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Editor’s Note
The annual meetings of the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature—the largest learned societies in the field—are upon us, and publishers of academic religion books are gearing up for what is their most important event of the year. They’ll be presenting and selling their books (see our preview in the October 10 issue of PW) to scholars and scouting for new authors and projects; we’ll be looking for trends and hot topics, as well as talking to publishers about some of the challenges in academic publishing these days. Look for our coverage of the meetings in the November 23 issue of RBL. And stay tuned for our picks of the best religion books of the year. We’ll unveil them in the November 7 issue of PW.
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Short Takes
Recent media magnet Robert Jeffress is on Bill Maher's show; David C. Cook releases a film series featuring author Ed Dobson; Baylor author is interviewed by the New York Times; Joel Rosenberg tops 2.5 million in sales; veteran Tyndale publicist retires; Christian Small Publisher Book of the Year Awards are open for nominations.
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It Is Written: News in Sacred Texts
A handwritten and illuminated Bible is completed after fifteen years; Nelson’s Expanded Bible debuts; N.T. Wright translates the New Testament; a new translation of the I Ching from Tuttle; Monkfish offers key Buddhist text.
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Religion in Review
Billy Graham offers wisdom on the challenges and opportunities of aging; philosopher Alvin Plantinga looks at theories that have challenged religion; examining how religion shaped American leftists; spirit medicine to heal the planet; creating a meaningful marriage; a look at Ten Popes Who Shook the World; the truth about Real Marriage; an NPR reporter seeks God; children’s books on angels and prayer; a novel of medieval England; plus Web exclusive reviews of books for adults and children.
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T.J. Wray: What the Bible Says about Heaven and Hell
The afterlife has inspired any number of interpretations, but what the Bible actually says about Heaven and Hell may come as a surprise, says T.J. Wray, associate professor of religious studies at Salve Regina University in Newport, R.I. “There is no Satan the Hebrew Bible,” Wray points out. She adds that though Satan is clearly present in the New Testament, he is not quite the figure of popular imagination. “Most of our ideas about Hell and the Devil come from later works,” she says, offering Milton’s Paradise Lost and Dante’s Inferno as obvious examples. “Many times works outside the Bible begin to bleed inside the narrative.” Peeling away layers of non-biblical interpretations and concentrating on the actual text form the core of Wray’s popular college courses. That approach is also central to her new book, What the Bible Really Tells Us: The Essential Guide to Biblical Literacy (Rowman & Littlefield, Oct.).
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Craig Harline: A Conversion in the Family
It was back in 2000 that Craig Harline found the journal of a young man named Jacob Rolandus, who would become the main subject of his new book, Conversions: Two Family Stories from the Reformation and Modern America (Yale, Sept.). In other words, he’s been thinking about Jacob Rolandus for a long, long time. “The way I’ve always worked is to go into archives to look for interesting documents to do with religious history and rather obscure people,” explains Harline, a professor of history at Brigham Young University since 1992. “When I found Jacob’s journal and it was so long and detailed I got interested. Part of it was in code and that always makes it interesting, too.”
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October 2011 Christian Marketplace Bestsellers
FaithWords titles dominate the hardcover list, unseating Sarah Young from the top spot, with debuts for the new books by John Eldredge and David Jeremiah; Heaven Is for Real stays at #1 on the paperback list; Courageous moves up; a new book for men, another memoir of heaven, fiction, and two superstar pastors round out the top sellers.
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Jana Riess: Embracing Imperfection
Former PW religion reviews editor Jana Riess' Flunking Sainthood: A Year of Breaking the Sabbath, Forgetting to Pray, and Still Loving My Neighbor (starred review in PW, September 12) was just published by Paraclete Press.
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Have a Novel Christmas
Ho-ho-ho, what’s inside Santa’s bag? A stack of warm Christmas novels, with nary a zombie in them.
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Publishers Move Into App World
Christian publishers are making their way into the vast world of apps, looking to get content to consumers through this ever-changing gateway. Some publishers are moving forward quickly, while others are taking things more slowly.
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Faith and Inspiration Go Mobile, Along with Book Trailers
Multi-faith, multimedia, multi-platform--that’s Odyssey Networks, and a new app the media organization has developed is mobilizing its message. Call on Faith, an inspirational app it launched in January, now has 10,000 subscribers. The Call on Faith app works on smart phones, the Nook reader, and the iPad. Multiple channels provide short videos featuring spiritual leaders, prayers, and personal faith journeys. One channel, ON Page, is devoted to book coverage, and features short videos about books and authors.
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Bibles and Sacred Texts 2011: In the Kids’ Corner
Gather the little children and their publishers for a look at Bibles and other sacred texts new and forthcoming for kids.
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Bibles and Sacred Texts 2011
On any given day, more people are downloading the Bible than the wildly popular Angry Birds app. Still others are downloading the Qur’an: Qur’an Majeed even comes with audio recitations. The top-selling LDS Scriptures for Mac conveniently contains both the Bible and the Book of Mormon.
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Religion Update Fall 2011: Academic Publishers Are Hopeful—and Busy
Christmas comes early every year for academic religion publishers. At the annual meetings of the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature (AAR/SBL)—held annually the weekend before Thanksgiving—authors come bearing gifts of unpublished manuscripts and proposals to acquisitions editors, and scores of professors and graduate students haul away books at deep discounts. These are book people, and between the excitement on the exhibit floor and the lively discussions in nearby cafes and bars, everyone leaves the conference in high spirits about the future of scholarly religion books.
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Biblical Studies: An Old Field Takes Some New Turns
Prognosticators of trends in biblical studies had it easy for the past year. They could "know for a certainty" that the field would be dominated by books about the King James Version, which caused "no small stir" in its day and, since its publication 400 years ago, has "turned the world upside down" (all quotes courtesy of that venerable Bible). But this fall's publishing season brings some new directions.
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Referencing the Bible: What's New
The Bible is the Bible; it never changes. But of new books about the Bible there seems to be no end, and this fall brings emerging trends and reflects a changing scene. The offerings lend a new and broader approach for biblical exploration, an integration of diverse disciplines, an elevated regard for the informed curiosity and knowledge of the average reader, and some bold explorations.
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IN Profile: Miroslav Volf
Miroslav Volf's faith in Christianity and allegiance to Jesus' message has landed him in the public square and made him into a political pluralist, too. These affinities are behind his newest book, A Public Faith: How Followers of Christ Should Serve the Common Good (Brazos, Aug.).
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Editor’s Note
This issue brings another new feature to Religion BookLine, the debut of the "News in Scriptures and Sacred Texts" column. The holy books of each tradition are central to religion publishing—and in fact to the history of publishing itself, beginning with Gutenberg. Each month we’ll take a look at what’s new and different in the texts that matter most to every faith. Added to our recently ramped up coverage of children’s religion books, this is another example of PW’s mission to continuously expand its coverage of religion books and the business of publishing them, cementing our place as the authoritative source for comprehensive information about this important category.
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News in Scriptures and Sacred Texts
Johnny Cash reading of the New Testament re-released; sixth Zohar volume out; Codex facsimile published by Hendrickson; Zondervan has new editions of top Bibles with updated NIV text.
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Short Takes
Tyndale title promotes family meal times; Christian Writer’s Market Guide now by Jerry Jenkins; Marcus Buckingham’s newest makes bestsellers lists; John Townsend launches new Boundaries with live Webcast; Nautilus Awards open for entries; Kregel hires academic market manager; Korean Christian publishers meet; Gary Smalley receives Christian Counselors award.
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