So. Who is the audience for Christian Fiction? Not an easy answer for this question precisely because of the problems we've discussed in Part One and Two. The obvious answer is Christians. But that's not complete enough because oddly it doesn't include many Christians who've abandoned the overall genre due to the restrictive choices of some publishing houses.
Some of those Christians who've abandoned Christian fiction have been gone for a significant time which means they haven't known some of the more current exquisite authors (i.e. Robert Liparulo, Steven James, Tosca Lee, Sibella Giorello, just to name a few who don't write in the romance or women's fiction genres). Some of these readers have said the writing in Christian Fiction is inferior to that in the general market, but that depends on who you read in both markets. Those listed here match up to anyone writing in their specific genres. Their prose and storytelling is indisputably well done.
Other Christians who've abandoned CF have done so because of the formulaic stories and inauthentic versions touching difficult subjects. Reality often dictates a harsh, stark, jarring account of situations and characters. In the "clean and chaste" versions of CF those types and that kind of depiction are noticeably absent. It's not that the difficult subject matter isn't in evidence but instead of the grit and edge that those topics sometimes demand, there are often high-drama emotional responses without any misfit language or terms, or there is the calm, Christian-ese response by someone in authority (i.e. a pastor or priest).
Recognizing I've made a generalization here, there is one constant in the clean and chaste novels and that is predictability which can often give way to formulaic story writing. If writing in the romance genre, there is a specific formula. However, if following that formula in turn presents predictability in the third chapter leaving the reader with 31 more to go, that creates boredom. And boredom is the reason some Christians have deserted CF, often missing out on good authors in the indie realm of publishing.
Let me tell you why I read mostly and write exclusively Christian Fiction. I spent 30 years of my life without Jesus Christ. I believed in God but didn't know how to find His Son. I experienced the secular philosophy, worldview, and lifestyle. It's ugly. I want no part of it. I understand it better than most Christians who've had the privilege to be raised in the church. It gives me both a measure of compassion and the same measure of contempt for those who languish in secularism or stay comfy in the church life. I write about it from both sides because I've lived it, felt it, known it, understood it, until the Savior of the world rescued me. That is why I write the way I do. Because the reality of the world is sometimes ignored by those in the church. Shunned, misunderstood, all under the guise of wanting to see souls saved without getting their hands dirty. Of course not all churched Christians are like this, but when you read the legalistic one-star reviews and hear the condemnation from those readers, you see why there are complete misunderstandings about who Jesus is.
It seems that Christian publishers stepped backward when the now-constant recession hit the economy. They began producing "safer" literature they knew they could sell. Unfortunately for the more authentic-seeking readers and writers, "safe" produced a vanilla grouping which pleased a select bunch that apparently keeps the publishers afloat, although several of the Christian publishing houses have sold their businesses to larger secular conglomerates who promised to keep the CF lines open. In publishing the "safer" fiction they alienated many Christian readers who looked elsewhere for their material, seeking authenticity and variety. As I said before, some of them left early and missed out on tremendous talent in the CF ranks, but others left later, disappointed in not finding what they hoped to read with a Christian worldview.
Most businesses are always seeking ways to improve their product, reach more customers, and to keep growing. I would have to say the publishers in Christian Fiction proved to be just the opposite and have settled for the smaller numbers that keep the presses printing but add few new readers because of their rigid standards - which many of them don't adhere to in their private reading.
Father, you are the One we need to follow and please. It's all about you. Not us. Please help each one of us to be true to you in everything we do. In the name of Jesus, Amen.