‘In the beginning…

by Clem Jackson

Foreword by the Editor of Christian Marketplace

is published every month by CCP Ltd. www.christianmarketplace.org.uk

Christian Marketplace

CHAIRMAN

David Heron

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

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EDITORIAL

Clem Jackson

Editor

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The right to reproduce any extract from this publication should be sought in writing from the publishers. The acceptance of advertising does not necessarily indicate editorial acceptance. The opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of Christian Marketplace. Christian Marketplace seeks to work with all within the Christian retail industry who are committed to historical, orthodox Christianity regardless of denomination. Christian Marketplace is published by Christian Communications Partnership (CCP) Ltd, which is owned by the Premier Media Group and Spring Harvest. ISSN 1475 5289 © Copyright 2010 CCP Ltd. Published in Great Britain

… was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the word was God’. As everyone knows (at

least everyone who reads this magazine I hope) this is the first verse of John’s Gospel. But some friends of mine recently had the experience at a Pub Quiz of hearing the quizmaster announce that these were the first words of the New Testament! When this error was pointed out to him quietly after the quiz had ended he replied; “Oh, I though all the gospels started like that”. Bible Poverty exists, not just in the parts of the

world where they don’t have the Bible but in the UK (and other parts of the Western World no doubt) where not only do we have access to the Bible, but many people have more than one copy in their homes. I recently attended a couple of events which made

me think about this issue of Bible poverty and, I have to say, I was rather disturbed by some of what I heard. At the recent Biblefresh launch in the Houses of Parliament, I heard Ann Holt from Bible Society relate the statistic that, according to a recent survey, less that 40% of evangelicals ever pick a Bible and less than 30% read their Bible on a regular basis. Added to that a significant number of church leaders no longer preach using God’s word as their text. Perhaps it’s not surprising that the quizmaster didn’t know the right answer to his question. Just a few days later I heard that of the 7,000

known languages in the world over half still do not have even one book of the Bible translated in their own language. In Ghana for example, a very Christian country, there are 42 languages but only 12 of these have a translation of the Bible.

Letters

Why so expensive?

Dear Clem, Just after Christmas, my wife and I were watching

TV. During an advert break, Pixie Lott's latest CD was being promoted. Not only is Pixie very much a star of the moment, but the CD included two number 1 singles - all for the cost of £7.99. My wife remarked “Gosh, CDs have come down in price!” to which I replied “Not Christian ones!” A glance at the Music Reviews on page 29 of February's Christian Marketplace appears to confirm my view - the least expensive CDs are priced at £9.99. So why is it that Christian CDs are so much more expensive (20% if my arithmetic is correct)? And why is it that pdf sheet music is so expensive?

To buy the sheet music for a worship song from Kingsway's internet site is at least 10 times more expensive than buying sheet music in a music book even though the arrangements are the same. Not only that, I pay for my own paper and ink and

Kingsway don't need to invest in any stock. In an era where some Christian retailers are

struggling, is it possible that if they were to offer better value for money then perhaps sales would increase? After all, this is what the supermarkets try to do. Yours sincerely, Robin Henderson

At the cutting edge

Dear Clem Thank you for the extensive coverage of the recent happenings in the Christian publishing and retailing trade in the latest (March 2010) issue. You’ve been at the cutting edge in giving us the story and the story behind the story, such as the interviews with Paul Bootes, John Paculabo and Ray George. I may be one of your columnists and thus biased, but I was so impressed this month I had to write! Amy Boucher Pye

4 April 2010 www.christianmarketplace.org.uk FOREWORD & LETTERS

clem.jackson@premier.org.uk

There are people around the world crying out for the

Scriptures whilst we in the developed world are sitting with vast resources and not using them. In China for example, demand for Bibles outstrips supply despite 4 million copies being distributed in 2009 (see p12). Across Africa, India and the Philippines, to name but three regions, the story is similar. The General Election is looming – by the time you

read this the date may even have been announced – and the politicians will be doing their best to tell us what they will be doing in our best interests if we elect them. Issues such as morality, decency, family values etc., guidance on all of which can be found in the Bible, will feature strongly. But very few will focus on that fact. As fewer and fewer people find themselves

in church on Sunday the role of the Christian presence on the high street has never been more important. We have the words of eternal life and hope for a damaged world and, as a trade, we all need to focus on that and do all we can to work together for the good of all. Be encouraged, be strengthened and take the opportunity to join together at high Leigh and/or CRE next month. We all need each other if we are to turn the tide of Bible poverty. Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52