Last year—almost to the date—I uploaded an article and a video to YouTube discussing Clean Fiction vs Christian Fiction. Long story short, I pretty much said I support and enjoy Clean books by Christian authors as an alternate to writing openly Christian books.

I have now changed my mind and I deeply apologize to you and to God if my support for this writing has led anyone down the wrong path.

Let me explain…

I don’t have a problem with Clean Fiction, in fact, I thank God for it! But I am no longer satisfied with Clean Fiction from Christian authors.

What I mean by that is, it’s not enough for us as Christian writers to simply keep our stories clean, I now expect a message of Christ. I expect to see Christian characters, Christian references, use of Scripture, etc.…

Being clean is not enough anymore.

I am no longer satisfied with the standard of Christian Fiction being set so low. Writing a book without cuss words and sex doesn’t make your work Christian—I can make a strong argument that it doesn’t necessarily make it Clean either.

The truth is, anyone can write Clean Fiction. But only a child of the Most High God can write about Jesus Christ. That is our calling as authors. To fill the gaps between church services. To write examples of our Bible lessons. To tell His story through our works. To spread His Gospel. To share His love. We can do that in any genre, we can introduce readers to Jesus in a Christian thriller, we can demonstrate His love in our Christian romance, and we can portray His awesome power in our Christian fantasy series.

One of my favorite scriptures is Jeremiah 20:9 NIV.

But if I say, I will not mention His word or speak anymore of His name, His word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.

I love this verse so much! Knowing the context is important here because it addresses many of the reasons we as Believers today might shy away from saying the Name of Jesus in public—or in our work.

In verse 8, Jeremiah mentions that the word of the Lord brought him insult and reproach all day long. How many of us have felt that we lose readers when we write books that are preachy or too religious? How many Christian authors face criticism for writing stories that are cheesy or corny because they honored God?

Because of this criticism, many “Christian authors” have begun to simply write Clean Fiction instead of openly Christian Fiction. Or they have decided to disguise God in their work by calling Him other names like, The Great One, The Father Above, Creator, Overlord, Gatekeeper, etc…

Those are lovely names made up with good intentions, but those are not the names of God. Yes, God is our creator, He is our father above, he is our keeper, and He is great. But His name is Yahweh, God Almighty, Jehovah…

When we write with made-up names for God, we are excluding the name of Christ Jesus who is the physical image of God. We exclude the Holy Spirit who is the breath of God. And we open the door and even encourage other people to exclude Jesus and insert whatever god they serve. We make it easy for others to overlook the Messiah and instead look at the Gatekeeper or The Great One... whoever that is.

I believe this sort of writing is wrong. I believe it strengthens the hand of sin and opens the door for mockery of the Gospel.

Because it is a joke when Christians don’t want to write about Christ. It is laughable when Christians have convinced themselves that the best way to introduce new readers to Jesus is to not include Him in their work.

Exodus 32:25 NIV says that the Israelites became a laughingstock to their enemies when they turned away from God and began to run wild in Moses’s absence.

The same can be said about the state of the Christian Fiction market. We have turned our backs on God and have run with our own idea of what is appealing to readers without asking or inquiring of Him. We have begun to value our image over the Name of Jesus. We have begun to value our appeal over the Truth that is Jesus.

In response to the Israelites’ behavior and betrayal toward God, Moses said in Exodus 32:26 KJV, Who is on the Lord’s side?

And I say the same. Who is on the Lord’s side?

My friends, if we—Christian authors—don’t write about Jesus, then who will?

We are called to be soldiers for Christ. Mighty warriors who go to battle just as our forefathers and foremothers did. Our battlefield is not the game of war King David played, it is not the dangerous business Rahab dealt with, and it is not the pulpit the Prophetess Anna stood in.

Our battlefield takes place on the pages. Every day we are tested and tried as we face the challenge of choosing the world or choosing God. Every word we write should point readers back to Christ, should demonstrate His love, and share stories of His faithfulness and emphasize His Word.

When you write, do your words accomplish this?

Some may scoff and think I’m being preachy, but I believe when you live a Christ-centered life, your faith bleeds into the pages. You cannot help but speak of Jesus. Like Jeremiah, His word is in your heart like a fire, shut up in your bones.

For those authors who find it odd or awkward or unrealistic to write about Jesus in an action thriller or a fantasy series or a suspense novel, ask God for guidance! And as you wait on His wisdom, read Christian fiction for yourself. See the example that has already been set before you. Learn from the best or learn what not to do from the worst. The truth is that there are good and bad books in the Christian market of all levels of spirituality.

Including more of Jesus in your work doesn’t automatically make it boring and preachy. In the same way, being subtly Christian doesn’t make your books cool and appealing to anyone.

Especially not to God.

Imagine standing before the Throne of Grace and explaining to God Almighty why you left His Son out of your work. Imagine telling Him that you thought it would be more appealing to write about something else or make up a new name for Him because it was too awkward to write about the name of Jesus Christ.

What will God say in response? Will He smile and say, Well done, good and faithful servant! Matthew 25:21. Or will He shake His head in disappointment?

Because it is at the Name of Jesus Christ that every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess [Philippians 2:10]. Not at the name of the Great One or the Overlord or the Mighty King.

Jesus Christ is all that matters.

Below are a few Christian books I love and strongly recommend reading if you are looking for examples of how to include God in your work. The genres range from romance to science fiction to fantasy and even suspense. There is no limit on what God can do. If you ask Him with a sincere heart to bless you with God-breathed ideas, He will give them to you. Honestly, do you think God doesn’t want to be honored in your story?