Tyndale House Publishers has filed a federal lawsuit against the Obama administration after the company was deemed "insufficiently religious" to qualify for an exemption to the nation's health care overhaul law, which requires employers to provide abortion pill coverage.

Filed yesterday in the District of Columbia, the suit claims the Carol Stream, Ill.-based company has been refused a "religious employer" exemption because the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) maintains that any for-profit publisher is categorically non-religious.

Tyndale, though, is strictly a publisher of Bibles and other Christian materials and is owned by the nonprofit Tyndale House Foundation, which provides grants to help meet physical and spiritual needs around the world.

The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which filed the suit on behalf of Tyndale, called the rule an unconstitutional and arbitrary threat to religious freedom.

"Bible publishers should be free to do business according to the book that they publish," said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Matt Bowman. "To say that a Bible publisher is not religious is patently absurd. Tyndale House is a prime example of how ridiculous and arbitrary the Obama administration's mandate is. Americans today clearly agree with America's founders: The federal government's bureaucrats are not qualified to decide what faith is, who the faithful are, and where and how that faith may be lived out."

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld "Obamacare" as constitutional. Formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Obamacare includes a "preventive services" mandate issued by the HHS, which forces businesses to provide the morning-after and "week-after" pills—without co-pay—in their health insurance plans.

"Obamacare demands that Americans choose between two poison pills: either desert your faith by complying or resist and be punished," Bowman said.

Last month, Hobby Lobby and its sister company, Mardel Christian & Education, filed a similar suit, claiming the government mandate is forcing the company's owners "to violate their deeply held religious beliefs under threat of heavy fines, penalties and lawsuits." Failure to provide the drugs in the company's health insurance plan could lead to fines of up to $1.3 million a day.

More than 350 Christian bookstores nationwide encouraged "Adventures in Odyssey" fans to submit videotaped auditions this summer for the popular radio drama series' "Get in the Show" contest—marking the 25th anniversary of the Focus on the Family program.

More than 6,000 children aged of 6 and 15 entered. One fan will be selected to perform in an upcoming episode and will be featured in an "Adventures in Odyssey" audio album. Earlier this week, 12 semi-finalists were selected, and online voting for the three finalists were to begin.

The three finalists and their parents will be flown to Colorado Springs, Colo., to audition live Nov. 3 before a global web audience who will vote for the grand-prize winner. The winner will be interviewed for Focus on the Family's Clubhouse magazine. In addition, Gary Locke, "Adventures in Odyssey's" official illustrator, will draw the likeness of the winner.

In June, more than 4,400 fans from 37 states and one foreign country traveled to Dallas to attend the live "Get in the Show" kick-off event with members of the Odyssey cast.

Though initially created for children, "Adventures in Odyssey" has built a fan base of teens and adults as well, drawing the attention of more than 2 million listeners each week with more than 20 million audio albums, books and products distributed by Tyndale House Publishers.

The series features integrity-building stories centered around Whit's End, a small-town ice cream emporium run by John Avery Whittaker.

Click here for more information on the "Get in the Show" contest. 

With 2013 marking the 50th anniversary of the death of C.S. Lewis, Tyndale House Publishers plans to release a definitive hardcover biography by apologist, educator and best-selling author Alister McGrath.

C.S. Lewis—A Life will release March 2013, in advance of the anniversary observance of the death of the beloved Christian author who died Nov. 22, 1963.

"Not only is he [McGrath] one of the world's most respected Christian theologians, he's also a champion of C.S. Lewis' importance for Christian apologetics and understands the academic culture within which Lewis developed his ideas," said Tyndale Senior Vice President and Publisher Ron Beers. "He is ideally placed to write this biography and will introduce Lewis to a new generation of readers who are eager to understand the mind behind the 'Narnia' series and other popular Lewis works."

McGrath, a former atheist who grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland, studied at Oxford University, where he became a Christian. McGrath subsequently served as professor of historical theology at Oxford until 2008, before taking up the newly established chair of theology, religion and culture at King's College London in London. He is the only scholar to have conducted a complete and chronological analysis of the entire collection of Lewis' written documentation," a Tyndale statement said.

Meanwhile, the St. Thomas Philosophy of Religion Project has announced the two winners of the 2012 C.S. Lewis Book Prize.

First place went to Natural Signs and the Knowledge of God: A New Look at Theistic Arguments (Oxford University Press, 2010) by C. Stephen Evans, university professor of philosophy and humanities at Baylor University.

Second place went to Glittering Vices: A New Look at the Seven Deadly Sins and Their Remedies (Brazos Press/Baker Publishing Group, 2009) by Rebecca Konyndyk DeYoung, professor of philosophy at Calvin College.

The prize recognizes the best recent book in the philosophy of religion or philosophical theology written for a general audience. Twenty-two entries were judged on quality of argumentation, importance of the positions argued for, level of accessibility to a general audience and stylistic or literary merits.

Released Sept. 18, Joel Osteen's I Declare (FaithWords) debuted atop the General best-sellers from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA), tracking sales for the week ending Sept. 22, according to Pubtrack Christian data.

The rest of the Top 20 General best-sellers were: 2. Jesus Calling, Sarah Young, hardcover (Thomas Nelson); 3. Praying God's Word, Beth Moore (B&H Books/B&H Publishing Group); 4. The Bridesmaid, "Home to Hickory Hollow" No. 2, Lewis (Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group); 5. Jesus Calling, Young, deluxe (Thomas Nelson); 6. Unglued, Lysa TerKeurst (Zondervan); 7. Jesus Calling, Young, large print deluxe (Thomas Nelson); 8. The Harbinger, Jonathan Cahn (FrontLine/Charisma House Book Group); 9. Grace, Max Lucado (Thomas Nelson); 10. The Ultimate Conversation, Charles F. Stanley (Howard Books); 11. Not a Fan, Kyle Idleman (Zondervan); 12. Crazy Love, Francis Chan (David C Cook); 13. Heaven Is for Real, Todd Burpo (Thomas Nelson); 14. The 5 Love Languages, Gary Chapman (Northfield Publishing); 15. The Fiddler, "Home to Hickory Hollow" No. 1, Beverly Lewis (Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group); 16. Change Your Words, Change Your Life, Joyce Meyer (FaithWords); 17. Battlefield of the Mind, Joyce Meyer (FaithWords); 18. KJV Standard Lesson Commentary, 2012-2013, softcover (Standard Publishing); 19. Radical, David Platt (Multnomah Books); and 20. Made to Crave, Lysa TerKeurst (Zondervan).

The Top 10 Fiction best-sellers were: 1. The Bridesmaid; 2. The Harbinger; 3. The Fiddler; 4. Unending Devotion, Jody Hedlund (Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group); 5. Coming Home, Karen Kingsbury (Zondervan); 6. Accused, "Pacific Coast Justice" No. 1, Janice Cantore (Tyndale); 7. Promise Me This, Cathy Gohlke (Tyndale); 8. Not in the Heart, Chris Fabry (Tyndale); 9. The Shadow of Your Smile, "Deep Haven" No. 5, Susan May Warren (Tyndale); and 10. A Lineage of Grace, Francine Rivers (Tyndale).

The top five Bibles were: 1. The Story, NIV, deluxe, hardcover, New International Version (Zondervan); 2. The Story: Teen Edition, NIV, softcover (Zondervan); 3. NIV Adventure Bible, hardcover, (Zonderkidz); 4. NIrV Adventure Bible for Early Readers, hardcover, (Zonderkidz); and 5. ESV Thinline Value Edition Bible, TruTone, chestnut, filigree design, English Standard Version (Crossway).

Sue Smith, store manager of Baker Book House in Grand Rapids, Mich., has been elected as the next CBA board chairman. Smith, a CBA board member for the past three years, will assume the key role at the retailers' organization Oct. 1, 2013, when current ly Chairman George Thomsen's term ends.

In an editorial in the October issue of the trade association's Retailers + Resources magazine, Thomsen wrote that Smith is "a wonderful Christian woman and an outstanding retailer from a long-standing, traditional retail establishment."

"Since 1998, I've made a trip to Grand Rapids every May and have visited Sue's store," said Thomsen, general manager of Harvest Bookstore in Riverside, Calif. "It's a great store, currently in the process of being made even better via a major renovation. Sue is a manager who can be found working in the store and isn't afraid to roll up her sleeves and get her hands dirty.

"She's been an involved and valuable member of CBA's board," he added. "She's demonstrated a keen awareness of the issues facing our industry, and has a heartfelt concern for CBA member retailers. Sue is well known and respected among retailers, suppliers, authors and CBA staff alike. It's my firm belief that Sue will be an outstanding chairman in leading CBA into the future."

Smith, 50, who has served Baker store manager since May 2005, told Christian Retailing that she wants “to listen to stores.”

“My goal is to call and visit stores when I can to let them know that CBA is here and cares about them,” she said. “I want to connect with them, pray with them, and listen to where they need help and how we as an association can make a difference.

“The main goal of the chairman is to manage the board and to maintain the integrity of the board’s process,” Smith added. “George has done this well as he has led the ship through turbulent waters. We are healthier now as an association and an industry. ... I am honored to be working with him and certainly will have a hard time filling his shoes as he exits this position next year.”

Thomsen has served as CBA chairman since October 2009—the first year as chairman-elect, completing the unexpired term of Jim Whitaker, and the last three years in his own term.

Since he was appointed to the board in 2008, Thomsen has seen the departure of longtime President and CEO Bill Anderson, the sale of the organization's headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colo., and the adoption of a new management model with Curtis Riskey appointed as executive director.

"CBA has also eliminated all its debt and is now debt free," Thomsen wrote. "We've continued to modify ICRS (International Christian Retail Show (ICRS) to better understand the changing needs of our industry. CBA has created and continues to develop our winter Next conference to help equip retailers to meet the needs of today and tomorrow's marketplace. Through all of these events, the Lord has been faithful and granted us with great favor as we've sought His will and counsel."

Honoring the top movers and shakers in the children’s market

The team at Christian Retailing is honoring the movers and shakers in the children’s industry, just as we did with the gift marketplace in our inaugural “Nifty 50” list in the June issue. The people, products, companies and sometimes stores noted in these lists are those we deem as “making it happen” in the Christian children’s marketplace.

We polled our readers, scanned the industry and came up with our choices—and we are not saying someone should be ranked first and someone else at No. 50. Everyone just “made the list.”

While we know Nifty 50 is not perfect, in our estimation, everyone on the list is to be commended. Surely we have left some off the list who could’ve been included, but we think you'll agree that most of these are the ones who are leading in this segment of the Christian products industry. We are happy to honor them in this way.

Feel free to offer your feedback on Nifty 50 by sending a letter to the editor to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Action Bible

Renowned DC Comics and Marvel artist Sergio Cariello started something big when he redesigned The Picture Bible for David C Cook. With original action heroes, The Action Bible is filled with 750 full-color pages and now has spawned a companion product, The Action Bible Devotional.

Alphabet Alley

Offering “smart fun for little souls,” Alphabet Alley features award-winning products such as Noah’s ABC Stacking Blocks and Christmas Go Fish cards.

Barbour Publishing

Providing value-priced books, Ohio-based Barbour publishes kids’ books such as the “Double Trouble” Amish series by Wanda E. Brunstetter and Jesus Wants All of Me by Phil A. Smouse.

Mike Berenstain, author

Berenstain Bears books go back to 1962 when Mike Berenstain’s parents, Stan and Jan Berenstain, published the first story. Now, having sold more than 260 million copies, products include picture books, beginning readers and chapter books. Jan and Mike are writing and illustrating new adventures now for Zonderkidz.

BJU Press

BJU Press votes for kids by supporting homeschoolers with K-12 educational materials and support services. Under its JourneyForth imprint, BJU also publishers read-aloud books, historical fiction and more for kids.

Annette Bourland, Zonderkidz

As senior vice president and publisher of trade and Kidz at Zondervan, Bourland leads the overall vision and strategic plan for trade, children’s and teen program, managing publishing and overseeing marketing. Previously, she worked at Focus on the Family overseeing children’s and parenting resources.

Cactus Game Design

With board games in demand of late, Cactus Game Design has been filling the need with Bible editions of general-market games, including Apples to Apples and Outburst.

Christian Tools of Affirmation

Empowering Christians as they minister to others, Fenton, Mo.-based CTA conveys messages of faith through Scripture-bearing products, including its Resurrection Gospel Easter Eggs and Gospel Story by Colors products.

Concordia Publishing House

A nonprofit company and the publisher of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, Concordia offers more than 8,000 products, including many children’s titles such as the

best-selling The Story Bible and the “Little Visits” series by Mary Manz Simon.

David C Cook

 Publishing children’s books like The Big Red Tractor by Francis Chan, veteran publisher David C Cook also seeks to empower the church with ministry resources, including Noah’s Park Children’s Church curriculum, to reach the younger set.

DaySpring

DaySpring’s new U-Neeks card line with plush characters was developed in response to consumer requests for cards to encourage children. Based on Psalm 139:14, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made,” the line joins the products in the company’s Really Woolly brand for kids.

Deep Blue Kids Bible, CEV

Kids are encouraged to explore the ocean of God’s love with the Deep Blue Kids Bible (Common English Bible). With callouts, in-text notes and colorful characters to follow, the Bible in the Common English Version is designed for kids ages 7-12.

Dicksons

Having begun in the basement of a small Christian bookstore, Seymour, Ind.-based distributor Dicksons has Christian retailers at heart, fulfilling and shipping a wide variety of children’s products, from novelties to games.

Stephen Elkins, author

From the Hide & Seek Devotional to the LullaBible, author and GRAMMY-nominated record producer Stephen Elkins helps children learn about the Bible and a relationship with Jesus with his many best-selling books for kids.

Faith Baby

“Dressing little blessings,” Faith Baby produces unique baby clothing, including ballerina bow leg warmers, crochet beanies and ruffled baby bloomers.

Greg Fritz, Big Idea

As senior vice president, sales and marketing, Fritz leads the marketing team at Big Idea, helping build Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber into recognizable characters. He also has written two VeggieTales board books.

 Sheila Walsh’s Gigi, God’s Little Princess brand from Thomas Nelson aims to show girls their value in God’s kingdom with books, DVDs and toys catered to young princesses.

Go Fish

Children’s entertainment group Go Fish teach children key Bible concepts through fun songs, with concerts that cater to the family. In recent years, the group has launched its own Scripture-based VBS curricula, including Kickin’ It Old School and Praise.

Good Books

Known widely for its “Fix-It and Forget-It” cookbooks, Pennsylvania-based Good Books also publishes children’s literature, including some Amish titles.

Gospel Light

With the motto “Jesus for the Next Generation, Gospel Light is committed to reaching children for Christ. From Sunday school to VBS curricula, Gospel Light also publishes family ministry resources so parents can more easily pass along their faith to their children.

Groovy, Denver and the Mile High Orchestra

Winning the 2012 Dove Award for Children’s Music Album, Groovy from Denver and the Mile High Orchestra (Go Fish Kids Records) features high-energy, horn-driven songs that teach biblical truth and life lessons.

Group Publishers

Group Publishing engages churches to help them equip children of all ages to grow in relationship with Jesus. Along with its Sunday school and VBS programs, Group hosts the “unconventional” KidMin Conference for children’s ministry workers.

Alongside its trade offerings, Harvest House also publishes books and curricula for kids, including Kay Arthur and Janna Arndt’s Cracking the Covenant Code for Kids and Kelly Chapman’s Princess With a Purpose Curriculum Kit.

His GEM

Two sisters founded Missouri-based His GEM, a name that celebrates God’s view of each person as His treasure. Every His GEM product, whether baby apparel or baby gifts, incorporates scripture.

iShine Ministries

Tween ministry iShine is engaged in “a truth war for the hearts and minds of this generation.” In 2012, iShine artists are going on their fourth national live tour, and iShine products help to meet needs for preteen music, books and more.

Kerusso

Kerusso’s Kidz Light House merchandiser has moved a considerable number of kids’ tees into shopper’s hands. Tees for kids from the “T-shirt evangelism” company—celebrating 25 years in 2012—include the “Be Happy! Being Angry is for the Birds” design and the new “Cherished Girl” line.

Kingstone Media Group

Aiming to become the leading publisher of Christian comics and graphic novels, Kingstone has expanded its reach, being distributed by Anchor Distributors in the Christian market and Diamond Comic Distributors for the comic store market. Its digital comics are available through Novo Ink.

Kregel Publications

Along with publishing homeschool resources, Kregel publishes its own children’s books and distributes select titles from Lion Hudson, including such best-sellers as the Candle Bible for Toddlers and The Lion Illustrated Bible for Children.

Little Angels, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment

Brought to life by Roma Downey of Touched by an Angel fame and “Adventures in Odyssey” writer Phil Lollar, “Little Angels” is an animated DVD series that teaches preschoolers practical learning skills and biblical principles. The line has expanded now to include CDs, books and apps.

Little Disciples

Founded by Vick Asmerian and now operated by pastor Roberto and Marcia Marques, Little Disciples features designs—from bibs to beanies—that incorporate scripture “to convey God’s message of love for all His children.”

Sally Lloyd-Jones, author

A British children’s book writer who was raised in Africa and now lives in the United States, Lloyd-Jones is a New York Times best-selling author. She wrote the Jesus Storybook Bible and Song of the Stars (both Zonderkidz), among many other titles.

Dan Lynch, B&H Kids

Formerly vice president and publisher for Tommy Nelson, Lynch now heads the B&H Kids team at B&H Publishing Group. Experienced with top brands such as Bibleman and Max Lucado’s Hermie & Friends, he is leading a new initiative with authors including Angie Smith, Amy Parker, Tom Blackaby and Rick Osborne.

After having her own children, Mackall expanded her writing to board books, then picture books, early readers, chapter books, middle-grade fiction and nonfiction, and young adult novels. Along with her books for adults, her works total more than 400 from publishers including Standard Publishing and Tyndale House Publishers.

Paul McCusker, Focus on the Family

As a producer, writer and director for “Adventures in Odyssey,” McCusker has contributed significantly to the success of the series. His work for “Odyssey” includes 18 novels and two screenplays for the animated videos. He also adapted and directed A Christmas Carol and “The Chronicles of Narnia” for Focus on the Family Radio Theatre.

McDowell has produced two award-winning animated series, “Paws & Tales” (Tyndale), adapted from Chuck Swindolls' works, and “Adventures in Booga Booga Land” (Thomas Nelson), recounting the parables of Jesus for children.

Dan Miley, Rainbow Publishers/Legacy Press

As CEO and publisher, Miley leads the innovative Rainbow Publishers and Legacy Press. Rainbow specializes in reproducible teaching books and recently introduced nursery Bible lessons, while Legacy publishes devotionals, guides for growing up and fiction.

Laura Minchew, Thomas Nelson

Minchew, senior vice president of specialty publishing at Thomas Nelson, divides her time between children’s products, gift books and new media. She has published many best-selling authors and brands, including No. 1 New York Times best-seller Heaven Is for Real for Kids and Max Lucado’s Hermie & Friends brand.

Stephanie Perry Moore, author

Published under Lift Every Voice, an imprint of Moody Publishers targeting African-American readers, Moore’s “Alec London Series” is written for boys 8-12. Moore also is

author of Young Adult fiction, including the “Payton Skky” series, and is co-editor of REAL, a Biblezine from Thomas Nelson.

Mike Nawrocki, Big Idea

Along with being the voice of Larry the Cucumber and other characters, Nawrocki—co-creator with Phil Vischer of VeggieTales—is executive vice president at Big Idea Entertainment Studios. His work also includes directing The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything movie and developing the 3-2-1 Penguins! series.

New Leaf Publishing Group

With children’s Bibles from New Leaf Press and kids’ literature from Master Books, New Leaf Publishing Group also supports homeschoolers and other educators with evolution-free resources.

Mary Manz Simon, author

With her children’s books having sold more than 3 million copies, author, educator, radio personality and children’s market expert is a strong supporter of Christian retail stores. She is also an advisor to Mothers of Preschoolers and Christian Retailing.

The Sparkle Box

An oversized picture book from Ideals Children’s Books, The Sparkle Box: A Gift With the Power to Change Christmas aims to create a new family Christian tradition. The book includes a “sparkle box” to be used for children preparing their gifts for Jesus at Christmas.

Talicor/Aristoplay

Started with the Ungame, which has sold 5 million units, Talicor/Aristoplay is also one of the longest licensees for VeggieTales. With 85% of its products published in the U.S., the company distributes only in the specialty market, not to big-box stores.

Christine Harder Tangvald

Tangvald has been writing for children for more than 25 years, sometimes with her daughter, Rondi DeBoer. She has nearly 100 titles to her name and almost 3.5 million books in print. She is also the founder of Spokane Christian Writers.

Michael Turner, New Day Christian Distributors

 New Day’s Turner is helping Christian retail stores position and market well-chosen toys and games, offering lines such as Melissa & Doug, Playmobil and Hedstrom.

Tyndale Kids

Celebrating 50 years, Tyndale House Publishers started with founder Ken Taylor wanting his children to understand the Bible, so he created the Living Bible. Since then, the company has produced exceptional products that speak to children, including books such as I Couldn’t Love You More and My Beautiful Princess Bible (both Tyndale Kids).

Vischer gained fame as co-creator of VeggieTales and the voice of Bob the Tomato. Produced by Jellyfish Labs and Tyndale Kids, his “What’s in the Bible?” DVD series explains the entire Bible—from Genesis to Revelation—to kids in a format that is humorous and entertaining.

Bob Wallace, Standard Publishing

A creative marketer and product developer, Wallace helps make kids’ products sellable, with the underlying commitment to teaching God’s Word. He has helped establish the company’s leadership with the Children’s Pastors Conference and launch innovative partnerships in VBS such as with Yancy and Back2Back Ministries. He also has worked with best-selling authors including Mary Manz Simon, Beth Guckenberger and Ryan Frank.

Warner Press Kids

From Egermeier’s Bible Story Book to the purity-promoting The Princess & the Kiss, Warner Press Kids, a division of Warner Press, a Church of God publisher, provides creative products in part to equip the church and give hope to future generations.

Yancy

Unconventional singer-songwriter Yancy lends her voice to the theme song for Standard’s 2012 VBS, Adventures on Promise Island, and entertains kids with her new album, Stars, Guitars and Megaphone Dreams (Syntax Distribution).

GRAMMY-nominated Jeremy Camp was recently honored for his 32 No.1 radio singles since his debut 10 years ago.

During the past decade, Camp has spent 175 weeks at No. 1 across numerous formats, including National Christian Audience and Rock. Earlier this month at the Christian Music Broadcasters Momentum conference in Orlando, Fla., Camp was presented with a plaque commemorating his achievement from Tooth & Nail/BEC Recordings President Brandon Ebel.

"I'm so honored to see how the Lord has used the songs on radio to impact lives," Camp said. "I'm grateful for all of the radio programmers, on-air personalities and the BEC radio team for all that they have done to share these songs with the listeners."

Camp also performed the debut radio single "Reckless" from his upcoming 2013 studio album. Just released, Christmas: God With Us (Tooth & Nail/BEC Recordings), is his first full-length Christmas project, featuring songs such as "Jingle Bell Rock," "Joy To The World" and "Mary Did You Know."

In November and December, Camp will also be a part of The Story tour, featuring a full choir and orchestra along with Casting Crowns' Mark Hall, Natalie Grant, Matthew West, Nichole Nordeman and Selah.

Meanwhile, Audio Adrenaline, a Christian rock band that formed in the late 1980s but retired in 2007, has re-formed with an altered lineup in a move that is a renewed effort by the group to help orphans in Haiti and around the world. Founding members Mark Stuart and Will McGinniss will be joined by new vocalist Kevin Max, formerly of dc Talk.

The band's first single, "Kings and Queens," will be released in November with the new album slated to release March 2013 from Fair Trade Services, a new label for the band.

Net proceeds from the album's sales will go to Hands & Feet Project, a nonprofit organization started in 2004 by Audio Adrenaline members that is dedicated to helping orphaned and abandoned children in Haiti.