Christian retail Bible exclusives top list

Written by Eric Tiansay

Thursday, 03 December 2009 03:17 PM America/New_York

Bibles available exclusively through Christian retail stores feature prominently in the latest best-seller list from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA).

Crossway's English Standard Version Outreach New Testament heads the December Bibles top 10, while the publisher's ESV Outreach New Testament, Christmas wreath design is at No. 5. Tyndale House Publishers' Operation Worship Bible, NLT, is third.

The rest of the leading Bibles are: 2. Text Bible, NKJV (Thomas Nelson); 4. NIV Adventure Bible (Zondervan); 6. The Chronological Study Bible, NKJV hardcover (Thomas Nelson); 7. Gift and Award Bible, NKJV, black leatherflex (Thomas Nelson); 8. NIV Witness Bible, paperback (Zondervan); 9. Gift and Award Bible, KJV, black leatherflex (Thomas Nelson); and 10. Adventure Bible for Early Readers, NirV, hardcover (Zondervan).

Novelist Karen Kingsbury vaulted to the top of the books list with her latest release, Shades of Blue (Zondervan). She is followed by: 2. Fearless by Max Lucado (Thomas Nelson); 3. Crazy Love by Francis Chan (David C. Cook); 4. Jesus Calling by Sarah Young (Thomas Nelson); 5. The Love Dare by Stephen and Alex Kendrick (B&H Books/B&H Publishing Group); 6. The Shack by William P. Young (Windblown Media/Hachette Book Group); 7. Forgotten God by Francis Chan (David C. Cook); 8. Living With Confidence in a Chaotic World by David Jeremiah (Thomas Nelson); 9. 2012, The Bible and the End of the World by Mark Hitchcock (Harvest House Publishers); and 10. The Missing by Beverly Lewis (Bethany House Publishers/Baker Publishing Group).

The ECPA lists are drawn from Christian retail stores across the country, through its PubTrack Christian data system. Book lists are based on trade discounted titles selling in at least 20% of reporting stores. Tracts and booklets are excluded.

Click here to see the ECPA's December best-seller lists in full.