The present project investigates the intersection between Inspirational Fiction and the Bible. Inspiration Fiction offers theology in an easily accessible and attractively packaged form. The mode of fiction allows the readers to enter the world of the Bible and engage with the events in an immediate and personal manner. Read by millions of evangelical women, these books are more influential and reach a bigger audience than many other types of theological books.
This project explores the ways that Inspirational Fiction ‘retells’ selected Old Testament narratives and how the results often serve to promote a conservative set of ideas regarding the authority of scripture, gender roles, and cultural and sexual diversity. The research is guided by two key research questions: How does Inspirational Fiction (1) deal with the biblical texts’ inherent patriarchal values and gender structures, and (2) portray (sexual) violence?
My investigation belongs in the realm of reception history. It investigates how a text’s reception reflects our modern world and its values, in this case, how Inspirational Fiction is shaped by the values of Evangelicalism in North America. The ways that the biblical narratives are retold in Inspirational novels are thus aligned with what this societal group deems to be acceptable.