by MaryAnn Diorio, PhD, MFA
During my young-adult years, I recall a huge debate among the literati over the value of romance fiction. Some considered it a valuable genre of literature, while many considered it shallow, frivolous, and even decadent.
The battles between these two camps were quite vocal, with neither side conceding much, if anything, to the other. Moreover, the battle still rages today, although not to as great an extent. One reason is the emergence of Christian fiction.
But more on that later.
So, why were there two such opposite camps regarding romance fiction in the first place? What caused the great divide?
For one thing, most secular romance fiction focused on the flesh instead of the spirit. Some romance writers appealed to the senses in a way that devalued human beings and made them out to be nothing more than a composite of hormones driven by lust. Much like animals. These writers, in my opinion, had no idea of the true meaning of love. Indeed, they confused lust with love.
But lust is not love. Nor ever will be.
Yet, to tis day, a good deal of secular romance fiction does not reflect, nor comprehend, the true meaning of love and continues to exalt the flesh. Sadly, sex sells.
But in 1979, the true meaning of love began to show up in fiction with the publication of Janette Oke's pivotal novel, Love Comes Softly. Credited with having invented the Christian romance genre of fiction, Oke revolutionized fiction by portraying the Biblical meaning of love, the only meaning of love that aligns with truth.
In her best-selling novel, Oke revealed two important truths:
1. God is the Author of Romance. He wrote the greatest love story of all time. It is found in the Bible, and it is the story of Christ's infinite love for humanity—a love He demonstrated by His death and resurrection. God's love story is called the Divine Romance. It is a love story that will last forever.
2. All authentic human romance is based on God's divine romance. Since all that God created is good, romance is good. And Christian romance fiction seeks to portray the blessings of romance based on God's love. Moreover, Christian romance fiction seeks to point the reader to the Author of Romance, God Himself.
Since God is the Author of Romance, then romance fiction has a very important place in literature. For romance fiction reflects—or should reflect—God's love for man and woman, and man and woman's love for each other.
What makes Christian romance fiction different from secular romance fiction is precisely this understanding and portrayal of the true meaning of love. Whereas in secular romance fiction, love is usually equated with lust, in Christian romance fiction love is equated with the sacrificial love of Christ that is selfless, not self-serving. In Christian romance fiction, the man and the woman ultimately seek to bless the other more than the self. They are ultimately transformed from selfishness to selflessness.
As with all other fiction, truth must lie at the core of romance fiction in order for it to be great. Romance novels that equate sex with love are missing that core of truth. Certainly sex is a God-given expression of love, but only within the confines of marriage and only if the motive is the well-being of the other person within that marriage.
But the concept of sex-only-in-marriage is taboo in many romance novels today that are not written from a Biblical worldview. The same is true of sex in our culture. Our culture has devalued sex by relegating it to a forbidden place outside of marriage. But sex outside of marriage is not true love. It is lust.
Today, romance fiction remains the most popular form of genre fiction. It has the highest numbers of readers for a reason. The reason is that we all need love. God created us to need love. But He also created us to find that love first and foremost in Him. When we look to Him first to fill our need for love, then we can love another person in a romantic relationship with that same love with which God first loved us.
Nearly 20 years ago, I first recognized God's call on my life to write fiction, including romance fiction. As I began to write stories, I discovered a new joy in writing and an increase in positive feedback from readers, telling me that my stories greatly blessed them.
Imagine my great surprise, then, when a good nonfiction writer friend of mine wrote me a scathing email denouncing my foray into fiction writing. She told me that I was out of God's will, that I was wasting my time writing fiction, and that my extensive, advanced education precluded my writing something so frivolous as novels. She strongly advised me to devote my writing time to more substantial endeavors.
Because I had always valued my friend's professional opinion, I was stunned by her letter, to say the least. But, as always when I am criticized, I went to the Lord and asked Him if my friend spoke truth. The Lord told me that my friend was misled about the value and purpose of fiction. He confirmed that I must continue writing stories, including romance, in order to touch lives for Him.
And so I did. And continue to do. (And, by the way, I forgave my friend. :) )
Jesus is my example. He told stories to teach deep truths. Why? Because while nonfiction appeals to the mind, stories appeal to the heart. And stories alone can touch and transform the heart in a way that nonfiction cannot. This is the reason I write stories. I want the Lord to transform hurting hearts for Him through the stories He gives me to write.
So, the next time someone tells you that truth-based romance fiction is frivolous, remind him that Jesus told stories filled with the truth of the divine romance, and that His writers, who are made in His image, can reflect that image by stories filled with the truth of the divine romance as well.
Now it's your turn . . .
Please share your thoughts on romance fiction in the comment box below. Thank you! :)
The battles between these two camps were quite vocal, with neither side conceding much, if anything, to the other. Moreover, the battle still rages today, although not to as great an extent. One reason is the emergence of Christian fiction.
But more on that later.
So, why were there two such opposite camps regarding romance fiction in the first place? What caused the great divide?
For one thing, most secular romance fiction focused on the flesh instead of the spirit. Some romance writers appealed to the senses in a way that devalued human beings and made them out to be nothing more than a composite of hormones driven by lust. Much like animals. These writers, in my opinion, had no idea of the true meaning of love. Indeed, they confused lust with love.
But lust is not love. Nor ever will be.
Yet, to tis day, a good deal of secular romance fiction does not reflect, nor comprehend, the true meaning of love and continues to exalt the flesh. Sadly, sex sells.
But in 1979, the true meaning of love began to show up in fiction with the publication of Janette Oke's pivotal novel, Love Comes Softly. Credited with having invented the Christian romance genre of fiction, Oke revolutionized fiction by portraying the Biblical meaning of love, the only meaning of love that aligns with truth.
In her best-selling novel, Oke revealed two important truths:
1. God is the Author of Romance. He wrote the greatest love story of all time. It is found in the Bible, and it is the story of Christ's infinite love for humanity—a love He demonstrated by His death and resurrection. God's love story is called the Divine Romance. It is a love story that will last forever.
2. All authentic human romance is based on God's divine romance. Since all that God created is good, romance is good. And Christian romance fiction seeks to portray the blessings of romance based on God's love. Moreover, Christian romance fiction seeks to point the reader to the Author of Romance, God Himself.
Since God is the Author of Romance, then romance fiction has a very important place in literature. For romance fiction reflects—or should reflect—God's love for man and woman, and man and woman's love for each other.
What makes Christian romance fiction different from secular romance fiction is precisely this understanding and portrayal of the true meaning of love. Whereas in secular romance fiction, love is usually equated with lust, in Christian romance fiction love is equated with the sacrificial love of Christ that is selfless, not self-serving. In Christian romance fiction, the man and the woman ultimately seek to bless the other more than the self. They are ultimately transformed from selfishness to selflessness.
As with all other fiction, truth must lie at the core of romance fiction in order for it to be great. Romance novels that equate sex with love are missing that core of truth. Certainly sex is a God-given expression of love, but only within the confines of marriage and only if the motive is the well-being of the other person within that marriage.
But the concept of sex-only-in-marriage is taboo in many romance novels today that are not written from a Biblical worldview. The same is true of sex in our culture. Our culture has devalued sex by relegating it to a forbidden place outside of marriage. But sex outside of marriage is not true love. It is lust.
Today, romance fiction remains the most popular form of genre fiction. It has the highest numbers of readers for a reason. The reason is that we all need love. God created us to need love. But He also created us to find that love first and foremost in Him. When we look to Him first to fill our need for love, then we can love another person in a romantic relationship with that same love with which God first loved us.
Nearly 20 years ago, I first recognized God's call on my life to write fiction, including romance fiction. As I began to write stories, I discovered a new joy in writing and an increase in positive feedback from readers, telling me that my stories greatly blessed them.
Imagine my great surprise, then, when a good nonfiction writer friend of mine wrote me a scathing email denouncing my foray into fiction writing. She told me that I was out of God's will, that I was wasting my time writing fiction, and that my extensive, advanced education precluded my writing something so frivolous as novels. She strongly advised me to devote my writing time to more substantial endeavors.
Because I had always valued my friend's professional opinion, I was stunned by her letter, to say the least. But, as always when I am criticized, I went to the Lord and asked Him if my friend spoke truth. The Lord told me that my friend was misled about the value and purpose of fiction. He confirmed that I must continue writing stories, including romance, in order to touch lives for Him.
And so I did. And continue to do. (And, by the way, I forgave my friend. :) )
Jesus is my example. He told stories to teach deep truths. Why? Because while nonfiction appeals to the mind, stories appeal to the heart. And stories alone can touch and transform the heart in a way that nonfiction cannot. This is the reason I write stories. I want the Lord to transform hurting hearts for Him through the stories He gives me to write.
So, the next time someone tells you that truth-based romance fiction is frivolous, remind him that Jesus told stories filled with the truth of the divine romance, and that His writers, who are made in His image, can reflect that image by stories filled with the truth of the divine romance as well.
Now it's your turn . . .
Please share your thoughts on romance fiction in the comment box below. Thank you! :)
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This is the last week to enter my Goodreads Giveaway for the opportunity to win a free ebook copy of my award-winning love story, In Black and White.
Enter at the link below and scroll down on the left.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48655509
Enter at the link below and scroll down on the left.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48655509
You can't win if you don't enter! :)
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My Novel Pick of the Week . . .
Prodigal Lives by Carol McClain
Disclaimer: I am an Amazon Affiliate and earn a small commission from the sale of books.
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Copyright 2024 by MaryAnn Diorio, PhD. All Rights Reserved.
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