Following the recent outing of a fictional gay character in Harry Potter, the Christian Coalition of America has called for the series of books to be banned in the U.S. Roberta Combs, president of the self-proclaimed vehicle for 2.5 million of America's Christian conservative families, says many feel the books are "not a good example for our children." In an attempt to send a message to J.K. Rowling, now one of the wealthiest women authors in the world, the Coalition is urging a ban of her works in schools and libraries.

It is interesting to note that the group is not simply boycotting the books, but is trying to create a situation where the product they have termed "dangerous" is removed from public access. For both fans of the series and its detractors, this may turn into quite a free-speech firestorm.

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Fugitives Dave Williams and his sister Jen are crouched under a Chicago overpass, out of sight of the government security cameras, waiting for the help promised by their father. But as the cold night gives way to a grey dawn, four military Humvees squeal to a stop below their hiding spot. When a uniformed man staring at flip-com screen exits the vehicle, Dave knows help is too late. He emerges from hiding, prepared to give himself up in the hopes his sister will remain free.

But as Dave starts forward, a stranger, dressed in an oilskin duster and thick soled boots, approaches the soldiers. A long braid swings behind his back like a metronome, keeping time with his every step. Commanded to stop, the stranger's response stuns Dave. He touches his fingers to his forehead, then spreads his arms. The air between them vibrates and tosses military men left and right. Dave watches the drama unfold in front of him as the braided man executes more mysterious maneuvers, eventually disabling all of the peacekeepers.

Speculative Fiction is a term not many of you may be familiar with.  It's a kind of blanket term found in the Christian publishing industry to describe books that contain science fiction, fantasy, or "spiritual world" elements.  In other words, things you don't see in every day life like space ships, the war between angels and demons, and talking fauns.  And while the genre has arguably been around since Milton and Bunyan, Christian speculative fiction isn't selling as well as the work of those two men.  And while the writings of C.S. Lewis and Tolkien are in vogue, the more recent works of Karen Hancock and Kathy Tyers stay untouched on their shelves.

Where is their audience?
 

Who is their audience?

To answer this question, first we need to identify who the Christian spec-fic writer means to write to.  Christian fiction, in general, finds itself trying to perform at least one of two major functions.  The first of these is that it wants to set itself apart as an alternative choice from more secular fare.