Tag Archives: Christianity

Love Wins: Hell’s Bell Still Ringing

Posted on May 6, 2011 by | 17 Comments
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The 2011 TIME 100: Rob Bell

The 2011 TIME 100: Rob Bell

LOVE HIM OR HATE HIM, there’s no disputing Rob Bell’s growing influence as a spokesperson for a more open Christianity, a Christianity that sees open doors and opportunities in place of the obstacles and obnoxiousness that seems to pervade much of western Christianity. With the likes of John Piper and Mark Driscoll dismissing and/or condemning Bell as a heretic, you could be forgiven for thinking that he’s come up with something new or that he’s been expressing views that run counter to the gospel when in fact the only crime he’s committed is to challenge the status quo by asking questions and offering hope to the disenfranchised. Bell is no Messiah, of course, but the attitudes displayed towards him by many Christians, conservative evangelicals in particular, do seem to echo the attitudes of the religious leaders towards Jesus way back when, when he dared to suggest that prostitutes and tax collectors would enter the Kingdom of Heaven before they did.

But if it’s the question of whether or not Bell is a universalist that’s vexing you, look no further than his profile page in TIME Magazine’s Top 100:

Bell argues for mystery, not certitude. “In the book, I write about how some have believed that all will be reconciled,” he told TIME, “and while I long for that as I think everybody should long for it, I don’t take a position of certainty because, of course, I don’t know how it all turns out.”

Love Wins - also available from your local Christian bookshop...

Love Wins - also available from your local Christian bookshop...

Makes sense to me: Love Wins — that’s the ultimate message of Easter; but whatever the level of Bell’s popularity, there seems to be no hope in hell for that increasingly rare breed, bricks & mortar booksellers, to benefit from sales whilst the likes of Amazon (current offer £8.07) and the Book Depository (current offer £8.06) continue their battle to outdo one another on the price reduction stakes. One can only wonder at what’s going on in the ZonderCollins supply chain to enable such ludicrous discounts — somehow I think it has little to do with an altruistic desire to help spread Bell’s message…

Responses and reactions to the book continue unabated: two of the simplest ways to keep track are via the #lovewins twitter stream or The #lovewins Daily, autogenerated from the twitter stream.

Of particular note:

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News Roundup: Baker Academic move to SPCK | Hodder titles now available from IVP | Letchworth Christian Bookshop hold Bible Reading Marathon | Living Oasis Phase 2 Openings Delayed | and more…

Posted on April 8, 2011 by | 21 Comments

Baker Academic move to SPCK

AS ANNOUNCED IN DECMBER LAST YEAR following their acquisition of 200 titles from Hendrickson, Baker have now moved their range of academic titles (Baker Academic and Brazos Press) from Lion Hudson to SPCK. Commenting on the move, Dwight Baker, President of Baker Publishing Group, said:

While Lion Hudson has been doing an excellent job in selling these titles into the trade, Baker felt the need to move their Academic titles to a firm that has had a long history of publishing and selling to the academy in the United Kingdom.  The purchase of over 200 academic titles from Hendrickson Publishers this past October was the tipping point for this decision.

Baker’s other imprints, including Bethany House, Revell, Baker Books and Chosen, remain with Lion Hudson whilst Alban Books continue to represent all other Hendrickson lines to the UK.

Hodder titles now available from IVP

Hodder titles now available from IVP

Hodder titles now available from IVP

IVP HAVE ADDED Hodder Faith to their distributed titles list, bringing NIV Bibles and top selling authors such as Tim Keller and Philip Yancey into their portfolio. The announcement was made in the March edition of their monthly e-Bookmark trade newsletter, with further details in a separate trade announcement (pdf, 2.6MB).

Adding the NIV to their list alongside the full range of the ESV from Crossway as well as the NRSV, Good News Bible and range of Greek/Hebrew texts already available via HarperCollins Religious and Bible Society respectively makes IVP an increasingly important player in UK Bible distribution.

The full range of ESV and Crossway titles are also available from STL (pdf, 3.1MB) with 90 day payment terms and higher discounts on initial orders.

The Comet 24: Letchworth bookshop celebrate The Bible with reading marathon

The Comet 24: Letchworth bookshop celebrate The Bible with reading marathon

Letchworth Christian Bookshop hold Bible Reading Marathon

THIS SATURDAY, 9th April, sees Letchworth Christian Bookshop — winners of STL’s Golden Ticket in October last year — launch a Bible reading marathon as part of its celebration of the 400th Anniversary of the King James Bible.

The project, which runs for two weeks with readings by volunteers in 15 minute slots during shop opening hours, has already made local headlines in The Comet (pictured).

Full details are available on a dedicated website, www.wordaloud.webeden.co.uk. Anyone wishing to take part is invited to check the schedule posted via Google Docs then contact the shop to book a slot.

Living Oasis Phase 2 Openings Delayed

LIVING OASIS LEEDS have apologised on facebook and in a letter posted at Network Leeds (4th April 2011) for the further delay to opening at their new location, advising prospective customers to contact the Harrogate store. Previously billed at Network Leeds as “the first Living Oasis shop to realise the full vision the Nationwide Christian Trust had when taking over 19 former Wesley Owen stores in early 2010″, the new Leeds store was originally expected to open by late January/early February this year but has run into financial difficulties.

A series of prayer meetings is being held, next meeting 14th April 2011, with a fundraising meal scheduled for 6th May 2011. The actual opening date for the new store remains unknown.

The new Liverpool store — originally expected to open within “a couple of months” of the old store’s closure (facebook announcement 29/12/2010) — appears to be facing similar difficulties with no updates to their facebook page since 22nd March when a series of weekly prayer meetings was announced. As of the date of this report, no indication of when the store will open has been given.

Unicorn Tree Books flood claim declined

CITY OF LINCOLN COUNCIL SOLICITORS, Hill Dickinson, have declined the flood claims submitted by Unicorn Tree Books and other retailers based in Lincoln Central Market following damage caused when the duty caretaker was unable to find the stop cock after a pipe burst during harsh weather in November last year (reported here 02/12/2010).

In a letter dated 25 March 2011 claiming to have “fully investigated the matter” Hill Dickinson state that “our client’s duty to maintain is one of reasonableness” and conclude that “the incident was caused solely by the extreme temperatures experienced at the time” — a conclusion that completely disregards the Council’s failure to follow its own published advice to householders who may be concerned about the possibility of burst pipes in their homes:

Preventing frozen and burst pipes

  • Make sure you know where your stop tap is and that it is working.

One can only wonder quite what is going on in the mind of someone who regards such gross negligence as “reasonable”…

Web Shops for Churches

Premier Church Insight: Endis Inspire Shop

Premier Church Insight: Endis Inspire Shop

PREMIER CHRISTIAN MEDIA, publishers of Christian Marketplace magazine, have joined forces with Endis in partnership with STL Distribution to deliver online shops direct to churches via a custom-branded, fully integrated web service. Orders, returns and refunds will all be processed by STL in Carlisle — identified only by their address on the demo shop Contact Us and Returns pages — backed up by a dedicated telephone support line.

Full details of the service may be found on the Premier Church Insight > Endis Inspire Shop introductory page.

Reactions from retailers have ranged from a sense of outrage through concern about the implications for church bookstall services to cautious optimism at the possibility that the service could conceivably form the basis for a Christian version of Gardners’ Hive.

STL have emphasised that Endis are simply another trade customer and STL’s involvement with the scheme is solely order fulfilment. They are, however, currently investigating options to provide a comprehensive web solution for retailers: STL remain 100% committed to supporting and working with their retail partners, including amongst other initiatives the development of a Church Resources training programme designed to equip shop managers with the expertise needed and a sales kit that will enable them to pull local churches together and present new or existing product that will enhance church life.

Women in Christian Publishing Inaugural Event

WOMEN IN CHRISTIAN PUBLISHING, a new group created by the Publishers Association, held its inaugural event on 1st April 2011 with a visit to the Houses of Parliament hosted by the Revd Rose Hudson-Wilkin, who was appointed as Speaker’s Chaplain in June last year.

Those present included Victoria Beech (Beech Publishing/Christian Education) and Janet Evans (Dernier Publishing), who has published some photographs of the event on facebook:

Dernier Publishing > Facebook Photos > Women in Christian Publishing

Dernier Publishing's Facebook Photos: Women in Christian Publishing Inaugural Event

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Posted in Christian Publishers, Christian Suppliers, Lion Hudson, News, SPCK, STL

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Desert Wells: Bridging the divide between life-in-church and life-in-the-world

Posted on March 25, 2011 by | Leave a comment

DESCRIBED BY THE PUBLISHERS, Darton, Longman & Todd, as written for “anyone who knows deep down that they would like to live and love differently, [Desert Wells] is a fresh approach: ten original short stories written to help us explore paths that deepen our humanity, such as slowing down, listening, forgiving – living in the present.”

I invited Alice Bates, the book’s author, to tell us what inspired her to write those stories. She writes:

Alice Bates

Alice Bates

I’m nagged by the divide between our life-in-church and life-in-the-world as Christians; it seems to me that God never meant that divide to be there, and that God is nothing if not present and working in our everyday lives, the non-church days. And I’m sure that, ever since Jesus came to be a man on earth like us, God is incarnate in every leaf and twig of his creation — is everywhere — only we can’t see him there very clearly.

So how do you recognise God in ‘normal’, everyday life, in the people and things all around? Jesus told stories, usually not ‘religious’ stories, to bring the Scripture out of the synagogue and into the streets, into everyday life — to ‘earth’ it there. To heal that church/everyday life divide. Desert Wells is an attempt to do the same for us, in our world now.

So I’ve taken a verse from the Bible together with a concern we’re likely to share — such as how to listen, forgive, live in the present — and told a story in the light of both, which I hope has something to say about how we live now. The stories don’t mention God; that is part of the point; but I hope they speak of him.

In her foreword Jane Williams ended by urging people to ‘read (the stories) and start to pay attention to the people and things all around that an lead to freedom, growth and joy.’ That was precisely my aim, and I’m so thrilled she put it so succinctly.

Desert Wells Desert Wells
Alice Bates

Darton, Longman & Todd, 2011
9780232527902
£9.99

Trade availability: Direct from DLT, via STL, Gardners or any other DLT stockist.

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UKCBD Spring Cleaning 2011 – and a free entry upgrade!

Posted on March 18, 2011 by | 7 Comments
UK Christian Bookshops Directory: Discover your local Christian bookshop!

Discover your local Christian bookshop!

IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN — out come the dusters and the cobweb brushes as I make my annual (and always ongoing) attempt to bring all the UK Christian Bookshops Directory records up to date!

Over the last year we’ve seen a lot of shops come and go, as well as change hands, and at this point I need your help, please: if you own or work in a Christian bookshop, please check your entry — either via the Shop Name Index or the Town and City Index (the two are mirrored so it doesn’t matter which way you go in) — and let me know, either via a comment on this post or directly, if it needs updating.

If you’re a Christian bookshop customer, please do likewise: check the entries for your local Christian bookshop(s) and do two things if they’re not listed or the entry is out of date:

  1. Call in at the shop and encourage them to check their entry
  2. Leave a comment here or give me a shout

Every entry that has been updated within the last three years has a date against it. Entries with no date have not been updated within that period and my plan is to flag these up with a query if no information is forthcoming from either the shop owners, customers or other sources.

Last but not least: a FREE entry upgrade for every retailer who responds to this call! In the past, inclusion of a shop photograph has only been available to paying subscribers. This time around, if you send me — or supply the URL (web address) for — a photograph of your shop, it will be added to your entry free of charge. All basic entries and access to the Directory remain, as ever, free of charge.

Please note that UKCBD is a 100% voluntary project: there are no paid staff beavering away behind the scenes. It may therefore take some time to amend or add entries: please be patient!

Thank you.

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Posted in Announcements, Christian Bookshops

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News Roundup: 3 for 2 on Commentaries at Eden | Christian Focus enters the Blogosphere | Easter with IVP | Living Oasis: Where is the humanity? | St Andrew Press now with NBM

Posted on March 5, 2011 by | 2 Comments

GOT NEWS? If you have news you’d like to see included in the next News Roundup, please get in touch.

Eden.co.uk: 3 for 2 Bible Commentaries Offer

Eden Commentaries Offer

3 for 2 on Commentaries at Eden

AFTER REPORTING Wesley Owen’s 25% off all commentaries last time around, I feel almost morally obliged to give Eden’s latest offer a mention too: 3 for 2 on selected commentaries; but it’s a fantastic offer in and of its own right, and if you go there and make a purchase via this link, you’ll help raise funds to support this site as well.

If you’re an independent bookseller/retailer wondering how you can possibly compete with this sort of offer, my suggestion is get together with a few other independents and form a buyers’ group: you are stronger together, weaker apart; but the only way to turn that into a reality is by actively doing something about it. Discuss…

Christian Focus enters the Blogosphere

LAUNCHED LAST MONTH and aptly named Christian Focus BookNotes, the new blog from Christian Focus is all about their books. It’s a blog worth watching:

Never a company to settle for half-measures, you’ll also find Christian Focus on facebook, twitter and, of course, YouTube. Go on, hit that facebook Like button: you know you want to!

IVP Easter Sale 2011

IVP Easter Sale 2011 (pdf download)

Easter with IVP

IF THERE’S ONE THING you can always rely on in the UK Christian book trade, it’s outstanding seasonal offers from IVP, and their latest Easter offering doesn’t disappoint.

The offer runs from 1st March to 30th April 2011: take any mix of 20 or more titles from a selection of Easter bestsellers and benefit from special trade prices set to allow you to offer your customers reduced prices (ranging from £2 to £8 off) whilst still retaining a standard trade margin. Full details available from the trade section of their website: pdf download.

Living Oasis: Where is the humanity?

THIS COMMENT, left late on Thursday evening by Mrs Diane Hellyer, seems to epitomise everything that’s gone wrong with Living Oasis:

I have been associated with the Christian book trade for over fifteen years and have worked as a volunteer in five different shops in that time, most recently in Sutton Living Oasis. From what I understand of the situation, it is totally shocking how this closure has been handled by the Chairman and the Trustees. That no HR support was offered and no face to face meeting arranged, but that staff were informed of the impending closure by telephone is surely a lack of care and an undervaluing of the staff, the company’s greatest resource. It may not have been commercially viable to maintain a Christian witness in the high street, but under any circumstances the manner of the closure could, and should, have given a clear Christian witness as to the value placed upon the individual.

For the record, I have already raised similar concerns directly with both Andy Twilley and Simon Hole, Nationwide Christian Trust’s Resource Manager, and have now forwarded this comment personally to Ray George himself. As yet I have received no reply…

Newcastle Cathedral Gift Shop Closure

Also on a sad note, the demise of Newcastle Cathedral’s gift shop. I’m told that the shop had just begun to extend its range of books but alas, financial constraints win out yet again. The closure does seem, however, to have been much better handled than the recent Living Oasis closures, with public tribute paid to the shop staff and volunteers. From the Dean’s February newsletter:

There is on the other hand a great deal of sadness over the closure of the Gift Shop. I would want to pay tribute to the staff and volunteers who over the years have shown enormous commitment to this enterprise, played an important part in welcoming visitors to the Cathedral and done their level best to make it work. However the sad fact is that the Shop has been losing money for many years and Chapter felt such a situation was no longer sustainable. The move to Mosley Street certainly did nothing to revive the Shop’s fortunes but was not the cause of its demise. Chapter is not ruling out re-opening a shop in the future. The issue is what, when and where? We will keep the situation under review and assess the feasibility of any new enterprise in the light of the success of the wider development programme. In the meanwhile there will be sale of stock and any shop furnishings that can’t be used will be “mothballed” . Some souvenirs and small items will continue to be sold in the cafe. Meanwhile there will be a party to celebrate the hard work of our shop volunteers and all that the shop has done on February 18th.

St Andrew Press now with Norwich Books & Music

LAST BUT NOT LEAST: if you’ve been used to ordering St Andrew Press (Church of Scotland) titles from Marston, those days are over. St Andrew Press is now part of the Hymns Ancient & Modern stable of church publishing houses and stock needs to be ordered from Norwich Books & Music.

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Posted in Book Trade Ramblings, Christian Bookshops, News

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Bible Translation: Does getting it right matter?

Posted on March 1, 2011 by | 2 Comments
Wycliffe Bible Translators

Wycliffe Bible Translators

IT’S HARD TO MISS THE FACT that this year, 2011, marks the 400th Anniversary of the King James Version of the Bible, the Bible translation that sparked a revolution in giving ordinary people access to the Bible in their own language — provided, of course, that their language was English; but around the world there are still millions of people who don’t have the Bible in their own language, so as we celebrate, let’s not forget those people: head on over to Wycliffe Bible Translators to find out how you can help put things right.

At the same time, however, let’s also remember that what we’re dealing with when we read the King James or any other Bible version is a translation; and every translation inevitably has its flaws. Do those flaws matter? Jacques More, author and publisher of Jarom Books, says they do, and his latest book, Serious Mistranslations of the Bible — published today, 1st March 2011 — highlights numerous instances where poor translation has led to distorted doctrines and teachings in the church. I invited him to tell us about it:

Serious Mistranslations of the Bible

Serious Mistranslations of the Bible

Serious Mistranslations of the Bible is an examination of up to 52 Bible passages as affected by various Greek words from the New Testament identified as incorrectly understood by their use in the Septuagint – the Bible Jesus and the apostles quoted (the Old Testament translated into the Greek of their day) – as well as other discoveries in research in the Greek language. The Septuagint as a source for the meaning of words in the Greek of the New Testament has largely been by-passed, but Jesus and the apostles’ quotes of this source shows the words used in it have the same meaning as the New Testament Greek.

When Pharaoh had a dream which Joseph interpreted he saw fat cows coming out of the Nile and these are called eklektos in the Septuagint. As are the plump kernels of wheat he dreamed of. And so is choice silver, pleasant land, highest branches, young men [warriors in their prime], rich apparel, and so on: quality is the prominent meaning for eklektos.

When Jesus says “Many are called, few eklektos” he is saying few are fit for the calling, few are quality. He is not saying “many are called, few are chosen”!

The early publication of research on eklektos in 2001 saw comment from the then Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, “You are to be congratulated for your painstaking thoroughness” (May 2001) and a number of copies were obtained by the Bible Society. But, where are the needed changes? 10 years on, it is time this research was available to all!

Years of Research and Study
The research in the book on the issue of women in leadership Leadership is Male? highlighted two texts as mistranslated: 1 Corinthians 11:3 in some versions and 1 Timothy 2:12 in most. Those 2 chapters are borrowed and in the new book.

The research that went into the book on predestination So You Think You’re Chosen? highlighted Romans 8:28 with an added word widely employed, but contradicting the flow of the text. That chapter is also borrowed.

The information in the book Will there be Non-Christians in Heaven? highlights the need for a note to be added to the translation of “believing in the name” in John 1:12 and all places where the phrase is used. Thus the chapter entitled “The meaning of born again” explaining how the righteous among non-Christians are already born again is borrowed and included in the new book.

The 3 Measures of Meal parable is wholly misunderstood by the New International Version and other translators so they omit to translate the word “three” – unlike the more literal versions: NKJV, KJV, Young and others – which is crucial in understanding the parable.

Bibliographic Details and Further Information

Serious Mistranslations of the Bible
Jarom Books, 1st March 2011
ISBN 9781898158219
B-format paperback
352 pages
£7.99

  • Trade Distributors: CLC Wholesale | Manna Christian Centre
  • Trade Info Page: jarom.net/trade.php

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News Roundup: Celebrating 10 Years Online | Commentaries Sale at Wesley Owen | More Shops Seeking New Owners | More Than Another Day of Prayer | New Blog for Caritas Music

Posted on February 25, 2011 by | 10 Comments
UK Christian Bookshops Directory: Discover your local Christian bookshop!

Celebrating 10 Years Online!

GOT NEWS? If you have news you’d like to share about your shop or staff, please leave a comment or contact me direct to be included in the next News Roundup…

Don’t want to comment here? Join the conversation on facebook instead…

Celebrating 10 Years Online

THIS YEAR sees both the UK Christian Bookshops Directory and The Good Bookstall celebrating our tenth anniversaries: UKCBD was launched 10 years ago this month, in February 2001, whilst TGB was launched 10 years ago next month, March 2001 — and what an amazing 10 years it’s been!

We’ve seen STL expand its territory, Prayer-of-Jabez style, only to see the whole edifice here in the UK come tumbling down when they did a builder-who-didn’t-count-the-cost routine; we’ve seen the destruction of the SPCK Bookshops chain in the hands of the gruesome twosome, Messrs Phil and Mark Brewer; we’ve seen dozens of independent bookshop closures; and we’ve seen Christian Marketplace go from being a monthly independent magazine to a bi-monthly, surviving only as a subsidiary of another giant, the Premier Christian media empire.

We’ve also seen the phenomenal rise of online Christian bookseller Eden.co.uk, the emergence of the ebook and yet — in the face of all these challenges — many shops rising, phoenix-like, from the ashes of those destructions, an important reminder if ever we needed one that God isn’t interested in our ambitions and empires, no matter how much we persuade ourselves that it’s God’s kingdom we’re building — because our God, the God we meet in Jesus, isn’t ultimately found in huge presences or high profiles but is revealed rather in small and hidden things, babies born in poverty, bookshops in backstreets and market halls, and bookstalls at the back of forgotten churches. We strive for ‘Mission on the High Street’ but God calls us to mission wherever we are, with whatever we have.

5 Quid for Life: A Mental Health Safety Net

5 Quid for Life

At UKCBD, I’m celebrating 10 years with a simple commitment: over the next year a minimum of 10% of all UKCBD income will be donated to the new up-and-coming charity 5 Quid for Life: A Mental Health Safety Net. It’s a project that I’ve been privileged to be part of from the outset, emerging out of a friend’s desperation as she poured out her heart over the disruption the current government’s changes to the UK benefits system would have on her. If you haven’t already done so, read about it here: Welcome to 5 Quid for Life; and if you’d like to make a donation, you can do so here: 5quidforlife.org.uk/#donate

For further reflections on the changes the last ten years have wrought, see Mary Bartholomew’s latest Good Bookstall editorial; and as we celebrate 10 years online, congratulations must also go to Luke Bunger and his team at one of those small independents, The Hub, Walsall, as they celebrate their first anniversary after surviving the collapse of Wesley Owen … talking of which…

Commentaries Sale at Wesley Owen

THANK YOU to Wesley Owen Birmingham for letting me know about their commentaries sale: 25% off all commentaries; but anyone wanting a slice of the cake needs to move fast — offer ends tomorrow, Saturday 26th February. Available from all branches and online too!

Meanwhile congratulations are due to the inimitable David Chant, former WO Birmingham branch manager, who has moved on into ‘semi-retirement’ from where he should be able to spend a little more time promoting Planet BB. Have you ordered your stock yet? David’s itching to hear from you…

More Shops Seeking New Owners

CHRISTIAN BOOKSHOPS seeking new owners seems to be a trending topic at the moment. This time around we have two, The Ark, Lymington, and Cardiff Christian Bookshop.

The Ark, Lymington

Shop For Sale: The Ark, Lymington

THE ARK is a Christian Bookshop and Café which opened its doors in 2004 and has gone on to serve the local community and churches ever since, but owner Ginny Ayling now wishes to retire and hand on the business to someone else: sale price £325,000, Freehold. Could that someone be you or someone you know?

The shop is well loved and supported by the local people. Describing the shop, the Revd Peter Salisbury, Vicar of Lymington, said:

The Ark is an important part of the Christian outreach in Lymington and is an excellent central meeting place. All the volunteers are from the local churches and the bookshop gives advice and an ordering service, which we use for our personal and church orders. The Café, which is always buzzing at lunchtime, has a very high reputation and offers friendly and personal service plus gorgeous food – I’m usually in there about once a week!

Download the Particulars of Sale or an A4 Sale Poster (both pdfs) if you’d like to know more or would like to help promote the sale.

CARDIFF CHRISTIAN BOOKSHOP is currently owned and operated by the Evangelical Movement of Wales, who have reluctantly concluded that they can no longer support the shop. From the shop’s February Prayer Letter:

The Evangelical Movement of Wales has decided most reluctantly that it must bring its support of the Cardiff Christian Bookshop to an end. This is most regrettable since it has been such a witness in the heart of the city for almost 50 years. It is, however, very keen that the work and witness should continue and would actively invite Churches and other interested Christian groups to assume responsibility for it and to come forward with proposals for its future operation. The Movement is continuing to own and support the shop in the short term and the business will continue to function as usual.

The business costs around £55,000 per year to run in terms of staffing, rent and other expenses: download the February Prayer Letter (pdf) if you’d like to know more.

More Than Another Day of Prayer

8 Days of Prayer: Launching a Season of Prayer for Christian Retail in the UK

8 Days of Prayer: Launching a Season of Prayer for Christian Retail in the UK (pdf, 90kb)

JOY MCILROY of Ashburnham Books has been busy liaising with Clem Jackson at Christian Marketplace to draw up plans for another Day of Prayer for the trade — but this year it’s more than a day of prayer: the vision is for a season of prayer to run through Lent, starting on Ash Wednesday, 9th March. Announcement here: Day of Prayer for Christian Trade.

The announcement suggests sharing plans via the Christian Authors, Booksellers and Publishers facebook group. Should you choose to do so, please note that that is a closed group, set up specifically to facilitate discussion within the trade away from the public eye — in other words, not the best forum to use if you wish to engage with others beyond the trade…

As with previous occasions I’ll be updating this site’s Day of Prayer page with news and updates as and when they emerge: please do feel free to post details of any plans there and to point members of the general public in that direction.

New Blog for Caritas Music

LAST BUT NOT LEAST, another birthday this month as Caritas Music turned 13 back on February 2nd and have now launched a brand new bright-and-shiny blog for Caritas Music / Eschenbach Editions, where you’ll soon find all the latest news appearing from these two independent music publishers.

Looking Back…

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Posted in Cardiff, Christian Book Trade, Christian Bookshops, Christian Music, Independent Booksellers, News, Wesley Owen

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Lent Reading and more from St Mark’s Press

Posted on February 19, 2011 by | 1 Comment
Mark in 40 Days

Mark in 40 Days

LENT IS ALMOST UPON US, starting 9th March this year: are you ready? Are your customers ready? As always, there’s a lot of material out there, but here’s one you may have missed: Mark in 40 Days, from St Mark’s Press. St Mark’s Press are a relatively new Christian publisher based in Bedfordshire, last featured here for Christian Aid Week 2010: Give as you sell with St Mark’s Press.

Mark in 40 Days is written by Simon and Chris Danes: Simon is the director of St Mark’s Press and Chris, his older brother, is a writer and broadcaster, perhaps best known for his audioblog on bipolar disorder for the BBC’s You and Yours. Both Simon and Chris are former teachers and theology graduates from Oxford who have also had plenty of experience of adult education as well as writing books together on Christianity for young people. Over to Simon:

I don’t like blowing my own trumpet, but we’re very pleased with the way Mark in 40 Days has turned out. It’s a Bible study course, with comments and daily reflections, but it also introduces readers to what New Testament scholars have said about the Gospel. I’d hesitate to say it’s a similar sort of thing to the Daily Study Bible – I can’t claim to have Barclay’s brilliance! – but it’s that sort of style: both devotional and informative, you know the sort of thing.

St Mark’s Press are emerging as a key publisher of Barclay’s backlist with The Gospels and Acts (two volumes) and The Mind of St Paul already in print and a further three titles planned this year. The Barclay family are keen for them to publish more still, so a programme is beginning to be put together. Back to Simon:

It’s early days yet as we have to get the rights issues finalised and that can take time. We’ll let people know as soon as we can what the new titles are going to be. It’s likely that we’ll do two of Barclay’s books on the New Testament and one of his prayer books in 2011; we’d be interested in hearing from retailers if they have any preferences: whether they’d like more New Testament studies or more books of prayers, or whether they have favourite titles that they’d like to see.

The books that are out at the moment are doing well. The Gospels and Acts is in two volumes: the first covers Matthew, Mark and Luke and the second’s on John and Acts. It was one of the last things Barclay wrote before his death and it’s got a strong claim to be the best. They’re more detailed than the Daily Study Bible but every bit as good; I always find the depth of Barclay’s knowledge and his ability to put things across absolutely astonishing. An incredibly learned and wise man. The Mind of St Paul is an older and shorter work but it’s still very good; it’s an introduction to themes in Paul’s thought and, as usual, is accessible and readable.

All St Mark’s Press books are available direct (with good discounts!) or through STL, Gardners or Bertrams. Contact details and full bibliographic info as follows:

The Gospels and Acts: John and Acts
William Barclay
St Mark’s Press, 2010
ISBN 9781907062070
£14.95 

The Mind of St Paul
William Barclay
St Mark’s Press, 2010
ISBN 9781907062087
£11.95

Mark in 40 Days
Simon and Chris Danes
St Mark’s Press, January 2011
ISBN 9781907062117
£9.95, paperback

The Gospels and Acts: Matthew, Mark and Luke
William Barclay
St Mark’s Press, 2010
ISBN 9781907062063
£14.95

Contact Details:

St Mark’s Press
20 Close Road
Pavenham MK43 7PP

01234 824861 / 077907 13872
info AT stmarkspress.com [email address split to resist spambots]
www.stmarkspress.com

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News Roundup: Bridge Books, Exeter, for sale | Christian Resources, Leicester, on the move | Durham Cathedral (Book)shop downsizing? | Living Oasis, Aberdeen, closing down

Posted on February 15, 2011 by | 5 Comments
Don’t want to comment here? Join the conversation on facebook instead…

WE LIVE IN AN ERA OF CONTINUOUS CHANGE, it seems: some good, some hopeful, some odd, some sad. Not necessarily in that order: 

Bridge Books, Exeter, for sale

The Hopeful News: Bridge Books, Exeter, is for sale, advertised at businessesforsale.com: Christian Bookshop In Exeter For Sale. The business was launched in 2008 and was shortlisted for last year’s Christian Resources Together ‘Small Retailer of the Year’ award. I asked John Robertson, who owns the shop, about the sale. He replied:

Having reached my ‘sell by’ date (70+) we would be happy to ‘pass the baton’ to the next generation who can further develop this business and ministry. It’s always best to move on when things are going well – we’re still in growth, and would be happy to continue in a support role if that is appropriate alongside the new owner, who will need a sense of calling, vision and energy.

So, anyone out there looking for a challenge? John’s contact details may be found at www.bridgebookshop.co.uk: do give him a shout if you’re interested.

Christian Resources, Leicester, on the move

The Good News: Christian Resources, Leicester’s former SPCK Bookshop which broke free from the Brewers back in 2007 under the late Revd Peter Hebden’s leadership, is relocating to St Martin’s House in Leicester’s Cathedral Square. I invited the shop staff to tell us all about it:

Christian Resources is on the Move!

Alison pushing Janette as Christian Resources, Leicester, prepares to move!

Alison pushing Janette as Christian Resources, Leicester, prepares to move!

March 1st will see us opening up our new shop in St Martin’s House next to Leicester Cathedral. This is a move that’s been long envisioned, initially by Rev Peter Hebden who managed the shop in the SPCK years and beyond, until his death in November 2009. The Diocese of Leicester, along with Peter’s widow Cynthia, have run with this vision and now it is becoming a reality.

Christian Resources exists to communicate the Christian Faith, and our aim is to supply the resources and requisites needed for ministry and mission. What better location for the shop than in St Martin’s House, a building dedicated to Hospitality, Outreach and Service.

The Christian Resources Team is Janette, Alison, Karen and Maggie. We’re all excited about the opportunities this move will provide, and look to strengthen our links with the Diocese, as well as serve Christians of all denominations throughout Leicestershire and beyond.

The Bishop Street shop will close at 12.30 on Saturday 19th February, and we open for business in our new home at 9am on Tuesday March 1st.

Opening hours: 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday; 9.30am to 4.30pm, Saturdays.

Our new address is:

St Martin’s House
7 Peacock Lane
Leicester LE1 5PZ

and our new telephone number will be 0116 2615222.

Our email address is still enquiries [AT] christianresourcesleicester.com [email address split to resist spambots - Ed] Please do come in and make yourselves known. A warm welcome will await you.

On a personal note I have to say that I’m very much looking forward to dropping in next time I’m in Leicester. St Martin’s House was once the home of the Alderman Newton’s Boys School, which I attended more years ago than I care to remember… ah, the nostalgia… (short video over on the SPCK/SSG News Blog of Pete Hobson, Project Manager, talking about the redevelopment: Good News in Leicester as Cathedral Square Relocation Plans are Confirmed).

Durham Cathedral (Book)shop downsizing?

The Odd News: Perhaps not so odd, really, given the state of the Christian marketplace these days, but somewhere between hopeful and sad, I fear. Plans are afoot to relocate the shop as part of the Cathedral’s Development Plan and the relocation will, I’m told, lead to a downsizing alongside an apparently decreased emphasis on books. It seems that this once proud theological bookshop is destined to become little more than another Cathedral gift and souvenir shop.

Needless to say this ‘development’ not only has ramifications for the staffing requirements but will also leave Durham without a Christian bookshop, let alone a theological one. Join the conversation: Durham Cathedral Bookshop: One door closes…

Updated 8.30pm, 15/02/2010
Closure reportedly expected by the end of this week, 19/02/2011.

Living Oasis, Aberdeen, closing down

The Sad News: Hot on the tail of losing the Inverness branch to CLC, Living Oasis have now removed the Aberdeen branch from their list of branch locations. I’m told that the shop officially closes at the end of this month, although it may happen much faster given the Inverness experience. The news has emerged in typical Living Oasis fashion, from other sources, Living Oasis themselves being as reticent as ever about communications…

I invited Andy Twilley to offer a statement and he has advised me that “where there is specific news to go into the public domain, be assured, I am always very happy to comment as and when appropriate” and that he “may have a comment to make…. not least on the very exciting developments which are occurring with Living Oasis.” (Andy’s ellipsis).

Well, I tried. If anyone else manages to get any more helpful information from the company, please do let me know or leave a comment. In the meantime, please pray for the staff, not only in Aberdeen and Inverness but elsewhere as they face a period of increasing uncertainty and/or excitement…

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A Christian Bookseller’s Prayer

Posted on February 12, 2011 by | 10 Comments

Adapted with kind permission from One Bookstore Owner’s Prayer:

Dear Lord,

When we started out it all seemed so easy. You opened doors and directed our paths. We saw your hand in everything in those early days. We have our victory stories.

But now it’s different. Changing market conditions and rising costs are closing in on us. We’re stretched in so many ways. We have to work so much harder for the same results. Like soldiers in a battle, we grow weary and discouraged as we watch fellow-soldiers falling all around us. We’re pained and hurting from those who were once closest to us — local church staff — who no longer support our stores with their church purchasing; bulk sales we really need to make everything else possible.

Yes, we’re still reaching people. There’s nothing like the feeling that comes with selling a child or a teenager their first Bible. Or a middle-aged person who is connecting with you for the first time. There’s nothing like being there for someone in the middle of a life crisis, to offer a resource, or just to say, “We’ll remember you in prayer.” (And then to remember!) There’s nothing like helping a young worship leader locate that song they heard on the radio, or having a greeting card that puts perfectly into words the hope and encouragement someone wishes to offer.

But it’s getting harder and harder. We keep saying, “The ministry side only happens when the business side is viable.” These days, the financial side of things just isn’t happening.

Lord, we need wisdom. Lots of it. Probably a lot more than other people in retail. We need a sense of your direction for our lives as we seek to respond to an ever-changing landscape. We also need assurance, encouragement, confirmation. We need to find favour with our suppliers, our landlords, various levels of government, local churches and parachurch organizations, and even a renewed sense of common purpose with our employees. We need opportunities to help out other bookshops who are struggling, and interactions with other stores who might be able to help us out.

We also need revival. As individuals. As local communities. As the Church as a whole in this land. We know that if people hunger and thirst after you, they will also hunger and thirst to read the Bible, to study the scriptures, to reach out to their friends and neighbours and co-workers, to fill their homes with Christian music and Christian literature.

So many Christian radio stations, television stations, websites, megachurches, books being published; so why do those of us who have taken Christian resources to the marketplace struggle so much right now?

We face a time when people are apathetic about reading which converges with a time when people are spiritually apathetic. We need people to once again learn to love the word and to love The Word.

Lord renew our passion for you first, and then, secondly for the things of you. Help us to find the means and the methods to lift your name in the middle of a hurting world. Keep us from buying products that do not truly exalt you. Keep us from being caught up in enthusiasm and emotion and purchasing things our local customers neither need nor want. Help us to have what it is that broken people are searching for at the time they most require it.

Help us to continue to show your love in the part of the world where you have placed us. Help us to be gracious when our closest friends and Church staff don’t support us. Help us to do our best to place the book and music items we have into homes and families.

Lord, we don’t deserve your blessing. But we humbly ask you to be merciful to us as we face unprecedented challenges.

For the honour of your name and the building of your kingdom, we pray;

Amen.

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