Faith and Fiction Saturday: What is Faith Driven Fiction?

Welcome to Faith and Fiction Saturday, a weekly discussion of the intersection of faith and fiction. I invite you to write a post on your blog about the topic or participate in comments. Check the schedule for future topics so can prepare in advance!

Describing the kinds of books I like to read, I often call them "faith driven." This isn't a particularly helpful explanation at times. It's not a genre. (no it's not Christian fiction. It CAN be Christian fiction but isn't automatically) It doesn't even always mention God. So what is it?

I like to read books where the idea of faith is respected and explored in the characters lives. They do not have to have the same faith as me and they don't have to believe the same things I do. But seeing how they engage with it and how it influences and affects their lives intrigues me.

I also like to read books where the faith of the author influences the story they tell. This one is a lot harder to define...it's impossible, perhaps to separate an author's beliefs from the way they see the story they are telling. They are not necessarily setting out to write a book influenced by faith, but it happens anyway, because I believe art is influenced by the way we see the world. This is why when I learn an author has a personal active faith--I become more interested in reading their books. (and I recognize it might be a turn-off for others)

So to me, faith-driven doesn't necessarily mean "filled with religious talk." It means the story and the characters are informed by faith and perhaps engage with faith.

How do you define it?