But I don’t write Christian books…

Re-thinking what Christian literature actually means

“Well, I don’t really write Christian books”.

In recent conversations with authors at Morning Dove Press, I have heard this comment several times. Ok- fair enough. But when I asked more questions about what these talented authors do write about, I find out they are writing beautiful novels and children’s books about the virtues that in fact glorify God- kindness, compassion, joy, courage, just to name a few.

So why do Christian men and women not see themselves as “Christian authors”?

I wonder if it’s because authors don’t want to be seen as “only publishing religious books”? Or maybe they are genuinely questioning if their writing can, in fact, be considered “Christian”. I’ll address the later point here in this blog.

We tend to divide our life into compartments, placing our Christian faith in a separate compartment from our work, our hobbies, our relationships, etc. We have boxes, and our faith gets put in one box and drawn on “when needed”.

The problem is that this faith- this relationship with Jesus Christ- is meant to seep into every nook and cranny, leaving us forever changed. It is not only something accessed in a corporate worship service, or a hospital room, or a prayer meeting- although, thank God, He meets us there too. But it is meant to feed and nourish our ENTIRE being.

So why not our writing too?

This does not mean that we have to sit and write sermons all day. Quite the contrary. Our imaginations, our creativity- it is ignited by connecting with our Creator. As our writing celebrates the beautiful things in this life, can we start to see God’s guiding in our writing?

Can we see our books as “Christian” simply because they are celebrating the things our Father celebrates?

James 1:17 puts it so well: “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.” (NASB)

I challenge you to look at your writing with fresh eyes and ask, how is God glorified in my writing? Are people encouraged and uplifted? Are they pointed in the direction of a loving God? What better testimony can we have to the goodness of our God then to create beautiful literature that glorifies Him? And oh, do we have a testimony and a reason for the joy we have!

“Return to your house and describe what great things God has done for you.” So he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him. Luke 8:39 (NASB)

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Morning Dove Press is a Christ-centred publishing house in Atlantic Canada. We believe that our faith in Jesus is the greatest inspiration for creativity and storytelling which can be powerful tools for sharing God’s love with the world. We publish fiction and non-fiction for the whole family, as well as curriculum for all ages.