Today’s Faith in Fiction questions is:
What do you think about the portrayal of pastors and ministers in general market fiction? How about Christian fiction? How was the pastor portrayed in the last book you read with a minister? What’s your favorite fictional minister? What do you think is an accurate and realistic fictional clergyman?
As I thought about these questions, I have to say it was a bit embarrassing that I actually had to use my Tag Cloud on my sidebar to find my Christian Fiction reviews. My last one was in March of this year. Yikes! I have read more recent Christian reads but they were not fiction.
Looking over that last review of In Search of Eden, the pastor as I recall in that book, was your typical loving Pastor who was kindhearted, giving… not a real jump out at you character, but a secondary character, almost an “insert pastor here.”
The books I mentioned in last Saturday’s Faith in Fiction, the three Randall Arthur books, the pastors in these books were more the struggling with faith pastors due to life circumstances and/or poor choices on their part. One of the books portrays a pastor that is so by the Book (literally) that he drives his own wife and daughter away. Francine Rivers has written of these types of pastors in her Christian Fiction books as well.
I have to admit, I actually prefer the pastor characters I mentioned in the second paragraph. The sometimes struggling, sometimes questioning, pastor. To me that is just more real and I prefer to think of pastors as people who are trying to get it right, just like the rest of us.
As far as a favorite fictional pastor character, I am coming up blank here. All I can think of is the Pastor in The Mitford books by Jan Karon, he was ok, but the books themselves were such light reads. I am open to suggestions. (Obviously I am in need of a good Christian Fiction book). 🙂
Faith in Fiction Saturdays is a meme created by My Friend Amy
Book Journey 
I haven’t read a lot of Christian fiction so I wish I could give you some good ones! Faith books are very enlightening reads!
I enjoy pastors in faith in Christian fiction, as well. I enjoyed reading this post.
wandanamgreb (at) gmail (dot) com
Yeah, pastors get a bad rep. unfortunately. I’m not sure what we expect from them sometimes. Here is mine
I agree with your assessment of “In Search of Eden,” though, to be fair, he did give the kid coffee. That’s pretty wild. For a Christian-fictional pastor, at least.
In “The Lights of Tenth Street,” the pastor doesn’t spend much time onstage. But he’s described as being too concerned about keeping things “smooth”…at the same time, he does have something to offer the characters, because of his marital struggles. So he wasn’t Gandalf or anything.
Best pastor ever: The one in the first “Parent Trap.” When they were getting everyone drinks the dad says “And you, Reverend, I assume you don’t–”
“Bourbon,” he replies quietly. “On the rocks.”
LOL, I forgot about the coffee in the book “In Search of Eden”. I have not read Lights on Tenth Street, but am laughing about the Parent Trap Pastor, I forgot about him too. 🙂
Thanks for visiting!
i just learned that the Wisdom Hunter author is releasing a new novel. i saw it on his website, RandallArthur.com. The reviews look impressive. i see he’s also releasing a children’s book