THIS. Christian fiction potentially nurtures and perpetuates a dangerously narrow, unhealthy subculture. As I’ve written before, contemporary Evangelical fiction is tethered to Fundamentalist roots. Much of the Christian art industry — Christian film / fiction / music — is a reaction against secularism. This posture can be traced back to early Fundamentalism’s withdraw from many American institutions like politics and entertainment. Holiness, for Fundamentalists, came to be defined in terms of “negatives” — no smoking, no drinking, no movies, no makeup, no dancing, etc., etc. Much of the evangelical counter culture was rooted in this cultural separation. Likewise, Christian fiction appeals to and nurtures this idea of “separation.” Our fiction is different than other fiction. So while being “salt and light” means interacting with the “bland and light-less,” the Christian fiction market theoretically avoids all such “worldly” spoilage, preaches to the choir, and potentially isolates us from the marketplaces of ideas.
Posted on: Sun, 07 Dec 2014 04:17:20 +0000
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