Being an author of Christian Fiction, many who do not believe or participate in my faith have made comments about the genre as "having an agenda". My reaction has always been that fiction in general has an "agenda". First off, the obvious agenda is to tell a story. Within that framework, the story is meant for various kinds of entertainment. Just as secular (general market) literature is written to fulfill that basic purpose, there needn't be a distinction between those authors and those who write Christian novels.
So I asked myself if my Christian fiction has an "agenda".
Definition of agenda (Merriam-Webster)
1: a list or outline of things to be considered or done; "agendas" of faculty meetings
2: an underlying often ideological plan or program
I decided the #2 definition has merit for novels in general. It's the very essence of developing a plot in a story and bringing it to fruition. There is an objective to a story. Otherwise, it isn't worth telling. Now we may not "approve" or "enjoy" the particular plot and the agenda it's developing, but that's a matter of personal taste.
Therefore, in the Christian Fiction genre, the objective and/or agenda is to – ideally – organically manifest the faith factor in the story. Myriad ways to do that result in many different kinds of stories with all kinds of characters, twists, tragic events, and even supernatural occurrences. All hopefully to create interesting and well-written novels.
My "agenda" is to contrast the world's view of love, romance, and sex to God's plan for those three giving an honest and authentic depiction of both. Which is why I describe my stories as Raw Romantic Redemptive.
I think the perception in either general market or Christian fiction of their authors pushing the agenda is where the disconnect occurs. Facing the fact that an opinion or dislike of an agenda in a story really isn't the determining factor as to whether or not there is one.
Father, you know hearts. All of them. You know who will reach out to you and who will hold onto their hearts. Only you. Thank you for rescuing me. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Into the Fire 
Leave a comment