Biblical fiction novels are a growing genre. Some authors choose to use actual people, places or events from the Bible. Others base their characters and events on the Bible but use a different time period as a setting. Some choose an era from Bible history in which to set their story.
This type of fiction is not meant to be read in place of the Bible. Its purpose is to engage the imagination and to help people place themselves inside the hearts of the characters and events that took place long ago. A story that may be outlined in a few verses or pages is fleshed out, making it fresh and intelligible to modern readers.
To make their stories as authentic as possible, many authors do detailed research into their subject. They use sources such as research papers, historical textbooks, scholarly articles and even archeological reports. Most of them have no desire to contradict biblical truth but to make use of their imaginations to reveal it.
Many of these authors use characters drawn from the Bible. We identify intimately with the struggles, hopes and fears of these men and women. Even a character described in a few verses can be used as fuel for the imagination. Some of the characters portrayed in these books are far removed from the pious cardboard characters found in the least appealing christian literature. They are believable, well rounded characters with flaws and strengths, facing the same conflicts we face today.
When these characters and stories are taken out of context and placed within another time and place, the perceptions of the reader are challenged. This often allows them to see certain truths in a new light. For example, Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers takes the story found in the book of Hosea out of context and places it in California in the 1800s. This book has been very successful and many people have testified that it changed their lives.
Themes dealt with in these stories are love and faithfulness, sacrifice and victory, the struggle against evil and the triumph of good. Every emotion known to man is found in the Bible. The Old Testament is a rich source of stories of adultery, murder, bloodshed and war, providing great inspiration for a fertile imagination. It is also full of love stories, providing fuel for writers of romance. There are a number of authors who choose to write historical books, using an era of biblical history and making up their own characters and events.
The genre of fantasy and allegory is also being used effectively to bring across biblical truths. Readers no longer want to have dogma thrust upon them and authors have to produce well rounded characters, good plots and settings in order to entertain them. C. S. Lewis was an author who successfully wove fantasy with truth so that tenets of faith were transmitted without any preaching.
Jesus never just dealt with abstracts when speaking to the people. He told stories designed to shock and to elicit sympathy and identification. The authors of biblical fiction novels are simply doing the same thing, using stories that are meant to appeal not just to the intellect but to the conscience through the imagination.
This type of fiction is not meant to be read in place of the Bible. Its purpose is to engage the imagination and to help people place themselves inside the hearts of the characters and events that took place long ago. A story that may be outlined in a few verses or pages is fleshed out, making it fresh and intelligible to modern readers.
To make their stories as authentic as possible, many authors do detailed research into their subject. They use sources such as research papers, historical textbooks, scholarly articles and even archeological reports. Most of them have no desire to contradict biblical truth but to make use of their imaginations to reveal it.
Many of these authors use characters drawn from the Bible. We identify intimately with the struggles, hopes and fears of these men and women. Even a character described in a few verses can be used as fuel for the imagination. Some of the characters portrayed in these books are far removed from the pious cardboard characters found in the least appealing christian literature. They are believable, well rounded characters with flaws and strengths, facing the same conflicts we face today.
When these characters and stories are taken out of context and placed within another time and place, the perceptions of the reader are challenged. This often allows them to see certain truths in a new light. For example, Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers takes the story found in the book of Hosea out of context and places it in California in the 1800s. This book has been very successful and many people have testified that it changed their lives.
Themes dealt with in these stories are love and faithfulness, sacrifice and victory, the struggle against evil and the triumph of good. Every emotion known to man is found in the Bible. The Old Testament is a rich source of stories of adultery, murder, bloodshed and war, providing great inspiration for a fertile imagination. It is also full of love stories, providing fuel for writers of romance. There are a number of authors who choose to write historical books, using an era of biblical history and making up their own characters and events.
The genre of fantasy and allegory is also being used effectively to bring across biblical truths. Readers no longer want to have dogma thrust upon them and authors have to produce well rounded characters, good plots and settings in order to entertain them. C. S. Lewis was an author who successfully wove fantasy with truth so that tenets of faith were transmitted without any preaching.
Jesus never just dealt with abstracts when speaking to the people. He told stories designed to shock and to elicit sympathy and identification. The authors of biblical fiction novels are simply doing the same thing, using stories that are meant to appeal not just to the intellect but to the conscience through the imagination.
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