#692

Blazing Bible Boom

I’m All About Good News

I think everyone at some level likes good news, although you’d have to define good to be sure what that means. There was a skit on the popular country show Hee Haw where the barber was telling his customer about his day and it went back and forth with the customer saying what he said was good news and the barber telling him it was bad news (Here’s the script for it). The comedian, Archie Campbell crafted it so good news always turned into bad news with the customer, played by Roy Clark played the straight man who always though the news was good or bad. It eventually ended with things being good. Ironically, the show is also famous for a song titled “Gloom, Despair, and Agony on Me” but I digress. The point is that good news is subjective. When we look at the events in the world, some people are happy about them and others are not. In the US elections even now people are either ecstatic about who won or depressed about the outcome. It’s the same in every nation, really. So, when I kept reading that the sales of the Bible were up this year I wanted to find out why and see if it really was good news about the Good Book or if there was a downside to it.

Just The Facts, Ma’am

According to a report from Newsmax.com the sales of the Bible are up:

In appealing to voters of faith, President-elect Donald Trump vowed a religious revival in America, and now there is a quantifiable way to measure him on that vow: Sales of Bibles are booming.

While I doubt Trump can just start a revival all by himself people are making a huge deal over numbers reported by a business that hails itself as the gold standard in point-of-sale tracking for the publishing market:

Despite overall print book sales relatively stagnant in the past year (up less than 1%), Bible sales were up 22% through the end of October, according to Circana BookScan, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.

This uptick in buying Bibles is at a time when adults aren’t particularly religious:

Despite 28% of adults in the U.S. now religiously unaffiliated, according to Pew Research Center, Bible sales rose to 14.2 million in 2023 from 9.7 million in 2019, and have already hit 13.7 million in the first 10 months of this year, the Journal reported.

As we’d like to know, well I’d like to know is why:

Experts note the election, anxiety, and new curiosity — if not commitments — to faith.

One person adds his opinion on why people are anxious or concerned:

"People are experiencing anxiety themselves, or they're worried for their children and grandchildren," Jeff Crosby, of Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, told the Journal. "It's related to artificial intelligence, election cycles … and all of that feeds a desire for assurance that we're going to be OK."

Not included in the data are sales that could have influenced the higher numbers:

President-elect Donald Trump endorsed the Lee Greenwood "God Bless the USA Bible" ($59.99), which is not included in Circana BookScan figures.

Keeping It Personal

It’s always good to hear from individuals for reasons people are at least buying Bibles:

Sharing Christianity's stories has helped Americans handle instability, according to TikToker mother of two Amber Cimiotti, 38.

Amber feels cultural insanity is contributing to the angst:

"Things just went off the rails a little too quickly," she told the Journal as biological men were entering women's bathrooms, playing in women's sports, and boys and girls were indoctrinated in schools on gender issues before puberty.

"We're kind of holding on to the edge of the ship, like, we're not sure what's happening here."

Others just feel it’s the right time to get serious about a handed down faith:

"Love Island USA" reality TV's Cely Vazquez, 28, is among those who bought her first Bible.

"I've had Bibles that my mom gave me, but I felt I needed my own to start my own journey, that it symbolized I was starting a walk with God," she told the Journal. "I felt something was missing.

Vazquez, like Cimiotti also added the pessimistic tenor of society for the increase in Bible sales, but added what I think is pretty obvious for we Christians and probably a feeling most people have about the Good Book:

"It's a combination of where we are in the world, general anxiety, and the sense that meaning and comfort can be found in the Bible."

Trump also made a point to get Christians, who should be voting their convictions from a Scriptural view to get out and vote:

Throughout the presidential election, Trump made an appeal to American voters to listen to God's word even if for the first time and for voters of faith to get to the ballot box like never before.

If Christians and evangelicals would just vote proportionately to other Democrat-controlled voting blocs, Republicans might "never lose an election," Trump told Newsmax in October, saying Vice President Kamala Harris is "against religion, absolutely."

The President-elect made a point of bringing that point up in an event in Florida, even telling the audience he couldn’t win without their votes:

Earlier this year, Trump had his appeal to younger Christians at Turning Point Action event in West Palm Beach, Florida, billed as the Believers and Ballots summit.

"You know, I don't want to scold you, but do you know that Christians do not vote proportionately?" he said. "They don't vote like they should. They're not big voters.

"If you don't vote, we're not going to win the election. If you do vote, we're going to win in a landslide. Too big to rig: We're going to win in a landslide."

Maybe he was right:

Amish voters in Pennsylvania buoyed Trump in the key battleground state that ultimately handed him the projected victory in the early morning hours after Election Day.

All told, Trump's support among Catholics increased from 47% in 2020 to 58% this year, including a huge swing among Hispanic Catholics (nearly 60% voted for Trump), according to The Washington Post exit polls.

More Reasons

According to an article from prophecynewswatch.com there are a few more possible reasons for the rising increase of Bible sales:

Tyndale House Publishers has seen particular growth among Gen Z and college students, who are drawn to interactive and visually engaging editions. "You have a generation that wants to find things that feel more solid," said Amy Simpson, head of Tyndale's Bible division.

Although following the lead of celebrities can be like following the yellow brook road that’s made from fools gold, it could play a part:

Celebrities and influencers are playing a significant role in normalizing Bible study and faith conversations. From NBC's Savannah Guthrie's devotional book Mostly What God Does to social media creators sharing digestible Bible stories, modern platforms are making scripture accessible to younger audiences.

However, it could simply be because the Bible is available in a digital format:

This resurgence coincides with what some are calling a "golden age" of Bible publishing. New editions cater to every demographic, from graphic novel adaptations for teens to deluxe leather-bound editions for collectors. HarperCollins Christian Publishing cites innovation and targeted marketing as key drivers. Mark Schoenwald, the company's CEO, highlights the appeal to two groups: the spiritually curious and seasoned believers expanding their collections.

It could also be because the pendulum is swinging back towards accepting the Bible into public sectors again:

Oklahoma's recent purchase of 500 "God Bless the USA Bibles" for local schools underscores how faith-based literature is entering public discourse. This move, endorsed by President-elect Donald Trump, reflects a growing intersection of religion and politics.

The article then goes back to the fears and worries that many are feeling right now which echoes what we heard earlier. But it tells us what our parents and even grandparents told us growing up:

For generations, scripture has been a refuge during times of uncertainty, offering not just answers but a sense of enduring truth and purpose. In the Bible, readers find timeless guidance that contrasts starkly with the fleeting and often contradictory messages of modern culture. The increase in Bible purchases reflects a collective turning toward a source that feels stable and eternal, a beacon amid the storm.

However, there is the thought that it represents people wanting to get their faith more directly:

Another key factor is the growing trend of personalized spirituality, particularly among younger generations. While institutional religion may be in decline, the search for individualized faith journeys is on the rise. Many people now see the Bible not as a text tied to corporate tradition but as a deeply personal resource for exploration and growth.

Companies may be seeing that trend and capitalizing on it by offering the Bible in more personal forms and with studies that fit where people are at in their lives. Regardless we know that the Bible isn’t just words on pages written by authors like any other book. It is inspired and has a spiritual anointing unlike any other collection of chapters and verses. It changes lives at its most intimate levels and always does what it was meant to do:

So will the words that come out of my mouth not come back empty-handed. They’ll do the work I sent them to do, they’ll complete the assignment I gave them. (Isa 55:11, MSG)

We need to pray that these, sometimes new owners of the greatest book ever written will let is guide their lives as another verse tells us it will do:

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (Ps 119:105, AMPC)