The struggle is real. Peter was told by Jesus he would deny his Lord not once but three times. He was terrified that people would turn against him if he admitted he knew this Jesus. He was afraid of death. Peter’s denial was based on fear and weakness, the weakness born of human frailty. I can relate, Brother Pete.

Though, I am not scared of death. I am lucky enough to live in a country where I can speak of God, my faith and my beliefs freely. Yet, I have been torn between not offending readers and being true to my calling to write for God. I have been carefully choosing words. I have been walking a thin line between what is mainstream and what is spiritual. This is so strange and so not like me.

In my major works of writing and my novels are daring and open minded. I am a Christian writer who writes about subjects that other Christian writers often avoid. I have no problem tackling drug addiction, sex or other subjects that are often thought of as taboo for authors of Christian fiction. The thing is sex and addiction are real life things that even Christians have to deal with. Take off those rose colored glasses and look at reality. Stop peering though the stained glass windows of your churches and get out in the real world. Life is not always pretty and evil is ugly. Yeah, my books are not sold under Christian fiction, but contemporary fiction.

There is a trend these days where Christians distort or mask their belief system to be politically correct, to appease society or as not to offend another person. I have never been one to diminish my beliefs to make someone else feel comfortable. I’m a Christian and I will not compromise on the core facts of Christianity. Those were set by the example of Christ. Love everyone. Serve those who need it most and deserve it least.

I do not want to be like Peter and deny God. I am unapologetically a Christian. I will be fearless in all my writings. Just maybe something I write will touch someone’s soul or influence them for good.

What do you think? Should Christian authors avoid writing about certain “sinful” subjects?

~Lori O’Gara