Random House’s Crown Publishing Group is launching a new religion imprint, Convergent Books. According to a Crown statement, “Convergent will explore the contemporary faith experience for a broad range of Christians who are drawn to an open, inclusive, and culturally engaged exploration of faith.” The imprint will be based in Colorado Springs, Colo., and headed by Stephen W. Cobb, who has been president and publisher of the WaterBrook imprint since 2001. With the acquisition of Multnomah Books in 2006, a Multnomah imprint was added to Cobb’s portfolio; in a reorganization in 2011 that eliminated Random’s New York-based Doubleday Religion and brought all religion imprints under Crown, Catholic imprint Image Books also came under Cobb’s leadership.
Stated Cobb, “The audience for Convergent Books represents a growing movement of consumers. These readers typically don’t see themselves as either liberal or conservative, evangelical or mainline. Yet they frame their spiritual journey in Christian terms, and they’re absolutely passionate about what theologian Brian McLaren has called, ‘the sacred endeavor of loving God and neighbor, stranger, alien, outsider, outcast and enemy.’"
The debut list in fall 2013, by authors Cobb calls "writers who offer fresh perspectives in this important contemporary dialogue," includes Losing Your Faith, Finding Your Soul by David Anderson; The Quaker Way by Philip Gulley; A Necessary Rebellion by Elizabeth Esther; Good God, Lousy World and Me by Holly Burkhalter; and Who’s There by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove. Eight to ten books per year are planned.
For more information, go to www.convergentbooks.com.
