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Christian books raise eyebrows
By BRIDGET HALL GRUMET © St. Petersburg Times, published May 27, 2001 INVERNESS -- Barbara Burke did a double take the first time she saw the display of books titled "Christian Fiction" sitting near the check-out desk at the county's Lakes Region Library. The clear plastic display shelves contained about 100 books, including Miriam, a fictional recreation of Moses' sister's life, and Joseph Girzone's A Portrait of Jesus, described on the cover as "a compelling vision of the person Jesus' contemporaries must have known." Other books were romance novels with a Christian undercurrent. In African Skies, the book description says, the trials of surviving in the African plains prompt Laurel and Darren "to examine their faith -- and their feelings for one another." Burke couldn't believe her eyes: religious novels at the public library? "It was an affront to my sensibilities," said Burke, 60, a freelance photographer. "Inspirational non-fiction I have no problem with," Burke said. Nor does she object to libraries carrying books that factually explain the beliefs of various religions. "But to set aside public funds for Christian fiction; you're getting into a murky area there," she said. Burke raised the issue in a May 9 guest column in the Citrus Times, followed by two letters to the County Commission, in which she threatens legal action if the display is not removed. County officials respond by saying it is the library's job to provide a wide variety of reading materials, including books that would appeal to readers with religious interests. In response to Burke's concerns, however, they changed the heading of the Christian fiction display a few weeks ago. "We have retitled it "Inspirational Fiction,' hoping that would be a little more generic and perhaps more descriptive of what those titles are," said Flossie Benton Rogers, the county's director of library services. Rogers said all five of the county's libraries display various types of books on a rotating basis to generate reader interest. The featured genres include Florida mysteries, poetry, New Year's resolutions, veterans' stories, exploring the galaxy and Christian fiction. "We try to provide a broad diversity of viewpoints and many types of subject matter," Rogers said. "That does not mean the library endorses those ideas. We are a neutral provider of information, so you can come in and select what you choose." The Lakes Region Library has displayed Christian fiction several times since January 2000, with the current display up since the fall, Rogers said. Central Ridge District Library in Beverly Hills has had a similar display of "Inspirational Books," she said, and a recent discussion about Christian fiction books at the Coastal Region Library was well attended. Rogers said the library's computers do not track how many books have been checked out from the Christian display, but librarians have anecdotal evidence that the collection is popular. Annette Burr, a physical therapist from Floral City, said she has read more books in recent months from the Christian fiction display than she had read over the past few years because the display makes it easy for her to find the kinds of "wholesome" stories she enjoys. After reading Burke's newspaper column, Burr sent an email to the library to register her support of the display. "I feel that the library's responsibility is to provide information on a wide variety of subjects," Burr said in an interview Friday. "I don't believe the separation of church and state means that the library cannot hold information on any religious subject or religious author just because it's religious." Simply seeing a book or a display heading cannot force a person to adopt an unwanted idea, Burr said. Burr said she does not like the gore in Stephen King novels, so she just ignores those displays when she sees them. "I suggest that this be the advice (to) anyone that complains about the "Christian fiction' area. . . . If it is not your desired type of reading, just pass it by!" Burr wrote in her email to the library. A spiritual dimensionThe publishing industry and the Library of Congress coined the "Christian fiction" genre, Rogers said, to describe "wholesome stories where people help each other and show they care." The county library's peach-colored brochure on Christian fiction explains that some of the books are "overtly Christian" but others are simply stories that lack descriptions of sex and violence. "The common misconception is that these titles, because they're called Christian fiction, are a subtle effort to proselytize a "Christian' viewpoint," the brochure reads. "Readers who expect to find (an) idealized, religious worldview may be disappointed; the term "Christian' applies more in the sense that they do not shy away from religion or that humanity has a spiritual dimension." Rogers said the county libraries also carry novels with references to other faiths: Salman Rushdie's Islamic novel The Satanic Verses, Hindu fiction such as Mistress of the Spices by Chitra Divakaruni and witchcraft books such as Alice Hoffman's Practical Magic. Rogers found those novels in the system through some "creative" computer searching, but she said it can be hard for librarians to find non-Christian religious novels among the library system's 47,401 fiction books. The Library of Congress classifies "Christian fiction" books so that they can be found under that subject heading, but Rogers said there is not an equivalent category for Buddhist fiction or other types of religious fiction. "That's the Library of Congress, not us, that comes up with those subject headings," Rogers said. But some critics say if the local libraries want to make a special display of faith-based fiction, librarians should include novels representing a range of religions, or do away with the "Inspirational Fiction" rack altogether. "I have a concern in the respect that they are singling out one group above the others. That does not seem fair," said Dale Reed, a retired Unitarian Universalist minister. "They have singled out the Christian books, but if you happen to be Islamic or Buddhist or New Age, where are you going to go to look for those?" In response to the recent imbroglio over the Christian prayers used to open School Board meetings, Reed said he is looking into organizing a local branch of the Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, to keep a watchful eye over such developments. County Attorney Robert Battista, however, does not see the library's display of Christian novels as a church-and-state issue. Battista's written reply to Burke, provided to the Times Thursday, quotes library director Rogers at length. "The library is a neutral provider of information from all points of view. We stand behind a person's right to have access to a broad selection of materials," he quotes her as saying. "We do not show partiality to any particular religion or point of view over another." The answer doesn't satisfy Burke, who said she plans to file a complaint in U.S. District Court against the county. Burke said the Christian novels should go back in the general fiction section with the rest of the books, and the county should not spend any more tax dollars on such books. Burke said simply changing the name on the rack, or adding other religious books to the display, does not solve the problem. "I think this is an issue they should at least respond to," Burke said. "If we don't do something on the local level, we get into trouble on the state and national level, and that's how these things end up at the Supreme Court." In a few more days, however, there may be little left to complain about. Rogers said the Inspirational Fiction display at the Lakes Region Library will be replaced June 1 -- not because of Burke's challenge, but because the librarians routinely change the displays every few months to showcase new topics. As for the idea of including non-Christian books in future religious fiction displays, as one critic suggested, Rogers took note. "That could be a future display, no doubt," she said.
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