Christian publishing may have been without a mega best-seller this year but one leader thinks that is a good thing that has made room for a more important development.

 David Almack, U.S. director and publisher with CLC International, observes that in the absence of a mega-seller promising the good life, titles like Radical, Jesus Calling, Crazy Love, The Love Dare and even the classic The Five Love Languages have appeared on the New York Times best-seller lists.

 “The basic message in many of these books is the incredible story of the God of the universe making the ultimate sacrifice of His only Son, which compels believers to lives of sacrifice and love for others out of gratitude, not duty,” he notes.

 “For a world sick and tired of phony promises, this is indeed good news about Christianity itself. Instead of looking inward for ways to improve ourselves and achieve the American dream by joining the right church or reading the right book, these new authors are pointing us in an entirely different direction for finding significance and purpose in life.”

 In his Nov. 21 posting at his blog, Almack welcomes “a new generation of readers (that) appears to be seeking a robust presentation of the love of Christ for a dying world,” and suggests it's time for “sober introspection” to “evaluate the serious consequences of promoting a gospel that requires so little while promising so much.

“Now is the time for us all to repent and return to publishing, distributing and selling books that present Jesus as the 'lamb that was slain' and who gave His all so that we might have life at all.”