Do the Most Popular Christian Books Forget to Mention Jesus?

A number of critics have argued that some of theSo long as the book does not restate or recast the
most popular Christian books have only been able toGospel as something other than what it is, it is
achieve their success by "watering down" the Gospelarguably not reducing or minimizing the importance of
and minimizing the importance of Jesus to Christianity.the message.
A few searches of these books using Amazon'sIn addition, such books may have an important role in
"Search Inside" feature provides some objectivetoday's culture, providing a Biblical perspective on the
evidence that these arguments are not entirelylatest trends and interests of readers. Observers are
unfounded.often citing such "new" trends. For example,
For example, Joel Olsteen's book, Your Best LifeAmericans are increasingly interested in
Now, mentions "Jesus" on only 20 of the book's 324self-improvement, and get much of their information
pages.on this topic from books and television programs,
Even worse, Olsteen's Book "Become A Better You"such as Oprah and Dr. Phil.
only mentions "Jesus" on 24 of the book's 404Americans are also increasingly interested in
pages.spirituality. For example, it was widely reported last
Jack Canfeild's Chicken Soup For The Christian Soulweek on Christian News websites that the Southern
mentions "Jesus" on 46 of the book's 424 pages.Baptist Theological Seminary would be the first
In contrast, the NIV Shirt Pocket New TestamentProtestant School in the United States to offer a
mentions "Jesus" on 296 of the book's 422 pages.PhD in "Spirituality." The school hopes to provide a
And even Christopher Hitchens' book, "The Portable"true" understanding of Christian spirituality. Perhaps
Atheist: Essential Readings For The Nonbeliever,"Christian books can similarly address these and other
mentions "Jesus" on 66 of the book's 530 pages.trends, providing a "true" Christian understanding and
Of course, a book can not be judged by its cover,perspective on subjects of interest to modern
and it should not be judged solely by the number ofculture.
times it uses a particular word or phrase. And otherBut does doing so minimize the gospel, creating a
popular Christian books fare somewhat better. For"gospel lite" that ultimately weakens the overall
example, Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Lifeimpact of a matter and a message that some take
mentions "Jesus" on 24 of the book's 132 pages.quite seriously? Does it turn the hidden treasure of
Moreover, the fact that a particular book has athe Kingdom of Heaven into a cheap commodity that
broader focus does not necessarily mean that thesimply offers a few ideas for self-improvement?
book is itself "watering down" the gospel. After all,Ultimately, most believers' time might be better spent
such books arguably bring Biblical and Christianfocusing on the positive benefits associated with
principles to a wider audience, an audience with realpopular "cross over" books, rather than fretting
problems and challenges that would otherwise neverabout the image or brand of the Gospel, which
be exposed to such ideas.today's popular culture trashes on a regular basis.
And while these books may not focus exclusively onAt a minimum, such books likely reach readers that
the Gospel, they do at least make the world a littlewould never enter the door of a church, in
better, in accordance with the Biblical observationaccordance with the well known missions directive
that Christians are "the salt of the earth."that Christians are to "go ye into all the world..."
They might also provide a bridge to unbelievers(never mind the "preach the gospel" part).
seeking something beyond mere self-improvement.