If the New York Times bestseller lists are any indication, people are more interested in spiritual things now than ever.

I can’t remember a single time when there have been more Christian books on the New York Times bestseller lists. The April 20, 2008 list, which is published on the Internet one week in advance of the print version, has eleven Christian books on the various lists. This is huge. I can’t remember a time when there were more.

Here are the books. Disclaimer: The fact that I list the book is not an endorsement of the book. Caveat emptor. (If you want to purchase a particular book, visit your local Christian retailer.)

• Dead Heat by Joel C. Rosenberg (Tyndale), #13 on the Hardcover Fiction list

• Mistaken Identity by Don and Susie Van Ryn and Newell, Colleen and Whitney Cerak, with Mark Tabb (Howard), #1 on the Hardcover Nonfiction list
• The Reason for God by Timothy Keller (Dutton), #13 the Hardcover Nonfiction list
• 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper with Cecil Murphey (Revell), #8 on the Paperback Nonfiction list.
• Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore with Lynn Vincent (Thomas Nelson) #33 on the Paperback Nonfiction list.
• Become a Better You by Joel Osteen (Free Press), #5 on the Hardcover Advice list.
• The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey (Thomas Nelson) Hardcover Advice list and #4 on the Hardcover Business list.
• The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman (Northfield), #7 on the Hardcover Advice list.
• The Purpose-Drive Life by Rick Warren (Zondervan), #11 on the Hardcover Advice list.
• Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton (Free Press), #5 on the Hardcover Business list.
• Your Best Life Now by Joel Osteen (Faith Words), #9 on the Paperback Business list.

This, of course, doesn’t include other “spiritual books” that some wouldn’t consider “evangelical.” These include:

• Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana by Anne Rice (Knopf), #21 on the Hardcover Fiction list
• Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (Penguin), #2 on the Paperback Nonfiction list.
• Grace (Eventually) by Anne Lamott (Riverhead), #18 on the Paperback Nonfiction list.
• The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (HarperOne), #9 on the Paperback Fiction list.
• The Language of God by Francis S. Collins (Free Press), #29 on the Paperback Nonfiction list.
• The Secret by Rhonda Byrne (Atria/Beyond Words), #1 on the Hardcover Advice list.

As I said, I can’t remember a time when people have been more interested in spiritual things. This is good news for Christian publishers and good news for Christian retailers. Despite what we hear through the media, we should take heart. This is a moment in time that I believe is very significant and very unique.

Related posts:

• Five Books on the New York Times Bestseller List
• The Bestselling Christian Books of 2008
• How Important Is an Author’s Platform?
• Why Religious Book Sales Are Down
• Writing a Winning Book Proposal