In the world of the evangelical romance novel, sex and desire are
mitigated by an omnipresent third party--the divine. Thus romance
is not just an encounter between lovers, but a triangle of
affection: man, woman, and God. Although this literature is often
disparaged by scholars and pastors alike, inspirational fiction
plays a unique and important role in the religious lives of many
evangelical women. In an engaging study of why women read
evangelical romance novels, Lynn S. Neal interviews writers and
readers of the genre and finds a complex religious piety among
ordinary people.
In evangelical love stories, the success of the hero and heroine's
romance rests upon their religious choices. These fictional
religious choices, readers report, often inspire real spiritual
change in their own lives. Amidst the demands of daily life or
during a challenge to one's faith, these books offer a respite from
problems and a time for fun, but they also provide a means to
cultivate piety and to appreciate the unconditional power of God's
love. The reading of inspirational fiction emerges from and
reinforces an evangelical lifestyle, Neal argues, but women's
interpretations of the stories demonstrate the constant
negotiations that characterize evangelical living. Neal's study of
religion in practice highlights evangelicalism's aesthetic
sensibility and helps to alter conventional understandings--both
secular and religious--of this prominent subculture.