You Don't Have to be a Christian to Read My Books

Sometimes I hesitate to label my books as Christian fiction--not because I'm ashamed of my relationship with God but because I don't want to lose potential readers who are afraid of getting preached at. I've struggled with this more than ever in my upcoming novel, Claire Holloway Is Winging It, since I have flight attendant friends who don't share my spiritual beliefs.

Of course, this kind of struggle affects all Christian writers, no matter what genre we write. Last weekend, I was even on a panel discussion of the topic at a writing conference, so I want to offer my conclusions here.

First of all, after really wrestling with what I was trying to say in my flight attendant romcom, I ended up using airplane analogies to take my readers closer to heaven. The training I received for saving lives in the event of an emergency provides wisdom for the physical, the emotional (romance thread), and the spiritual.

Secondly, the airlines probably employ people from a larger variety of faiths than most companies, so I'm writing a sequel that explores religion organically. In recent experiences, I've worked with a man from Jordan who had an arranged marriage, a gay guy who was raised Mormon, and an Indian girl who educated me on Sikhism. I'm fascinated by it all and believe it's important to ascertain truth for ourselves. If God is God, then He can handle our questions.

Third, I believe that what differentiates Christian fiction from mainstream fiction is the hope it offers. That's why I used the name IdaHope Writers when starting this local writing group. I don't only read Christian fiction, but when I read a mainstream novel that offers hope, it feels more uplifting, and I can't help wondering if the writer shares my same worldview. My same message.

That being said, my goal is to offer the hope I find in Christ--from being created with a purpose, to being worth dying for, to the existence of an afterlife. Crazy stuff, I know. But also, it's the only way the world makes any sense to me.

If I have a relationship with God, like I claimed at the beginning of this blog post, then I need to trust, respect, and care for Him. I need to let Him influence me. And one of the things His scripture says is that I should "become all things to all people, so I could save some by all possible means."

If I want to build a relationship with you, I should be offering these things to you, as well. It's why I'm here. I trust you with my work, respect your opinions, care about how my words affects you, and let your ideas influence my stories.

As our relationship grows, I believe you'll be able to do the same for me. You'll be curious about what I have to say, whether we agree on everything or not. And honestly, not all Christians agree on everything. We all get it wrong sometimes. We're human.

So even though my books are labeled as Christian fiction, they aren't only for Christians. I've had atheist friends tell me they love my romances, which brings me great joy. Wherever you're at, whatever you believe, I'm writing for you.

And I'm really, really, really looking forward to your thoughts on this one!