Ask for substantial Christian writing

By David Daniels and ChristianWeek | April 25, 2008

If you care about the ongoing availability of solid Christian books, you may want to read the cover story, "How to Save the Christian Bookstore" in the April 2008 issue of Christianity Today magazine. Cindy Crosby, a former Christian bookstore owner, describes the "roller coaster ride" Christian retail has taken over the last 20 years.

Drawing from statistics provided by the CBA, the major trade association for Christian retailers, Crosby notes that of the estimated 4,000 Christian retail stores in the mid 1980s, about 2,800 remain today. While 98 new stores opened in 2007, another 160 closed.

The problem is not a lack of interest in Christian books. Demand is high for popular Christian writing, as the religion section of big box stores like Chapters-Indigo or Barnes & Nobles reveals.

But this popularity may well be part of the problem. Crosby quotes Lynn Garrett, senior religion editor of Publishers Weekly, who says: "Blockbusters like The Prayer of Jabez and The Purpose Driven Life ended up doing more harm than good for Christian booksellers."

Bookstore chains, large discounters and the big box stores were able to sell these books at discounts simply out of reach for independent Christian retailers. The sheer popularity of these books, with their deep price cuts, lured Christians away from smaller Christian stores.

As she describes current challenges facing Christian bookstores, Crosby states something that should give every Christian pause for thought. In recounting her own Christian retail experience between 1983 and 1993 Crosby says, "We sold everything from curricula to candles, communion bread to contemporary fiction…
Serious reference volumes and niche books that met a felt need stayed on the shelf, sometimes collecting dust…"

Near the end of her article, Crosby writes: "Displaying shelves full of books that meet niche needs but sell very few copies may be an indulgence today's retailers can't afford."

From the perspective of business profitability, I see her point. Retailers must sell or sink. And while the appetite for Christian writing remains high, books of a serious theological nature still find their way into far too few hands.

Christians cannot expect the big box stores to care about anything more than stocking their shelves with what sells. And if you've browsed Chapters, Wal-Mart, Costco and other large chains, you know that what sells is often not the best that is available in Christian reading.

But that leads to another danger. Publishers also must survive, and the smaller the potential market for a title, the less chance an author has in getting his or her book published. If we are not careful, we will find ourselves bereft of serious Christian writing, of literature that expands our understanding of the great God we love and serve.

For example, Heather Kendall's A Tale of Two Kingdoms (Guardian Books, 2006) is an accessible, useful book enabling readers to see the history of salvation as it unfolds through the pages of Scripture.

The late Geoff Adams, who served many years as principal of the Toronto Baptist Seminary, saw Kendall's book as a "great tool" for Bible students and readers, noting that it "traces the unfolding history of salvation described in the Holy Scriptures as it presents the antagonism between the Kingdom of Christ and the kingdom of Satan."

He describes Kendall's book as "lucid and interesting" and written in a "non-technical manner." Each of the 16 chapters concludes with several "Points to Ponder" making it an excellent choice for small groups, Sunday School classes or personal Bible study. A "Timeline of Key People and Events" and an extensive bibliography for those desiring further study rounds out this engaging treatment of the biblical story.

Despite lacking the high-level recognition of a Philip Yancey or of W Publishing, the book is available online through Barnes & Noble and in Mitchell Family Bookstores (Ontario). The author's website www.tale2k.com has more details. I suspect Kendall's book is an exception. Far too many excellent Christian books languish for lack of visibility to the Christian buying public.

How can we address the challenge of keeping Christian bookstores open and of getting publishers to continue publishing substantial Christian literature? At the risk of sounding simplistic, I suggest pastors take the initiative in recommending worthwhile reading choices to their people. Encourage them to frequent Christian bookstores, asking for important books-books that truly challenge the mind and feed the soul.

Both Christian publishers and retailers must survive by selling a product. Where there is demand, there will be product availability. The solution resides within our purses and wallets and within our willingness to make wise reading choices.