Christian bookstores

Interesting article on MSNBC about the downfall of Christian bookstores. Poetic justice if you ask me. Christian bookstores ceased to serve a good purpose long ago. I haven't bought anything from a Christian bookstore in over 15 years; but I have bought plenty of Christian books online. However, one issue that this article doesn't touch on that was the primary reason for me leaving Christian bookstores is the fact that Christian bookstores rarely sell anything other than self-help garbage clothed in "Christian ghetto slang".

Heaven forbid that I would want to buy Calvin's Institutes or Berkhof's Systematic Theology. What is interesting is that Christian bookstores are losing out to the big chains because of lack of selection. My local Borders has a tenth the amount of Christian books as most Christian bookstores. However, the books they do have are far better than the selection at the Christian bookstores.

Look at the top 10 best sellers at Family Bookstore:

			The Rising - Exclusive Signature Edition by Tim LaHaye
			Monster - Exclusive Signature Edition by Frank Peretti
			He Chose the Nails by Max Lucado
			Captivating by John Eldredge
			Love & Respect by Emerson Eggerichs
			The Dateable Rules by Justin Lookadoo
			The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman
			Dateable - Are You? Are They by Justin Lookadoo
			Ending The Search For Mr. Right by Michelle McKinney Hammond
			Your Best Life Now by Joel Osteen

So let's see, 7 self-help books, 2 bad fiction books, and a devotional type book. The shame of this is that this is what people are buying. No wonder Ron Sider is asking "Why are Christians living just like the rest of the world?" in The Scandal of the Evangelical Concience. That is a heinous list.