FROM HIS VANTAGE POINT AS author, youth pastor, and Emergent Village national coordinator, Tony Jones sees a renewed interest in the classic Christian titles of the past couple millennia. Jones, a senior research fellow impractical theology at Princeton Theological Seminary, is midway through writing the introduction and reader's notes to four updated classics for Paraclete Press. The re-titled classics are You Converted Me (the first eight books of Augustine's Confessions, released in March), The Most Difficult Journey You'll Ever Make (Pilgrim's Progress, October), a reworking of Brother Lawrence's The Practice of the Presence of God, and an as-yet unselected title by a female author. Classics are a backlist staple for many Christian publishers. These titles tend to be overshadowed by front list bestsellers, but that may be changing. Disenchanted with what they perceive to be shallow and unauthentic Christianity, post-moderns tend to look to the past for inspiration and authenticity. This interest is reflected in the recent return in popularity of ancient hymns and prayers, the lectio divina, and spiritual- formation practices that require a more rigorous attitude toward faith. Retailers who want to attract a younger, emergent-church crowd would be wise to highlight and promote Christian classics, Jones says." Classics have stood the test of time:' he says. "They not only tell the message of the kingdom of God but do it in away that's profound and captures someone's imagination, whether that person is in the sixth or 2 1 11 century." "Pilgrim's Progress is probably the most-read book (after the Bible) in the history of the English language. Confessions is in the top 10. The fact that it was written by one of Christianity's top theologians about his own adolescence and conversion makes it even more attractive to young readers. Retailers would be crazy not to stock it. "Jones admits to being disheartened by much of today's Christian literature, which he considers shallow and market-driven. He warns that teens and twenty some things don't want what they consider trivial reading matter. College students, who read and discuss Plato and Aristotle in their college courses, want challenging spiritual texts. The same applies to teens, Jones observes. As a youth pastor, he's seen their eagerness to be challenged. Jones suggests retailers work with churches and youth pastors to stock classics at youth conferences and other events for teens and twenty some things. "As bookstores find themselves shrinking in the marketplace, one of the ways to re-engage is to set up book clubs that get people to question and discuss books that challenge them:' he adds. "It might get people to show up on a Thursday night, drink their coffee, argue for a couple of hours, and maybe buy a few books before they left. "Go on, take a chance!" |
