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Christianity Today, April, 2008 |

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Rescuing Bookstores

David Neff | posted 4/11/2008 10:12AM

Cindy crosby, author of our lead essay on the parlous state of Christian bookstores, writes about 120 book reviews a year and has published in Christianity Today, Publishers Weekly, Mars Hill Review, ...

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Discerning Believer

Posted: April 14, 2008 6:06 PM

Great series of articles on bookstores, Ms. Crosby. Very interesting. I hope your folks were able to retire after closing their bookstore so they could see their dream completed and living on in you.***I wish the article subtitle weren’t so cheeky—it’s the kind of thing I’d expect from Newsweek, not a Christian publication.***The statement in your largest article probably applies to families with young children: “Traditional Christian bookstores are often embraced by more conservative Christians as safe places to shop, with no worries about sexual content, profanity, or wild theology.” For the rest of us, I’d say we go to a Christian bookstore to see what’s available in Christian writing as a grouping. I haven’t been to a Christian bookstore for some time now but a friend who recently returned to Christ found an outstanding Bible overview book sure to excite both new believers and old. She found it by just browsing around. And it’s a book that’s been around for years!

Jonathan E. Brickman

Posted: April 12, 2008 11:42 PM

Here in Topeka, Kansas, there had been two Christian bookstores for decades: one was described more as a ministry, and the other openly as retail; the retail tended to cater to those that wore more expensive clothing. More recently they merged, and the latter approach dominated; anyone who walked in wearing a flannel shirt immediately began wondering if he was in the wrong place. Very recently it was sold to LifeWay, and it is thought that LifeWay will do well; I went to their factory store in Nashville, and was impressed. I am personally not worried at all about the situation. There are two brand new Christian retail stores in Wichita, Kansas. And if Christian retail does not serve the Lord's purposes in any place, He will end the phenomenon there! Either it serves the Lord to maintain them, or it will serve the Lord to cease them. There is no problem. The Lord is Lord of all, and He does not permit things to begin or to end, in vain.

b-bnewman@att.net

Posted: April 12, 2008 11:41 AM

We opened and directed Christian bookstores in Temuco, Chile, San Jose Costa Rica, and Seville Spain in the years from 1954 to 1985and agree with your concerns about how important this ministry is to back up the Christian communities and to give an effective testimony to an area of the availability of the Bible, good books and music that proclaim and honor Christ and the Gospel. We attended over 200 bookrack distribution points over Costa Rica for eight years to saturate the population with the Gospel witness. On two occasons as i pulled up in front of the store location I was shocked to see that it had burned down since my last visit and our books were gone! The fire would take out several businesses. Kenneth Taylor helped us with working capitol to extend the witness. PTL! FIV

Peter F. Benson

Posted: April 12, 2008 7:33 AM

A bookstore is a bookstore, even Christian ones. It is the Christian buyer that goes to that store that has to be selective of what he or she buys, so I disagree with the previous comment. The real challenge for the small store is providing convenient shopping, and offering an oline option as well as their physical store is the answer to their survival. Also, websites that provide resources free, like UNITYINCHRIST.COM, and other online pastoral resource sites like Ralph Wilson's JOYFULHEART.COM provide many resources, which cut down on bookstore sales. Stores need to be wise to the current marketing methods, and online competition is stiff, so they need to have an online presence as well to survive. I buy all more resources online due to the larger selection available that is not available in a small store. Bookstores are a beautiful place to see the whole body of Christ come together in a microcosm of unity. But you have to survive to provide that. Pete from UNITYINCHRIST

Scott

Posted: April 11, 2008 4:46 PM


Until the bookstores get a grip on not promoting works supporting heresy, cults, false doctrine and anything that is "Christian" or "Evangelical" in name only for the supposedly sake of the Gospel then I am fully in favor of the bookstores closings. I do 99% of my book shopping at select online book vender's on purpose. Hopefully, the online shops will take heed as well!

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