Jonathan Cordero, Department of Sociology
Westmont College, Santa Barbara, California, United States
Abstract
Christian novels are not simply the result of an author's idiosyncratic
intentions but are the product of the collective activity of gatekeepers
who work within the constraints of the publishing industry and who
must attend to the sensitivities of Christian fiction's vigilant audience.
In resolving the tension between ministerial intentions and industry
imperatives, the gatekeepers of Christian publishing maintain the
general conventions that shape the popular Christian evangelical aesthetic.
Introduction
[1] Interpretive analyses of Christian fiction tend to examine the
content of fiction and often neglect to account for the social factors
that influence its production. Since Christian fiction is the product
of the collective activity of a culture industry, its content must
be understood as more than simply the product of an author's idiosyncratic
intention. As Richard Peterson states, "the social arrangements used
in making symbolic elements of culture affect the nature and content
of the elements of culture that are produced" (1994, 163). Taking
into consideration the roles of gatekeepers, the influence of the
audience, the conventions of the genre, and the nature of the popular
evangelical Christian aesthetic provides a more comprehensive explanation
of the content of Christian fiction. In resolving the tension between
ministerial intentions and industry imperatives, gatekeepers construct
conventions that guide the production of fiction and that influence
the formation of a popular evangelical Christian aesthetic.
The Gatekeepers of Ministry
[2] The task of regulating the content of Christian fiction rests
upon the primary producers and distributors of Christian fiction.
Authors, editors, and booksellers function as gatekeepers of the ministerial
and literary dimensions of Christian fiction by maintaining the industry's
conventional standards. Since the religious aspects of the Christian
novel mark it as unique among fiction generally, the following will
concentrate on how gatekeepers conscientiously uphold the primarily
pastoral function of Christian fiction and maintain the evangelical
community's boundaries within a secular form of popular culture.
[3] Two organizations contribute to the establishment and maintenance
of an industry-wide mission in Christian publishing: the Christian
Booksellers Association, founded in 1950, and the Evangelical-Christian
Publishers Association, founded in 1974. The mission of the Christian
Booksellers Association, with more than 2,500 member stores, "is to
serve and encourage members, unite them under a common vision, and
equip them for excellence in the retailing of Christian resources."
This mission statement fulfills the Great Commission by providing
"excellent Christian resources" that they hope will "impact the lives
of people everywhere." Furthermore, the association's national image
campaign - "What Goes into the Mind Comes Out in Life" - emphasizes
concern for the content of the industry's products. According to Christian
Booksellers Association President Bill Anderson, Christian Booksellers
Association products "teach truths, build values, encourage faith,
and shape lives."[2][3] The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, with 280 members
nationally and internationally, serves the industry "by promoting
excellence and professionalism, sharing relevant data, stimulating
Christian fellowship, raising the effectiveness of member houses,
and equipping them to meet the needs of the changing marketplace."
In addition, the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association adheres
to a Statement of Faith that is "essentially identical to that of
the National Association of Evangelicals."[4] Not every Christian publisher shares the same
intentions or adheres to a similar statement of faith; however, most
of the major Christian retail chains are members of the Christian
Booksellers Association, and most of the major Christian publishers
are members of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association.
[4] The industry-wide mission statements "express the avowed intent
of evangelical publishing" and serve to legitimate the industry at
all levels: at the organizational level (e.g., the publisher); at
the role level (e.g., author, editor, and bookseller); and at the
product level (e.g., fiction) (Blodgett 1997, 65). Mission statements
"articulate the guiding visions behind the founding of publishing
houses and the development of specific editorial policies" (66). The
Evangelical Christian Publishers Association's adherence to the National
Association of Evangelicals' Statement of Faith ensures, at least
in principle, that the gatekeepers of the industry uphold a common
vision in the practice of publishing. In addition, mission statements
provide in condensed form an explanation and justification for the
existence of a purportedly secular form with religious meaning. Since
many critics and potential consumers approach Christian fiction with
hesitation - either because of its alleged poor quality or because
they are uncertain of its purpose - publishers must explain and justify
its value. For example, the editorial director at Bethany House submitted
to a bookselling magazine a formal statement that legitimates fiction
by placing it in a Christian context. Editor Steve Laube declares
that "Jesus himself has given both a mandate and an example" by using
"narrative to illustrate spiritual truth."[5] Publishers believe that Christians are called
to utilize popular narrative to sacred ends. By grounding fiction
in a Biblical context, Bethany House legitimates the "Christian-ness"
of its products.
[5] The mission of the publishing industry correlates with Christian
fiction's dual function: to entertain and to inspire. Christian fiction
is intended to be an entertaining and safe alternative to secular
fiction, and Christian fiction is intended to inspire readers who
may or may not be Christian.[6]
[6] The characteristics of an entertaining novel are similar to those
found in secular fiction, with a few exceptions. Christian fiction
that entertains must emulate the same basic literary aesthetic as
secular novels. For example, Stedman argues that the predictability
of popular fiction "is a chief factor in the novel's ability to bring
enjoyment to a reader" (1994, 98). For readers of Christian fiction,
this includes familiar plot structures and, more often than not, happy
endings. The construction of characters with whom readers can identify
enhances the entertainment value of fiction. Also, Christian novels
function as a form of escapism for Christian readers in much the same
way that novels provide escapism for secular readers. As Stedman suggests,
Christian readers may be escaping from the "demands and stresses"
of everyday life and escaping to a "safe" and confirming imaginative
experience (96). In these and many other ways, Christian fiction is
an enjoyable experience for its readers. Entertaining Christian fiction,
however, differs from secular fiction in two primary ways: it must
be written from a Christian perspective, and it must adhere to a correspondingly
confined popular evangelical Christian aesthetic that will be addressed
later in this article.
[7] Inspiration encompasses at least three areas of intention: "reinforcing
the faith of the converted, witnessing to the unconverted, and providing
sophisticated explorations of the human condition" (Blodgett 1997,
3). Christian fiction is intended to strengthen and validate the faith
of readers through the reader's identification with Christian characters
(Stedman 1994, 205). Most interviewees and analysts agree that the
majority of Christian fiction functions to reinforce the faith of
readers. While many authors can relate stories about non-Christian
responses to Christian fiction, compared to the total readership Christian
fiction seldom reaches the unconverted. Evangelism, however, remains
one of Christian fiction's acknowledged purposes. Additionally, Christian
fiction is written to challenge a reader's faith, but rarely do Christian
novels challenge religious, social, cultural, or political boundaries
because doing so may threaten the author and publisher's reputation.
Thus, as is the case with evangelical book publishing generally, Christian
fiction "serves more of a pastoral than an evangelistic" or critical
role (Ferre 1990, 115; Blodgett 1997, 3).
[8] Although Christian fiction's uniqueness is found in its perspective,
it should also be noted that Christian fiction is not a form of formal
Christian instruction. Fiction mediates knowledge about the world
indirectly; its purpose is not found in its capacity to increase the
reader's conceptual framework. According to Sallie McFague, "What
the reader learns from novels is finally in the realm of the education
of his sensibility, not in the increase of his conceptual equipment"
(McFague 1976, 187). Reading fiction involves aesthetic apprehension
- the submersion of the reader into a fictional reality and the openness
of the reader to the experiences presented therein. As McFague states,
reading "is a contemplative experience, a learning experience that
proclaims its relevance to life in subtle but significant ways" (103).
Reading fiction, therefore, is an aesthetic experience that communicates
knowledge about the world indirectly via an aesthetic mode of apprehension.
Apprehension can occur as the result of the author intentionally communicating
Christian messages, yet in other instances fiction communicates subsidiary
and unintended messages that are often an implicit consequence of
writing from a Christian worldview. Because of the many possible meanings
associated with Christian myths and symbols, readers can interpret
symbols in a variety of ways, and so writers intrinsically incorporate
unintended and subsidiary messages along with their intended message.
The interpretation by readers of unintended messages often surprise
authors and editors. Editor Steve Laube, for instance, received a
call from a reader who realized after reading a particular novel that
it was "okay to doubt." Both Laube and the author agreed that there
was "nothing [intentional or explicit] in that book about doubt."
This kind of reading of fiction results from the different ways that
readers approach fiction.
[9] An author's ministerial role involves the conscious incorporation
of Christian messages into fiction. Authors perceive a need to express
in narrative form an inspirational message that often derives from
personal experience or perceived need. For example, the impetus for
Deborah Raney's novel, A Vow To Cherish, came from a real life
story that "didn't go the right way," so she wrote a fictional account
"with the right ending." Other authors like Jack Cavanaugh (a pastor
as well) view fiction as an opportunity to reach a population that
would otherwise not hear his sermons, and author James Bell wants
to challenge readers with his ideas. These examples clearly illustrate
how the various idiosyncratic intentions of the authors are consistent
with the industry-wide mission to inspire readers.
[10] Editors, like authors, view fiction as an opportunity to minister
to the Christian community and beyond. Unlike authors who create ideas,
editors originate, acquire, and edit titles for publication. Editorial
directors administer the whole line of books and manage the publishing
firm. Acquisitions editors scrutinize ideas in advance of publication,
trying to determine what topics will be relevant two years after the
initiation of any book. Submissions editors review manuscripts for
publication and edit for content. Although an editor's position dictates
the specific focus of her ministerial role, editors work together
in the management, acquisition, and regulation of Christian fiction
united by the common intention of serving the Christian community.
For example, Bethany House submissions editor Sharon Madison, who
considers her job as a mission itself, hopes that the Christian novel
will enhance a reader's faith and communicate "a good, hopefully solid
evangelical message."
[11] Booksellers minister to the Christian community by distributing
fiction. Like authors and editors, bookstore owners operate Christian
bookstores motivated by a desire to serve the local Christian community.
According to Lee Gessner, vice-president of sales and distribution
at Word, Inc., "The same desire to serve God, the church, and needy
people" motivates book store owners to be "concerned about the contents
of the books on their shelves" (1991, 260). While booksellers have
little control over the content of fiction, they do determine what
books are made available to consumers.[7]
As Ferre notes, "Bookstores can keep the gate of ideas closed [or
open] just as effectively as can publishers. . . . [They] have every
right to select what they will sell and to refuse titles antithetical
to their professed mission" (1990, 110-11). Bookstore owners experience
more direct contact with local consumers and therefore must mediate
between local needs and national trends. Booksellers are sensitive
to the boundaries, that when broken, create distrust with readers,
which in turn can lead to a distrust by readers of the author, the
publisher, and the bookseller. Any violation of boundaries validated
by booksellers can have economic ramifications - authors and publishers
can be blacklisted. Booksellers themselves can develop negative reputations,
which can be circulated among Christian groups. In some cases booksellers
can influence the content editing of fiction indirectly. Editorial
Director Linda Holland relates one example: "I received a letter from
a very angry bookstore owner in the deep South, and she was extremely
unhappy that we would use lower case biblical instead of upper case
[Biblical]." Surely, comments like these illustrate the sensitivity
of booksellers to the content of fiction, and, given the precariousness
of their position, it is not surprising.
[12] The industry-wide mission influences the function of Christian
fiction and the ministerial role of its gatekeepers. While each author,
editor, and bookseller generally shares these same intentions, the
constraints corresponding to their positions in the industry influence
the ways in which they regulate fiction's content and distribution.
Each in their unique roles contributes to the regulation of the Christian
content of a novel, and they therefore function as gatekeepers of
ideas for consumers. The industry-wide mission unites authors, editors,
booksellers, and publishers in a common enterprise and creates a tight-bounded
industry that is able to regulate the content of fiction in a manner
consistent with the boundaries of evangelicalism.
The Audience
[13] Consideration of the audience has a profound affect on the content
of the novel. Authors and editors share a similar general conception
of their target audiences, but the ways in which they acquire information
about the audience and the way they use that information varies. When
writing the author typically tries to reach as wide an audience as
possible within his or her target audience, while always desiring
to reach readers beyond that audience. Since editors are ultimately
responsible for the content of the novel, they must be perhaps even
more attentive than authors to their audiences' preferences and aversions.
[14] Since the success of any novel depends upon the extent of familiarity
with their audience, authors and editors must construct a general
conceptualization of their readership while being attentive to its
particularities. In 1991, the Christian Booksellers Association commissioned
a consumer survey that produced the 1992 Christian Booksellers
Association Christian Bookstore Customer Profile Expanded Statistics
(Gruen et al.). The following is a list of the most prominent attributes
of Christian Booksellers Association consumers condensed from Colleen
McDannell's summary of the same study.
75 percent of Christian Booksellers Association customers are between
the ages of 25-54; 75 percent are women; 90 percent are white; 75
percent have an average yearly income of less than $40,000; 97 percent
attend church regularly; 96 percent are Protestant (33 percent Baptist);
and customers are typically married with children.[8]
While this composite summarizes the average readership for Christian
Booksellers Association stores, it does not provide a profile of the
average fiction reader. From my study, authors and editors have suggested
that readers of fiction tend to be younger (i.e., between 18 to 40),
conservative, and sensitive to boundary violations. Editor Linda Holland
and others suspect that the percentage of women who purchase fiction
may be as high as 90 percent - much higher than the 75 percent of
Christian Booksellers Association stores customers who are women.
Because women remain the most influential group of fiction readers,
most authors include both strong female characters and romance in
their novels. While this profile focuses on women, Holland says that
there has been an increased interest in writing for male audiences
due to the recent impact of Promise Keepers (a nationwide Christian
men's movement) on Christian men. "Promise Keepers," she says "has
provided an outlet for Christian fiction for men." Although this composite
presents a strong identifiable profile for the publishing industry,
it does not necessarily restrict the construction of an author's target
audience.
[15] An author's conception of her target audience is really a product
of how she envisions the extent of distribution of her work and of
the genre in which she writes. Deborah Raney defines her target audience
this way: "I write what I would like to read - I am the model for
my reader." At 41, a wife and mother who attends church regularly
and lives in the Midwest, Raney fits the industry's description of
a typical reader. While Raney writes specifically for Christian women,
she says that she hopes her work reaches men and non-Christians. Further,
Raney hopes that she will not be pigeonholed by readers because her
books are perceived to be, for various reasons, women's novels. As
a writer of contemporary fiction, Raney's target audience is less
tangible than it is for more established genres like historical fiction
or biblical fiction. Though currently a popular genre, contemporary
fiction is also new and does not have a long-standing established
readership; its audience is much more broadly defined. Nonetheless,
she incorporates both romance and strong female characters and writes
to a specific target audience, while intending to reach as wide an
audience as possible.
[16] In general, Christian authors write for a well-defined audience
and understand what kinds of literary elements ensure success. Author
James Bell, on the other hand, wants to break through this kind of
niche marketing. He understands that Christian women comprise the
primary audience for Christian fiction, yet he conceptualizes his
audience broadly, as "everyone, regardless of sex" and religious conviction.
Since he writes intellectual novels, an unfamiliar genre to most,
his target audience is undefined; therefore, he is not constrained
by his audience as much as writers in other genres. His approach,
simply stated: "I just have to write from my particular voice and
hope that it finds an audience." This kind of conception of both audience
and genre will probably not have the same success as niche marketing,
but it does illustrate the variety within the Christian publishing
industry and the willingness of publishers to take risks.
[17] While most authors write for a predominantly Christian audience,
others try to write for both Christian and non-Christian audiences.
Editor Linda Holland, however, warns against this type of approach
to fiction. As Holland states, "We're still niche oriented, and what
works well in the ABA [American Booksellers Association] doesn't always
translate well in the CBA [Christian Booksellers Association]. . .
. Christian Booksellers Association audiences will not tolerate the
"hard edges" of American Booksellers Association fiction." In addition,
Christian Booksellers Association readers require a "spiritual connection"
with the characters and "have no tolerance for profanity." Juxtaposing
two different worlds can be problematic for writers attempting to
write for both Christians and non-Christians. In the attempt, Christian
authors may lose sensitivity to the boundaries that distinguish one
group from another.
[18] Authors draw from numerous sources to conceptualize their audience,
including manuscript reviewers, others in the publishing industry,
and informational resources. Nearly every author has a wide variety
of informal and formal reviewers who criticize their ideas before
the manuscript is sent in to an editor. Reviewers range from nieces
to grandmothers; they are Christians and non-Christians; they read
fiction and despise fiction. For instance, author Jack Cavanaugh asks
his wife to review his work, along with five friends, one of whom
"hates fiction." Other sources that assist authors in conceptualizing
their readership include bookstore owners, other authors, other editors,
conference speakers, readers themselves, studies conducted by publishers,
and generalizations about Christians from various media. In the end,
how authors conceptualize their audiences will be refined by their
close interactions with editors.
[19] Editors represent the publisher and must attend to concern of
its assiduous readers, some of whom can be incredibly sensitive. Since
the publisher's reputation rests in part upon providing safe and inoffensive
fiction for its readers, editors are cautious but not always correct
in their perception of readers' likes and dislikes. For example, InterVarsity
Press experienced criticism for their publication of D. Gareth Jones'
Brave New People, which, according to the Christian Action
Council and others, encouraged a pro-choice position on abortion (Ferre
1991, 110). On another occasion, the wife of a publishing executive
was offended by an appropriately conventional portrayal of a seduction
scene, and, in response to her discomfort, the publisher "shredded
ten thousand copies and changed the scene before they released it."[9] Isolated or not, comments such
as these indirectly influence the content of Christian and inevitably
help to maintain the moral and theological boundaries of popular evangelicalism.
Publishers, in turn, react to the sensitivities of readers and conscientiously
attend to potentially offensive elements.
[20] The audience influences the content of the novel in direct and
indirect ways. Most Christian authors make a concerted effort to avoid
offending their readers' sensibilities, yet their efforts can never
satisfy everyone. Authors and editors often tailor passages in their
subsequent works in response to even a very few letters from readers.
For instance, for the third edition of Cavanaugh's The Puritans
a scene in which "a pre-Christian character gives into a tavern
wench based on peer pressure" was rewritten because of a few letters
from readers. In addition to directly contacting authors and editors,
readers can influence the content of a novel indirectly. To predict
the reactions of readers, authors "construct an imaginary audience
out of the fragments of information they receive" (Becker 1984,125).
For example, Deborah Raney, like most authors, applies her own Christian
sensibility when writing, but she has to think about the range of
reactions from readers who might be offended. She asks herself when
she writes, "What would my niece, mother, and grandmother think of
this?" Other authors are perhaps less sensitive to potentially offending
readers, and so the audience has little influence over what is written
or how ideas are expressed. Author James Bell finds nothing wrong
with forcing readers to "confront" his ideas and thinks that "it is
not necessarily wrong to preach in a novel." These kinds of inner
dialogues demonstrate the degree to which an imaginary audience can
indirectly affect the content of fiction. In most instances, the author's
concern for reactions of actual or imaginary readers reflects the
sensitivity of an industry striving to maintain its integrity, and
consequently its market, by avoiding or removing potentially offensive
material.
[21] The Christian Booksellers Association consumer profile provides
authors and editors with a profile from which they can construct a
general conceptualization of their target audience. Failure to consider
the profile may result in low distribution and sales. By accommodating
the actual and imaginary responses of readers into the process of
production, authors and editors demonstrate the influence of an attentive
audience and the audience-centered approach of the Christian publishing
industry. Because the audience tends to be conservative and sensitive,
authors and editors closely monitor the content of Christian fiction.
Four General Conventions[10]
[22] In resolving the tensions between ministerial intentions and
industry demands, gatekeepers construct the general conventions of
Christian fiction. The general conventions of the industry that most
influence the Christian content of the novel include the following,
expressed here as tensions: entertainment dominates inspiration; implicit
Christian messages rather than explicit; a generic Christianity is
preferred over a particular Christianity; and a Christian realism
over a secular realism. Finding the proper balance between the ministerial
intentions and industry imperatives requires familiarity with the
boundaries of popular evangelicalism.
[23] Conventions "provide the basis on which an art world can act
together efficiently to produce works characteristic of those worlds"
(Becker 1984, 42). For authors and editors of fiction, conventions
provide standards for form and content that increase consistency in
fiction as a product of the Christian publishing industry. For authors,
conventions regarding the genre and the Christian elements serve as
guidelines for writing, though authors establish their own unique
way of working within and around conventions that become recognizable
in that author's style. Editors use conventions to coordinate activities
within the publishing industry, within the publishing house, and among
various related organizations, such as secular trade publishers in
whose publications they advertise. As gatekeepers of Christian culture,
editors maintain the conventions that attempt to resolve the tension
between ministerial intentions and industry imperatives. Readers too
expect novels to conform to pre-established conventions and they expect
authors to retain their style with consistency.
[24] First, authors and editors agree that the entertainment aspects
of the novel must predominate the inspirational aspects; however,
there is no formula for finding that balance, only an awareness of
the consequences of either extreme. On the one hand, the author or
publisher of a novel that is too preachy may be avoided by booksellers
and readers in the future. Both Christian and non-Christian readers
can be easily averted from reading Christian fiction if the novel
is nothing more than a "bundle of clichĂs."[11] On the other hand, books that
tend to be fluff - overly entertaining novels without much substance
- must also be avoided because novels of this sort fail to fulfill
the industry's mission. Finding a balance between entertainment and
inspiration is often difficult, since both must exist simultaneously.
Without the narrative, the Christian message becomes formal instruction,
and without the Christian message written from a Christian perspective,
the narrative becomes secular. Editors assist authors in finding a
proper balance, or at least a balance that works. While novels should
be entertaining above all else, gatekeepers appear to be concerned
foremost with regulating the religious content of the novel.
[25] The second convention involves not the balance of elements but
the form in which the Christian message is presented. Most publishers
prefer implicit messages, as opposed to explicit messages, in their
fiction. An implicit message can be defined as a message that is expressed
indirectly or metaphorically through the words or actions of characters.
For example, in A Vow To Cherish, Deborah Raney's main message
was "to help people realize how sacred marriage vows are." In the
novel, the message is communicated indirectly through the characters'
thoughts and in reference to previous events.[12] While most publishers prefer implicit messages in their fiction,
messages in novels can be explicit. In James Bell's The Darwin
Conspiracy the main point of the novel is communicated explicitly
near the end of the novel (see p. 258). The message, delivered in
such an explicit manner, is a function of James Bell's self-proclaimed
role as a critic. Bell intended that the novel be more intellectual
than entertaining in spite of the current trends in fiction. In regards
to the passage above he states: "You see, I'm preaching there. That's
a sermon. That'll get some amens from one corner and some outrage
from another. That's what I wanted to do. It's an intellectual book."
[26] The third convention addresses the tension between preserving
the integrity of Christian belief and trying to reach as wide an audience
as possible. Part of an editor's duties requires that he or she maintain
the symbolic boundaries of Christian belief and culture. At the same
time, publishers must try to sell as many books as possible. Inevitably,
the combination of considerations produces in fiction a generalized
Christianity (i.e., the widely-accepted and basic beliefs of evangelical
Christianity). Author Deborah Raney defines it as "the things we can
all agree upon, which would be the fruits of the spirit [love, joy,
peace, etc.] . . . and the very basic Gospel message." For editor
Steve Laube, the formula is simple: "sin, repentance, acceptance,
redemption." The convention involves the effort to "get out as broad
a message as possible . . . [without offending] any of those conservative
readers that we rely on for our business."[13]
[27] The fourth convention involves the breaching of aesthetic expectations,
especially those associated with religious boundaries. One general
convention can be applied to these elements: literary elements such
as these are either avoided or softened. An aesthetic abruption occurs
when a literary element unexpectedly violates the aesthetic expectations
of the reader or when the literary element interrupts the naturalness
of the story. Readers can also be offended by literary elements that
contradict or differ from their own beliefs and values. If the offensive
element cannot be eliminated, then it usually receives less formal
development and is softened. Most of these boundary violations are
interpreted as unnecessarily gratuitous or sensationalistic depictions.
The nature of the popular evangelical Christian aesthetic will be
discussed in the next section.
[28] The four conventions here represent only the general tensions
that shape the more specific conventions of the industry. In each
case, the presentation of the novel's Christian content is moderated
by market considerations; financial success relies upon compliance
with the audience's expectations. In resolving the tensions between
ministerial intentions and industry imperatives, gatekeepers produce
conventions that in turn shape the popular evangelical Christian aesthetic.
The following section explores the elements of the popular evangelical
Christian aesthetic found in Christian fiction.
A Popular Evangelical Christian Aesthetic
[29] All authors select which aspects of reality to include, exclude,
or alter, and therefore all authors censor reality. Christian authors
and editors make conscientious efforts to maintain realism in fiction
and to achieve secular standards for literary excellence, yet, while
authors attempt to portray characters as realistic, they cannot uphold
the aim of realism, which is "to give a truthful, objective and impartial
representation of the real world" (Nochlin 1971, 13). Since the moral
and theological content of Christian fiction must adhere to the same
guidelines of acceptability and unacceptability indicative of evangelical
Christianity, potentially offensive content must be softened. The
softening of reality produces Christian realism. In addition, realism
requires little of its readers and suits well the characteristics
of Christian fiction's readership.
[30] In its simplest form, realism can be defined as the "full and
authentic report of human experience" (Watt 1957, 32) and as the directive
to express the everyday activities of life. Of course, realism in
literature is not unmediated: the selection and portrayal of human
experience represented in the novel depends upon the idiosyncrasies
of the author and upon the constraints of the industry. Realistic
approaches to literature assume that a "dominant and shared notion
of reality in operation" and that "there is moral value in the representation
of that reality" (Levine 1974, 237). As for the first assumption,
one could argue, as Loofbourow does, that realism "results when the
artist and the audience share the same assumptions" (1964, 257). So
a Christian realism is possible given Christianity's shared beliefs.
As for the second assumption, the value of fiction should be judged
not only by its verisimilitude but also by its capacity to reveal
insights into reality. Christian realism illuminates the essential
truths of the Christian faith in the everyday lives of characters.
Obviously a Christian perspective shapes that reality, and so a Christian
realism ought to differ from a secular realism.
[31] In Christian fiction the ministerial intentions of gatekeepers
supersede concerns for verisimilitude. In other words, Christian realism
compromises both the factual recording of experience and the representation
of the mundane for the sake of its mission and for the sake of sales.
As editor Linda Holland states, "The edges of realism must be softened
a great deal, and that's always a balancing act for us in the industry
because we want to portray characters as realistic, but how realistic
can we make them and have them be accepted?" The problem of a Christian
realism, then, results from the tension between the ministerial intentions
of gatekeepers and the aesthetic demands of realism. From a secular
perspective, this might appear as a compromise of literary standards;
from a Christian perspective, the distinct form of Christian realism
ultimately serves distinct religious and cultural purposes; and from
a financial perspective, success necessitates the softened depictions
of reality accepted by readers.
[32] The inevitable conflict between realism and evangelicalism does
not always result in evangelicalism's triumph over realism. In some
cases, realism triumphs over readers' evangelical sensitivities. In
the following passage from A Vow to Cherish, Ellen expresses
her anger toward God upon discovering that she has Alzheimer's: "Now
she turned her diatribe heavenward. She shook her fists and raged,
`God! Help me. I need help. God? Don't do this to me. Where are you?
Where? Where?'" (Raney 1996). This kind overt expression of anger
toward God might be offensive to some readers, but Sharon Madison,
Raney's editor, claims that "most people in tough situations do question
God and get angry at him." A passage such as this illustrates how
authors and editors preserve the realistic nature of their characters
by showing fallibility. In other cases, consideration of the audience
triumphs over realism. For example, historical fiction author Jack
Cavanaugh consciously avoids integrating selective historical facts
into his works because of the fear that information, such daily consumption
of ale by Puritans, would by wrongly interpreted by contemporary Christian
readers.
[33] Other areas of concern for authors and editors include the moral,
spiritual, doctrinal, and denominational dimensions of the Christian
faith. As significant dimensions of evangelical Christianity, these
elements require conscientious boundary maintenance in their integration
into fiction.
[34] The moral content of fiction adheres to the same guidelines
of acceptability and unacceptability that are indicative of Christian
morality and belief. The most troublesome moral areas for publishers
involve sex, violence, profanity, vulgarity, and contemporary issues
like abortion. As a general rule, passages in novels that deal with
sensitive material are softened so that the passage, although a necessary
part of the story, becomes neither the focus of the story nor insidious.
Also, the aesthetic decorum of the novel may be interrupted by such
jarring passages.
[35] Authors and editors censor sensationalistic passages in fiction
because of their potential to offend readers and because they offer
a potentially sinful vicarious experience. For Christians, the aesthetic
pleasure of reading a text should be derived from the extension of
the imagination while reading a wholesome novel. Because Christians
believe that sin occurs in the mind as well as in behavior, editors
must be cautious of the potential for what Gene Veith calls "vicarious
sin" or "sinful imaginings" (Veith 1990, 32). Reading offers vicarious
experience and therefore has moral and spiritual significance for
the reader. And, since authors and editors bear a responsibility to
the Christian community, they are required to judge the intention
of sinful depictions in relation to moral and aesthetic conventions.
For example, in a passage that depicts murder, the murder itself,
while a necessary element of the story, should be integrated and developed
in a way that does not offer a sinful vicarious experience and that
does not encourage murder as a practice (Veith 1990, 27-34). Thus,
the storyline of every novel should be preserved in light of sensitive
moral material, which should not detract from the story's integrity.
Editors, then, control the content of fiction by regulating the extent
to which more sensitive moral issues are developed.
[36] Two brief examples illustrate these concerns. First, since the
majority of readers of Christian fiction are women, romantic and sexual
themes occur regularly. The foremost goal of both authors and editors
is to assure that the portrayal of premarital relationships and of
marriage remain consistent with Biblical perspectives. As a result,
depictions of intimacy are softened in comparison to secular romances
that aim primarily at titillation or sensationalism. In addition to
scenes remaining "behind closed doors," the sexual liaison must work
together with the story; it must not be jarring - it should not be
written in such a way that it takes away from the integrity of the
story. According to most editors, audiences will tolerate a pre-marital
mistake by pre-Christian characters, but the depiction of the scene
must be softened in accordance with the publishers' guidelines. What
is most important regarding an immoral sexual liaison occurring between
unmarried, pre-Christian characters is that the consequences of the
character's actions be manifest in the story.
[37] Second, the use of derogatory, profane, and vulgar language
can be understood similarly. In his novel, The Pride and the Passion,
Jack Cavanaugh proves that there are ways to communicate the depravity
of a character without relinquishing the integrity of the Christian
novel. Instead of using an offensive derogatory term, Cavanaugh writes
instead, "The driver muttered a derogatory comment about females as
he slapped the horses' backside with the reins" (Cavanaugh 1996, 40).
This passage illustrates the way in which authors can communicate
derogatory language without using the actual profane word or phrase.
[38] Contemporary issues, such as abortion and homosexuality, require
careful consideration. Most publishers tend to avoid publishing books
that deal with divisive moral issues, although authors can expect
to find sympathy for their pro-life messages within a predominantly
conservative evangelical readership. The recent rise in interest of
consumers and publishers in the genre of contemporary fiction, however,
illustrates that social issues have come to the fore. The trend may
pave the way for an increased acceptance of novels that deal with
more potentially divisive issues. Some in the industry view this trend
as a sign that Christian fiction is maturing. As Thomas Nelson editor
Jan Dennis asserts, Christian fiction is "stepping out of the Christian
ghetto of biblical fiction and romances, and becoming more sophisticated.
We're seeing more realism and themes that involve Christians dealing
with actual current problems" (Quoted in Bearden 1993, 38).[14]
[39] Because spiritual elements in fiction usually appear as the
consequence of moral action rather than as the cause of moral dilemmas,
most spiritual elements receive less concrete narrative integration
and development than do the moral elements of the novel. Editor Linda
Holland explains: "A lot of times in real life it is the moral issues
that cause us to struggle; they are what lead us to identifying our
spiritual struggle." In addition, novels with strong spiritual themes
are more difficult to write. Linda Holland continues: "And I think
it may take a whole lot of effort to look at a spiritual struggle
and be able to depict it in a story because the spiritual struggles
seem a lot less tangible to us, and they're a lot less tangible to
communicate." In spite of these limitations, spiritual symbols must
work in conjunction with moral symbols so that the Christian message,
usually moral, is plausible to readers.
[40] Authors and editors tend to shy away from passages that might
be perceived as doctrinal statements of faith and as indicative of
a particular denomination. For example, in order to avoid stereotypes
based on denominational affiliation that might turn away readers,
authors rarely include the name of a church in their novels. Once
readers discover that a character attends a church different from
their own, especially one with dramatically different doctrine, they
can become averted from reading other works by the author or publisher.
This can happen by using a name or by identifying the particularities
of church rituals. Author Deborah Raney makes a concerted effort to
avoid labels such as these: "I don't want my characters to be pentecostals,
or charismatics, or fundamentalists." Editor Steve Laube adds, "It
is easier to sell into a bookstore being non-denominational because
the publisher cannot be pigeonholed." Book buyers as well as readers
are aware of the differences among Protestants and between Protestants
and Catholics. The goal, then, of the avoiding doctrinal and denominational
distinctions in fiction is to avoid breaching the reader's assumption
that the author and reader attend the same church and share the same
beliefs. This aversion contributes to the generalized Christianity
mentioned previously.
[41] For aesthetic reasons, authors and editors also tread lightly
when developing communicative rituals and practices into a narrative,
such as church attendance, conversion experiences, prayer, the reading
of Bible verses, and hymns. For example, prayer as a spiritual symbol
usually receives little formal development because readers tend to
perceive detailed accounts as instructive and jarring - as an interruption
in the naturalness of the story. Prayer, then, is represented "more
like the way a Christian would naturally call out to God rather than
something they would say in church."[15] Conversion experiences also
receive limited development. Since it is assumed that most readers
will have some familiarity with conversion experiences, a lengthy
detailed passage is neither encouraged nor desired. According to editor
Sharon Madison, "We try to stay away from having it [conversion experience]
sound like a sermon, a how-to book." Also, conversion is avoided as
a tidy ending for nearly all fiction. In Madison's words: "What we
really want to avoid is having a salvation experience happen to everyone
at the end of the book. We don't want to tie up loose ends like that."
Endings like this are avoided for their triteness. Overall, when incorporating
rituals and practices as symbolic element into a story, authors and
editors avoid detailed accounts.
[42] From a secular perspective, Christian realism fails to give
a full and authentic account of the moral and spiritual lives of Christian
characters because it cannot portray too many of the "flawed" mundane
and profane attributes of characters. Christian realism inhibits the
development of the everyday habits and of the attributes of characters
by underemphasizing the mundane and by the softening of the profane.
Characters exist for the purpose of illustrating Christian messages.
As a result, characters tend to be shallow, narrowly defined, and,
depending on the genre, unexceptional. There is also an under-emphasis
on the cultural milieu in which characters are situated, and action
is conventionalized (not novel) and reflects the prevailing evangelical
disposition. In the end, the presentation and resolution of moral
and spiritual dilemmas tends to be unambiguous and predictable. Unlike
secular realism, which does not encourage the author to espouse ideas,
Christian realism presents not the actual world but an abbreviated
and optimistic vision of reality. The effort toward realism is paradoxical:
authors and editors make every attempt to accurately portray a reality
that cannot be fully depicted. While the secular "realist denies that
he should depict men as better than they are for the purpose of raising
human aspiration" (Becker 1980, 52), the Christian realist presents
an inevitably positive image of Christian characters for the direct
purpose of enriching the life of readers. While Christians may embrace
realism for its emphasis on truthful explication, Christian realism
cannot remain true to the secular realist dictum because it deliberately
censors literary elements that are antithetical to its mission and
so it cannot give a full account of reality.
[43] Critics both within and without the industry complain about
the poor quality of Christian fiction (in comparison to secular standards)
and attribute its poverty to the absence of good writers, to poor
instruction, to the underdevelopment of spiritual themes, and to the
limitations placed upon it by a conservative readership. Since many
authors write more than one novel a year, the pace of production also
contributes to Christian fiction's alleged poor quality. Unfortunately,
recent efforts to market quality literary fiction have not met with
success. As Susan Bauer states, "Christian fiction may be growing
up - but it's mired in an awkward adolescence, with talented and passionate
writers stranded between readers who won't buy them, and readers who
can't find them" (2000). The concern over quality, however, should
not go unnoticed since it contributes to publishers' reputations with
booksellers, librarians, and with those in the secular publishing
industry.
[44] Finally, the most important attribute of realism for the reader
is that it demands little: it requires little knowledge of sophisticated
language and stylized literary conventions. In place of complexity
and high demands, realism "allows a more immediate imitation of individual
experience set in its temporal and spatial environment than do other
literary forms. Consequently, the novel's conventions make much smaller
demands on the audience than do most literary conventions" (Watt 1957,
32). To present the ordinary human experience, realism requires a
straightforwardness of style, as opposed to a more complex literary
style. For realists, style "is a matter of efficiency, of a choice
of language which reveals the object of study as accurately and undistractingly
as possible without altogether smothering the reader in banality"
(Becker 1980, 79). Realism fits well the literalist interpretive tendencies
of evangelical audiences.[16]
[45] The incorporation of Christian principles in fiction precludes
the possibility of a full account of the lives of Christian characters
or of the world that Christians inhabit. Nonetheless, the Christian
perspective that underlies Christian fiction provides a foundation
for establishing plausibility and hence a reality with readers. A
Christian realism, therefore, can be defined as a purposive reality
in which Christian perspectives and reader expectations align with
a generalized expression of evangelical Christianity that is morally
conservative and theologically open in its orientation.
Conclusion
[46] The primary gatekeepers of Christian fiction construct conventions
that resolve the tension between the ministerial intention to communicate
a Christian message and the industry imperatives to entertain and
sell books. Inevitably, Christian authors and editors privilege the
pastoral role of fiction above literary standards. The general conventions
of the industry shape the content of Christian fiction and produce
a generalized Christianity or one of many forms of popular evangelicalism.[17] Christian fiction is above all else a morally
conservative and audience-centered product; it is spiritually, doctrinally,
and denominationally generic; it accommodates culture by sacralizing
a popular cultural form yet does not engage culture[18];
and its aesthetic form, Christian realism, tends toward softened depictions
of reality. As one of many popular cultural forms, Christian fiction
ministers to readers, fulfills the mandate of the Great Commission,
and nourishes popular evangelicalism.
Notes
[1] This analysis is
based upon a pilot study of three authors and their respective editors
conducted in 1996. Authors were selected through snowball sampling,
with the intent purpose of selecting authors from a small variety
of genres. Editors were obviously selected by their having worked
with the author. Generalizations derived from such a small sample
are confirmed in Barbara Stedman's (1994) research that includes the
content analysis of 29 Christian novels, a survey distributed to 218
readers, and interviews with 75 readers, and in Jan Blodgett's (1997)
extensive analysis of 60 Christian novels and data from other industry
representatives. Also, Christian publishing operates within a tightly
bounded industry and serves a specific niche market, so the industry's
conventions and products tend to be similar in their most general
aspects. Crossover authors and the crossover phenomena add a more
complex dimension to the study of Christian fiction and are not considered
in this article.
[2]
[3] See the Christian Booksellers Association website for more information
( www.Christian Booksellers Associationonline.org).
[4] See the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association website
for more information, including their "Statement of Faith [that] is
essentially identical to that of the National Association of Evangelicals."
(www.Evangelical Christian Publishers
Association.org).
[5] The following is the complete statement submitted to the bookselling
magazine:
1. The master storyteller of all time nearly always used narrative
to illustrate spiritual truth in very practical ways with the events
and issues of daily life. So we feel that the Lord Jesus himself
has given both a mandate and an example.
2. There are times when Biblical truth and spiritual concepts have
more power to impact readers when presented in the form of a story.
The basic truths of the faith which have already been addressed
in [nonfiction] books can be revisited in fresh new ways in a novel.
3. Many readers who would never read a non-fiction book or listen
to a sermon can be awakened to spiritual truth or challenged to
a deeper faith through a well-told story.
[6] Barbara Stedman
uses similar terminology. Instead of entertainment and inspiration,
she uses entertainment and edification. See Barbara Stedman's "The
Word Become Fiction: Textual Voices from the Evangelical Subculture"
(Ph.D. Dissertation, Ball State University, 1994).
[7] In addition, the availability of titles can be affected by economic
resources: booksellers with low capital resources stock less variety
than established national chains.
[8] The following summary of the Gruen et al. study is taken from
Colleen McDannell's Material Christianity (1996, 256):
In 1992 the Christian Booksellers Association published a
survey of 926 customers living in Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota,
Texas, Colorado, Washington, and Alaska. They found that 75 percent
of these customers were between the ages of 25 to 54. Three-fourths
of the shoppers were women and a quarter men. Most were white (90
percent) while only 4 percent were African American. Bookstore customers
typically were married with children. The survey showed that roughly
an equal number of homemakers and white-collar working women (23 percent
versus 21 percent) shopped at Christian bookstores. Of the men, 30
percent worked in some capacity for the church and 23 percent held
white collar positions. About half of those surveyed indicated having
an annual income of between $20,000 and $40,000 with the other half
almost equally split between those of lower incomes (under $20,000)
and higher incomes (over $40,000). ...Nearly 97 percent attended church
once a week or more. Most say they are involved in church choirs,
lay leadership, Sunday schools, or small study groups. Unfortunately,
the study was not very careful in describing the kinds of churches
to which they belong. Slightly over 33 percent said they go to a Baptist
church; 18 percent checked off "Other Protestant" (e.g., Methodist,
Presbyterian, Lutheran). Of the remainder, 20 percent described their
affiliation as non-denominational, 10 percent Charismatic, and 4 percent
Roman Catholic. Christian consumers are church-going, middle-aged
women and men, who have disposable income but not much time to spend
it. They are concerned about their jobs and their children. While
witnessing is important, they are more focused on creating a home
and associating with others who share their religious beliefs and
activities.
[9] Interview with
author Jack Cavanaugh.
[10] There are many conventions involved in the production of Christian
fiction. Especially important are those relating to the various genres
of the industry. For more information on genre-specific conventions,
see Jan Blodgett. Protestant Evangelical Literary Culture and Contemporary
Society (Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1997).
[11] Interview with editor Sharon Madison.
[12] For an example, see page 205 of Deborah Raney's A Vow to
Cherish (Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1996).
[13] Interview with editor Sharon Madison.
[14] For more on social issues, see Chapter 5 in Jan Blodgett. Protestant
Evangelical Literary Culture and Contemporary Society (Connecticut:
Greenwood Press, 1997).
[15] Interview with editor Sharon Madison.
[16] For more on this tendency among evangelicals, see David Morgan.
Visual Piety (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998),
21-58. For more about the literalist tendency among conservatives,
see Wendy Steiner. The Scandal of Pleasure (Chicago: University
of Chicago Press, 1995).
[17] Scholars of sociology and religion characterize popular evangelicalism
as morally conservative, doctrinally open, and culturally accommodating
(Shibley 1993; Roof 1994; Roof and McKinney 1987), and as an audience-centered
faith (Hatch 1984). Further, the aesthetic of popular evangelicalism
tends toward a realism that fits well with the literal interpretative
capacities of Christian fiction's audience (Morgan 1998). Nathan Hatch,
The Democratization of American Christianity (New Haven: Yale
University press, 1989); James Davidson Hunter, American Evangelicalism:
Conservative Religion and the Quandary of Modernity (New Brunswick:
Rutgers University Press, 1983); David Morgan, Visual Piety
(Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998); Wade Clark Roof,
A Generation of Seekers (San Francisco: Harper San Francisco,
1994); Wade Clark Rood and William McKinney. American Mainline
Religion (New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1987); Mark
Shibley, "The Southernization of American Religion: Understanding
the Resurgence of Evangelicalism, 1970-1990" (Ph.D. Dissertation,
University of California at Santa Barbara, 1993).
[18] See Gene Veith. "You are What You Read." World. 17, no.
26 (7 July 2002).
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