Reenacting the Way
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Why Not To Read Books about Jesus and the Bible from Major Christian Publishers

6/8/2014

5 Comments

 
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I do have an axe to grind. I have been disillusioned. I have gone behind the curtain of Christian publishing. What I found explains why reading popular Christian books rarely helps you learn how to study the Bible correctly or understand Jesus.

I submitted my book proposal for Reenacting the Way (of Jesus) to multiple Christian publishers. I had been told the prowess of your publishing company determined your status as an author. If you wanted to get your message out, find a big publisher to market it well.

I knew my chances of landing a book contract were slim. Most Christian publishers are profit-seeking companies just like non-Christian publishing companies. They want authors who will sell thousands of books, preferably on pre-order. Since I don't speak to 100,000+ people annually via conference tours, church web broadcasts or radio programs, I don't have a big audience ready to buy books. So publishing my book runs a high risk for any company's bottom line. That's business. It makes sense. What doesn't make sense is the rejection letter I received from Moody Publishers.

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"Hi Paul,
I’ve had the chance to read through your proposal. I appreciate what you are looking to accomplish with this in-depth look at Jesus actions. I think it is valuable to open the eyes of believers to some of the less-obvious truths of scripture, especially in the life of Jesus.

After reading through this, however, I think it isn’t going a direction we would like to publish. The primary  challenge we would face with our audience is that the book is a little technically in-depth. It is less of a narrative and has more of a historical commentary feel. The other challenge is that, when explaining things that are not readily obvious to a lay person reading his bible, it is important not to make him feel like he is unable to truly understand scripture without the background knowledge. While you do NOT make the reader feel this way intentionally, the very content of the book calls into question a normal reading of scripture.

I think you might be best suited to pursue this as more of a theological/academic resource for pastors and scholars who are eager and prepared to dig deeper than the average reader."


Keeping You Happy, Dumb and Mishandling Scripture

Zondervan and IVP turned down my proposal in 2009 because their financial situations were tight in the recession. They needed books by authors with established sales records. My "150 books sold to Graduate Schools of Theology around the world" did not impress (see The Common Tradition Behind Synoptic Sayings of Judgment and John's Apocalypse). 

However, the two reasons Moody Publishers cited for passing on the proposal were alarming: (1) the book was a "little technically in-depth" and (2) a reader may "feel like he is unable to truly understand scripture without the background knowledge." Moody had no interest in publishing a book with "depth" created by historical data nor moving the "average reader" beyond "a normal reading of scripture." Their advice was to stick the book in an academic line for those who want "to dig deeper." They assumed no one other than "pastors and scholars" wanted to dig into the real meaning of Scripture.

I was floored. It made sense to say I wouldn't make you money. But, it doesn't make sense to purposefully publish books without the depth to move Christian readers beyond a normal (i.e., uninformed) reading of Scripture. Much of Scripture cannot be understood without serious study of the literary and historical contexts. That's just the way it is. The premise behind getting my Ph.D. in Biblical Studies and teaching Hermeneutics for the last decade is: understanding the whole Bible requires technical skills. Hiding that reality from the "average reader" is downright deception justified by making readers "feel" good. Screening out books that reveal more is needed to understand Jesus or the Bible keeps your audience dumb, happy and mishandling their Bibles. That got me fired up.

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My Response to Moody Publishers

"Thanks for taking the time to review the proposal carefully.  It is disappointing to hear that my work does not match your publishing goals.  Maybe next time.

I would encourage your team to think about the effect you are having on a broad body of Christians.  Purposefully screening out books that bring both depth and point the way to a more accurate reading and response to Scripture is a tenuous way to serve the body of Christ.  Although it may be hard for someone to realize that their use of Scripture or understanding of Jesus has been inadequate, it is necessary, healthy, and a growth opportunity.  Relegating all books with depth that may challenge the status quo to an academic line of books steals the opportunity for a larger, popular audience to grow.  I say these things as a teacher in many "lay" settings where people have been disappointed or almost disillusioned by the inadequate use of Scripture they were taught after hearing my content, but then inspired by the whole new world of following Jesus that has been opened up afterwards."


Not all Christian publishers screen books when they reveal how much work is required to interpret the Bible correctly. I am thankful for IVP's publication of Misreading Scripture Through Western Eyes and Zondervan's How to Read the Bible For All It's Worth. But, most of what you'll find marketed and made available at conferences and Christian stores have been selected for appeal rather than substance.

"Be careful. You may be reading Christian books designed to affirm you in your ignorance rather than educate you for your growth."
Pandering Christian Publishers

Dumbed-down content is the reason why so many Christians cannot interpret their Bible any better after consuming a bunch of popular Christian books. Christians have to settle for ripping "nuggets of truth" out of context to apply as they see fit. Or, they read a Bible chapter each day searching for language with metaphorical or coincidental connections to their circumstances. If something feels right, they go with it. The actual purpose of what God was doing in biblical history or what the texts actually mean in their original context is sidelined for modern imaginations of its relevance. Western assumptions replace the ancient meaning, and God's Word is conformed to personal preferences. It doesn't have to be this way.

The Protestant Church is responsible for placing a Bible in every language and home. That push for the last 500 years has not been matched by efforts to give people the skills to handle the Bible correctly. It's made private Bible misinterpretation standard. Expediency has ruled over accuracy in personal Bible use. Churches have encouraged personal Bible reading but not proper Bible interpretation. Christian publishers are only exacerbating the problem when they screen out books for substance that may cause the average Christian reader to move beyond their normal misuse of Scripture.

Be careful. You may be reading Christian books designed to affirm you in your ignorance rather than
educate you for your growth. The skills you seek to handle the Bible properly may be hidden in academic lines rather than sold at your local book store. I self-published my last book to make sure that didn't happen.

The best books you know about the Bible may be a result of Christian publishers pandering to you rather than pushing you towards the truth. Be discerning.
5 Comments
Peter Davids link
9/16/2014 07:39:43 am

I agree that there is certainly a lot of "fluff" out there and that certain publishers tend to generate more than their share of it. I also agree that it is difficult to break into publishing and that unsolicited manuscripts are met with suspicion. (Of course, knowing a few editors myself, I note that most of them get a largish number of unsolicited manuscripts, most of which they must refuse given the finite publishing resources they have at their disposal.) Further, I suspect from the exchange that you had that there is a theological reason also embedded in the rejection - one should be able to read the Bible without needed "helps" and background material - a theological reason that raises a lot of issues I shall not discuss.

On the other hand, Christian publishing does produce a lot of relatively "heavy" works. I have a number of works out with several publishers and two or three more on the way. While the works vary in format and intended audience (and thus in the amount of Greek and Hebrew printed in Greek and Hebrew alphabets), I have never had push back on the works being too demanding. I have had helpful editorial suggestions or questions, but never push back on my level of writing. Of course, I did try to address the intended audience: Hard Sayings of the Bible (or at least my parts of it) was written with my imaging a student from an InterVarsity Chapter sitting by my desk asking me the question and my "speaking" back to him or her by typing into my computer. But that is not who I address in other works.

So I am not suggesting that you are wrong in pointing out that there is a lot of popular stuff out there that is, to be charitable, biblically questionable in its level if not in its content as well. I am suggesting that one not tar all Christian publishing with the same brush. And I am suggesting that sometimes the reason for a rejection has to do with a lot of issues within the press and the funds available, the works it has already published, the readers who tend to read its works, and the theological filter that some presses more than others use.

Reply
Paul Penley link
9/17/2014 08:25:05 am

Peter -

Thanks for providing your experience. I have appreciated your commentaries on Jude and Petrine literature.

My understanding is that your commentaries and your book on Hard Sayings of the Bible were published in Academic series. My goal was to blend humor, contemporary illustration, and a conversational style with historical context and literary parallels virtually unknown to Bible readers who haven't earned post-graduate Bible degrees. I wanted to bring the fruits of scholarly labor to folks fighting to figure out what Jesus is all about. So I was saddened, not so much by the rejection (which you point out can have many different valid reasons), but by the commitment to relegating substantive material for interpreting the Bible more accurately to academic lines meant for people getting academic Bible degrees.

Reply
Kim
9/27/2020 06:51:34 pm

I happened across your website in searching for information on the 1st-century meaning of "heaven and earth". I learned from the comment section about your book. I looked it up on Amazon, and read a sample of the first several pages, and can attest that I learned something edifying in just that short sample. I ordered the book.

These publishers have lost their way, if indeed they ever "had" it. Were it not for someone taking the risk of making me "feel unable to truly understand scripture", I would not today be experiencing the manifold blessings of continually seeking to understand scripture more deeply.

Just one more thing, if you'll indulge me. In the third-from-the-last paragraph above, you wrote, "Christian publishers are only exasperating the problem . . . ." I think you meant "exacerbating". Sorry, I'm a word nerd.

Reply
Paul Penley (author)
10/16/2020 10:08:34 pm

Thank you for the trust you have demonstrated to me by diving into the book. I hope you Jesus becomes more alive and inspiring to you than ever before. And thanks for catching the incorrect wording above!

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