Christian retail offers for the week of Aug. 9

An emphasis on Bibles sees two half-off promotions and an exclusive offer.

Family Christian Stores' 50% reduction on Bibles running through Aug. 21 includes the NIV/The Message Parallel Study Bible for $22.50, the NIV/KJV/NASB/AMP Comparative Study Bible for $25 and Revolve, the "Biblezine" for teen girls, for $8.50.

Also featured in the promotion are audio editions Inspired By...The Bible Experience: The Complete Bible for $62.50 and The Word of Promise: NKJV New Testament Audio Bible for $24.99.

At Mardel Christian & Education, the focus is on children's and student Bibles. The NIV Adventure Bible is priced at $13.99 (down from $27.99)), the compact NIV Student Bible is reduced from $39.99 to $29.99 and True Images: The Bible for Teen Girls, NIV is $10 off the regular price, at $29.99.

Berean Christian Stores introduces an exclusive offer for God's Covenant Bible Study. The standard set--including a teacher's manual and self-standing chart--is $58, while a Power Point package is available for $48 and a Value Pack costs $89.

The products are also available in Spanish, with student workbooks in English and Spanish $15.95 each.

Mardel's emailing also highlights a "Back2School" offer of rhinestone t-shirts for $19.99 ($5 off), regular tees at two for $30 and two pairs of jeans for $60.

With the new school year starting soon, teens and education supplies are a common focus, from special prices to free backpacks.

LifeWay Christian Stores' "Back to Bargains" mailing has Bible verse water bottles reduced from $9.99 to $5, while Newsboys' Born Again is priced at $7.99 instead of $13.99. In-store shoppers are also invited to buy one t-shirt and get a second for 50% off.

The chain's music newsletter majors on teen drama DVD, To Save a Life. The PG13-rated film is reduced from $24.99 to $19.99, with a free backpack offered with the purchase of a CD from a list that includes MercyMe's Mr. Lovewell and Vicky Beeching's Eternity Invades, both down to $11.99 from $15.98.

Berean Christian Stores also spotlights To Save a Life, making the movie available for $21.59. The chain's email also promotes patriotic tees, two for $10 and includes an inm0-store only coupon for 40% of any one regularly priced item.

To Save a Life appears, too, in Mardel Christian & Education's "Education Sale" offer that presents a range of $5 products including calendars, tote bag, puzzles and t-shirts.

Parable stores highlight the new VeggieTales release, Sweetpea Beauty: A Girl After God's Own Heart, reduced from $14.99 to $9.97. Tony Dungy's new The Mentor Leader is priced at $19.97 (regular price $24.99).

Family viewing is the focus of several offers, with pre-buy specials and bargain bin deals.

The latest VeggieTales offering, Sweetpea Beauty: A Girl After God's Own Heart features prominently. The July 31 release is offered for $12.97, down from $14.99, at Family Christian Stores, which will also give away a VeggieTales Girl Power! Triple Feature, worth $24.99, free while supplies last. The chain is to host a Sweetpea premiere in stores on release day.

At LifeWay Christian Stores, the Sweetpea episode is priced at $9.99 and paired with a free copy of VeggieTales' Silly Little Thing Called Love, through July 30. Parable's email promotion prices the Sweetpea release at $9.97 and includes an opportunity to download free coloring pages.

Also highlighted across different outlets is the family drama, Letters to God. At Family Christian, the film that comes out Aug. 10 is twinned with a free chain exclusive soundtrack EP. The $30.98 combined value pack is priced at $17.99. LifeWay prices the film at $14.99 (regular price, $24.99) for pre-purchase and includes a free exclusive LifeWay wrist band, value $5.

Family combines the teen drama, To Save a Life, out Aug. 10, with the movie soundtrack for $17.99. Other new releases promoted by LifeWay include the Billy Graham biopic, Billy: The Movie (reduced from $19.95 to $14.96), The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry (from $24.95 to $18.71) and comedy Angels Love Donuts (from $19.95 to $14.96).

Parable's email spotlights the new release from "Left Behind" co-author Jerry Jenkins. His The Last Operative is priced online at $11.97 (regular price $14.99) and shoppers are given the chance to read an extract. Kutless' The Beginnings, the band's first three releases bundled into one collection, is offered for $13.97, down from $18.99. There is also an online-only coupon for 15% off a purchase of $50-plus, through Saturday.

Mardel Christian & Education highlights the availability of the popular Sillybandz in its email, which also presents Kerusso's Pick Jesus bracelets and earrings for $5. Comedian Anita Renfroe's new DVD, Big Ol' Sweet Iced Tea, is priced at $14.99.

Long-time Christian pop rock favorites Newsboys get star billing as the band releases Born Again, the first recording to feature former DC Talk member Michael Tait as lead singer.

Berean Christian Stores offers an autographed copy of the quartet's album for $10 through July 20, with limited supplies at each chain location. The email special also includes a coupon for 25% off any one, in-store purchase through Saturday.

At LifeWay Christian Stores, Newsboys' 10-track release, usual price $13.99, includes two more tracks and is reduced to $6.99, while Mardel Christian & Education presents the regular edition for $9.99.

LifeWay packages its Newsboys offer with reduced prices on other new music releases. Among them: Hillsong's A Beautiful Exchange, Live down from $13.99 to $11.99 and Addison Road's Stories reduced from $13.99 TO $9.99.

The LifeWay email promotion also includes a Summer Shop-n-Save Coupon valid only Saturday. It takes 25% of purchases totaling $50-plus, 20% off spending over $35 and 15% off entire purchases of more than $25.

In a separate promotion, Mardel's Feature of the Week offer is on Kerusso's two-tone stainless steel spinner rings, priced at $12.99. Among select books on sale for $10.99 each are Terri Blackstock's Predator and Karen Kingsbury's Take Four, each reduced from $14.99.

Family Christian Stores unveils its summer Bible sale, with up to 40% of select editions. The NIV Study Bible in hardcover is reduced by $16 to $23.99, while The Word of Promise Audio Bible on CD is reduced from $124.99 to $99.99. The promotion also includes 20% off select DVD studies and Bible studies.

Pre-buy specials lead the way, with inspirational drama Letters to God featured by LifeWay Christian Stores and Parable member-stores.

Parable shoppers are offered the Aug. 10 release DVD, based on a true-life story and the subject of several ancillary titles, for $19.97 in advance, down from $24.95. LifeWay prices the movie at $14.99 and includes a free LifeWay arm band, bearing John 3:16, in the pre-purchase.

Family Christian Stores switches the buy-before focus to books, offering Drew Brees' Coming Back Stronger (available July 16) for $21.59 instead of $26.99. Tony Dungy's The Mentor Leader, due out Aug. 3, is marked down from $24.99 to $18.74.

Parable presents its Letters special along with a saving of $2 on Newsboys' July 13 release, Born Again. The pre-buy price is $7.99, with a free, five-song digital sampler thrown in. The stores also offer a download of a chapter from Josh McDowell's new novel, The Witness, which is priced at $11.97, down from $14.99.

The Parable email also includes an online-only coupon for $10 off a $40-plus purchase, through Saturday.

LifeWay's One Big Summer sale promotion spotlights the chain's Summer Reading Race for children. Participants get a punch card which offers a free reward for every five books purchased and qualifies them for 15% off all regularly priced kids' titles through August.

A separate LifeWay emailing focuses on $5 deals. Among the musical titles available are Brandon Heath's What If and Diamond Rio's The Reason. DVDs include Second Chances and Mandie & The Secret Tunnel.

Mardel Christian & Education spotlights the Butterfly Wishes Collection of frames, candle holders, crosses and plaques all reduced to $7.99. Basic: Fear God, the first title in the new DVD series from author Francis Chan, is reduced from $14.99 to $10.99. Sale music at $9.99 includes Blink by Revive and Take Everything by Seventh Day Slumber.

CLC Christian Bookstores' Deal of the Week is The American Patriot's Bible from Thomas Nelson, half-priced at $29.99. The chain cuts Basic: Fear God to $13.19 and offers 60% off bestsellers including Deanne Gist's Beguiled and Steven James' The Pawn.

Two of the chains seem to have an eye on customers stocking up on summer vacation reading, with major book deals.

LifeWay Christian Stores rolls out a $5 Christian Fiction offer that includes Wanda Brunsettter's Allison's Journey, Don Brown's Defiance and Lori Copeland's Now and Always. Take Five, the latest release in Karen Kingsbury's "Above the Line" movie series, is offered for $10.99, down from $14.99.

LifeWay also prices first titles in seve4ral series at just $2.99 each, including Tim Downs' First the Dead, Robert Whitlow's Deeper Water, Colleen Coble's Lonestar Sanctuary and Robert Liparulo's House of Dark Shadows.

Mardel Christian & Education has 50% off children's titles in its Great Summer Reading promotion. Among the books are Isle of Swords by Wayne Thomas Batson ($4.999), Haunted Waters by Jerry B. Jenkins ($2.99) and The Mandie Collection, Volume 1 by Lois Gladys Leppard ($6.99).

Other featured books on sale include Predator by Terri Blackstock and Take Four (both from $14.99 to $10.99). Mardel's email also prices the complete Word of Promise Audio Bible at $99.99 (usual price $124.99) and the New Testament edition at $19.99, down by $10.

Family Christian Stores, meanwhile, focuses in film with half-price offers on titles including Billy: The Early Years of Billy Graham and Fireproof: Special Collector's Edition each available at $9.99. Marriage drama, No Greater Love, is reduced to $12.49, as is the Left Behind Collection. Pro-life drama Bella is priced at $7.49.

Offered for $5 each with the purchase of one other DVD listed in the emailing are The Adventures of Ociee Nash and Because of Winn-Dixie: Filtered Version.

Savings are the main selling point, with LifeWay Christian Stores leading the way with its three-day Customer Appreciation Event running through June 16. The offer is for 33% off one in-store purchase.

Keeping Father's Day in mind, the chain also presents discounts on products aimed at dads. Among the specials are the ESV Literary Study Bible reduced from $49.99 to $9.99 and the John Maxwell Leadership Bible reduced from $69.99 to $34.99. DVD specials include Fireproof (from $19.98 to $10) and The Blind Side ($28.99 to $22.99).

Family Christian Stores majors on its $5 Doorbusters, which include inspirational mugs for fathers marked down from $9.99 each and Third Day's Revelation, usual price $13.99. The same discount is offered on Steven Curtis Chapman's This Moment: Cinderella Edition and Chris Tomlin's See the Morning.

Among the chain's half-price "doorbusters" are Fireproof ($9.99), Tony Dungy's Uncommon ($12.50) and The Word of Promise Audio Bible on mp3 ($35). Included in the email is a coupon-valid online or in-store--for 25% off one regular priced item through July 4, or an extra 10% off any one sale item.

Parable stores suggest that consumers "Take a Fiction Vacation," presenting a pre-buy offer on Karen Kinsgbury's Take Four. Released June 22, the novel can be purchased in advance for $9.97 (down from $14.99) and the email promotion features the opportunity to download a chapter from the book. The promotion also includes a $5-off coupon for online purchases totaling more than $30, through June 19.

CLC Christian Bookcenters has up to 60% off select bestsellers. Titles include The Chronological Study Bible ($69.99 to $34.99), Max Lucado's The Tallest of Smalls ($16.99 to $8.49) and Francis Chan's Crazy Love ($14.99 to $12.49). The chain's promotion includes a coupon for 20% off any one item, in-store.

At Mardel Christian & Education the ESV Study Bible in DuoTone is offered for $37.50 (reduced from $74.99). The chain also promotes a one-day music and apparel sale that offers 25% off all items in those categories on June 19.