Two of my favorite novels are THE HIGH CALLING and THE GAUNLET both written thirty or more years ago by James Street. Why I like these two novels is that they are about a pastor (London Wingo). As a young pastor, I read both books and longed to be as “Christ-minded” and as loving as London was toward his congregation.

I have never forgotten London Wingo nor the simple lessons that James Street was able to present in a fictional work. A pastor is to be more concerned about those under his care that about his good name. He is to love them even when they aren’t loveable and abuse you. The measure of a good pastor is not in the quality of the sermon from the pulpit but in the quality of the sermon lived before the people.

If you should consider writing Christian fiction there are two things you should understand. First, writing Christian fiction is a calling in and of itself. You may write for famous magazines or manage a best seller but when you set about to write a “Christian” novel you can’t do it without Christ in your life. Second, making money won’t come into consideration.

The best Christian novels speak to the soul about Jesus. They call us to live on a higher level than we’ve ever lived. They inspire and help us to see other as Jesus sees them. No matter the “entertainment” value of reading, such a work will point the reader to a deeper relationship with The Father though His Son, Jesus.

There are works of fiction in bookstores that are labeled “Christian”. Having read a number of them, I would rather re-classify them as “other”. The writing is great but many authors miss the mark. Yes, they talk about struggles and even about Jesus but they fail to inspire. Those stories come across as a mix of Stephen King and Elmore Leonard. The occult and the “dark” things take prominence over a person’s relationship with Jesus.

Writing a Christian novel is to lift high the name of Jesus and allow Him to be the focal point of the story. If a writer fails in that then the novel is “other”.