From Pink to Waterproof: The Weird Economics of U.S. Bible Sales

A paradox: declining churchgoing, rising Bible sales.

Americans are attending church less—and buying more Bibles than ever. In this Complexified conversation, Amanda Henderson and RNS reporter Bob Smietana unpack the paradox: a two-decade boom in Bible sales alongside sinking religiosity. They trace how hyper-personalized editions (pink gift Bibles, “adventure” and environmental Bibles, even waterproof ones) meet life stages and rituals; why translation choices and shifting English keep spawning new versions; and how politics keeps creeping in—from school-gate Gideons and translation fights to specialty “commemorative” editions. We get inside baseball on supply chains (thin paper, specialized presses, China printing), the print-vs-app tug-of-war, and the curious spikes tied to public events. It’s a tour of the market where scripture is both sacred text and consumer good—and what that says about American Christianity right now.

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