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Christian Retail Show Has Dismal Attendance by Jana Riess After a lackluster International Christian Retail Show one year ago in Atlanta, the CBA was clearly hoping that a return to family-friendly Orlando in 2008 (July 12-17) would mean a jump in flagging show attendance. The organizers had good reason for optimism: when the meeting was held in Orlando back in 1999, a record-breaking 14,694 people came. However, the Disney magic did not materialize at last week's trade show, with total attendance of 7,448—the lowest numbers since the 1980s, and well off last year's already limp showing of 9,266. Professional attendance (which is mostly retailers, plus some industry professionals) was down to
2,386, 17% down from last year and about half as much as in New Orleans eight years ago.
Scaling Back, Pulling Out
"When shows die, they die quickly," said one insider, voicing the concerns of many publishers who said that the show must radically reinvent itself or it will disappear. Even on the first day—traditionally a bustling time with booth signings, giveaways, and floor events—traffic was light and the lines for many bestselling authors were only about 25 people deep. "Frankly, the traffic is extremely low," said Michael Thomson, sales director at Eerdmans. "We have done some good orders, but they're mostly orders we would have done anyhow."
Order-writing was rare, as has increasingly been the case at ICRS. As Kim Shimer, marketing director for Judson, said, "we've grown to realize this show isn't about selling anymore. We've had to mentally prepare not to make a profit. For the visibility and networking, it's just something we've got to do." Still, Judson is considering a cutback from two booth spaces to one next year.
A number of publishers have already scaled back their booths. At NavPress, trade marketing strategist Jessica Chappell reported that the booth was 20' by 20' this year, compared to last year's 20' by 40'. She saw the smaller booth as a positive, however. NavPress equipped it with a comfy couch, a coffeetable and some conversation areas to facilitate greater intimacy with customers.
Thomas Nelson's Audio Bible Makes History; Christy Awards Honor Fiction Winners by Jana Riess For the second year in a row, the ECPA Christian Book of the Year has made history. In 2007, the award went to a novel and to a woman for the first time, when Karen Kingsbury took the top prize for Ever After. This year also broke the mold in two ways: it's the first time an audio book has won, and the first time a Bible has won.
Thomas Nelson's The Word of Promise New Testament Audio Bible beat 229 other entries from 35 Christian publishers. The dramatized audio Bible, featuring performances by Jim Caviezel, Michael York and Marisa Tomei, was honored for both its artistic excellence and strong sales. In addition, The Word of Promise tied for the Retailers Choice Award for best audio book, sharing the award with Zondervan for its Inspired By... The Bible Experience: The Complete Bible.
At Crossings Book Club's annual opening night ICRS reception, held on July 13 at The Peabody Orlando, author Liz Curtis Higgs (Slightly Bad Girls of the Bible) with Crossings editor-in-chief Brigitte Weeks. Week's welcoming remarks included the surprise announcement of Bertelsmann's sales of all of its book clubs to Najafi Companies of Phoenix, a private investment group.
The Grand Inquisitor's Handbook: A History of Terror in the Name of God
Jonathan Kirsch. HarperOne, $26.95 (304p) ISBN 978-0-06-081699-5 Mention the Inquisition to any informed person and you're likely to garner a response somewhere between horror and disgust. Kirsch, a prolific writer and documenter of our past (A History of the End of the World; Gods Against the Gods), offers up an amazing recounting of the abuses of clergy and state in those terrible times. Clinical in its descriptions, the narrative's lively and crisp prose brings us right into the torture chamber, shining a much-needed light into the mindset of the church and its representatives. Alarmingly, the author insists that although the Inquisition is but a memory for us today, the inquisitional mindset is alive and well. Kirsch discovers many examples in more modern and familiar history: Hitler's Germany, Senator McCarthy's
communist-hunting, the Salem witch trials and Roosevelt's placing Japanese-Americans in interment camps. All of these injustices, he says, find their root in the same sense of power and privilege. Kirsch's powerful and cautionary account is essential reading for historians and anyone who wants to understand the potential dark side of religion. (Oct.)
The Great Emergence: How Christianity Is Changing and Why
Phyllis Tickle. Baker Books, $17.99 (176p) ISBN 978-0-8010-1313-3 North American Christianity is presently undergoing a change every bit as radical as the Protestant Reformation, possibly even as monumental as its natal break with Judaism. And it's right on schedule. Tickle, author of God-Talk in America and PW's founding religion editor, observes that Christianity is holding its semi-millennial rummage sale of ideas. With an elegance of argument and economy of description, Tickle escorts readers through the centuries of church history leading to this moment and persuasively charts the character of and possibilities for the emerging church. Don't let this book's brevity fool you. It is packed with keen insights about what this "great emergence" is, how it came to be, and where it may be headed. Tickle
issues a clear call to acknowledge the inevitability of change, discern the church's new shape and participate responsibly in the transformation. Although Tickle's particular focus excludes the dynamic forces of Asian, African, and Central/South American Christianity, this is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the face and future of Christianity. (Oct.)
Three Original RBL Reviews
A Short Life of Jonathan Edwards
George M. Marsden. Eerdmans, $15 paper (164p) ISBN 978-0-8028-0220-0 In 1741, Jonathan Edwards delivered what would become the most famous sermon in American history, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." Noted historian Marsden has written a slim but solid biography of Edwards (1703-58). This work is not an abridgement of his monumental 2003 biography of Edwards, but instead offers an original account intended for a general audience. Though Edwards is best known for his fiery "Sinners" sermon, Marsden shows the evangelist struggled with skeptical doubts before joining the clergy only to then emphasize God's grace and love over retribution throughout his preaching career. Edwards often gets relegated to works of religious history, but Marsden shows the preacher's central place in the nation's colonial history and to the Revolution he
did not live to see. As one of the foremost revivalists of his time, Edwards was a "towering figure among the founding fathers of the first American revolution, the spiritual revolution of the awakening." At times Marsden's work veers into the overly evangelistic itself, especially in the concluding chapter on what we can learn from Edwards. However, his work provides an accessible and informed account for scholars and laypeople alike. (Sept.)
Jesus Laughed: The Redemptive Power of Humor
Robert Darden. Abingdon, $16 (144p) ISBN 978-0-68764-454-4 Senior editor of The Wittenburg Door for 20 years, the periodical that describes itself as "the world's pretty much only religious humor and satire magazine," Baylor journalism professor Darden knows something about wit. Combining passion for humor and his scholarly sensibilities, his new offering is and isn't a laughing matter. In an often breezy style, this historical, biblical, philological and psychological treatise is "a call to reclaim Holy Laughter for the church." Darden examines the ingredients of humor and ferrets out what's funny in scripture. After documenting how the Church lost its sense of humor, he champions the reasons "the redeemed ought to look more like it." Darden's reach is broad, embracing first-rate thinkers and writers such as Karl
Barth, Elton Trueblood, C.S. Lewis, Annie Dillard and Anne Lamott, whose idea that "laughter is carbonated holiness" much captures his fancy. Insisting that a vital part of the human spirit needs to be brought to center stage within and without the walls of the Church, Darden maintains, "I believe with all my heart that God laughs and plays." Quoting Mark Lowry to bolster his case, Darden hammers home his point with "What healthy father doesn't love to hear his children laugh?" Clergy and laity should find reasons to rejoice in this important, timely book. (Sept.)
Render Unto Caesar: Serving the Nation by Living Our Catholic Beliefs in Political Life
Charles J. Chaput. Doubleday, $21.95 (272p) ISBN 978-0-385-52228-1 In one of his most memorable sayings ("render unto Caesar the things that belong to Caesar and to God the things that belong to God"), Jesus instructed his followers to recognize that their deepest religious commitments had inevitable and life-changing political implications. Using Jesus' saying as his foundation, Chaput, the outspoken Archbishop of Denver, urges all Catholics to stand up for their faith in public life. Every person who meets an American Catholic, he says, should come away "knowing that they have met a true Catholic." True Catholics, he observes, work for political justice and the common good and believe that Jesus Christ, the Gospel, and the Church are central to the religious lives that enable them to act with love toward society. While many critics
will challenge his assertion that the American belief in the sanctity of individual rights depends on a God who guarantees those rights, Chaput nevertheless challenges Catholics to put their faith into practice thoughtfully and deliberately. (Aug. 12)
BESTSELLER BYTES
Chart Topper Commentary
by Daisy Maryles Since its release in 2004, Jesus Calling by Sarah Young (Thomas Nelson) has been a bestseller for Christian independent stores. The book has grown in popularity through grassroots buzz. In fact, the Christian rock band 33Miles (www.33milesonline.com) recorded a song called "Jesus Calling." They read Jesus Calling together while out on the road and it moved them to write a song.
At Crossings Book Club's annual opening night ICRS reception, held on July 13 at The Peabody Orlando, author Liz Curtis Higgs (Slightly Bad Girls of the Bible) with Crossings editor-in-chief Brigitte Weeks. Week's welcoming remarks included the surprise announcement of Bertelsmann's sales of all of its book clubs to Najafi Companies of Phoenix, a private investment group.
The Great Emergence: How Christianity Is Changing and Why
A Short Life of Jonathan Edwards
Jesus Laughed: The Redemptive Power of Humor
Render Unto Caesar: Serving the Nation by Living Our Catholic Beliefs in Political Life
Since its release in 2004, Jesus Calling by Sarah Young (Thomas Nelson) has been a bestseller for Christian independent stores. The book has grown in popularity through grassroots buzz. In fact, the Christian rock band 33Miles (www.33milesonline.com) recorded a song called "Jesus Calling." They read Jesus Calling together while out on the road and it moved them to write a song.
