Reading Across Genres V

I am an evangelical Christian, what some people might call a "Bible thumper," but I haven't enjoyed the handful of inspirational romances I've read.

To be clear, I absolutely believe God brings people together for the purpose of marriage and that He is personally involved in the events in people's lives. I also believe He sometimes miraculously intervenes to protect us from ourselves and others around us.

HOWEVER, I don't believe the world is One Big Happy Place. Horrible things can happen to people, and sometimes God allows them to happen instead of intervening. This is painful and difficult in real life, but can make truly entertaining fiction!

I don't like the idea of God as a convenient plot device: plot gets into a mess, characters are in Big Trouble, let them pray and everything will work out. Um, nope, I don't buy it. I expect logical plotting that includes the realistic consequences of characters' free will, not a deus ex machina moment. I absolutely believe God is intimately involved in the details of our lives if we allow Him in, but I just don't think having Him as an escape route makes for interesting reading. Granted, all the inspirationals I read didn't do that, but the possibility was there, as if we couldn't trust the situations created in the story because God might intervene and shake things up.

Honestly, I'd rather see how things play out without His intervention and how the characters respond to Him then.

Oddly enough, I also feel uncomfortable reading dramatic prayers about fictional situations. I feel confident that God can tell the difference, and I'm NOT saying these authors are being disrespectful or anything, it just feels weird to me.

I do like that inspirationals do not include sex. I don't mind reading about sex in "traditional" romances, but I don't agree with premarital sex in real life, so it's nice to read about couples who are dating without physical intimacy. I'm sure it's tricky balancing characters' sexual desire with their convictions in a way that seems realistic and not hokey; all the inspirationals I've read have handled this well.

I'm thinking my lack of enjoyment might be with quieter inspirationals; since I prefer stories with action, I have begun purchasing a few inspirational suspense titles. We'll see how they go.