On A Mission to Nowhere

I wandered into the Christian bookshop mission in the Central Market, and had a glance around the books on offer. Whenever I do this, I tend to get depressed, and this time was no exception. A few observations...

Despite continual popularity, and the new film out, there are no copies of the Narnia books for sale that i could see; only lots of very evangelical preachy children's fiction. In fact, as far as C.S. Lewis goes, I could only spot "Mere Christianity" in the main section. I'd have throught "A Grief Observed" would make it into the section on bereavement, but evidently not. It seems that the bookshop is starting to view C.S. Lewis with suspicion. No sign of his space trilogy ("Out of the Silent Planet" etc) either, although the appalling Left Behind series (which is a kind of science fiction wish-fulfilment fantasy) is still on the shelves. Clearly C.S. Lewis is being viewed with more suspicion than - for example - ten years ago - when there were most of his books in print on the shelves (and they are still in print, just not on these shelves)

Only N.T. Wright's most recent book "Surprised by Hope" on the shelves; no sign of "Simply Christian", or in fact of any of his popular New Testament "for everyone" series of books. But then they never wanted to stock William Barclay either. Only the Tyndale commentaries, which have a definite theological slant, and while they are good at explaining some of the meaning, lack the gift of homely illustration so prevalent in Wright and Barclay - and dare I say it, the parables of Jesus!

One Rowan Williams "Writing in the Dust", but in the sale books. I got it as a spare copy to take on holiday, at only 50 pence. They did once have his book on the Resurrection, about 5 years ago.

A good sign was the "Left Behind Kids" books, of which there must have been about 30 in the sale area. Obviously kids are wiser than we think!

Lots of very preachy DVDs, with only Amazing Grace managing to creep in from the wider world. Some gospel filmed versions, but not the well-known ones, with a very Anglo-Saxon Jesus. I wonder if they'll have the Passion DVD when it comes out?

Occasionally in the past, the odd gem has slipped by. some of Tom Wright's Everyone series, the book in which he engages with Marcus Borg, a book on lifestyle choices and problems by Windy Dryden, and an excellent new translation of part of the Carmina by Kathleen Jones.

On the whole, it is like browsing the New Age stuff. You know what it is likely to say even before you open a book. Not much element of surprise or challenge to existing preconceptions (or even my preconceptions!) but just the usual formulaic evangelical party line.



On the whole though, it is pretty despressing.