Studies say people are less religious, yet Bible sales are soaring. What does it mean?
Bible sales increased 22% through October 2024 – apparently fueled by worries about the economy, wars abroad, and the U.S. election, the Wall Street Journal reports.
In contrast, total print book sales in the U.S. only increased 1% during the same period.
The November 2023 sales of Bibles reported by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) shows the most popular translation versions sold were 1) English Standard Version, 2) New International Version, 3) King James Version, 4) New Living Translation, 5) New King James Version, 6) Christian Standard Bible, 7) Reina Valera (Spanish), 8) New American Standard Bible, 9) New International Reader's Version, and 10) New Revised Standard Version.
The best selling Christian books is determined by the ECPA and Circana NPD Bookscan. Additionally, the books also appear on the New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon.com bestseller lists.
The increase in Bible sales has been driven by factors such as rising anxiety and a search for meaning, ECPA President Jeff Crosby told the Wall Street Journal.
“People are experiencing anxiety themselves, or they’re worried for their children and grandchildren,” said Crosby, adding “It’s related to artificial intelligence, election cycles…and all of that feeds a desire for assurance that we’re going to be OK.”
Bibles are being sold to many first-time buyers, Bethany Martin, manager of the Faith & Life Bookstore in Newton, Kan., told the Wall Street Journal.
“They’re looking for hope with the world the way it is, and the Bible is what they’re reaching for,” she said.
Additionally, new editions of the Bible and innovative marketing may also be driving sales, said J. Mark Bertrand, founder of Lectio.org, a website about Bible design.
“I’d like to say there is a craving for knowledge of scripture, but a lot of smart people are thinking about Bible marketing and catering to every whim for Bible study,” he said.
Interesting, the increase in Bible sales comes at a time when surveys and studies indicate that Americans are growing less religious.
The Wall Street Journal article also noted that this jump in Bible sales comes despite evidence that Americans are growing less religious.
“The Pew Research Center found that about 28% of adults in the U.S. now consider themselves religiously unaffiliated. Yet Bible sales rose to 14.2 million in 2023 from 9.7 million in 2019, and hit 13.7 million in the first 10 months of this year. Readers are also stocking up on related titles that provide guidance, insights and context—even sets of stickers to flag particularly meaningful passages.”
It is no wonder the Bible has been so popular, especially in difficult times. It is the undisputed best-selling book in all human history. GotQuestions.org says this about the Bible:
“The Bible is great literature . ... It contains history, entertaining stories, poetry, philosophy, and personal letters. But, more than that, the Bible is God’s Word. If we have to speak of a single purpose of the Bible, it would be to reveal God to us. There are many things that we could never know about God unless He told them to us. The Bible is God’s self-revelation to humanity. The Bible also tells us who we are. It tells us of our sin and of God’s plan of salvation in Jesus Christ.”