I don't know if anyone else feels the same way I do when it comes to reading Christian fiction, but you'll probably notice that I seldom reference what I read as being closed door.
This is mostly because I tend to review Christian books where my natural assumption is that any sexual ethics conveyed within the book stems from a Christian worldview. Obviously, I can't always take this at face value as some books that are being promoted as being Christian by publishers or book reviewers may contain content which could either push the boundary or outright cross the line of what should be biblical and God-honouring.
While I do sometimes share reviews of books that fall into this category on my blog in the spirit of transparency and helping other believers, I try for the large part to avoid books where sin may come across as being glorified. It helps when I can check reviews on Goodreads or from trusted reviewers on Instagram. At the same time, "closed door" or even "clean" is a term I refrain from using because it feels so limiting on Christian fiction. I share a few reasons why below.
Sanitizing the appearance of sex does not eliminate sin.
I don't believe that Christian fiction is necessarily meant to be sanitized in the sense that sex can never be referenced. Though I've only heard peripheral anecdotes of what it was like to grow up in purity culture and some of the subsequent effects that it's had on other Christians—including a pendulum shift to the opposite end of sexual morality—it makes me think of the Victorian era where immorality was still taking place but may have been better disguised. I'm not advocating that sex is spoken about so freely that the context is ignored and caution is thrown to the wind, but sadly, the world we live in today means that we don't live in a sterile, Hallmark environment.
Some of the best Christian fiction I've read has actively addressed sexual sin but in a way that isn't gratuitous or could cause readers to stumble. I think there is a difference between broaching a subject that might potentially trigger readers while addressing it in a biblical manner and writing about things such as lust in such a way that readers can go down a slippery slope. Christian authors may or may not bring up topics beyond kissing in the natural course of their books, but if they are, there is a way to acknowledge the struggles that Christians can have if the book is meant to be a realistic reflection of the sin that lives in our hearts and how we need God to help us through these temptations. Being in a fallen world means that we don't just ignore sin, but that we take it to Jesus and that He redeems it through His blood.
At the same time, I've read Christian books where sex is never described, but there is such an undercurrent or atmosphere of lust or physical longing that scenes can still evoke desire, even if certain acts aren't explicitly referenced (or maybe they are in the form of innuendo). While technically meeting the definitions of closed door, the spirit may not be in accord with it. This is why outward appearances and behaviours do not always match what's going on inside the heart.
Sex/romance is not everything in life. Jesus is.
Not all Christian fiction is about romance. However, since I do love reading romances and this constitutes the bulk of the fiction I read, I prefer gravitating toward books that simply advertise themselves as Christian romance rather than closed-door romance. The latter doesn't tell me much beyond that certain scenes won't be included; however, Christian romance tells me that the relationship is surrendered to Jesus Christ and that the characters are not the main characters of the relationship—God is.
In this world of brokenness, I understand that reading clean or closed door books can be a form of escapist entertainment. There are scores of people who love these books and I don't have anything to say about that choice. Where I'm coming from is a personal choice for me where in a way, I demand more from the fiction I'm taking the time to read. Does every fun novella I read need to have a hard-hitting Gospel message? Not necessarily, but it is nice if God can be referenced because His absence would be strange according to my worldview. Does every romance need pivotal scenes of prayer? Again, I think it would stifle authors' creativity if they had to meet a checklist of required Christian content, which is why I prefer to get lost in the story rather than look for specific spiritual elements taking place.
The best romances aren't insular, and that's what I mean by sex and romance not amounting to everything in life. Books are engrossing when the characters are concerned about more than just being in a relationship. What separates Christian romance from closed-door romance to me is the idea that the characters are committed to the Lordship of Jesus over everything in their lives, including romance. He is the glue holding relationships together and He is the One who helps couples through conflict. Closed door just implies they don't cross lines (or at least they shouldn't); however, who do characters turn to when facing the other issues in life or even with their romantic interest?
A book's quality is not determined by sex/romance (or the lack thereof) alone.
As I'm becoming more discriminate in my reading, I'm trying to evaluate the books I read through a more comprehensive Christian worldview and not just on how one or two topics are treated. Though a book promoting itself as a Christian romance should have the romance right, there are also other factors at play beyond only closed doors. For instance, I'm concerned when books don't take into consideration the issues of consent and respect between its characters. Trying to make everything all about "the kiss" or other forms of physical touch should not be the central plotline, especially if it's evident to readers that a character might not feel comfortable in the situation. It's one thing to highlight all of the tropes being used where these situations might arise, like enemies to lovers, forced proximity, forbidden love, etc.; however, it's another thing to employ them well and in a way that reflects what Jesus teaches us.
Outside of romance, I also pay attention to whether other religious thoughts are incorporated, resulting in a form of syncretism. Unfortunately, it's becoming more commonplace to see terms like "good vibes" or "positive energy" enter Christian books. I do attribute some of this to how frequently we hear New Age ideology being shared in society, but I do expect Christian books to avoid referencing things that go against biblical teachings. A lot of this may be subtle, but it can change the reading experience when I go into it expecting one thing and then leave feeling a little bereft or disappointed that Christian characters don't speak or act the way I envisioned them doing so.
Other criteria that I'll just touch on briefly that might affect my experience of a book include:
- The number of or relevance of pop culture references. I can understand some adding to the rom-com feel of a book, but when it's excessive, I can feel like I'm drowning in references I don't understand or don't care about. For other readers, I can also see how the quality of these references might be a downgrade to the overall book, especially if they are made to questionable content or performers (Taylor Swift is one I can't wrap my head around, but it might just be me feeling this way).
- Changing too many details for biographical characters. With the amount of access we have at our fingertips to research, I'm having a harder time with books that are a little too loose with their interpretations of historical figures. I always love reading the Author's Notes in historical books to find out what may have been changed, but some books don't share these details and others create stories that may be a little too fantastical. I completely understand that the genre of historical fiction is meant to allow for these liberties, but a degree of realism still has to be employed.
- Similar to possibly far-fetched changes, anachronisms. Since I often switch between historical and contemporary fiction, I sometimes have to remind myself what time period I'm in. What can be jarring is reading a very contemporary phrase in a book set in the past (I don't think people were calling things "cool" until much later in time!), or seeing a contemporary book miss a relevant piece of technology that could advance the plot (people can text now to avoid miscommunications). I know that authors work hard to incorporate relevant research in their stories, so I often treat these as one-time misses and don't lower book ratings solely because of this, but it is interesting to find out after the fact that such-and-such couldn't have happened because commercial flying was not yet available or so-and-so had already passed away in history, so the characters couldn't have met them, etc.
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