I'm not surprised Christian retailers are struggling. But it's easy to see why. Have you looked at what they stock on their shelves these days? It's pablum, for the most part---either that or pure drivel. There's no meat. It's mostly light Christian fiction, pop psychology, and feel-good ear-tickling gibberish. Little or no prophecy, theology, reference tools, science, history, biography or anything else that might help a struggling Christian to grow. Back when I was a young man in California (I know I'm starting to sound like my father) there were real Christian bookstores, where you could pick up titles by real thinkers and scholars, guys like Lewis, Edersheim, Ryrie, Schaffer, Pentecost and scores of others, along with enough reference works and commentaries to fill a library. It was heaven. I could never get out of there without spending a third of my paycheck on books.

My son Josh now has a part time job at a "Family Christian" store in Charlottesville. All they sell is religious trinkets, CDs, and a few thin, light books. It's pitiful. There's no longer any temptation to blow the budget on reading material. No wonder believers are 98-pound spiritual weaklings these days. I lay the fault for the dearth of meaningful Christian literature squarely at the feet of the publishers, whose eye is on the bottom line, not the spiritual needs of their brothers. Thank God for the Internet.

kp