Christian vs. Clean

This is a theme that isn't new if you've been following some of my musings over the past several months. You could even say this is the natural progression of taking this line of thinking to its conclusion.

In evaluating which books to read, the refrain of Christian vs. clean has become so ingrained in my thinking that it's practically been on repeat for me. To be honest, I've never really held a view on Christian vs. clean books until the end of last year. Most of my reading since becoming a Christian has been all over the place, where I believed that acquiring knowledge, almost any knowledge, was worth it for the sake of becoming more learned. Being a voracious reader meant that I would consume most anything—especially if it was free as I didn't have a lot of books growing up (my parents preferred to take me to the library on a weekly basis as I would have cost them too much in books 😂).

However, God has definitely been impressing upon me the conviction that I can't read everything that I want to read. In saying that, I'm not placing my convictions on anyone else; your convictions are yours, so I hope you can indulge me as I share mine.

Personally, up until this fall, I fell into the routine of "buying" free books on Kindle every time I saw something being offered. While it's definitely a cost-saving way to read books, it became completely ridiculous for me. I was no longer reading books; I was just accumulating them. Even if the majority of them were clean or even Christian books, I actually found it hard to select a title I would want to read. Although I have found a few good books and authors this way, I've also been disappointed with others. This made me wonder how I could even find the better titles among the many when I was relegated to constant scrolling. The mantra about finding the best books over just good or good enough books became solidified in my mind, leading me to slow down in how many books I was getting unless I conducted a bit more research.

And, as if that wasn't enough, I went through a few weeks where I was reeling from some of the books I read, which I won't belabour here. When it rains, it surely pours. This led me to sharing with my husband how the task of choosing books was weighing heavily on my heart. If anything, some of the thoughts below should be credited to him; I am immensely grateful that I get to be married to a wise and godly man!

Audience

The first thought that surfaced was the whole notion of clean books and who the main audience would be for this genre. It's actually an interesting genre if you think about it as it's characterized by the absence of things, not the addition of them. Clean books are typically books that people can say are free from all the fill-in-the-blanks. This is not to make light of clean books, as I believe they do serve a purpose and have a large fan base, but it made me go down the rabbit trail of comparing them to what I've largely consumed in my life, which are Christian books where God is overtly referenced.

I'm aware that crossover artists aren't new as it's been happening with music and other forms of entertainment for ages. However, in trying to figure out why I'm seeing a more recent shift in Christian authors writing clean fiction instead of Christian fiction, my best guesses were the following (please correct me if I'm wrong as I'm merely speculating based on the small corner I see on Christian Bookstagram!):

• a means to broaden their existing audience through additional exposure elsewhere
• an opportunity to be more widely carried by being more marketable
• a way to engage in the pre-proclamation stage of evangelism
• a fun genre to write that's purely escapist and would not require any theological or spiritual application

If these may be some of the reasons, it made me wonder if I was the right audience for clean books that are written by Christian authors. This isn't to say that I won't ever read a clean book or that others don't need it or that I won't support an author who is adding these types of books to their repertoire, but I don't need the soft touch where a book is clean, but also omits faith or God. While I believe that Christian authors can be masterful storytellers and tell a variety of stories, including those that do not speak about Jesus at all, I also have a hard time picturing a story without God in it. The worldview that I have is that God is involved in everything in my life, whether it's personal relationships, a career, or day-to-day activities. That's fine that God-omitted books exist; I just recognize that God's complete absence has a greater impact on me now than it did in the past. This is largely why I keep gravitating toward stories where God plays a central part in it instead.

Background

Additionally, while I appreciate that clean books exist and are a solid form of entertainment, I can see how anyone with any type of worldview or belief system can write clean books and include their particular perspective on the story. Even if a story doesn't include profanity or explicit scenes, it doesn't mean that the author isn't sharing their own worldview as they write. I've become more sensitive to this now as I consider what theological backgrounds (if any) that an author might have. It also makes me wary as to what type of message will be conveyed in a clean book in reference to who or what is controlling the external factors of a story. While romances might not typically delve into this theme, it's still a possibility and I want to be careful that I can avoid concepts that may have a New Age influence, or worse. This is also a genre that is rife with authors writing from an LDS perspective, which for me is a further conviction where I won't read these books, but that I recognize very few may share.

Sanctified vs. Sanitized

I suppose a different way to look at Christian versus clean books is to consider the end goal. Since clean books denote the absence of certain materials, what are they adding? This is something that I've already covered, though I've been thinking more about it since it first crossed my mind. I do believe that sanctified books are usually sanitized in the sense that gratuity isn't honouring to God, so it would feel a little strange to encounter that (which of course doesn't mean that Christian books shouldn't address difficult issues or scenarios). However, not all sanitized books are sanctified and life-giving. There can be generally clean books out there but which would still be inappropriate in other ways, such as through matters of morality or overlooked behaviours that have the potential to be harmful.

I was trying to articulate this notion to my husband when he came up with a rather compelling example. Since I greatly reduced my intake of Hallmark Christmas movies this year, this made him think about what messages those movies usually send. Sure, they're romantic, light, and fun (fluffy may have made an appearance), but one of the tropes that drives him nuts is the love triangle, specifically when one of the main characters is already in a committed relationship or is engaged. He strongly dislikes the idea of the whole movie trying to convince the audience that the existing boyfriend/girlfriend is either a buffoon or "completely wrong" for the person, even if they agreed to be in a relationship in the first place. In his words, "the movie is basically celebrating an emotional affair or intimacy that viewers root for and endorse in the name of romance. Where does the love triangle end and cheating begin?" I agree with him; this would be inappropriate for Christians as we strive to avoid any emotional entanglements outside of the one we're committed to (even if someone is just dating or engaged, it's not like this behaviour disappears the minute they get married, contrary to what the media portrays). If this were to play out in real life, seldom would it get wrapped up neatly with a bow.

This is just one type of trope, but it made me realize how often it's utilized and the type of message it's sending. It's a clean story, but clean doesn't always make things right. Under the guise of romance, is there a possibility that I have become desensitized to what is being labelled as romantic, even things that may be wrong? Washing with soap is one thing, but I want to be cleansed by water through the Word (Ephesians 5:26) along with the blood of Jesus Christ (Revelation 7:14) so that the cleansing moves from my external being to my internal being. This is the sanctification that I seek when I read about characters in books as it is lasting, meaningful, and possible due to the work of God.

Diet

Since this is the longest essay I've written about this topic, I'll end on this note. Clean books have a place and it doesn't matter what I say or think. My only approach is that of my own personal consumption. In thinking about what I want to spend my time on, I've shared that my appetite has shifted. Where I once enjoyed clean books simply for the fact that it was safe entertainment, I now crave something deeper and more fulfilling. In explaining this change in my reading habits, my husband likened it to the analogy of drinking distilled water. Apparently, it's not a good idea to only drink distilled water, which never would have crossed my mind. It's not that I can't have it, it's that I probably shouldn't have it exclusively as I'd be missing out on electrolytes, minerals, and the like. Likewise, if I have a steady diet of sanitized books, what am I missing out on that I might need? I really like this illustration, so I'm using it to summarize my feelings about clean books. I'm not judging them as inferior to Christian books, but I don't really have a reason to seek them out either. My reading will still feel satisfactory if I only have the Bible and Christian books, and whatever other books I might need for work, etc. Clean books for me are a nice-to-have, but not a need-to-have, which means I'll enjoy the odd one here and there, but I don't want my reading to only subsist of one clean book after another (or unclean, either, for that fact).

Prayer

My prayer remains the same. Whatever Jesus sees fit to change in my life, He will let me know, and He certainly has with my reading. I regret all sorts of things I've consumed in the past and am grateful that I can bring it to the cross to Him. Only He can truly cleanse and renew our minds, which I cling to when I look at books now.

I came across a quote that Winston Churchill had about writing books, but I think the same could be said about reading them as well.

"Writing a book is an adventure. To begin with, it is a toy and an amusement; then it becomes a mistress, and then it becomes a master, and then a tyrant. The last phase is that just as you are about to be reconciled to your servitude, you kill the monster and fling him out to the public."

I see this as a warning to myself as a reader. I don't want to treat reading as only a toy and an amusement, only to find myself trapped by it. It can easily become an idol in my life if I'm not careful. The last thing I want is to become beholden to a master or a tyrant in the form of books. This is why I wish I had prayed about my reading so much sooner, and why I hope that my future in reading will not go down any stray paths.

After this, I don't think I'll keep bringing this topic up as I'm not wrestling with it, but I wanted to provide some of the neat illustrations that God has been showing me. I'm thankful that His Holy Spirit has been teaching me so much lately, and I pray that I can be faithful in heeding His guidance and correction.

[I'm also tired of writing so many disclaimers to avoid being misunderstood for something that's personal to me; it's not exactly an endearing writing style! 😄]