Comments on: Evangelical Publishing Juggernaut

By: Aly H.

Aly H. — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

I'd like to add these words to the banned list, but this may be my personal work-experience bias:

-Deliverance
-Apostolic (This word is like "Inconceivable!" from the Princess Bride - Inigo: I do not think it means what you think it means.)
-Victory
-Prophetic
-Anointing
-Warrior, Battle, Armor, Good Fight, etc.

("Apostolic Armor of Deliverance Anointing for Warriors in the Battle for Prophetic Victory?")

Evangelical publishing is an industry just like any other industry - the goal is to sell books, and if you can encourage somebody along the way, the money you've made is a double blessing because you can call it Kingdom work. The people I work with are good-hearted, passionate Christians who really believe what they are doing is eternally significant. I believe in them, but I sometimes have doubts about the significance part, eternal or otherwise. While it may be the way to successful Jesus-following, the hard thing, the narrow road, the path of most resistance is hardly ever the way to successful industry. The customer is always right, and if the customer is a 40-year old soccer mom named Sheila who wants nothing more than to know her battle for teaching evolution as a theorynotafact is anointed, prophetic, and destined for victory...well, sign us up. We're here to sell books, dammit.

By: Chad

Chad — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

CCM sucks too!!! Expecially Casting Crowns, who are my favorite CCM whipping boys and girls. For them, I am actually an anti-fan. Not only will I not listen to it, but I try and evangelize people away from them.

I think this makes me the worst model for Christian HS students in the world. They were singing a Casting Crowns song together and I suggested the get hip to a little Franz Ferdinand.

I am going to hell, but at least the music will be good.

By: Bonowannabe

Bonowannabe — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

I get it; "Christian Retail" sucks.

I'm much more interested in honest artitistic expression, because it will dismantle the the false system by virtue of it's own merit.

If we continue to create half-truths for the sake of commerce, two things will happen:

1.) Lies will continue to spread at an exponential rate.

2.) Delivery systems for truth will eventually be eradicated.

A better option is to care more about truth than money. When we do this two things will happen:

1.) Truth, by virtue of it's own nature, will thrive.

2.) Delivery systems will evolve for the sake of survival.

Blaming retail and publishing is amusing but short sighted. These entities are ultimately dependant on the artist. It is the artists responsbility to speak the truth without compromise. Only then will commerce follow suit.

By: Bonowannabe

Bonowannabe — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

BTW, I’m thinking of writing a book called “40 Days of Delivering Commerce”… It will be marketed with a companion CD featuring Casting Crowns, Barlow Girls and Rage Against the Machine.

By: Aly H.

Aly H. — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

I think it’s a bit unrealistic to assume that honest artistic expression and truth will triumph over the almighty dollar. You’ve got my vote, but I have my doubts about the victory (ha) of substance over cash…at least in the short run.

By: Michael

Michael — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

Ash, I don’t think we need to look to commercially viable conduits as the only means for creatively vital and spiritually vibrant expression. New media distribution (blogs, podcast, others) are already demonstrating that creative work without any obligation to market forces is viable.

By: Phil Aldridge

Phil Aldridge — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

My idea for a great Anathema books:

“The Purpose Driven Prayer of God’s Vitamin C Enriched Chicken Soup for the Left Behind Kids”

Buy now and I’ll throw in this free “My boss is a Jewish Carpenter” bumper sticker ABSOLUTELY FREE!

By: Bonowannabe

Bonowannabe — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

Mike,
New media is viable as a conduit for artistic expression but it often is not viable as a source of income. Are you suggesting that art and commerce should be entirely separate?

By: Michael

Michael — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

Ash, what I’m saying is that there aren’t that many thriving and vital new artists, in ANY medium (print, music, visual) who can manage to be succesful commercially and creatively.

For those who are more creative than commercial, they have unparalleled access to distribution now that would have been impossible 10 years ago. For those who are more commercial than creative, the EPJ seems well suited to delivering that content to a welcoming public.

For those rare artists who are both, the EPJ also serves a vital role; they provide the means to spread the work, and to compensate the artist.

By: Morphea

Morphea — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

Though I agree wholeheartedly with Ash, especially about truth thriving and delivery vehicles being created to make it so, I can see why it’s hard to believe. It would take more faith than I have to try to hope for it while I’m trying to buy groceries. However, the history of music shows bubbles in the timeline where truth-telling, artistic integrity and commercial success all lined up beautifully. Not now, I’m sorry to say. Perhaps there will be similar periods in Christian publishing (which I know nothing about and plan to keep it that way). Those heady periods never lasted long, though, and were accidents, I think. Not the result of careful planning. The artists just had faith, most likely.

And now I will veer back into my accustomed realms of profound ignorance.

Cerise