I do agree that in many areas Christian book’s lag behind secular books, but I’d like to say a word in defense of the Christian market. I’ve been in this business for 30 years, and the Christian books today far surpass those of 20 years ago, especially in the area of fiction. Personally I write in the area of nonfiction, and I have been thrilled the publishers finally realize that Christians have the same problems that the secular world has. Plus, they are willing to publish books on these subjects. My latest books have been dealing with children with special needs, verbal abuse, suicide, and now hopefully stress. Granted, there are a number of secular books written on most of these subjects, and they are usually written by psychologists or family therapists. I always read secular books on the subjects I am writing on. They give excellent advice in most cases, but they are lacking the spiritual element. They come across cold and clinical. Without Christ in our lives, we have no hope.
In each of my books, I gather stories from about 30 people who have experienced the issue I’m dealing with. Let’s take for example my book on suicide I just finished doing the galleys for, Too Soon to Say Goodbye. It includes heart-wrenching stories of people who lost loved ones to suicide and other stories, mostly under pseudonyms, written by those who are able to climb out of a very dark place. My co-author, Jeenie Gordon, is a family therapist, and she offers hope and suggestions for those dealing with the same issues our contributors are. I don’t think you find this in secular books.
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