Sometimes I Like Preachy Writing

I dunno. I feel like the old adage for good fiction which says “Don’t preach” is a few shades off the mark. Just look at all the amazingly successful and beloved novelists (even if they are loved by different audiences) who wear their ideologies on their sleeve: Ayn Rand, Kurt Vonnegut, C.S. Lewis, Aldous Huxley, Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club especially), Philip Pullman, and many more. I would even argue that George R.R. Martin flies his nihilistic banner high for all to see. His message seems to be “Power is for those who are strong enough to seize it, and that’s the end of it.” But he’s got incredible prose, and is fantastic story teller, so it’s not a problem. I mean, doesn’t it really come down to that? You can preach all you want in a story, as long as you’re interesting and entertaining. Some people will get annoyed of course, because in general we feel uncomfortable when we encounter ideas/ messages/ ideologies that clash with our beliefs. But that doesn’t mean it is bad writing simply because it is ideologically driven. (It also doesn’t mean it’s good writing, of course.) Thoughts?