# Are there Christian readers here?



## Armadon (Jun 26, 2010)

Am I alone?


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## arshield (Nov 17, 2008)

Not by a long shot.


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## RobertK (Aug 2, 2010)

I don't think there is an official Christian membership roster, but no, you're not alone. =)


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## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

Considering Christianity is the world's largest religion, and considering how popular books are, I'd say there's a decent chance there are others.


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## Kindle_Matt (Jun 30, 2010)

If lovin' the Lord is wrong, I don't wanna be right. Now reading Christian material, that's another matter. Mostly the Bible.


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## theraven (Dec 30, 2009)

I read ABA and CBA titles ... last year or so more books from CBA houses than the general market (ABA). I go through spurts on which style I'm leaning toward at different times.


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## Tatiana (Aug 20, 2010)

Armadon said:


> Am I alone?


No, you are not alone.


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## Cliff Ball (Apr 10, 2010)

I'm a Christian, but, the last Christian novels I read, were the Left Behind series of novels. I wonder if there's a market for Christian alternate history


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## naltak (Aug 21, 2010)

You are definitely not alone. You are never alone.


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## Maker (Jun 22, 2010)

Present ... and always looking for good Christian fiction


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## kindleworm (Aug 24, 2010)

Absolutely not alone!  Some favorite Christian fiction has been The Left Behind series and a series by Joel Rosenberg which starts with The Last Jihad.  Anyone else with Christian fiction favorites?


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## Martel47 (Jun 14, 2010)

Reading seminary textbooks on Kindle and proud of it.


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

There's an existing thread for Christian fiction fans:

http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,1160.0.html


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## Armadon (Jun 26, 2010)

Hi!! It is so good to meet you all.

Are any of you seasoned veterans of Kindleboards? Do you see many Christian books posted?


Regards,

John


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## Armadon (Jun 26, 2010)

By the way. The link you gave was excellent, Jeff. Thanks!


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## Dawn McCullough White (Feb 24, 2010)

You're not alone.  Lately all I've been reading is Lauren F. Winner.

Dawn


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## lynninva (Feb 7, 2009)

I think KBs has tremendous variety of members:  ages, religions, nationalities, etc. and all sorts of differing viewpoints on life.  The amazing thing here is that everyone can feel at home and be treated with respect.

Do you frequent the monthly free book thread?  There have been a number of free Christian fiction, Bibles, and Christian non-fiction books offered.  

Last year I picked up the first three books in Don Brown's Navy Justice series (Treason, Hostage, Defiance).  DH started reading them this summer & was hooked right away.  Just before he finished the third one, then the fourth book was offered for free.  

I think I picked up Halley's Bible Handbook as a freebie also, along with devotionals and other items.  Now if I could just spend as much time reading as I should.  

There is also the One Year Bible Book Klub.  I haven't visited there much this year because our pastor asked the church to use the same one year reading plan this year, and it was a different schedule than the One Year Bible.

I think the Kindle is great.  Several times our Sunday School teacher mentioned that they were using a particular book as the basis for a series.  It was nice to be able to come home & download the book to my Kindle that afternoon.


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## Victorine (Apr 23, 2010)

Just for clarity, are you asking if there are people here who read Christian fiction?  Or if there are people here who read, who are Christian?

I'm Christian, but I don't read a lot of Christian fiction.  (If I do, it's Christian romances, because they're clean romances.)  

Vicki


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## CNDudley (May 14, 2010)

Victorine said:


> Just for clarity, are you asking if there are people here who read Christian fiction? Or if there are people here who read, who are Christian?
> 
> I'm Christian, but I don't read a lot of Christian fiction. (If I do, it's Christian romances, because they're clean romances.)
> 
> Vicki


I second Vicki's question. I fall in the Christian-who-doesn't-generally-read-Christian-fiction category. But even that has exceptions. Like, I read _The Shack_ and am on my second Sibella Giorello mystery, _The Clouds Roll Away_.


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## kbluvstoread (Sep 29, 2009)

No you are not alone!


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## RobertK (Aug 2, 2010)

I don't think I read any Christian fiction, if you're considering the genre as presented in say, Borders. Or Sunshine. Though I did read the Shack-it being Christian is up for debate. however.

I'm currently reading, apart from seminary books, the LOTR trilogy. In general, I am much more interested in non-fiction. I enjoy, philosophy, apologetics, and books covering all areas of the human condition.

For example, a couple books my radar are:


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## ajhunter (Aug 23, 2010)

cliffball said:


> I'm a Christian, but, the last Christian novels I read, were the Left Behind series of novels. I wonder if there's a market for Christian alternate history


I've had the notion to start the Left Behind series a few times, but never actually have. What did you think?


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## Armadon (Jun 26, 2010)

There was a time when I didn't read any Christian Fiction-- mostly because the quality was low-- but partly because the authors tried to squeeze the gospel of salvation into every story. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about salvation! I think evangelism is a prime directive. But, being that I was already saved, and just trying to put my feet up and relax, it kind of annoyed me.

Lately, all I read is Christian Fiction. The quality of Christian books and Christian music has met, and in many ways, surpassed the mainstream industry. I say surpassed, in that, I can read a quality book that is both clean and entertaining, yet also has a Christian worldview. Now I can get snippets of truth to chew on, while I enjoy my entertainment, and not have to sit through an alter call.


Regards,
John Hileman


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## Cliff Ball (Apr 10, 2010)

ajhunter said:


> I've had the notion to start the Left Behind series a few times, but never actually have. What did you think?


Well, my honest opinion is that, if you go by exactly what Revelation says, then the Left Behind series is completely wrong as far as people who knew Christians who were Raptured and those left behind would still be able to fall under the grace of God, since their hearts are supposed to be hardened towards the message during the Tribulation. But, since there are multiple interpretations, take that for what you will.

Otherwise, it was pretty good fiction, that is until you get to the prequels, and I could tell they were just doing it because their publisher asked them to.


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## DaronFraley (Sep 27, 2010)

Just curious, since the thread is about readers who are Christian . . . do you as a reader seek out books which are more of a clean read? (minimal language, sex, gore, etc.)

If you do, there is a nice site building over at squeakycleanreads.com which looks like it will be a good place for those kinds of reviews. The site is fairly new, but they are adding new books all the time. Go check it out. I tried to get my book listed there, but it didn't qualify in one category: it scored a 3 on their violence level. If you have a clean read book, you might submit to their site for review.


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

DaronFraley said:


> Just curious, since the thread is about readers who are Christian . . . do you as a reader seek out books which are more of a clean read? (minimal language, sex, gore, etc.)
> 
> If you do, there is a nice site building over at squeakycleanreads.com which looks like it will be a good place for those kinds of reviews. The site is fairly new, but they are adding new books all the time. Go check it out. I tried to get my book listed there, but it didn't qualify in one category: it scored a 3 on their violence level. If you have a clean read book, you might submit to their site for review.


I read everything, including Christian themed books, and I occasionally recommend a book on the Christian fiction thread but I don't write Christian themed books.


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

Whether I fit into your category or not depends on how you define "Christian."

I'm a Messianic believer in Yeshua. And I'm studying to be a Messianic rabbi.

Generically, I probably fall under the Christian category; but if it's going to digress into doctrinal comparisons, I diverge on many things from mainstream Christianity.

And I read, but I really don't care too much whether what I'm reading is by a believer or not, if it's well written.

I think the last "Christian" thing I read was a couple of novels by Ted Dekker a few years back. I was OK with the original 12 novels of LEFT BEHIND, but the later novels took too much time out to get preachy, instead of driving ahead on narrative, which is a turn-off.

Sermonizing in fiction isn't something I enjoy; it usually violates the "show, don't tell" rule of fiction writing.

But I've read a lot of novels that aren't specifically Christian, yet are generally clean and quite enjoyable.

And frankly, sometimes I just love a good spooky novel, so if I read and love something by Stephen King or Daniel Pyle or Joe Konrath or Amanda Hocking or whoever... that's my choice.

I tend not to care for books that indulge too much in rough language or really graphic sex scenes... but many of those tend not to be the best-written stuff in the world, either. (Though some can be...)

Maybe my choices don't make sense to mainstream, traditional Christians... but again, I'm Messianic.  According to some legalistic types, I'm not even a believer, because I call the Savior by His genuine Hebrew name (Yeshua) instead of his English name (Jesus).

So, I just take care of my own walk with God, read what appeals to me, write what appeals to me, and I tend not to worry about the labels that much....

After all, someone like me can potentially be criticized by all sides...

Jewish people would probably say I'm too Christian.

Christians HAVE said I'm too Jewish.

Conservatives suggest I'm too liberal in my entertainment choices...

But anyone who reads my political blog will quickly call me a right-wing racist hate monger simply because I don't bow and worship Obama, so...

Enough said... I'm starting to go in circles, LOL.


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## nomesque (Apr 12, 2010)

DaronFraley said:


> Just curious, since the thread is about readers who are Christian . . . do you as a reader seek out books which are more of a clean read? (minimal language, sex, gore, etc.)


No. Seems ridiculous to deliberately shield myself in books from things I see and hear every day. Escapism, yes, I understand that desire - but some people seem to see reading 'clean' books as somehow spiritually better than reading other ones. That strikes me as odd.


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## Armadon (Jun 26, 2010)

nomesque said:


> No. Seems ridiculous to deliberately shield myself in books from things I see and hear every day. Escapism, yes, I understand that desire - but some people seem to see reading 'clean' books as somehow spiritually better than reading other ones. That strikes me as odd.


For me personally, it's more of a "you are what you eat" mentality. If I spend time around people who are vulgar, I grow desensitized to it, and soon begin to adopt the same mindset- because I am prone to want to think and speak that way. If I spend time with people who value clean communication, I find it easier to resist base thinking. The same is true with books. If I feed myself on darkness, I will inevitably find myself looking at the shadows, worried what might leap out at me. If I feed myself on sexuality, I will find myself hungering for something that can never be satisfied. What I take in to my mind has an effect on me.

I watched the movie the "Fourth Kind", and couldn't go to sleep comfortably for a week or more. I found myself laying in bed wondering if I could be abducted. My intellect told me it was just a silly movie, and my spirit told me God would not allow it, but that didn't keep me from listening to every noise leaking out from the darkness.

I like entertainment as much as the next person, but I want my entertainment to bring good things into my life. I have enough bad influences I cannot control. With books, I have a choice as to what I want to put in my mind. I choose good things.

Regards,

John Hileman


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## nomesque (Apr 12, 2010)

Armadon said:


> For me personally, it's more of a "you are what you eat" mentality. If I spend time around people who are vulgar, I grow desensitized to it, and soon begin to adopt the same mindset- because I am prone to want to think and speak that way. If I spend time with people who value clean communication, I find it easier to resist base thinking. The same is true with books. If I feed myself on darkness, I will inevitably find myself looking at the shadows, worried what might leap out at me. If I feed myself on sexuality, I will find myself hungering for something that can never be satisfied. What I take in to my mind has an effect on me.


*nod* See, I find far more bad influences - in the areas that I think really matter - in most churches than in groups who swear blue streaks and joke about sex. *shrug* It's a difference in outlook - I'm not saying I'm right and you're wrong.


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## PraiseGod13 (Oct 27, 2008)

You are definitely not alone!!  Welcome!


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## carl_h (Sep 8, 2010)

Armadon said:


> Am I alone?


Hardly!  But I would say that my faith does not define my reading preferences.


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## Julia (Jul 30, 2010)

I am a Christian that reads Christian books but I don't limit myself to Christian books by any means. It should also be noted that just because it's labeled "Christian" doesn't mean it's sex, violence or paranormal free. One of my favorite Christian series, "Thorn in The Heart" by Liz Curtis Higgs have fairly explicit sex scenes and lust,violence,revenge... The Lord of the Rings books/movies have lots of violence.  Ever read the Ted Dekker Gunslinger series or House? Those aren't any different that some regular non-Christian paranormal books I've read except for the end. Instead the good guys coming in and saving the day with their super great cleverness and strength, it's good guys coming in and saving the day with prayers and strength from God. You're still exposing your mind to some really freaky stuff. Although Dekker's Red, Black, and White trilogy is awesome and has a great message combined with lots of good action/sci-fi. Not to say that there aren't some really good Christian books that are clean and focus more on a Godly message. One of my faves is a Arena by Karen Hancock. There are also lots of mild secular books out there. You really have to go by reviews if you're looking to limit yourself to certain types of books and not by the label Christian because many of the Christian books out there have much of the same content that a regular books has.   


Edit to add:
I should also say that none of that really bothers me. I'm totally able to separate a written story from the real world and not be influenced by it. I don't shield myself from the news and I'm also able to watch news stories/documentaries about the genocide in Darfur, parents doing horrible things to their children, people doing horrible things to each other. In no way do I feel the least bit influenced to act violent by seeing real life horror and I find real life to be much more disturbing than a fictional story by Ted Dekker or Stephen King.


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

Let me start by saying... whatever works for someone, works for them. My standards don't have to be anyone else's, but neither should someone else's standards be pushed onto me.

That being said, I have trouble with the presupposition that "you are what you read." I just don't find that to be true.

I read my first STEPHEN KING story when I was maybe 12. I consume his stories regularly, though for several years I backed off because it seemed to me he started telling the same story over and over and over again for a while... (For example, THE DARK HALF, MISERY, and a couple others are all books about writers and writing... it got old. By the same token, there wasn't a significant thematic difference between DELORIS CLAIBORNE, ROSE MADDER, GERALD'S GAME and a couple others, which are all about spousal abuse...)

I'm now 44 years old, so I've been a Stephen King reader for 32 years and a believer for only 25 years.

Yet I've never once felt remotely compelled to buy a haunted Plymouth Fury, bury a dead cat in an Indian burial ground, or dump pig's blood on a homecoming queen.

In fact, I might never have become a believer had it not been for the Stephen King story THE BODY, which was made into the movie STAND BY ME. I read THE BODY in high school at a time when I'd made a few good friends for the FIRST TIME in my life. They were not kids headed toward college. Maybe vo-tech, at best. I didn't want to leave behind the best and only friends I'd ever had, at that point.

Reading THE BODY changed my mind. By then I knew I had writing talent, and there was a scene in THE BODY where I felt King was speaking directly to me, and the message was: DON'T WASTE YOUR LIFE POTENTIAL.

So I went to college, and as a result of going to college, I became a believer. And I wouldn't be pursuing a life in Messianic ministry today if not for all that.

So yeah, the whole "you are what you read and only Christian novels give you good messages" argument? Just doesn't work for me, or ring true. King may not be a believer (he's technically an agnostic by self-definition) but God used his writing to get me where He wanted me.


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## meeko350 (Aug 25, 2010)

Armadon said:


> If I spend time around people who are vulgar, I grow desensitized to it, and soon begin to adopt the same mindset- because I am prone to want to think and speak that way. If I spend time with people who value clean communication, I find it easier to resist base thinking. The same is true with books. If I feed myself on darkness, I will inevitably find myself looking at the shadows, worried what might leap out at me. If I feed myself on sexuality, I will find myself hungering for something that can never be satisfied. What I take in to my mind has an effect on me.
> 
> I like entertainment as much as the next person, but I want my entertainment to bring good things into my life. I have enough bad influences I cannot control. With books, I have a choice as to what I want to put in my mind. I choose good things.


I totally agree. I already have enough things going through my mind that I don't want there and don't want to add anything else deliberately, so I rarely venture away from Christian fiction.


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## unknown2cherubim (Sep 10, 2010)

CNDudley said:


> I second Vicki's question. I fall in the Christian-who-doesn't-generally-read-Christian-fiction category. But even that has exceptions. Like, I read _The Shack_ and am on my second Sibella Giorello mystery, _The Clouds Roll Away_.


I don't read Christian fiction hardly ever. Haven't read Shack. But am I a Christian? I think my evangelical, born-again, Bible-school cred is pretty good ... if that's your flavor of Christianity.

Most Christian fiction is too simplistic for me but then maybe I skim the wrong stuff. My walk of faith is complicated with mis-steps, mis-understandings and irrationalities. Therefore I like Christian books whose protagonists are the same and maybe don't find the perfect walk by the end of the book.



> No. Seems ridiculous to deliberately shield myself in books from things I see and hear every day. Escapism, yes, I understand that desire - but some people seem to see reading 'clean' books as somehow spiritually better than reading other ones. That strikes me as odd.


@nomesque, I see both sides to that. For some people I think it helps them focus on things they would more wish to focus on as other posters have said. That said, it's about what comes out of someone (Matthew 15:11) not what goes in, so your point is also well taken.


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