Much Ado About ... Susannah

Christian fiction frequently comes under fire for its avoidance of (Dare I say it?) ... sex. Just Google the topic and you'll come up with pages of bloggers complaining that Christian authors are afraid to be real, and that readers don't want to go anywhere near the bedroom door even when it involves a married couple. Case in point, check out this recent blog post by Mike Duran and read through the discussion: Christian Fiction's "Non-Erogenous Zone".

Once upon a time, I'm certain peeking beyond the bedroom door was forbidden, but as a voracious reader of Christian fiction, in all genres, I find that's no longer true.

The book that precipated the discussion on Duran's blog, Spring for Susannah by Catherine Richmond, is a fair example. It's true, if you glance through the reviews on Amazon, you'll find a minority who are aghast at the sexual content of the book and claim teens shouldn't read it, nor should unmarried women. Wow. It obviously has some explicit passages, right?

Well, of course, I had to check it out for myself and purchased the book. (As an author, can you think of a better marketing tool than controversy?) I read through it in one day searching for what had these readers upset enough to encourage keeping the book away from teens and unwed women.

I failed to find anything.

Yes, the story told us that this newlywed couple had sex, quite frequently even. Richmond wrote about undoing buttons, and reading Song of Solomon, and the characters even talked about how they enjoyed sex, but explicit? Hardly. Keep it away from the kids or unmarried women? That's plain silly. Do these reviewers have any clue what their teens are required to read in high school? I read a few of the "racier" passages of Susannah to my unmarried 19 year old daughter, and she agreed that it's very mild.

Besides that, Spring for Susannah, which is written by a debut author, made July's Evangelical Christian Publishers Association's (ECPA) bestselling fiction list. Not an easy feat for any author, much less a debut author. On Amazon, of 106 customer reviews, 90 of them are 4 and 5 star. Hmm, it doesn't sound like the reading public is complaining. As a matter of fact, I think they're enjoying this book. They also enjoy other authors who like to bend the sexual boundaries: Julie Lessman, Deeanne Gist, and even Francine Rivers and Karen Kingsbury to name a few. Try Lisa Samson's The Passion of Mary-Margaret or Christa Parrish's Watch Over Me. No, we're not getting a bedroom play-by-play, not even close, but the authors don't shy away from it either.

The fact is, Christian writers are writing about sex, the public is buying the books and they're even enjoying them. Gasp!

So, my question is, why all the fuss? Yes, the majority of romances are sweet and very chaste, but to generalize and say Christian fiction is for prudes, misses the mark completely.

If you ask me, the controversy is much ado about nothing.

Questions for you: Do you think the controversy is warranted? What books/authors have you read in Christian fiction that push the boundaries?

A Voice in the Wind

(Mark of the Lion #1)
by Francine Rivers

Published by Tyndale House Publishers
515 pages


The year is 70 A.D. and Jerusalem is crumbling under the weight of its own disobedience. The beautiful temple is nearly obliterated - only a single wall remains standing. Jerusalem’s ultimate destruction is finalized by legions of Roman soldiers seeking the eradication of the Jewish population. Only a remnant survives - and many of those remaining will be sold as slaves or will soon perish in gladiator arenas.

Young Hadassah is one of those remaining and she questions why. Her mother and sister died of starvation when the doors to the walled city were closed, in an attempt to waylay the Romans ... a move which aided in the city’s destruction. Her brother was killed by a Roman soldier and her father was murdered because of his faith ... a faith in Jesus ... a faith Hadassah has always struggled with.

Francine Rivers weaves a graphic and emotional story of Hadassah as she is led on a harsh journey from Jerusalem to Rome. There she is sold to the wealthy and powerful Valerian family to be the daughter’s personal slave. Julia, the daughter is high spirited and longs to live like her older brother Marcus. He is handsome and brilliant and indulges in everything the amoral and corrupt city has to offer. The mother, Phoebe, finds solace in stone gods and the father, Decimus, is bereft over what has become of his family.

Throughout the novel, Hadassah contends with fear - afraid of proclaiming her faith in Rome, a city where Christians are not accepted and are frequently fed to the lions in the arena as they will not acknowledge the emperor to be a god. She frequently beseeches God to give her the courage to speak to the Valerians about Jesus, still, the words never come.

What Hadassah doesn’t realize is that, through her behavior, her witness is more powerful than words. While Hadassah sees herself as struggling, those around her are affected by her unfailing and gracious servitude. They marvel at her ability to be at peace when they, who have everything, know no peace. Ironically, the only person who is truly free, in the household, is the slave.

In this story we see despair brought on by acts of wanton selfishness and peace gained through acts of true courage, love and sacrifice. We see a family who has the world but no happiness and a young woman who owns nothing but has discovered true joy in her faith. The Valerians see the irony of the situation. The question is, are they willing to sacrifice what they own to gain what Hadassah has?

This novel is one that is better suited for mature teenagers through adult. Graphic depictions of warring and gladiator matches paint a believable picture of life in Rome and Ephesus. Romans are seen as arrogant, placing themselves above all others and living only for the moment ... searching for peace through money, amorality and their numerous stone gods and goddesses.

The book’s 500 pages fly by quickly and leave you yearning for more. The story of the Valerian family continues in a second book, An Echo in the Darkness. A 3rd book in the series, As Sure As the Dawn, follows the life of a Germanic gladiator who plays a prominent role in the first book. I highly recommend all three novels. They are very well written and thoroughly researched. They provide a hard glimpse into a life that today’s Christian could not even fathom.