Bible Sales and Reading Jump

Bible sales and reading have jumped significantly as Americans continue their quarantine stay due to the COVID-19 coronavirus.

Compared to last year, many top Christian publishers reported an increase in Bible purchases. For example, Nashville-based LifeWay Christian Resources reported a 62% increase of sales over last year.

“We believe this is no accident, as people often go to the Bible as a source of hope in times of crisis and uncertainty,” Ben Mandrell, Lifeway’s CEO told Fox News. “People draw hope from Scripture because in it they see a God who is with us during our suffering.”

Bible apps also have shown a rise in engagement. According to Christian Today, the popular app YouVersion reported a 54% increase in Bible reading during this year’s Holy Week, as 40.6 million Bible Plan days were completed compared to 26.4 million a year ago. In addition, more than 3.3 million more Bible verses were shared throughout the week.

“Easter looked different this year, but it didn't stop the global church from celebrating Jesus' resurrection,” YouVersion spokesperson Rachel Feuerborn told Christian Today.

One of the most shared verses was Psalm 30:5, “For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”

When it comes to overall e-commerce spending in the past month, no e-commerce shopping category comes close to book sales. CNBC reported book purchases went up a whopping 777%, even outpacing cleaning supplies. Jaimee Minney, an executive at a data examination company, said the increase makes sense as Americans shelter into their homes.

“There’s sort of this trend toward self improvement and using this time constructively,” she said.

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