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Christian literature is writing that deals with Christian themes and incorporates the Christian world view. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings A comprehensive world view (or worldview) is a term Calqued from the German word Weltanschauung ( Welt is the German This constitutes a huge body of extremely varied writing.

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Scripture

While falling within the strict definition of literature, The Bible is not generally considered literature. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin However, the Bible has been treated and appreciated as literature; the King James Version in particular has long been considered a masterpiece of English prose, whatever may be thought of its religious significance. Several retellings of the Bible, or parts of the Bible, have also been made with the aim of emphasising its literary qualities.

Christian non-fiction

Letters, theological treatises and other instructive and devotional works have been produced by Christian authors since the times of Jesus. For early Christian times almost all writing would be non-fiction, including letters, biblical commentaries, doctrinal works and hagiography. Hagiography ( is the study of Saints. A hagiography, from Greek (hağios (ἅγιος "holy" or "saint" and graphē (γραφή See Patristics. Patristics or Patrology is the study of early Christian writers known as the Church Fathers.

Since the invention of the printing press non-fictional literature has been used for the dissemination of the Christian message, and also for disseminating different viewpoints within Christianity. The tract (a small pamphlet containing an explanation of some point, or an appeal to the reader) was in use at the time of the Reformation and continues to be used as a part of proselytization. A tract is a literary work, and in current usage usually Religious in nature The Protestant Reformation was a reform movement in Europe that began in 1517 though its roots lie further back in time Proselytism is the practice of attempting to convert people to another opinion and particularly another religion

Christian fiction

Christian fiction is sometimes harder to define than Christian non-fiction. Christian themes are not always explicit. There is sometimes argument as to whether the works of a Christian author are necessarily Christian fiction. For example while there are undoubted Christian themes within The Lord of the Rings, many would not consider this to be a work of Christian fiction. The Lord of the Rings is an epic

For many centuries fiction has been written based on Christian ideas. Early examples include Paradise Lost, Dante's Inferno and The Pilgrim's Progress. Paradise Lost is an Epic poem in Blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton. The Divine Comedy The Pilgrim's Progress from This World to That Which Is to Come by John Bunyan (published February 1678) is a Christian Allegory

More modern examples include the works of G. K. Chesterton, George Macdonald and C.S. Lewis. Gilbert Keith Chesterton (29 May 1874 – 14 June 1936 was an influential English writer of the early 20th century George MacDonald ( 10 December 1824 &mdash 18 September 1905) was a Scottish author poet and Christian minister Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963

In the last few decades the existence of a Christian subculture, particularly in North America, has given rise to a specific genre of Christian novel, written by and for Christians and generally with explicit Christian themes. A Christian novel is any Novel that expounds and illustrates a Christian World view in its plot its characters or both or which deals with Christian Such novels are often marketed exclusively to Christians and sold in Christian bookshops. The Christy Awards honour excellence in this genre. The Christy Awards are awarded each year to the most excellent Christian novels Novels that specifically address Christian themes and world views

In the late 20th century, with the rise of the Christian Right in American society, Christian-themed fiction has thrived. The Christian right is a term used predominantly in the United States to describe a spectrum of right-wing Christian political and social movements and Examples include the works of Tim LaHaye, Jerry B. Jenkins, Frank Peretti, Ted Dekker, Randy Alcorn and Janette Oke. Timothy F LaHaye (b April 27, 1926 in Detroit Michigan) is an American evangelical Christian minister, Author Jerry Bruce Jenkins (born September 23, 1949 in Kalamazoo, Michigan) is an American Novelist and Frank E Peretti (born January 13, 1951) is a best-selling contemporary Christian fiction Novelist with more than twelve million copies Ted Dekker (born 1961) is an Indonesian born American Author of several Fiction novels ‎ Randy Alcorn is an American Christian Author and director of Eternal Perspective Ministries a non-profit Christian organization dedicated to teaching Janette Oke (born 18 February, 1935) is a Canadian author and pioneer of Inspirational fiction.

Within the field of Christian fiction smaller niche markets have emerged aimed at specific denominations, notably Catholic Fiction and Latter Day Saints Fiction. Catholic Fiction may be loosely divided into two types The one type has as its purpose promoting the Roman Catholic Church whereas the second type is not LDS fiction (or Mormon fiction) is a growing Niche market of Fiction Novels featuring themes related to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day There are also Christian fiction that is aimed a wider mainstream audiences such as the best selling Left Behind series. Left Behind A Novel of the Earth's Last Days is a best-selling novel by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B

Christian poetry

Main article: Christian poetry

Christian theatre

Main article: Christian drama

Throughout the medieval period churches in Europe frequently performed mystery plays, retelling the stories of the Bible. Christian poetry is any Poetry that contains Christian teachings themes or references Christian drama is Drama that explores Christian themes Mystery play Through the medieval period churches in Europe frequently performed Mystery plays and Miracle plays are among the earliest formally developed plays in Medieval Europe. These became widespread in Europe by the end of the fifteenth century. During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries these developed into the Morality play, an allegorical play intended to exhort the audience to the virtuous life. Morality Play is a detective story by Barry Unsworth, a Man Booker Prize -winning author for his book Sacred Hunger Published in 1996 by

In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries theatre was generally seen as wicked, and the church made attempts to suppress it. (Citation Needed) In the twentieth century churches, particularly evangelical churches, rediscovered the use of theatre as a form of outreach and as a valid art form.

Notable works

See also

References

Further reading

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