No, it doesn’t. Look at nature or biology or astronomy and see how creative our God is. If anything, a Christian can see things clearer and be inspired to even greater creativity than someone who is not a Christ-follower.
But, I think writers of Christian books have limited their vision for what they can write about; and maybe, just maybe, publishers have a role to play in limiting creativity.
A couple of things to consider:
- Christian writers write from within their biblical worldview.
- Christian publishers should not be expected to violate their biblically based mission only to satisfy an author’s desire to be creative if #1 is not apparent.
All books (not only Christian) are classified under the BISAC system, and at the top of the categorization “tree” are 53 main subject headings. Only one of the 53 is specifically Christian, as Bibles have their own heading. Another heading containing some Christian books is “Religion,” which contains all religions. There are subcategories under a few others to accommodate Christian books.
Here are the 53 topline headings from BISAC:
- Antiques & Collectibles
- Architecture
- Art
- Bibles
- Biography/Autobiography
- Body/Mind & Spirit
- Business & Economics
- Comics & Graphic
- Novels
- Computers
- Cooking
- Crafts & Hobbies
- Design
- Drama
- Education
- Family & Relationships
- Fiction
- Foreign Language Study
- Games & Activities
- Gardening
- Health & Fitness
- History
- House & Home
- Humor
- Juvenile Fiction
- Juvenile Nonfiction
- Language Arts/Disciplines
- Law
- Literary Collections
- Literary Criticism
- Mathematics
- Medical
- Music
- Nature
- Performing Arts
- Pets
- Philosophy
- Photography
- Poetry
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Reference
- Religion
- Science
- Self-help
- Social Science
- Sports & Recreation
- Study Aids
- Technology & Engineering
- Transportation
- Travel
- True Crime
- Young Adult Fiction
- Young Adult Nonfiction
So much for blaming writer’s block on a lack of something to write about.
God is present in all of life. He is a creative God, and Christian writers can and should focus their worldview into all of life. Look again at the list above; and, using your imagination filtered through a Christian worldview, every one of them could be a potential category for an interesting book.
As a side note, it is unfortunate the Christian publishing world (which includes me) decided to leave poetry over to the secular writers. Might be time for publishers to reconsider that stand.
The best Christian books never come about as a result of strategic planning or a research project asking what readers want. They are always the result of an inspired, creative spark placed in the heart and mind by the ultimate creative source, the Holy Spirit.
Here’s a creative exercise.
Consider the above list and the not-so-apparent “Christian” topics like antiques & collectibles, mathematics, and true crime. How might a Christian writer approach these topics? Let’s see how creative you are!
