortion of the gospel of Jesus Christ found in the church, coupled with "emotionality masquerading for spirituality."

"It's become entertainment" he adds. There are authors striving to get it right, so to speak. Foster says her understanding of Jesus as one who was "very involved in social issues and how people lived" underscores her interest in topics she tackles in her novels: race, lynching, war, sexuality, poverty, MDS, materialism, status and identity. "Social issues are spiritual issues" she adds.

The universality of Jesus' message in African American Christian fiction can also capture the hearts of readers from other races. Andrea Crampe, a 23-year-old, white filmmaker in Charlotte, North Carolina, fell in love with the first few lines of Foster's book Ain't No Mountain. "I know that her primary target is African American women, but white women, too, often have issues with male dominance in the world, and particularly Christian women. [Foster's] characters are very strong women who are able to overcome challenges. It really speaks to me;' shares Crampe.

Hendricks also received reports of how Living Water illuminated the struggles of black men and women for readers from other cultures. "We change society one person at a time. That's what Jesus did;' he adds.

In the peculiar institution known as slavery in America, masters used the Bible to keep the enslaved in bondage. The enslaved used the Bible to free their minds and spirits. The dichotomous function of this sacred text mirrors the dueling debate in Christian fiction.

What survives as the legacy of Christian fiction depends on the kinds of voices chosen as the arbiters of this genre--by readers, publishers, clergy, scholars and other stakeholders. Stinson is optimistic. "Many first-time writers are being published. They're finding their voices. They're finding the people whom they speak to--because they don't all speak to everyone--and I believe that these authors will continue to grow."

Alvelyn J. Sanders is a frequent contributor to Black Issues Book Review.