Challenges of writing Christian Fiction

Book number ten is well underway.  I didn't begin my writing career as a "Christian writer".  Rather I began as a struggling Christian who writes.  My first two books, Freedom Race and Captured, are not specifically Christian. I don't market them as Christian.  As I grew as a woman and as a Christian my books evolved and the themes naturally gravitated towards Christianity.  My characters are strong women with real problems, issues, imperfect lives.  I think I sometimes have difficulty marketing my books as Christian because they are not squeaky clean.  Some, like Angel in Lessons Learned, have lived extremely sinful lives.  Some Christians will argue that my characters are inappropriate and should not be read by Christians.  Okay, so be it.  Christians who cannot handle people who have lived less than perfect lives should not read my books - or maybe they should.

I want non-Christians, struggling Christians, baby Christians to read my books and connect with the characters. See how they handle struggles and life and how they grew and gave their lives to God.  Remnant actually started out as a "non-Christian" story.   Being a Christian, the book naturally took a turn and looked for a higher power.  Some may be pleasantly surprised by the ending.  I know for a fact, some people were miffed at the ending.  That's okay, too.

My challenge right now is, how do I teach the Good News of Jesus Christ in fiction?  I played with that in Man in the Mirror.  This book, I want to take it a step further.  However, it needs to not sound "preachy".  I'm about to write a Bible study scene.  Should I write the entire study?  Should I write parts of it and narrate the rest?  Christians are instructed to "go into the world" and take the Good News.  I feel led to do this through fiction.  I have readers of this blog and of my books from all over the world. If God gives me the words to write in this book I believe I can plant seeds that God can grow.  Challenge accepted.

To God be the Glory.

I would love to hear from you.  How do you feel when you read about Jesus in fiction?  How have you seen it done well?  Poorly?  I've read a lot so I can give my own examples but I want to hear from you!