Christian publishing may have been without a mega best-seller this year but one leader thinks that is a good thing that has made room for a more important development.

 David Almack, U.S. director and publisher with CLC International, observes that in the absence of a mega-seller promising the good life, titles like Radical, Jesus Calling, Crazy Love, The Love Dare and even the classic The Five Love Languages have appeared on the New York Times best-seller lists.

 “The basic message in many of these books is the incredible story of the God of the universe making the ultimate sacrifice of His only Son, which compels believers to lives of sacrifice and love for others out of gratitude, not duty,” he notes.

 “For a world sick and tired of phony promises, this is indeed good news about Christianity itself. Instead of looking inward for ways to improve ourselves and achieve the American dream by joining the right church or reading the right book, these new authors are pointing us in an entirely different direction for finding significance and purpose in life.”

 In his Nov. 21 posting at his blog, Almack welcomes “a new generation of readers (that) appears to be seeking a robust presentation of the love of Christ for a dying world,” and suggests it's time for “sober introspection” to “evaluate the serious consequences of promoting a gospel that requires so little while promising so much.

“Now is the time for us all to repent and return to publishing, distributing and selling books that present Jesus as the 'lamb that was slain' and who gave His all so that we might have life at all.”

Best-selling books may come and go, but the Bible remains a firm favorite.

God's Word came out top in a list of popular books for discussion groups in an online poll conducted by Reading Group Guides to mark its tenth anniversary.

The Bible came first in the list of Top 10 Strange Book Club Choices compiled from votes by more than 12,000 people. Next on the list was The Ethical Slut: A Practical Guide to Polyamory, Open Relationships and Other Adventures by Dossie Easton and Janet W. Hardy.

Heading the overall Top 10 Discussion Books was The Help by Kathryn Stocket. Fifth was Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth ilbert, while Anita Diamant's The Red Tent—a novel about the biblical character Dinah—was tenth.

You can find his entire address here:

Announcing in his latest blog that his new release, Immanuel's Veins (Thomas Nelson), has been "banned" in Holland for being too racy, he wonders if Christian publishing should "force our characters to wear turtle necks and long sleeves?"

Dekker defends Immanuel's Veins—vampires, seduction and sacrificial love in 18th century Russia—as "a passionate tale of God's love for his bride, perhaps the most Christian book I've ever written." Yes, it is sensual in parts, he admits, "but no more than the sensuality expressed by King Solomon, to whom I've dedicated the book."