somersault

Ten years ago this Sept. 11, terrorists flew commercial planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Washington, and a failed attempt that crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. These suicide attacks of horrific carnage stunned the world and caused many to turn for consolation to spiritual faith and sacred scriptures. For this tenth anniversary, the following Bible verses of solace are taken from the Common English Bible (http://CommonEnglishBible.com) (@CommonEngBible), the newest modern English translation releasing this month.

I’ve commanded you to be brave and strong, haven’t I? Don’t be alarmed or terrified, because the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 (CEB)

My God is my rock — I take refuge in him! — he’s my shield and my salvation’s strength, my place of safety and my shelter. My savior! Save me from violence! 2 Samuel 22:3 (CEB)

But you, LORD, are my shield! You are my glory! You are the one who restores me. Psalm 3:3 (CEB)

I will lie down and fall asleep in peace because you alone, LORD, let me live in safety. Psalm 4:8 (CEB)

The LORD is a safe place for the oppressed — a safe place in difficult times. Psalm 9:9 (CEB)

The LORD is my solid rock, my fortress, my rescuer. My God is my rock — I take refuge in him! — he’s my shield, my salvation’s strength, my place of safety. Psalm 18:2 (CEB)

God! His way is perfect; the LORD’s word is tried and true. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. Psalm 18:30 (CEB)

Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no danger because you are with me. Your rod and your staff — they protect me. Psalm 23:4 (CEB)

Hope in the LORD! Be strong! Let your heart take courage! Hope in the LORD! Psalm 27:14 (CEB)

All you who wait for the LORD, be strong and let your heart take courage. Psalm 31:24 (CEB)

We put our hope in the LORD. He is our help and our shield. Psalm 33:20 (CEB)

Turn away from evil! Do good! Seek peace and go after it! Psalm 34:14 (CEB)

The LORD loves justice. He will never leave his faithful all alone. They are guarded forever, but the children of the wicked are eliminated. Psalm 37:28 (CEB)

Why, I ask myself, are you so depressed? Why are you so upset inside? Hope in God! Because I will again give him thanks, my saving presence and my God. Psalm 43:5 (CEB)

Oh, I must find rest in God only because my hope comes from him! Psalm 62:5 (CEB)

LORD of heavenly forces, those who trust in you are truly happy! Psalm 84:12 (CEB)

I say to the LORD, “You are my refuge, my stronghold! You are my God — the one I trust!” Psalm 91:2 (CEB)

The person whose hope rests on the LORD their God — is truly happy! Psalm 146:5 (CEB)

LORD, show us favor; we hope in you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in times of distress. Isaiah 33:2 (CEB)

Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength; they will fly up on wings like eagles; they will run and not be tired; they will walk and not be weary. Isaiah 40:31 (CEB)

I know the plans I have in mind for you, declares the LORD; they are plans for peace, not disaster, to give you a future filled with hope. Jeremiah 29:11 (CEB)

Be happy in your hope, stand your ground when you’re in trouble, and devote yourselves to prayer. Romans 12:12 (CEB)

Dear friends, let’s love each other, because love is from God, and everyone who loves is born from God and knows God. 1 John 4:7 (CEB)

For a media review copy of the Common English Bible and to schedule an interview with Paul Franklyn, associate publisher, please contact Audra Jennings, ajennings@tbbmedia.com or Diane Morrow, dmorrow@tbbmedia.com, at 1.800.927.1517.

Reporter Anita Wadhwani says in The Tennessean (@tennessean), “In the past 12-18 months, the religious publishing category has seen its sales jump faster than those of almost every other category of books. The book publishing industry overall has remained relatively healthy during the recession, with a nearly 6% annual growth rate from 2008 to 2010, according to the Association of American Publishers.”

“It’s a great time to be a Christian publisher,” said Byron Williamson, a 20-plus-year veteran of the Nashville Christian publishing industry who has published best-sellers by Newt Gingrich and Max Lucado and launched Worthy Publishing (@WorthyPub) last year.

Independent Christian retail stores, although feeling some pressures from big chains such as Walmart selling religious products, remain a “pretty vibrant” outlet for sales, with 1,500 stores currently selling 30% of all Christian retail products, including music and books, said Greg Bays, senior vice president of sales and marketing for EMI CMG Distribution, a division of EMI Christian Group, a recording company that is now teaming up with Worthy Publishing to distribute books.

The recession may actually have benefited the religious publishing industry, publishers say.

Read this in full.

Do you agree with this rosy outlook? Comment below.

All editions now total half-million copies in print

NASHVILLE, TN – The new Bible translation known for being “built on common ground” is receiving a popular reception among consumers and is exceeding the publisher’s first print-run expectations by 50 percent.

The complete Common English Bible (http://CommonEnglishBible.com / Twitter @CommonEngBible – http://twitter.com/CommonEngBible) debuted online and on 20 digital platforms in June, and in paperback format in mid-July. It’s already gone back to press once. With this, its third printing, the Common English Bible now totals 500,000 copies in print, including the New Testament-only editions released a year ago. Originally expected this fall, the entire Bible paperback edition already in stores is selling quickly. Six other editions, including one with the Apocrypha, are releasing in August.

“Bookstore customers are asking for the Common English Bible in part due to the media coverage the translation is getting,” says Paul Franklyn, associate publisher. “News media such as TIME magazine, USA TODAY, The Tennessean, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, The Toronto Star, Florida Today, Orlando Sentinel, The Christian Post, and others, along with reviews by bloggers, our own website, Twitter stream, and Facebook page, and our video are all driving people into stores.”

The Common English Bible is a platinum sponsor of the Christian retail association’s Christian Store Week (http://christianstoreweek.com/), scheduled for Oct. 1-10. As a sponsor, the Common English Bible will be helping stores celebrate the crossroads of faith and community nationwide, and raise awareness and support for continued relief for earthquake victims in Haiti.

“When we say “built on common ground,” we mean that the Common English Bible is the result of collaboration between opposites: scholars working with average readers; conservatives working with liberals; teens working with retirees; men working with women; many denominations and many ethnicities coming together around the common goal of creating a vibrant and clear translation for 21st century readers, with the ultimate objective of mutually accomplishing God’s overall work in the world,” says Franklyn.

Combining scholarly accuracy with vivid language, the Common English Bible is the work of 120 biblical scholars from 24 denominations in American, African, Asian, European, and Latino communities, representing such academic institutions as Asbury Theological Seminary, Azusa Pacific University, Bethel Seminary, Denver Seminary, Princeton Theological Seminary, Seattle Pacific University, Wheaton College, Yale University, and many others. They translated the Bible into English directly from the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts.

Additionally, more than 500 readers in 77 groups field-tested the translation. Every verse was read aloud in the reading groups, where potentially confusing passages were identified. The translators considered the groups' responses and, where necessary, reworked those passages to clarify in modern English their meaning from the original languages. In total, more than 700 people worked jointly to bring the Common English Bible to fruition; and because of the Internet and today’s technology it was completed in less than four years.

Visit CommonEnglishBible.com to see comparison translations, learn about the translators, get free downloads, and more.

The Common English Bible is a denomination-neutral Bible sponsored by the Common English Bible Committee, an alliance of five publishers that serve the general market, as well as the Disciples of Christ (Chalice Press), Presbyterian Church (Westminster John Knox Press), Episcopal Church (Church Publishing Inc.), United Church of Christ (Pilgrim Press), and United Methodist Church (Abingdon Press).

To schedule an interview with Paul Franklyn, please contact Diane Morrow, dmorrow@tbbmedia.com or 800.927.1517.

A new Ipsos MORI (@IpsosMORI) poll finds that 7 in 10 people say they have a religion/faith, but there’s a marked difference between Christians and Muslims when it comes to the importance they place on their faith. The global survey looked at the views of over 18,000 people across 24 countries, including the UK and US. According to The Christian Post (@ChristianPost):

In Muslim-majority countries, 94% of those with a religion agree that their faith is important in their lives, compared to 66% in Christian-majority countries.

Muslims are far more likely to believe their religion is the only true path to salvation, liberation, or paradise – 61% compared to 19% in Christian-majority countries. In the US, 32% say their faith or religion is the only true path.

Muslims are also more likely to say their faith or religion is a key motivator in giving time and money to people in need – 61% compared to 24% in primarily Christian societies.

Read this in full.
Read the research in full.
See the slide presentation.

How does this research impact your publishing agenda?

Christianity Today (@CTmagazine) reports: John R. W. Stott died today at 3:15 London time (10:15 am EDT), according to John Stott Ministries (@jsmtweets) President Benjamin Homan. Homan said that Stott’s death came after complications related to old age and that he has been in discomfort for the last several weeks. Family and close friends gathered with Stott today as they listened to Handel's Messiah. Homan said John Stott Ministries has been preparing for his death for the past 15 years. “He set an impeccable example for leaders of ministries of handing things over to other leaders,” Homan said. “He imparted to many a love for the global church and imparted a passion for biblical fidelity and a love for the Savior.”

Read coverage by Christianity Today, RNS, The Christian Post, The New York Times, BBC News, Baptist Press, CBA., Crosswalk, Charisma News Online, Patheos, and AP.

See the John Stott Memorial website and view video.

Visit Langham Partnership International (@langhamlit), founded by John Stott.

Review John Stott's books at the website of his publisher, InterVarsity Press (@ivpress).

George Barna, author of the new trends book Futurecast, assesses how America’s faith has shifted in the past 20 years on 14 religious variables. In a series of briefs, Barna explores not only the aggregate national patterns, but also digs into how matters have changed according to gender, ethnicity, region, generation, and religious segments:

↓ Weekly Bible reading has declined by 5 percentage points. Currently an estimated 40% of adults read the Bible during a typical week.

↓ Church volunteerism has dropped by 8 percentage points since 1991. Slightly less than one out of every 5 adults (19%) donates some of their time in a typical week to serving at a church.

↓ Adult Sunday school attendance has diminished by 8 percentage points. On any given Sunday, about 15% of adults can be expected to show up in a Sunday school class.

↓ Church attendance has receded by 9 percentage points, dropping from 49% in 1991 to 40% in 2011.

↑ The percentage of adults categorized as unchurched has increased (defined as all adults who have not attended any religious events at a church, other than special ceremonies such as a wedding or funeral, during the prior 6 month period). In 1991, just 24% of adults were unchurched. That figure has ballooned by more than 50%, to 37% today.

↑ The percentage of adults who can be classified as born again Christians, based on their belief that they will experience eternal salvation based on their commitment to Jesus Christ, personal confession of sins, and acceptance of Christ as their savior, has risen by 5 percentage points. Currently, 40% of adults can be classified as born again.

↓ When asked to choose one of several descriptions of God, the proportion who believe that God is “the all-knowing, all-powerful and perfect Creator of the universe who still rules the world today” currently stands at two-thirds of the public (67%). That represents a 7 point drop from the 1991 level.

↓ In 1991, 46% of adults strongly affirmed that “the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches.” That has slumped to just 38% today.

Among the religious beliefs that have remained relatively constant over the past 20 years were the percentage of adults who describe themselves as Christian (84%); those who say their religious faith is very important in their life today (56%); those who have made a “personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in my life today” (65%); the proportion who agree that Satan is not a living entity but merely a symbol of evil (56%); those who strongly believe that they have a personal responsibility to share their religious beliefs with others who believe differently (25%).

Read Part 1 (general trends) in full.

Read Part 2 (generational trends) in full.

ICRS (@ICRShow) (#ICRShow) met in Atlanta July 10-13. Publishers Weekly (@PublishersWkly) says, “CBA — the association of Christian stores, which produces the show — reported total attendance of just under 5,000, a 6% increase over last year’s convention in St. Louis. The association itself has seen some growth through new memberships, but store attrition continues. Most publishers say the show is still an important place for them to have a presence, even if scaled back, but they are approaching it with new strategies.” Read the full report.

In another article, PW says, “There was less doomsday talk this year from exhibiting publishers--as with BEA, they have accepted that the show no longer has the same purpose, but most say it is valuable for reasons other than selling books. Read the full report.

Christian Retailing (@ChristianRetail) writes, “Given the economy and other factors affecting retailing in general, ‘I’m very encouraged that so many retailers found this show to be beneficial because this is a time when you need to go to this type of event to challenge yourself,’ said CBA Executive Director Curtis Riskey.” Read the full report.

On the CBA Industry Blog, read Riskey’s “Message to honored guests after successful ICRS.”

US Director of CLC (@clcusa) Dave Almack (@davealmack) wraps up the show with personal reflections on his FaithLit blog:

1.    Less Panic

2.    Less Hype

3.    More Collaboration

4.    More Innovation

5.    More Productivity

Read the blogpost in full.

See photos from ICRS. 

If you were at ICRS this year, write your comments about it below.

Here are images from the International Christian Retail Show (@ICRShow) (#ICRShow, #ICRS, #ICRS2011) in Atlanta, GA. Wish you were here.

This video introducing the Comon English Bible is debuting at the International Christian Retail Show (@ICRShow) (#ICRShow and #ICRS), going on July 10-13. Stop by the CEB booth 828 to get a free copy (while supplies last) of the just published print edition of the complete Bible.

Also see our previous post "Complete Print Edition of the Common English Bible Debuts at Christian Retail Show."

The Religious Booksellers Trade Exhibit (RBTE) will be held next Tuesday through Friday at Pheasant Run Resort and Convention Center in St. Charles, IL. Publishers Weekly (@PublishersWkly) explains what it’s all about:

Back when independent bookstores dotted the landscape like churches, religion publishers represented only a fraction of the overall number at ABA's annual trade show. Apart from a few large trade houses that published the occasional book in the category, publishers whose focus was religion had other avenues to reach their audience. Their primary sales channels were not trade bookstores but denominational or larger chain religion outlets or independent evangelical Christian stores....

Then, in the early to mid-1990s, America's interest in religion mushroomed, and religion publishers responded with books that ranged over diverse topics, from angels and pyramids to the debates between religion and science, new archeological discoveries, interreligious dialogue, critical readings of sacred texts, and the recovery of ancient religious traditions—not to mention faith-based fiction.

Burgeoning reader interest coincided with the rise of the chain bookstores that pushed many independents out of business, and religion publishers began to see what had by then become BEA as a way to reach a wider audience by expanding their sales and marketing channels to include general trade and chain bookstores, using the show to gain exposure and publicity as they moved into the retail mainstream.

Read this article in full.

UPDATE: See exhibit wrap-up coverage by Publishers Weekly, "Smaller Liturgical Booksellers Trade Show Hits 20 Years."

One of the featured titles at this year’s RBTE is the Common English Bible (@CommonEngBible & @VersesForToday), the newest translation by the largest number of biblical scholars & church leaders in words 21st century readers use every day, balancing academic rigor with modern understandability, proven through extensive field-testing with, and acting on feedback from, hundreds of readers. It’s the only Bible to include National Geographic maps and to extensively use contractions where the text warrants an engaging conversational style (not used in divine or poetic discourse). This translation is necessary to clearly communicate God’s Word because 9,000 new words & meaning revisions are added yearly to the English lexicon. Professional communicators (preachers, professors, speakers, leaders, etc.) who use this authoritative translation (not a paraphrase) will be great communicators, effectively reaching their audiences with biblical text their audiences readily understand because the text is written the way they naturally talk.

See the website for more information.