Christian Bookstores

As a published Christian author, I am not surprised by this recent news of the continual spiritual downgrade in so-called Christian publishing. The decline in Christian publishing has accelerated just in the last decade as the great majority of mainstream Christian publishers chose to serve the Almighty Dollar more than the Almighty God. I have seen this firsthand back in 2004 when my manuscript on The Life of the Man of God, J. Sidlow Baxter, was making the rounds at major Christian publishing houses.

One incident in particular sticks out in my mind, and it is par for the course in so-called Christian publishing today. A major Christian publisher had my manuscript, and they were considering it for publication as they had a slot open to do a biography that year. The editorial committee had to make a choice between publishing my book on J. Sidlow Baxter or an autobiography by Chuck Norris, the Hollywood actor.

They did not ask the question, which man has made a greater contribution to the Church of God, but rather, which book will sell more copies? They decided a Hollywood name would sell more books than a preacher, so they turned down my work on J. Sidlow Baxter and published a Chuck Norris book. Baker Books later picked up my manuscript and published the J. Sidlow Baxter biography. My point is, dollars control everything at Christian publishing houses today.

They would rather publish a self-help book in fiction because of their high sales rather than a book on the deeper Christian life, and the so-called Christian bookstores have followed suit in stocking books that mock God rather than honor Him, all because they serve mammon rather than God. Stroll through your average Christian bookstore today and just walk over to the biography section and look at the rows upon rows of Hollywood celebrities, football stars, country music stars, and politicians whose biographies are little more than eye candy, which taste good but have very little spiritual nourishment. And as a candy store promotes tooth decay, many of these so-called Christian bookstores promote truth decay, as seen in this new trend of promoting the gay agenda by Christian publishing houses.

It's a vivid reminder that we are truly living in the last days spoken of by the Apostle Paul as he wrote in 1 Timothy chapter 4, Now the Spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron. And that's true, friends. Many so-called Christian publishers have had their consciences seared with the hot iron of commercial commerce over integrity.

They are more willing to sell an anti-God book to make profits rather than publish books by profits. This is the sad day in which we live. Heaven help us!