“Christian fiction hasn’t had the highest standard. The priority was to talk about God, to talk about Jesus, not to do the best we can.”
“Look at Pikes Peak, the voice said. Does it have God’s name written on it? Does it not still sing of his majesty?”
Robert Liparulo says he isn’t religious genre writer and doesn’t want to limit himself
I’m really not sure what to make of that article.
Hopefully, we can address this article when Robert Liparulo is interviewed at the end of January/early February over at “Into the Fire”.
Can I tell you that I’m annoyed that they taut the Left Behind series as the standard. Well, Left Behind became a bridge…
I’ve been posting saucy comments everywhere. Apparently, I’m grumpy today. Sorry.
You know, I wasn’t sure what to make of it either. There was a lot of conversation left out of the article. I never said I didn’t want to limit myself. I said I wanted to write what God wanted me to write and for now I believe that happens to be stories that appeal to both Christian and secular readers. I do wonder why we need to define certain fiction as “Christian,” which is not really a genre; I believe writers should write the best we can and in service to God and let readers decide which writers they like without such labels. But it has nothing to do with markets or “limiting myself.” It has to do with writing what God has put on our hearts to write, and that’s different for everyone.
Also, I’ve noticed that some newspapers that picked up the story changed the headline, making it more sensational and controversial.
My point about being a Christian who writes, not a Christian writer is fairly well understood in CBA. In fact, it is a common question of Christian publications when they interview writers who publish with a Christian publishing house. It does not mean I don’t want to be identified as a Christian, but that I do not want my stories necessarily categorized as “Christian,” when there are better genre-labels for them (such as thriller or suspense or action).
I’m not sure if the article included it, but I said that UP UNTIL THE LAST FEW YEARS, Christian fiction hasn’t had the highest standards, and I think that’s an accurate statement. However, it is important to point out that I believe those standards have improved a great deal recently.
Anyway, I’ll be happy to address this issue further when on the blog tour. Just know, if the article made it sound as though I was dissing Christian fiction, that wasn’t my intention or how I feel.
Blessings,
Bob
I knew the guy had to have edited a lot out of what you said, Robert. Anyone who knows you knows your heart.
I could tell you weren’t dissing Christian fiction, the article just seemed “off” and left my eyebrow up in confusion. I think the limiting yourself part of it that you addressed here is what got me wondering, so I’m glad you made it over here.
I believe that God has me writing to audiences both Christian and secular as well, I can see how someone can twist a few statements and leave out a few to make it sound like that article.
Thanks for taking the time to clear that up, Bob. I appreciate it.
Thanks for that clarification, Robert. You’re definitely in good company with your thoughts on removing “Christian” as a genre descriptor. Here’s Ted Dekker:
“I think the division of sacred and secular is false. There’s a false dichotomy there. There should be no division between sacred and secular because all truth is God’s truth. Truth is simply truth, regardless of what you call it. If you put a label on it it just causes confusion for people. If you say “This is a Christian movie,” what does that mean to people in Hollywood? It means something very different to people in Hollywood than it does to people in Oklahoma or the people in the Mideast. Labels can sometimes become destructive. You have to be very careful. Paul wrote about this: “to the Greeks I’m a Greek. To the Romans I’m a Roman.” So, I don’t think there should be a division between Christian and non-Christian fiction simply because I’m not sure what that really means to me or the masses of people who walk into a Barnes and Noble and pick up a book.”
http://www.titletrakk.com/ted_dekker_interview.html
(Thanks to Katy McKenna for the link, and CJ Darlington for the interview)
Thanks to Robert for the clarification–agreed. And thanks, Mick for the Dekker quote. I may have to use it. This whole thing about labeling fiction frustrates most of us.