Since burundi mentioned Clyde Edgerton, I’d strongly recommend his Walking Across Egypt and its sequel, Killer Diller.
Yes, Card’s Mormon faith is a strong part of his writing. However, normally he makes use of the aspects of his faith that are unique to Mormonism, and thus would not appeal to the mainstream Christian reader.
Card’s “Alvin Maker” series is a Mormon allegory which has a protagonist whose life resembles that of founder Joseph Smith. His “Homecoming” series is a far-future adaptation of the Book of Mormon.
I don’t think most Christian readers would enjoy the spiritual aspects of Card’s writings if you believe Mormonism isn’t true, but he has shown a lot of Mormons that science fiction is a meaningful genre.
UnuMondo
LMM, it was E.L. Doctorow. Fiction, but a very informed, smart read.
Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh.
I’ve never read a book that dealt so well with the struggles of the devout and the pain of those who wish they were, but cannot be.
You can’t go wrong with Graham Greene, either.
Quote by UnuMondo:
“I don’t think most Christian readers would enjoy the spiritual aspects of Card’s writings if you believe Mormonism isn’t true…”
That’s exactly why I don’t enjoy Card’s work.
"I don’t think most Christian readers would enjoy the spiritual aspects of Card’s writings if you believe Mormonism isn’t true, "
Now, I disagree with that. See, f’r ex, Enchantment, which has devout Jewish and (non-Mormon) Christian characters and never mentions Mormonism. There’s also lots of Catholic characters in at least one of the Ender books, I forget which one. And the “Women of Genesis” series is from a Mormon perspective, so I don’t quite agree with all the theology, but I enjoyed them anyway.
Uh, divemaster, I’m pretty sure that The Stand was around 1989 or 1990.
I was actually going to say The Name of the Rose but mothchunks beat me to it. The interesting thing in its case is that even though it takes place in an abbey, there are really only a few seriously religious characters shown sympathetically. We have the narrator, William and uh… It’s slim pickens after that.
No, The Stand was originally published in 1978.
All of C.S.Lewis’ fiction, including Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength.
I am surprised I am the first to mention the Left Behind series.
Regards,
Shodan
The Firebird trilogy by Kathy Tyers. I don’t know what the individual titles are, I bought it as a 3-in-1 collection from SFBC. It’s been a while since I read it, so I can’t remember much about it.
Someone already mentioned Chaim Potok’s The Chosen, but I want to also suggest My Name is Asher Lev and The Gift of Asher Lev, about an artistic prodigy born into a strict evangelical hassidic family, and his efforts to balance the conservatism of his faith with the hedonism of the art world.
The Father character in Leif Engle’s “Peace Like a River” is pretty clearly a devout Christian.
I disagree, both about Card specifically, and with the general premise that one cannot enjoy or benefit from a book written by someone from a different religious or philosophical perspective than one’s own. I learn things and get my perspectives widened both from the ways in which the author’s beliefs and traditions overlap with my own and from the ways in which they differ.
Besides, since Card writes SF, I’m already starting from the assumption that he’s describing a different world where some different things are true from the world I know/believe in.
LOL, just wanted to comment that it’s funny that names become so familiar, like Orson Scott Card. I know who he is and what he looks like, but that’s purely from his involvement in the Church. I had no idea he wrote SF…
What is Orson Scott Card famous for in the Mormon church other than his novels and short stories?
Enchantment has a Jewish and Christian Protagonist
The Speaker for the Dead series revolved mainly around a Catholic planet as well as incorporating much of traditional eastern mythology.
The Enders Shadow Series had Sister Carlotta who was a Catholic and Alai who is Muslim.
Redemption of Christopher Colombus is interested in primarily Catholic and Middle American Religions.
His short story Atlantis casts the original gensis story in a largely secular light.
He is currently working on a series of fictional biographies of historical biblical women.
I would say that OSC is one of the most diverse and accomplished fiction writers in his ability to cast convicing charecters from outside of his religion.
I love these books.
My favourite non-didactic Christian writer at this moment is Frederick Buechner. His turn of phrase is delicious and his work is suffused with a real sense of divine grace in a fallen world.
I have-
THE GREATER TRUMPS -my favorite so far
MANY DIMENSIONS
DESCENT INTO HELL
WAR IN HEAVEN (not yet read)
PLACE OF THE LION (NYR)
I don’t yet have-
ALL HALLOW’S EVE
SHADOWS OF ECSTACY
CW was among the Inklings, more a buddy of CS Lewis than JRR Tolkien, and in his younger days a member of the occult Golden Dawn order.
the main character- a young boy (preteen?)- hears from God & his mentor is an alcoholic horror-film buff Catholic priest (who DOESN’T molest him)
another vote for Ellis Peters and Cadfael
Faye Kellerman and her Decker series is well worth a try - Decker is an LAPD detective (born jewish, raised christian, reconverts to Judaism) with a deeply religious wife - a lot of background information for the gentile readers (NB start with The Ritual Bath, it is a series and the books flow into each other)