What Surging Bible Purchases Say About Our World
By Movieguide® Contributor
Bible purchases are skyrocketing, and that’s something to get excited about.
Through October of this year, Bible sales rose 22% compared to the same time period last year. The number is even more astounding when compared to other book sales which increased by only 1%. The Wall Street Journal “found Bible sales increased from 9.7 million in 2019 to 14.2 million in 2023. In the first 10 months of 2024, 13.7 million copies were sold, with still two months left to count,” per Faithwire.
While some leaders in the Christian publishing space believe the increase is due to the growing anxiety people feel, it’s encouraging to see that people want to find peace and hope in God.
“People are experiencing anxiety themselves, or they’re worried for their children and grandchildren. It’s related to artificial intelligence, election cycles…and all of that feeds a desire for assurance that we’re going to be OK,” Jeff Crosby, the president of the Evangelical Christian Publishers, said of the sudden rise in sales.
Tyndale House Publishers’ Amy Simpson “has seen a surge in Bible engagement, particularly among members of Gen Z and college students.”
“You have a generation that wants to find things that feel more solid,” she said.
READ MORE: THE BIBLE IS TRANSFORMING GEN Z
This interest in faith and the Bible isn’t necessarily a surprise. Barna previously reported that since the pandemic, people are more open to faith and hearing about God.
“Spiritual openness is widespread right now. Barna data show that 77 percent of U.S. adults believe in God or a higher power, 74 percent would like to grow spiritually, and 44 percent are more open to God today than they were before the pandemic,” the group reported.
Barna also mentioned how even many who are not yet committed to Christianity still believe the Bible is true: “Alongside a general warmth toward God and Jesus, spiritually open non-Christians have a perhaps unexpected reverence for scripture. They tend to agree the Christian Bible is both divinely inspired and completely accurate.”
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