NavPress is spotlighting a new book inspired by the Activist Faith movement. Released today, July 15, Activist Faith, written by pastor Dan King, professor Dillon Burroughs and media director Daniel Darling, looks at 12 divisive social issues Christians can't ignore, including environmentalism, immigration, abortion and human trafficking.

The authors have been involved in the Activist Faith movement since it began on BeliefNet.com in November 2012. With nearly 1,000 posts and tens of thousands of readers, Activist Faith is an online movement of Christians mobilizing in regard to key social issues.

The movement encourages Christians to identify ways—from speaking up verbally to using social-media tools—they can encourage individuals and companies to be alert to what's happening in the world around them and make a difference in it.

King, Burroughs and Darling will discuss the book and movement live tomorrow on www.thehighcalling.org with host and Senior Editor Marcus Goodyear. To watch it live, visit http://bit.ly/THCLiveAF.

Retail sales ended the second quarter on a soft note, indicating that economic growth and acceleration has weakened, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF).

Core retail sales—excluding autos, building materials and fuel—increased 0.6% seasonally adjusted and increased 3% unadjusted year-over-year in June. Including those categories, last month's retail sales rose 0.4% and 5.7% unadjusted year-over-year, U.S. Department of Commerce figures showed today.

Book and music, sporting goods and hobby stores' sales increased 0.7% seasonally adjusted month-to-month, and rose 0.2% unadjusted year-over-year, NRF said.

"Consumers remain wary," NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. "Even though healthy home prices and stock values are helping to improve confidence and spending, stagnantly high unemployment, higher taxes and lingering policy uncertainty continue to keep shoppers and economic growth at bay. The recovery is solid and good, but its pace remains measured and modest."

NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz noted that "the consumer economy is improving."

"But growth rates and retail sales will remain reserved for the foreseeable future," he said. "U.S. households have adjusted their spending to a slow-growth economy. With employment and consumer confidence improving, we expect that the second half will be better than the first."

New York Times best-selling author Wanda E. Brunstetter, who has written more than 70 fiction and nonfiction books featuring the Amish, invites quilters to participate in a quilt-square drive to benefit a mental health facility in Goshen, Ind., that serves the Amish community.  

Through Aug. 31, quilters who wish to participate are invited to submit a 6-inch quilted block.

Destiny Image has announced a partnership with Reverence Gospel Media (RGM) to develop and release a new line of books, curriculum and multimedia products from RGM/New Breed Publications, RGM’s newest division.

The partnership will launch with the theatrical release of RGM’s debut feature film, I’m in Love With a Church Girl, starring Jeff “Ja Rule” Atkins, Adrienne Bailon, TobyMac, Vinny Pastore, Michael Madsen and Stephen Baldwin. Author Ryan Phillips will create a novelization of the film, timed to coincide with the movie’s Oct. 18 nationwide theatrical release.

Kingstone Media, a Central Florida-based company that publishes faith-based comics and graphic novels, has began offering its entire catalog on the leading comic app—Comics by comiXology—for iPad/iPhone devices.

"ComiXology is the de facto leader in delivering comics and graphic novels worldwide," Kingstone CEO Art Ayris said. "We like putting Christ and the Scriptures in the mainstream of the comic conversation."

David Steinberger, CEO of comiXology, added: "Providing the broadest range of comic and graphic novel content has always been our mission at comiXology. We're thrilled to add Kingstone media to the mix."

Kingstone recently released Eternity, the first graphic novel by New York Times best-selling author Randy Alcorn. Featuring illustrations by veteran comic artist Javier Saltares, Eternity is set in first-century Jerusalem, telling Jesus' story of the rich man and Lazarus, while depicting "two shockingly different spiritual dimensions," Alcorn said.

Besides Eternity, Kingstone's 25 comic books and 12 graphic novels are available on the comiXology platform. In 2014, comiXology will also feature Kingstone's 12-volume Kingstone Bible project, the most complete graphic adaptation of the Bible ever done. Additionally, Kingstone recently signed on with iVerse Media, the leading provider of digital material to libraries nationwide.

Comics/graphic novel sales have topped $500 million in the U.S. and $5 billion in Japan, Kingstone officials said. The primary market for comics/graphic novels is boys ages 9 to 14, while Ayris noted that a second significant percentage of Kingstone readers are males ages 30 to 45.

Learning and education expert Mary Manz Simon said comics and graphic novels go places that traditional Bible or Sunday school lesson might not reach.

"The sales lift of graphic novels and comics is not surprising because these formats are visually arresting and shout 'fun,'" she said. "We live in a visual society. Readers who are accustomed to look at images will be compelled to look at vividly colored graphic novels like Eternity."

Visit www.kingstonemedia.com for more information.

Zondervan plans to keep its headquarters in Grand Rapids, Mich., although its former warehouse and distribution center was purchased recently.

HarperCollins Christian Publishing Director of Corporate Communications Casey Harrell told Christian Retailing that she could not comment about plans the new owners, Ilinois-based Franklin Partners, has for the building.

"The Zondervan headquarters is still in Grand Rapids, and we have all intentions to keep it there past January 2014," said Casey Harrell, the company's director of corporate communications. "No final decision has been made on the new location of the building. ... Our current lease in the Patterson Drive location in Grand Rapids does not expire until January 2014."

The 395,000-square-foot office and distribution center once used by Zondervan will be divided into two segments—a 200,000-square-foot industrial building and a 100,000-square-foot office building, according to Franklin Partners, The Grand Rapids Press reported.

Zondervan, Thomas Nelson's sister company under the umbrella of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, vacated the warehouse and distribution center, laying off its 75 employees last summer, the newspaper reported.

Zondervan announced that it would move out of the office building it shared with Family Christian Stores when it closed the warehouse and distribution center last summer. However, Zondervan officials later announced that they had signed a 16-month lease extension while they sought a new home for the company's 250 employees, the Press reported.

Duke Suwyn, president of Colliers International, the commercial real estate firm that represents Franklin Partners, said Family Christian plans to remain in the building, but Zondervan's status as a tenant remains "indefinite," the newspaper reported. Zondervan moved into the office and warehouse building in 1992.

Alex and Stephen Kendrick, the brothers who created the hit movies Fireproof and Courageous, are "expanding their film-making endeavors beyond the walls" of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Ga.

"It is with hearts of gratefulness for the past and a sense of God's leadership for the future that the Kendrick brothers are announcing a new direction," the siblings said on their website. "Kendrick Brothers Productions will be launching an independent movie production company designed to partner with believers across the nation and help train the next generation of Christian filmmakers."

After years of prayer, and with the support of Sherwood Baptist Pastor Michael Catt and Executive Pastor Jim McBride, the brothers plan to make their next as-yet-titled movie under the new company.

Alex Kendrick told Christian Retailing that the venture "is basically growing pains."

"My brother and I are still ordained ministers at the church, and it's still our home base," said Kendrick, who with his brother made four films under the Sherwood Pictures banner—Courageous, Fireproof, Facing the Giants and Flywheel. "This is a blessed venture from pastor of the church and what God is calling us to do. It's part of growing pains of this movie ministry."

Catt added: "We love these guys and are grateful for God sending them to our staff over a decade ago. When we began this journey, none of us had movies in mind. ... Our prayers are with them as they pursue future endeavors."

Under the new company, the Kendricks will able to film outside Albany, and not just use volunteers from the church in making their movies.

"For the next movie, we will shoot wherever we need to shoot, and we'll include as many Christian film students [as possible]," Kendrick said. "We need to be investing in the next generation, teaching them what we know at this point. We're thinking of passing the torch someday. We still have several films in us. Just as 2 Timothy talks about teaching faithful men, we want to teach other filmmakers to honor the Lord."

The brothers are currently writing the script for their next movie.

"We know the title, theme and story, but it's a little too soon to say," Kendrick said. "That's coming in the near future. We hope to be done in about a year. It should be in theaters in either fall 2014 or early 2015."

Learn more at http://kendrickbrothers.com/.