How Do You Write Faith That Feels Real... Not Preachy? > Likes and Comments

I’ve noticed that many Christian novels either preach too hard or avoid faith altogether. But the ones that hit me hardest are the ones where belief grows through experience, not exposition.

When you write or read Christian fiction, what makes faith feel authentic to you? The struggle? The unanswered prayers? The subtle moments of grace?

I’m curious how others handle that tension, especially in modern or prophetic settings.

I write contemporary Christian fiction dramas. I agree that stories showing a character's growth in faith are effective. When I write for a Christian audience, connecting the story to Scripture in some way is important to me. Otherwise, it's just entertainment.

My novel, THE FIRST LAST CONCERT, has characters that reference Scripture, but it's an organic part of the conversation. None of the characters are pastors, ministers, or preachers. However, a character will use a Bible verse or biblical principle to illustrate or explain something that has happened to them or some other character.

The novel is available on Amazon in Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and paperback. Sample chapters are available. https://www.amazon.com/FIRST-LAST-CON...

When I write flash fiction or short stories, a verse of Scripture might be the focal point of the story or might be implicit. For example, see my 100-word story "Cross" in Agape Review:
https://agapereview.com/2022/09/10/cr...
For a short story example, see "Angel" in Agape Review:
https://agapereview.com/2021/11/24/an...

Stories of faith feel authentic to me when the characters face adversity and choose to struggle to overcome or press through it. When they pray and receive answers, and in moments of grace, both subtle and overt.

I believe that God answers all prayers, but not always in the way we expect or the time we want. And accepting that is a big part of the faith journey.

I hope that helps!

I answer as a reader, more than as a writer. (I've written books, but not nonfiction.) The question is a good one. Faith feels authentic to me when the characters know and express joy. Even though I'm not Catholic, I love this quote from Phyllis McGinley: “I have read that during the process of canonization the Catholic Church demands proof of joy in the candidate and although I have not been able to track down chapter and verse, I like the suggestion that dourness is not a sacred attribute.” This isn't giddiness--though dancing may happen--and it's certainly not shininess or a hypocritical smiliness, but rather a solid outlook of gladness, no matter what comes. I think that as unbelievers watch us, our joy is one of the most compelling witnesses of our faith.

For an example of a contemporary Christian writer who does faith well, read Jamie Langston Turner's books.

Oh, I feel this so deeply. It’s exactly why I write the way I do. Faith isn’t a sermon we sit down to listen to—it’s the quiet ache in the middle of the night, the whispered “God, where are You?” when everything is falling apart. It’s the tension between knowing He’s good and not understanding why He’s silent.

For me, authentic faith in fiction is found in the wrestle. In the character who prays and doesn’t get the answer they wanted. In the one who walks away for a while because they can’t reconcile their pain with what they were taught—and yet grace keeps pursuing them anyway.

I don’t want characters who quote Scripture at every turn. I want the woman who can barely lift her hands in church. The man whose hope is hanging by a thread. The subtle moments—someone showing up at the exact right time, a line in a song, a memory, a dream—that becomes the turning point.

Faith, when written honestly, doesn’t always roar. Sometimes it trembles. Sometimes it disappears for a chapter or two. But it always returns—transformed.

That’s the kind of Christian fiction that changes people. Not polished. Not perfect. But real.

June wrote: "I answer as a reader, more than as a writer. (I've written books, but not nonfiction.) The question is a good one. Faith feels authentic to me when the characters know and express joy. Even though ..."

I really like how you framed that, “proof of joy.” That line hit me hard. It’s true, there’s a kind of steady gladness that doesn’t deny pain, it just refuses to surrender to it.

You’re right, when that kind of joy shows up in a story, it feels alive, not scripted. It reminds me that joy isn’t the absence of struggle, it’s the presence of Jesus in the middle of it.

I haven’t read Jamie Langston Turner yet, but I will now. I’m always drawn to authors who can show faith as something strong and tender at the same time. Thanks for that recommendation.

Dee wrote: "I write contemporary Christian fiction dramas. I agree that stories showing a character's growth in faith are effective. When I write for a Christian audience, connecting the story to Scripture in ..."

That really resonates, especially what you said about keeping Scripture organic to the characters’ voices instead of turning it into a sermon. That’s something I wrestle with too.

I think when Scripture flows from lived experience, like a verse surfacing in the middle of a character’s pain or breakthrough, it lands with more power than when it’s quoted as doctrine. It’s felt truth, not just spoken truth.

I also agree about the timing of answered prayer. Sometimes the silence or delay becomes the crucible where faith matures. That tension between waiting and believing is where most of my own stories live.

Thanks for sharing your process. I’m going to check out your “Cross” story. I love flash pieces that can still carry that kind of depth.

Claire wrote: "Oh, I feel this so deeply. It’s exactly why I write the way I do. Faith isn’t a sermon we sit down to listen to—it’s the quiet ache in the middle of the night, the whispered “God, where are You?” w..."

This right here… you said what so many of us try to capture but can’t quite find the words for. “Faith that trembles but returns.” That line wrecked me.

I completely agree, it’s the wrestle that makes faith believable. When the prayer isn’t answered, when the worship feels hollow, when grace shows up in the quiet, that’s where the real transformation happens.

I think the Church needs more stories like that, ones that let believers see that silence doesn’t mean abandonment. It’s still faith, even when it’s raw and ragged.

Thank you for putting language to that ache.
This is the kind of storytelling I’m passionate about, too, honest, unpolished, soaked in grace.

Riaan wrote: "Claire wrote: "Oh, I feel this so deeply. It’s exactly why I write the way I do. Faith isn’t a sermon we sit down to listen to—it’s the quiet ache in the middle of the night, the whispered “God, wh..."

Anytime, from one South African author to another :)

To Claire Lagerwall, Riaan Schlebusch, and others: 'To write about faith one has to describe how to activate it! That is the necessary thread to the spiritual growth that incites the reader to apply it to their own life. I love writing this way! My Spiritual Quest series does this while describing the hardships and challenges of homesteading off the grid in the Canadian Wilderness. In each book the protagonist learns how to depend on God and hold fast to her faith to co-create which she needs to survive! Check them out and read the first chapter!
https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=JANE+CATHER...

June wrote: "I answer as a reader, more than as a writer. (I've written books, but not nonfiction.) The question is a good one. Faith feels authentic to me when the characters know and express joy. Even though ..."

Your response and description of authentic faith is spot on. Nonbelievers may make their decision to seek Christ based on what they observe in an individual, or read in a Christian story. Expressions of true joy can change hearts. Thanks for the author recommendation. I'll look for those books.

Claire wrote: "Oh, I feel this so deeply. It’s exactly why I write the way I do. Faith isn’t a sermon we sit down to listen to—it’s the quiet ache in the middle of the night, the whispered “God, where are You?” w..."

I agree! In real life, faith gets exercised more often outside of a church building than within its walls.

Riaan wrote: "Dee wrote: "I write contemporary Christian fiction dramas. I agree that stories showing a character's growth in faith are effective. When I write for a Christian audience, connecting the story to S..."

Thank you, Riaan.