You are what you read

Books Special Report | Sales of Christian books are so strong, secular sellers are looking to grab a slice of the lucrative market. But is the quality as great as the quantity? An analysis of CBA bestsellers shows how readers are engaging—or ignoring—the culture | Gene Edward Veith

Christians are reading, even while other Americans are just watching TV. Book sales overall are stagnant, but even The New York Times took note that sales of Christian books are growing. Last year, for the first time, Christian titles from evangelical publishers topped the bestseller lists in both fiction (the Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, from Tyndale House) and nonfiction (The Prayer of Jabez by Bruce Wilkinson, from Multnomah).

The book industry as a whole last year brought in $11 billion worth of sales. Evangelical publishers earned a whopping $1.77 billion of that total—16 percent of all books sold. In response, secular publishers are adding religious, even evangelical, lines. Christian titles can now be found in mainstream bookstores, from the Barnes & Noble megastores to airport news stands.