Despite the coronavirus outbreak, according to Lifeway Christian Resources, Bible sales increased across the globe this year.
Lifeway Christian Resources, a leading provider of Christian books and educational materials, noted in a new report that Bible sales between April and June increased significantly.
Lifeway CEO Ben Mandrell believes that the increase in Bibles can be attributed to people’s desire to seek hope and healing during times of great difficulty, such as the pandemic.
“We believe this is no accident, as people often go to the Bible as a source of hope in times of crisis and uncertainty,” Mandrell said.
He explained that people “draw hope from scripture because in it they see a God who is with us during our suffering. The Bible, as God’s words to us, is a reminder that He doesn’t leave us to walk through difficult times alone.”
Since its founding in 1891, Lifeway has been serving Christians and new believers with a variety of resources including Bibles, books, Scripture reference tools, Bible studies, children’s products, Christian music and movies, gifts, and church supplies.
In January 2019, the company announced that it would close down several retail locations due to a decline in sales and would shift more towards online sales.
As previously reported in April, LifeWay Christian Resources saw an increase in sales of 62 percent in one week as opposed to the previous year.
Alabaster Co., a Bible publisher known for its visually artistic individual books of the Bibles, also saw an increase in Bible sales of up to 143 percent from 2019.
Another Christian publisher, Tyndale House Publishers, also saw a “considerable increase in Bible sales between March 2019 and this past March.
Jim Jewell, an executive for Tyndale, noted that purchases from the company’s Life Application Study Bibles increased up to 44 percent and 60 percent for Immerse Bibles.
So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed” Acts 19:20