One Reason Why "Charismatic" Publishing Is Growing

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I recently spoke to a spec-fic novelist who signed a multi-book contract with my publisher Charisma House (formerly Strang Communications). My apologies for sounding like a shill, but as much as I talk about speculative fiction here, it is neat to see Charisma House assembling a a formidable crew of spec authors (Mike Dellosso, Conlan Brown, Greg Mitchell, Linda Rios Brook, myself, and the aforementioned  author-to-be-named later). In an economy that appears to be tanking, how has CH managed to pull this off?

Agent Chip MacGregor, in a post regarding CBA trends, said this last year:

The fastest growing segment of Christianity is charismatic, and we have probably neglected to mention that some small charismatic houses (Strang, Destiny Image, Harrison House, etc) have recently sold a ton of books — so certainly somebody is buying their materials, whether they are in big ponds or small, and whether they are in general markets or not.

In the comments, it was clarified that charismatic books are not necessarily the fastest growing segment of the industry, but that the Charismatic movement is alive and well in the Church. Apparently, Charisma House has captured that fire, and as reported during Strang's re-branding, "the company (CH) has become known as the leading charismatic/Pentecostal publisher in the world."

At the moment, a growing group of speculative authors are part of this.

I am personally encouraged by this trend, for two reasons. The obvious reason is that CH has contracted me for two books. Secondly (and way more importantly) is my belief that Charismatic / Pentecostal theology better aligns (biblically and practically), with a supernatural view of the universe.

As I suggested in one of my all-time most popular posts, Why Supernatural Fiction is Under-Represented in Christian Bookstores, American Christians have been drifting from a supernatural worldview. This miracle-less, materialistic worldview has ravaged the Church. Supernaturalism has been replaced by naturalism. The miracles of the Bible are little more than crumbling monuments to a mythical age. In many denominations, it is easier to "come out" as being gay, than Charismatic.

So let me float this suggestion: One reason that Charismatic publishing is growing is because Charismatic theology better aligns with the real world. Statistics continue to reveal (as do our choices of TV programs, books, and films) that people believe in the supernatural. We believe in angels, demons, ghosts, unexplainable events, and the afterlife. We believe in weirdness! As a result, Christians are tiring of a world without wonder, a world where an all-powerful God is often perceived as silent, impotent, uninvolved, disinterested, and boring.

I am not privy to my publisher's business model, sales figures, or marketing strategies. I don't know what their year-end graphs reveal or predict. Nor did they pay me to write this post. However, like me and millions of others, Charisma House believes there is weirdness in the world.

And I am thrilled to be a part of it.