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Can you tease out an example of how publishing will change?

Wireless phones, which didn't exist 20 years ago, have changed not only the way people communicate but also the way they live. People are going to read, and they're going to read paper for the rest of our lifetimes. But I'm convinced that different distribution for content will change the way we live. We have entered the digital world. It's not like we're just stepping our toe into it. The Bible Experience audio Bible was the best-selling Bible of 2007.

I think we can make some predictions today for how further distribution changes will alter the way we live our Christian life. The spiritual journey many of us have will be changed by the Internet and digital technology. But I'd like a little more time in this discovery process before I can vocalize how.

What are the most pressing issues facing Christian publishing?

I think one of the key issues is finding the people God has gifted to communicate to our 20- and 30-year-olds and upcoming youth. It's important to find the new voices that are going to reach the younger generation. People like Rob Bell are hitting the mark. They are very different from traditional Christian authors.

Sometimes new voices can create generational tension.

Rob Bell is reaching all sorts of age groups, but your statement is valid. In church history, there has always been a tug of war between conservative and liberal. That tug of war is healthy to a certain extent; I think it will continue. It may not be young vs. old or liberal vs. conservative. There are many ways to interpret the Bible. But how we interpret and communicate those interpretations will always generate controversy.

Does anything in your seminary training exemplify that tension?

I did an internship with the Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity and created a series for small groups and churches on the theology of human dignity. I am very concerned about technology and its impact on human dignity. Most of us aren't aware of the changes going on. It's more than embryonic stem cells. There are so many issues, like genetic pre-selection, where technology is enabling us to mess with human life, and it's very scary.

What is your growth strategy for Zondervan?

I wish I had the answer to that question. I would expect that any significant growth is going to come from nontraditional approaches like [youth-ministry resource] Youth Specialties, which we recently acquired. We're going to grow the book business as well. But for the sake of spreading the gospel, my goal is to grow faster than we've been growing. Books are going to be our primary way of doing that for a long time. Regarding new media, News Corp just purchased [multifaith website] Beliefnet. We hope to learn a lot from them and to collaborate with them.

Speaking of News Corp, how does ownership by Rupert Murdoch affect a Christian publisher?

I think it's a wonderful situation for Zondervan. I don't think we've taken as much advantage of the opportunity as we should, but I see signs that we're making progress in that arena. News Corp is a wonderful media giant. If we can't figure out how to get the Christian message more into the media as part of a company that does that well, shame on us.

Copyright © 2008 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

The 2008 books issue of Christianity Today also included the annual book awards, "How to Save the Christian Bookstore," "Locking the Doors for the Last Time," and "Bringing the Bookstore to Church"

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April 2008, Vol. 52, No. 4