Faith 'n Fiction Saturday: Biblical Fiction

(Sorry this is a day late!!!) :o)

My Friend Amy's blog hosts Faith 'n Fiction Saturday every week. Every week, she posts a new question that always relates to something about Christian fiction, and invites anyone to share their answers on their own blog.

Here's what we're talking about this week:

One of area of Christian fiction that is thriving is Biblical Fiction. Biblical fiction, in case you don't know, is when an author takes a story from the Bible and imagines more of the details. Tosca Lee's Havah would be a recent example of Biblical fiction.

What I want to know today is how you feel about Biblical fiction. Have you ever read any Biblical fiction? Did you enjoy it? Do you think Biblical fiction helps us to understand people who lived during Biblical times better or do you think that it's unnecessary? Have you ever read any Biblical fiction that offended you?

Biblical fiction happens to be one of my favorite genres in Christian fiction. My first experience with it was Lynn Austin's Chronicles of the King series. I recommended those books right and left after reading them! Also among my favorites are the Lineage of Grace and Sons of Encouragement books by Francine Rivers Hadassah by Tommy Tenney, Come to Me by Laura Davis, and Legacies of the Ancient River series by Angela Hunt. I've loaned several of these to my dad, with him asking, "Are there any more like this?" :o) I love reading this genre because it does give me a greater understanding of Bible stories that I've been reading all my life. I often use these books for my quiet time, and compare them to what is in the Bible.

The least favorite of any Biblical fiction that I've read would be The Red Tent. I did not like this book at all, and I was so very glad to be rid of it once I finished it. It was a similar feeling when I read the Women of the Bible series by Ann Burton. I liked those a little more than The Red Tent, but it was abundantly clear that all of them were written and published by secular authors and publishers. It also disturbs me when I find these books mixed in with the Christian books at the bookstore.....please put them with the rest of the secular books.