The Truth About Christian Authors Part 2

Before I offer my additional .02 on Tonya's fantastic question about whether or not I'm uncomfortable telling people that I'm a Christian writer, I must first commemorate a Scribble Chicks milestone. Ladies, this is officially our 200th post.

Now how cool is that? I feel like I should buy some party poppers or something...

But since I'm guessing my neighbors wouldn't appreciate all the noise involved with said party poppers, I think I shall celebrate that, along with the glories of beach reading now that summer is officially here in a mere four days, by hosting a contest. I will be giving away four copies of my books (two copies of Around the World in 80 Dates and two copies of Blessed Are the Meddlers) on my Facebook fan page, so be sure to check that out!

Now back to the matter at hand...

I'll just go ahead and say it: Yes, I am often uncomfortable saying that I'm a Christian writer. Mind you, I have no trouble owning up to being a Christ-follower...that's an entirely different story altogether. But when it comes to admitting that I'm specifically a Christian writer, well, that automatically has a stigma attached to it, even when I'm talking with my fellow believers sometimes.

The trouble with the "Christian writer" label is that it's often associated with something that's inferior or low-quality—a shame, really, considering we ultimately serve the Creator of the universe, the very One who dreamed up everything from the vast array of stars in the sky to the softly scented lilacs of spring to simply mystifying creatures like llamas. And since we all have a little bit of that Creator in us, shouldn't we be the most creative and inspired artists, too?

But from time to time when a Christian writer's need/desire to minister is thrown in the mix, the art has taken a beating. And I think that's something that each and every Scribble Chick has tried hard to rally against in our respective novels. I think every once of us is desperately trying to shake off that low-quality stigma by offering up something original, fun and faith-filled without beating people over the head with "the message." We want to create characters who are relatable yet inspiring—people who have Jesus in their hearts but also a firm grasp on the complicated world we live in.

And truth be told, it's not exactly easy convincing potential readers that we are, indeed, different from the perceived norm. Whenever I do a book signing at the local Barnes & Noble or Borders, I'm so much happier when I'm sitting in the front of the store, rather than relegated to the "Christian Fiction" section because I have an opportunity to explain what my books are about without having the huge "Christian Fiction" sign over my head. Now do I hide that there's a faith-filled perspective in the stories of Sydney and her pals? Absolutely not. But I'm the one who gets to share that, rather than having the sign doing it for me. And in my experience, that has made a world of difference.

Since I've worked in the Christian music industry, I know this battle also exists with many of the artists I've interviewed over the years, too. Simply because of the word "Christian" in front of their musical genre, they often lose a lot of respect and aren't taken seriously either. And if you think about it, Christians are really some of the only people who have art that specifically reflects their beliefs. Case in point: Madonna may practice the teachings of Kabbalah, but we don't refer to her as a Kabbalah artist. Same goes for singer/songwriter Duncan Sheik who is a Buddhist or Beck who does the Scientology thing.

So I guess that's why I've always related to what Switchfoot's frontman Jon Foreman said when he told Rolling Stone that he was a Christian artist by faith, not by genre. I feel the same way. But at the same time, when you are writing about God, that is the "label" assigned to us for better or worse. So rather than always feel like I have to apologize for that, I always try and make the best of it by challenging myself to be the absolute best artist I can be.

I don't know about you, but I'd love for Christian fiction to lose that nasty ol' stigma for good because there are exceptional novels written by people of faith, and I believe they deserve respect not only from fellow believers, but culture at large. It's like what author Madeleine L'Engle once said, "We can't take any credit for our talents. It's how we use them that counts."