“Dirty” Christian Books

There is a debate among Christian authors about how to portray Christianity in their stories. Believers and non-believers alike fight over which Gospel themes to display in books, movies, T.V. shows, etc. As a Christain author, I understand the struggle of how much of the Gospel I should put into my writing. Even if I try to leave it out, every hero’s journey compares to Christianity.

“Clean” vs. “Dirty” Christian Media

Some people argue that all Christian media should be wholesome. It should have no cursing, sex, drugs, etc. Think Full House and everything from the 90s. They argue every medium should always put Christianity and Christians in a good light. At the end of every story, the Gospel saves the day (think of those little kids’ movies where the power of friendship rescues the day). It’s what I am going to call “clean” Christian media.

Some people argue that Christian media should be based on real life. It should contain sex, drugs, alcohol, etc. when it fits naturally into the story. There is one problem with these types of accounts: readers can overlook the Gospel. If it’s a good story, people will read it for the story, and if they don’t think too hard about the themes, they will miss Jesus. It’s what I am going to call “dirty” Christain media.

The first “clean” author that pops into my head is Ted Dekker. Ted Dekker pours the Gospel into his novels, and all of his books are rated P.G. I have read House, Three, Saint, and A.D. 30 and all contained distinct…