7 Things Readers Hate in Christian Fiction
Let's avoid being awful together╰( ^o^)╮╰( ^o^)╮
There are so many things I can’t stand in Christian fiction. But then I asked myself, “what though? What exactly do you not like?”
hmm … touché.
So I decided to look up things readers hate about Christian fiction, what can we as Christian writers improve on?
Am I guilty of a few of these things I found? - “pfft, no ( •̀⤙•́ ) … maybe a little.” But it made me stronger, and this is going to help you too. So here is a list of 7 things readers hate in christian fiction, and tips on how to avoid them.
#1 Preachy Novels
It may sound counterintuitive—"What, you don’t want me to preach the gospel?" That’s not what I’m saying. Every Christian book, by default, should have a biblical message. This is entertainment that also nourishes our souls. But no one likes being lectured!
But that’s exactly what happens when you write a novel that only presents one "right" answer and drills it into the reader’s head. Instead, think of your book as a discussion—one that unfolds through your plot and the differing opinions of your characters. The plot serves as the topic of conversation.
For example, let’s say your theme is lying. First, you’d study the Bible to understand what God says about it—what is the truth? Then, you’d explore opposing viewpoints and the areas where people struggle most with this issue. These conflicting perspectives become the challenges that drive your story forward.
The result? A compelling narrative that encourages readers to think, wrestle with the topic, and ultimately arrive at the biblical answer on their own. And if they don’t? You ask. Well, ideally, it will inspire them to seek God’s wisdom through their own Bible study, leading them to His truth—not yours.
Another way to avoid being preachy, is remembering that your reader isn’t stupid.
#2 Treating your Audience like they’re Stupid
In other words—info dumping. Either there’s too much information, making the book feel condescending and overly wordy, or there’s too little, leaving the reader completely lost. The key is finding that perfect middle ground: providing just enough information to guide the reader without spoon-feeding them. You want them to feel like they’re piecing things together on their own.
Remember, if your story is well-written, the reader will eventually learn everything they need to know. You don’t have to reveal everything upfront, but at the same time, don’t withhold all the important details until the very end—because chances are, they won’t stick around that long.
𓉸♱𓉸 RIP to all DNFed books …. everywhere. 𓉸♱𓉸
The tricky part? The definition of too much information varies by genre and even by the tense you use. That’s why it’s important to study the top books in your genre and analyze how they handle exposition—not just in terms of character internal thoughts and dialogue, but also how topical lessons or messages are conveyed.
For example, if you’re writing a novel inspired by the parable of the prodigal son, don’t remind the reader of the inspiring parable on every other page (or at all). Trust them to make the connection on their own. Remember (again), if your story is well-written, the reader will make the connection on their own.
But what if there are verses you think are great to put in your book, or sub-topics that could be overlooked and are worth mentioning?
Have no fear! The good thing about Christian fiction, is that the audience is unique. We as Christian readers want to learn. So take the opportunity to do more! If you are referring to a verse that is worth noting, but you don’t want to disrupt the flow of your story, make a footnote. The footnotes can reference bible history, christian philosophies, sermons, anything!
Another great way to offer deeper insight without info dumping, is by adding extra content at the back of the book. Like a Bible study guide that explores the characters, themes, and scriptures that inspired your story. Now you are treating your reader with respect instead of babying them.
#3 Christian Characters that are perfect
Christian or not, all readers hate it when the villain is completely evil with no redeeming qualities, and the hero is flawless, innocent, and never at fault.
There’s some room for nuance—not everything is black and white. Some readers are more sensitive than others. And may vary in non-salvation morality issue, like drinking. But it’s important to know the majority of your audience; and many Christian writers don’t. They forget that their Christian readers are real people who struggle with sin, intrusive thoughts, doubt, anxiety—you name it, we’ve did-done-dooed it.
Relax and accept that some of your characters (and readers), will be drawn to the villain because they’re enticing; and that’s completely realistic (Satan does it all the time). And Christians? They’re not perfect. Sometimes (most times), they make awful mistakes. So instead of trying to paint Christian characters as flawless, focus on emphasizing God's forgiveness, patience, rebuke, mercy, and grace when a believer stumbles. Maybe they feel bad about their sins, or maybe they aren’t convicted at all, us that as a way to build your character.
“For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.”
- Proverbs 24:16
If you don’t, your villain will come across as cartoonish and unbearable to read, while your Christian character will feel unrealistic at best. Don’t get me wrong, your girl loves the 50s, but let’s be real—nobody likes reading about a Mary Sue.
#4 Rushed Faith Development (or No Faith Development at all)
There’s no point in writing Christian fiction if there’s no faith content! One of my biggest pet peeves is reading a Christian book and waiting for the Christian part to actually happen. Even worse is when the story starts strong with faith elements, only for them to disappear halfway through—what happened?
Bear with me here for a second. I promise this will make sense. Paul speaks on the importance of the resurrection, that if Christ didn’t rise from the dead, our faith is in vain. The same applies to faith content in Christian fiction—if you’re not incorporating faith into your story, then all that effort is wasted.
And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.
- 1 Corinthians 15:14
The Lord gave you a talent to glorify Him. No matter how well-written your book is, if faith isn’t woven into the plot and your characters don’t experience spiritual development, then all that work is in vain. You’ve wasted your time—and your reader’s.
This happens more often than you’d think. I remember beta-reading a short story that was beautifully written (no joke, it was immaculate)—I even bought the book. But the problem? It was labeled as Christian fiction, yet God/any faith content, wasn’t mentioned at all. When I pointed this out, the author told me the message was about the biblical principles of forgiveness. That sounds fine, except for one thing—none of that actually came through in the story. So now there was a great book that Christians will be disappointed with, because he failed to deliver on what he was selling (Christian fiction), and people not interested in Christian fiction aren’t picking it up.
So don’t be the writer who markets a Christian book with vague faith content. The result? You end up with a story that has mediocre faith elements at best and a subpar book in whatever genre you’ve chosen—because chances are, you’ve also softened the story to fit a “cleaner” Christian audience.
The root of all cringey christian fiction
(ꞋꞌꞋꞌŏ_ŏ)
To avoid this, focus on two key elements: your plot and your character arc(s). Faith should have a beginning, middle, and end, acting almost like a silent character that drives or intensifies the story. It should be the force behind the character’s losses, rewards, and turning points.
For example, if idolatry is your faith theme, explore both the dangers and deceptions surrounding it, making it the backbone of your plot. A key biblical truth is that idolatry molds a person into the image of what they worship instead of allowing them to grow in the image of God.
Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.
- Psalm 115:8
Now, apply that to your character arc—
Does your protagonist become a reflection of their idol, or do they repent and grow into the image of God?
What exactly are they idolizing, and why is it so hard to let go?
Do they already believe in God but struggle with misplaced devotion, or are they a new believer—or even someone walking away from the faith?
By answering these questions, you build a strong biblical and narrative foundation for your story. Once that’s in place, you can layer in all the juicy plot details, ensuring that your book is both compelling and deeply rooted in faith.
#5 Squeaky Clean Content
A lot of Christian fiction refuses to explore anything beyond a PG rating—sometimes not even PG-13. I think this happens because writing is often seen as a reflection of the author. But here’s the thing—your books don’t define your core. The fruit of your labor as a Christian writer isn’t about whether you wrote a scene with gore or let your Christian character struggle with sin for more than a few paragraphs. It’s about whether your work is rooted in biblical truth.
Unfortunately, this fear of “crossing a line” causes many Christian writers to stick to censored, surface-level stories— like vanilla romances or fantasy worlds with watered-down magic systems.
But avoiding the trap of being too squeaky-clean, is easier than you think.
The key is distinguishing between clean and wholesome. All Christian fiction content should be clean—meaning no profanity, no taking the Lord’s name in vain, and no explicit erotica. But not all Christian content has to be wholesome.
Take Twilight, for example. It’s technically a clean book—there’s no explicit sex, extreme violence, or profanity. But would you hand it to a six-year-old? Probably not. It explores themes of life, death, the value of a soul, and unhealthy obsession (idk if Meyer intended that or not, but it’s there). And if you’re not mature enough to grasp these ideas (like the six year old), or the book isn’t mature enough, then the story won’t be beneficial to you.
The same should apply to Christian fiction. Fully commit to the world you’re writing in—show the good, the bad, and the ugly—but also discern what is not beneficial instead of focusing on what is “controversial”.
“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive.
- 1 Corinthians 10:23
This doesn’t mean throwing in intimate details or vulgar scenes just for shock value, but rather finding the balance between realism and Christian principles. Your reader should be able to engage with your story without being led into harmful meditation on things that don’t edify.
If this has piqued your interest and you’re wrestling with how to handle certain themes, check out my article on writing about controversial topics - it will definitely inspire you!
#6 Randomly Changing the Genre
A lot of the times a writer wants to change the world! And with Christian fiction, there is definitely that desire times like, a thousand! Because Christian fiction (for the most part) is bad or predictable - it needs help. So when you find a christian fiction in a unique genre, often the author tries to do too much. Leading the reader into plots that jump from genre to genre instead of jumping from plot twist to plot twist.
Unplanned is a great example of what not to do. Although the story is labeled as a “thriller”, the story starts as a contemporary novel about a girl returning from her mission in China to attend medical school. For most of the story, she is making comparisons between the freedom of worship in America, in contrast to the underground churches in China. And also about a young girl who is pregnant and doesn’t know what to do. But then, out of nowhere, a political fiasco over abortion erupts, leading to the main character getting kidnapped—despite having no connection to the kidnappers or the situation other than being a random anonymous pregnancy hotline volunteer. What began as a thoughtful exploration of a controversial topic suddenly turned into a cringey political thriller, with no explanations.
Your book needs to stay consistent within its genre and the given information. Twists are great, but not if they shift your story from a YA urban fantasy into the climax of The Lord of the Rings.
A good way to check for genre consistency is to review your highlighted scenes and ending. Do they all feel like they belong in the same world? If so, you’re golden. If not, you may need to rethink how your plot develops to keep the story grounded in its intended genre.
#7 Dictator Writers
A lot of books fail because their characters feel inconsistent and inauthentic. How many times have you seen a Christian character face a trial that 99.99% of believers would struggle with—yet somehow, they pass through every test flawlessly? And when they do make a mistake, it’s something minor and conveniently placed—clearly orchestrated by the author just to push the plot forward, like overhearing a conversation (under unrealistic circumstances) or unlocking a door they shouldn’t be able to access, or have any interest in.
Not only does this make your story frustrating to read, but it also makes it predictable.
The fix? Develop your characters.
I’ve been guilty of this too—having a strong character idea in my head and jumping straight into writing. You jot down the bare minimum—physical traits, a vague external goal, maybe their speech patterns and a flaw or two. But that’s not enough. You need to dive deep into their motivations, external and internal needs, the lies they believe, and how their psychology and social environment shape them.
Once you understand your character at that level, you can write them reacting naturally to situations. And if you want them to make an uncharacteristic choice? Use that as an opportunity to enhance your plot—create a compelling circumstance that pushes them to act against their nature. That’s far more engaging than having them randomly turn left and pray just because the author said so.
I pray this article finds you and blesses you. If you’re reading this to improve your writing and master your craft as a believer in Christ, I truly believe God will bless you in your journey to serve Him. Ask Him for wisdom and I pray that together we can all edify the church.