/ New resources
/ SpecFaith / Topics: Preachiness

Art And Evangelism

We writers don’t have to incorporate all Truth into our stories because, above all else, we can’t. Instead, we can give our own feeble glimpse of God’s work or nature in order to contribute some small addition to the reader’s knowledge of our great God. · Rebecca LuElla Miller

7 Top Ways To Ensure Your Story Is Preachy

You know you want your Christian story to preach. What are the best ways to ensure that outcome? Here are 7 top methods. · R. L. Copple

Agenda Fiction Is Alive and Well

The purpose of fiction is to experience the truth lived out in real life. Even if that real life is in the future, past, or a fantasy world. · R. L. Copple

What Does The Reader Say?

What does a Christian Speculative Fiction reader consider quality fiction? · R. L. Copple

Christian Fiction = ???

Christian Fiction = (faith * imagination)2 / audience. Too complicated? Watch R. L. Copple attempt to unravel it. · R. L. Copple

Has Speculative Fiction Aborted Controversial Positions?

Can a speculative story interweave an issue like abortion into its plot effectively? Especially faith-based speculative fiction? · R. L. Copple

A Moral Imperative

“You can’t legislate morality.” . . . the statement as written is categorically false. · R. L. Copple

What Is Intellectual Rigor?

Some writers sacrifice theme for the sake of art. However, the most artfully told story that says something untrue is nothing more than an artful lie. · Rebecca LuElla Miller

Real Life Meets Fiction

If we are to speak the truth in real life, then we should be speaking the truth in our stories. If we are to edify one another in real life, then our stories should edify. · Rebecca LuElla Miller

How To Be A Silly Christian Fiction Critic

Don’t read actual Christian fiction. Compare apples and oranges. And especially, never challenge your own silent acceptance of evangelical tropes. · E. Stephen Burnett

Bring In The Gospel, But Leave Your “Isms” At Home

The simple gospel is a gem of unfathomable proportions. So Christian writers, make sure it’s the gem the reader finds, not the box it’s in or the filigree that surrounds it. · Yvonne Anderson

How Can They Hear?

A common complaint with Christian fiction is that it’s too preachy. Personally, I’m more apt to be dissatisfied because it’s not preachy enough. · Yvonne Anderson

Fiction Christians From Another Planet! V: Pagan Straw Men

Lame theology may lead to alien non-Christian characters. They’re made of straw that’s been cut from official-ministry “manuals” about how pagans think and built on un-Biblical foundations of “ministry platforms.” · E. Stephen Burnett

Screwtape on Redefining ‘Realism’

“Your patient, properly handled, will have no difficulty in regarding his emotion at the sight of human entrails as a revelation of Reality and his emotion at the sight of happy children or fair weather as mere sentiment.” · E. Stephen Burnett

In Which I Take The “Wrong Vehicle” Out For Another Spin

A week and a half ago, Mike Duran contended that fiction is the wrong vehicle for theology. That generated a wonderful discussion, but I didn’t enter into either conversation because I needed time to craft a careful response. Which I’ll attempt today. · Yvonne Anderson

So You Say You Want A Revolution?

We’re about a month into the new fall schedule on TV. My socks have not been blown off by “Revolution.” Then the characters meet Hollywood Christian Cliche #126, the fire-and-brimstone street preacher. · John Otte

Shallow Reasons To Support ‘Narnia’ 1

Flawed, over-“spiritual” defenses of the “Narnia” series are not only annoying, but ignore the stories’s central beauties and childlike wonder. Even worse, such approaches ultimately make readers worship God less. · E. Stephen Burnett

Film Failures, Countering Cultures, and Story’s Power

Reflections on The Gospel Coalition’s recent series about Christian movies. Do we draw arbitrary, legalistic boundaries against story “preachiness”? Do we fear the evil “Christian” label just as others have feared the evil culture? · E. Stephen Burnett

Done To Death: Getting It Right

Last time, I wrote about the reason why I don’t think it’s a good idea to write “milk” in Christian fiction. And I also promised to talk about some books that I think “got it right,” so to speak. So here we go. · John Otte

Fantasy And Overt Christianity

Should Christian writers refrain from having their characters do what Christians do — turn to Christ, pray for help, give spiritual counsel, worship with other believers, and so on? If Christians do want to show their characters acting like Christians, should their books then be confined to Christian circles? Should we indeed write for and market to Christians only? · Rebecca LuElla Miller
  1. Pages:
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3