A big part of our work at Finney Media is doing representative sample music testing – online testing and auditorium testing – all over North America. Part of what we research is favorite Christian books. Here’s how we ask: “Other than the Bible, what are the best Christian books you’ve ever read?” Here are the Top 5 titles from research done during 2019:
- The Shack – William P. Young
- The Five Love Languages – Gary Chapman
- Crazy Love – Francis Chan
- The Purpose Driven Life – Rick Warren
- (tie) Mere Christianity – CS Lewis
- (tie) Not A Fan – Kyle Idleman
- (tie) Jesus Calling – Sarah Young
- (tie) Left Behind Series – Tim LaHaye
- (tie) Heaven is for Real – Todd Burpo
- (tie) Battlefield of the Mind – Joyce Meyer
- (tie) The Case for Christ – Lee Strobel
A few observations about the latest list:
- It’s helpful to see what springs “top of mind” with listeners. We didn’t give them titles from which to choose.
- There are only two Christian fiction books on the list – The Shack and Left Behind.
- 67 years since its publication, Mere Christianity still makes the list. If you’ve never read it, we recommend you do. Or maybe read it again.
- The newest book on the list, Not A Fan, was published in 2011.
- And then the biggest question. Why should you care? To better understand your listener. Maybe it’s time to read, or perhaps skim, one of the books here you’ve never read. I need to do this with Kyle Idleman.
Coming in September – We’re seeing a surge in high scores with songs sung by women. And, not just Lauren Daigle. Analyzing nationwide testing since the first of the year, we’ll have The Top 5 Testing Songs Sung by Women.
