Genres: Theology in Contemporary Fiction
Definition of the Genre
Contemporary Fiction is defined as any story that takes place in the modern era. It is typically the most relatable and most readily accessible to the average audience as opposed to some of the more speculative genres such as Fantasy or Science Fiction. There is no expansive mythos of strange creatures or index of Contemporary Fiction has the ability to make direct cultural references, present familiar technology, bring together any host of relatable characters and the equally relatable problems they face. Crucially, this genre is able to meet the audience where they are at, more or less literally. Contemporary Fiction is delineated by its similarity to the current world, be that in character archetypes, worldbuilding, or plot. While it does occasionally cross over into other story metas or subgenres — Thriller, Psychological Horror, or Paranormal are relatively common — these elements are usually minimal. The focus of the story is something that can plausibly go on in the current world.
These stories can stray into more speculative genres, such a Science Fiction or Fantasy, but there is a certain limit of what “otherworldly” or fantastical elements can be added before the stories become “contemporary [speculative genre]”. The most common forms of genre crossover for true Contemporary Fiction include Romance, Mystery, and Slice-of-Life.
The Theology
Where Contemporary Fiction shines brightest for the Christian storyteller in that accessibility and relatability to the audience. Contemporary Fiction at its most basic takes the real world and superimposes fictional people and locations over a mostly realistic plot (high-intensity government spycraft escapades and rich heirs in disguise falling for sweet waitresses are some of the less realistic plot examples). This makes it easy for Christian storytellers to incorporate real-world, Christian messages and Scriptural teachings in ways that feel natural to the audience.
In general, Contemporary Christian Fiction tends to be more overt in its messaging. While literary tools such as allegories, symbolism, and retellings may still be used, Christian stories set in the modern day tend to be significantly more blunt about matters of the faith. This gives the creative a lot more freedom to call things as they are. Characters face significant personal faith crises or are introduced to the Gospel for the first time; churches and missionary fields tend to be heavily represented in the worldbuilding; and the plots center around characters refreshing or discovering their faith in Jesus Christ. Many of the characters may already be Christians as well.
This is not to say that covert messaging can’t be used in Contemporary Christian Fiction, but currently is not in as much style. There are still plenty of ways to express Christianity in the modern world while not explicitly using terms like “God”, “Jesus”, or “church”. There are retellings, allegories, and symbolism just like any other genre. Covert contemporary stories may also put a focus on morality with a heavy Scriptural influence as a way of “sneaking in” Biblical truths without being obvious about it. Perhaps there’s a cop facing a moral dilemma, or an employee of some corporation being asked to commit a crime, or an everyday temptation like covetousness or greed being handled in a Christian way — i.e. resisted/repented of. There is no wrong way to have a Christian message in Contemporary Fiction, it simply depends on the type of story the creative wants to tell and the audience they are telling it to.
The Pitfalls
Given what a large net the term “Contemporary Fiction” casts over storytelling as a whole, there are any number of pitfalls that can occur depending on the sub-genre, story tropes, and character archetypes. In general, the primary issue to keep an eye out for when writing Contemporary Fiction is allowing too much modern cultural sensibilities to creep into the story’s overall message. While any story set in the current day should have elements of the current culture within the characters, the plot, and the worldbuilding, the core message of the story should remain Christian. For example, atheism is incredibly prevalent in modern western society right now. While Christian fiction can most certainly have atheist characters — including main characters — and elements, it should never support an underlying message of atheism and “self-defined morality”. The core of the story should be pointing towards God in an obvious way or, less obtusely, Biblical principles and morals.
In the Current Realm
One of the major things to note about Contemporary Christian Fiction is that it is everywhere — which is not necessarily a problem for the creative working in this genre. From Hallmark channel to Angel Studios, contemporary or near-contemporary fiction is reigning supreme for a few reasons. First, of course, is the fact that it is easily digestible by the audience; which applies to the genre across mediums. Contemporary movies are usually just as accessible to a wider swatch of the population as contemporary books are. The second is that the genre tends to be is significantly easier to pull off financially, with fewer practical and special effects needed as in other genres for mediums such as TV and movies. Filming can be done inside rented homes and post-production involves far fewer steps and personnel. The third is that the largest Christian market audience for the moment are people who simply prefer it to the more out-there or speculative genres. Some has to do with longstanding ideas about how much imagination and creativity a Christian living for Christ can engage in before it becomes a sin and other theo-cultural ideas, but many Christians simply prefer stories without knights in shining armor or strange creatures. There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to personal conviction, so having a wide variety of media for the Christian audience is a good, healthy thing to have.