Top 50 Evangelical Authors

According to the ECPA, here's a list of the current top 50 "best-selling" evangelical authors (Click here: ECPA E-LINK).  A list like this tells us a great deal about the state and health of American evangelicalism.

Alcorn, Randy C.
Alexander, Shaun
Arterburn, Stephen
Beers, Ron
Bell, Rob
Blackaby, Henry T.
Brunstetter, Wanda E.
Chapman, Gary
Cloud, Henry
Colbert, Don
Collins, Brandilyn
Dekker, Ted
DeMoss, Nancy Leigh
Dungy, Tony
Eggerichs, Emerson
Eldredge, John
Ethridge, Shannon
Feldhahn, Shaunti
Gregory, David
Hagee, John
Heavilin, Marilyn
Henderson, Dee
Hybels, Bill
Jakes, T. D.
Jeremiah, David
Kilgore, Kay Wheeler
Kingsbury, Karen
LaHaye, Tim
Lewis, Beverly
Lucado, Max
MacArthur, John
McGraw, Robin
Meyer, Joyce
Miller, Donald
Moore, Beth
Oke, Janette
Omartian, Stormie
Osteen, Joel
Piper, Don
Rice, Helen Steiner
Rivers, Francine
Rosenberg, Joel C.
Shepherd, Sheri Rose
Strobel, Lee
Warren, Rick
Weaver, Joanna
Wick, Lori
Yancey, Philip

Novels, fluff, counseling, and "how to" stuff clearly dominates.  MacArthur and Strobel seem to be the only exceptions.  

Comments

[John Moody]

Yikes! That's really sad. (I'd add Alcorn to the "not wacky" list, though.)

[Mark]

From working at a Christian bookstore I can attest to the validity of this list.

It always shocked me how Joel Osteen and Karen Kingsbury would sell books by the dozen while our C.S. Lewis and J.I. Packer books would go untouched for weeks. I guess it all makes sense when considering our "entertain me" culture.

[Megachurcher]

Sad to see that "Prayer of Jabez" didn't make the cut...
I stepped into a "Christian" bookstore a few weeks ago to get something to read during lunch. Everything they had was completely worth reading: An entire wall of Osteen smiling at me, a section devoted to the esteemed Dr. Dino, and a trashy romance novel section.
I finally settled on Warren's "Distilled Bible: 100% Purpose", which is aparently the 199 most important bible verses paraphrased by Warren complete with commentary and application.
As I feasted on my vietnamese head cheese and steamed fat baggette(its all about the texture), I found that Rick's clear style went down particularly
smooth, I learned to get over my arrogance about reading the Bible for its truthful contextualized content, and realized that the Bible's real purpose is to inspire me feel meaning for myself in a way that is personally special to me.

That night, I went home and watched Die Hard with a lot more spiritual insight.

[keith]

was Don Piper meant to be John Piper?

[Greg]

This is from Don Piper's website:

"On his way home from a church conference in 1989, Don Piper’s Ford Escort was struck head-on by an 18-wheeler. He was killed instantly — pronounced dead by four sets of paramedics. Shortly after the accident, a pastor from the same conference arrived on the scene and began praying for "the man in the red car." God worked a miracle and sent Don back to a now-broken body. To date, 34 surgical procedures have taken place. He walks only as a result of miraculous and in some cases medically unexplainable circumstances. During the time he was dead, Piper was granted the extreme privilege of glimpsing Heaven itself."

[chance]

Don't forget to put Nancy Leigh DeMoss and Donald Miller on the "not wacky" list.

[zrim]

I love that Riddlebarger-ism about the "stew-like nature of AEism."

It's hard to know where the rotten carrot ends and the iron-filled red-meat begins. Even if you happen, though, upon some good meat, doesn't the rotten carrot still leave you looking for a better meal where you don't have to sort through it?

Yet another reason to pursue the churchly means, imperfect as it is, rather than a movement-of-men that thinks it knows better.

Zrim

[Brendt]

John, I'd concur that Alcorn is definitely on the "not wacky" list. But it's probable that a majority of sales for Alcorn books are for his novels (like the very enjoyable *Deception* that I read recently), thereby putting him pretty firmly in the first category that Kim mentioned.

[Rick B.]

I wish they would have ranked them by sales so I could see if Karen Kingsbury beat out Lori Wick and Francine Rivers this year. The Baxter Family series had to have put her on top.

If it needs to said, I'm joking.

[Rick B.]

Why was Don Piper allowed to write about what he heard and saw in heaven but the Apostle Paul wasn't (2 Cor.12:1-4)?

[zrim]

Rick,

Have you not heard? Don's is much more relevant. It scratches my itching ears something fierce.

Zrim

["lee n. field"]

Interesting. I read only two -- John McArthur (one book and a few minor bits) and Lee Strobel (two of his Case For books -- light weight, but provide good pointers for further reading).

Most of these people I've never heard of. Those I have, weellllllll.

[keith]

ok, I guess not...I've never heard of him. I guess its because I do not read Jesus junk.

[Charles S]

I'll visit a local Christian paraphanalia shop on occassion to see what's in the bargain bins. Picked up a brand new copy of Robert Haldene's commentary on Romans for 5 bucks. Sometimes it pays to visit if you find gems like that.

[Raymond McPherson]

I agree with Charles, but it takes a long time sometimes to find those gems under all the dirt.

[lee n. field]

I'm told that over half these people are authors of fiction. That's probably why I recognized so few.

Come to think of it, at the Borders I hit every couple weeks, the "Christian fiction" section is as big as the theology section (counting in everything, including the Orthodox, RC stuff and liberal stuff).

[Tyler]

Hey, what a surprise! I don't see the names "Horton," "Riddlebarger," or "Rosenbladt" on that list. Huh, I wonder why that is.

[Peter Sanlon]

Is there a chance that Don Piper is meant to be John Piper?

If so then it is in some ways a relief- he has a lot of good things to say. It is my job to read Christian books and I have never heard of Don Piper. I seem to recollect coming across a Don Carson somewhere though. Sadly he did not make the above list!

[Peter Sanlon]

Ok I have done my research a bit and can answer my own question. It is not an error and Id encourage you to buy a book by John rather than Don.
Better still read something written by Augustine, Luther, Edwards or Calvin!

[Rick B.]

Peter,

Did your research include reading the above comments?

Don spent 90 minutes in heaven...apparently.