Bibles sales have seen a substantial uptick of 22% while the rest of the print book sales in the U.S. were only up below 1% year-over-year. While it is always good that more Americans are reading the Bible, some have suggested the increase in sold Bibles could be signs of underlying problems in society.
According to a recent report in the Wall Street Journal, some familiar with the matter have opined the trend in Bible purchases is indicative of rising anxiety, lack of meaning, and effective marketing practices. “People are experiencing anxiety themselves, or they’re worried for their children and grandchildren,” Jeff Crosby, president of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, explained to 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.”
J. Mark Bertrand, founder of Lectio.org, a website about Bible design, claimed that targeted marketing practices centered around the Bible have had a major impact on overall sales. “I’d like to say there is a craving for knowledge of scripture, but a lot of smart people are thinking about Bible marketing and catering to every whim for Bible study,” he said. Furthermore, Amy Simpson of Tyndale House Publisher’s noted a particular interest in the word of God from Gen Z. “You have a generation that wants to find things that feel more solid,” she stated.
The Christian Tribune has reported on other good news for the Bible around the country, as red states move to incorporate scripture into public schools. Oklahoma has been a state at the forefront of such efforts, ordering shipments of Bibles to be dispersed to classrooms across the state.
The effort has been led by State Superintendent Ryan Walters seeks to ultimately order 55,000 King James Version Bibles for classrooms across the state. “We are focused on ensuring we get Bibles available in every classroom in our state as quickly as we can,” he said.
Walters continued, “By acting now, Oklahoma is leading the country on a path toward greater focus on academic excellence by providing critical historical, cultural, and literary context for our students. We are not going to change our history, and the Bible is a major part of that.”
Describing the importance of the Bible in school’s, Walters said, “We have the Bible, the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights—these are foundational documents in our nation’s history. Our kids have to understand the role the Bible played in influencing American history.”
The Oklahoma Education department also created the “Office of Religious Liberty and Patriotism.” Speaking about the development, Walters said, “For decades our nation’s public schools have tragically been ground zero for the erosion of religious liberty across our country. The radical left never misses a chance to co- opt the teacher unions and their minions to indoctrinate our children against traditional values of faith and family, seeking to attack any display of faith or religion or patriotism.
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