If you haven’t read Valerie’s comment to the Fantasy Challenge, I encourage you to take a minute and read it. It provides some insight into the amazing way God works.
Here’s the thing. Weeks ago I got an idea to run a contest, very informal, without a lot of hype—just a suggestion, really, to encourage visitors here at A Christian Worldview of Fiction to go into book stores and ask about Christian fantasy. The idea grew and we ended up with three authors donating books for prizes. We also extended it a month and have done a little promoting. We even awarded the first prize last Friday.
But here’s the exciting part. Prompted by The Challenge, Valerie went into her book store. Not exactly local, but the nearest one. And it just so happens she was the answer to the manager’s prayer about what fiction titles to order.
Long before that woman, wanting to fulfill her role, turned to God and asked Him for help, He had already set in motion the very means by which she would receive what she had asked.
Awesome! Because we have an awesome God!
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OK, I said on Thursday, I’d do what I could to have a Top Forty list of Christian fiction for you. Well, I did titles, not series, and I have twenty-five on my list.
Don’t forget, these reflect my limited reading, my personal preference (so you’ll see a LOT of fantasy), and probably my ignorance, as well. But here are my Top Twenty-five Christian Fiction titles:
Did you happen to notice how frequently one author turned up? Not an accident, I would say. And I didn’t include The Great Divorce or Screwtape Letters because of their “not a novel in the strictest sense” status. And yes, I know I left off That Hideous Strength. Apologies to those of you who think that was the best of Lewis’s sci fi trilogy. I liked it the least. Maybe if I read it again I’d feel differently. But maybe if I read another hundred books, I’d feel differently about the whole list! 😛
So there you have it. Maybe another day I’ll add fifteen more titles. I am confident there is another deserving lot. 😀
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A Christian Worldview of Fiction 
I never made it past the first twenty pages in That Hideous Strength. Just couldn’t do it.
Have you read Peace Like a River? It’s not fantasy (at all), yet has some of the feel of a great adventure/fantasy. Loved it.
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I dunno. I still don’t consider LOTR “Christian Fiction”. :::shrug:::
Mir
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Rebecca, I was pretty sure my omission of Peace Like a River would come up. I expect someone will be aghast that I left off Gilead too. The latter I haven’t read yet. The former, I had some problems with. It is a good story. Love the voice, the language. The story was interesting. I didn’t like the emphasis on physical healing when the murderer-son was left unconfronted and wayward. BIG issue for me. But I can understand others adding it to their lists.
Mir, I wanted to add The Hobbit but decided I just couldn’t. In LotR, I think the redemptive theme and the types of Christ are plain, whether or not Tolkien intended them. I’m counting it is Christian but wouldn’t fault you for leaving them off your list. 😉
Becky
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Jesus left the young ruler unconverted and didn’t run after him to make sure he got straightened out. So, really, I think it’s legit, at times, to simply accept that not everyone repents, no matter how much we’d like them to.
Mir
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Thanks for the list. Looks like I’ve got some serious reading to do.
Also, I agree with Mir’s comment above. Our job is to be salt, light and leaven, while we go about sowing seed.
Blessings,
-bill
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Well, Mir and Bill, I’m not looking for a big conversion. I don’t know if either of you’ve read PlaR yet, so SPOILER ALERT:
My problem is with the sacrifice being for the sick son, not the sinful son. Whether the son comes to his senses or not is beside the point. The implication, for those who see the sacrifice as a type of Christ, or at least a redemptive act, is that God cares more about our physical being than our spiritual being.
Mind you, I’m not denying God’s care for us as physical beings. He made us this way. However, He didn’t die to keep these bodies alive. He died to make possible resurrection to new and everlasting life with better bodies. I think PlaR misses this, and for me, if the theme is weak, I think the book is not one of the best.
Becky
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Whoa! Is LotR “Christian Fiction” or not, Becky? Or Till We Have Faces? Or Perelandra? In today’s scheme, all of those classics would have a terrible go-round. LotR is not explicit enough for most Christian publishing houses. And far too massive. Agree? Till We Have Faces is too esoteric and full of pagan mythology. Agree? Perelandra is too, well, speculative. Okay, maybe Lewis would squeak this one in. But he’d have to swear off tobacco and liquor during his book tour. Obviously, these works have had lasting influence in your life and mine, and many of your readers. So what’s changed?
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Fantastic list, Becky. I tried making my own list and began digging through my library. I found books I hadn’t read in years! Some of it I purchased 20 years ago, when I’d buy ANY fantasy on the Christian bookshelf. I re-read one book that I’d considered my favorite for years and years… and found something astounding: the writing wasn’t that great! But the story moved me. So far, I’ve found three books in my personal library that would NOT be published by anyone today, but at the time, I thought they were a cool drink of water in a parched land. That says something, doesn’t it…
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Well, Mike, you prompted today’s post, so I’ll refrain from making any further comments until I see if you have feedback on that.
Sonja, I am so like you. I re-read one of my all time favorite children’s fantasy and was surprised that the writing wasn’t anywhere as strong as I’d thought. And yes, the story still moved me.
And I agree, some of those works I turned to because there was just nothing else for this fantasy-thirsty soul. It’s one of the reasons I started to write fantasy.
Becky
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We really appreciate this list. We don’t watch TV so we are always looking for good Christian literature, fiction or non.
Our boys are thirteen and ten. It’s sometimes dificult to find wholesome reading that will be adventerous enough to keep theie attention and still be wholesome.
Thank you for compiling the list. It would be sweet if several lists could be put together by catergories, ie favorites sent in by families with teenage boys/ girls etc.
Keep up the good work!
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Imagine czk4490 loop. Froogle has an abcbae031d items checker.
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